I'm an Aussie Blogger

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Excuse me young man?

With a scowl on her face, the elderly woman leaned toward the counter between her and the fruitier, “what was that you said?”

Boldly, the young man replied, "Sorry Ma’am, didn’t realize you was 'ard of ‘earing. Sex. You said you wanted sex, was it now?” Not one for putting up with the shenanigans of smart young fellows, the woman repeated, “SIX. HALF A DOZEN Chinese gooseberries thank you very much!”

Knowingly, the young man said “Okay ma’am, sex it is but you know, they aint Chinese gooseberries!” Leaning back across the counter towards the visibly annoyed woman, the young man with the cocky attitude looked at her, “actually, they’s Kiwi fruit ‘nd sweet as me they’d be. Just the thing for a young lady like you, Ma’am!”

Dreadfully embarrassed and realizing her mistake, the elderly woman rather shyly said “oh dear, what a silly old lady I am. Please forgive me. I didn’t know you were from New Zealand.”

Looking rather relieved, the young man grinned cheekily as he handed over a bag containing the fruit. Sounding happy, “You come back any time now love. I’ll make sure you get the best we have!” said the fruitier.

Collecting her bags, the woman replied, “now that I know why you pronounce six in such a funny way, I’ll be back!”

So it is for those of us with spasmodic dysphonia. Just as people speaking to each other with different accents can be easily misunderstood, we too can be difficult to understand. The harsh sound of speech through spasming vocal cords and the broken up sound of words sometimes makes it hard for us to project what it is we are saying.

For people who come across others who have this speech disability, we would like you to know, there is nothing wrong with our cognitive functioning. We know what it is we want to say, it just takes a little time. Please, be patient with us. Communication is so much more than just prattling off words. Together, we can work through speech difficulties and move forward in confidence and friendship.

If you would like to ask any questions or leave a comment of some other kind, please do. You are most welcome. Where ever you are, have a wonderful day.

Sue Bayliss. Cairns, Australia.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

What an engaging story to illustrate your point!

Sue Bayliss said...

Thank you for commenting, Scott. Hope I am not causing offence to anyone. Your site is great. Sue.

Anonymous said...

Hi sue,
I also have SD and after reading through your blog I can feel your pain. I waited almost three years to get my first botox treatment and it's been a life-saver for me. I love that your family set up the blog for you. I also tried an SD blog but got almost no comments and decided to let it go. I'll be anxiously awaiting your next installment.
Thanks,
Sara

Sue Bayliss said...

Thank you Sara for you most welcome comment. I am so pleased your botox treatments are going well. It is my pleasure to share with you some of our thoughts, experiences, hopes and pains. Amazing isn't it? There are so many good things happening around us! I love my family for setting up this blogspot for me. What a surprise it has been. I am hearing from lovely people and together, we can share our experiences. You are most welcome to stay in touch and comment away as much as you like! Sue.