Cambridge girl

Of the three kids, Anne has adapted the most thoroughly to her new environment.

She now speaks with a partial British accent. Most noticeable is that she pronounces O sounds like a native, in words like "not" and "home." She sometimes only goes halfway on the T sound at the end of a word like "not." Her inflection is more British now, too, making her sound a bit ironic when asking questions. Among her school friends, her new accent is even more pronounced; it's very funny to hear. It's also funny that she doesn't always realize she's talking this way. Sometimes I mimic her speech with a grin on my face, and she looks at me quizzically and asks why I'm "talking British."

By contrast, Tim has made no movement toward British pronunciation, though he does use more British words and expressions now. Colin does have an accent now and then, but mostly for new words he hadn't heard pronounced by an American before. For example, he is learning to read using the method of "phonics," a word he had not heard before, so he says it with a perfect British accent (and corrects us when we don't). He can also more generally mimic the British accent, but only does so when asked, generally sticking to American speech. Listening to him transform his voice so convincingly is also pretty entertaining!

Anne has also adopted the local dress. I see lots of girls around town with this outfit: skirt, tall comfy boots, tights, and pulled-back hair. Anne loves to dress this way, preferring the skirt and tights and boots attire over something warmer despite the mile-long walk to school in the cold morning.

On the way home from school the other day, I realized just how much Anne has adopted the local culture when she turned to me and said, "Daddy, I want to go to the Pub!" Who was I to say no? She was looking for fish and chips, not beer, of course, but nevertheless: She's my Cambridge girl!