I met Sammy the Shark this morning and I have to admit
that he got me really confused! Later that day I met Sally
the Shellfish, who was doing just fine. Sally told me that
she, too, had had a similar experience when talking to Sammy.
Then it dawned on me! Sammy must have difficulties in pronuncing
sibilants! In my conversation with Sammy this is what happened:
First of all, Sammy tried some small-talk; he said how beautiful
the sea was. Due to his mispronunciation, I thought he had
met a dashing girl-shark, who was single, even though slightly
sore.
Secondly, we talked about our
mutual friend, Sally the Shellfish, whom I thought Sammy
was accusing of being selfish for some reason. I also got
the impression that Sally was in trouble with the authorities,
and was locked up in a cell! There seemed to be some kind
of problem with rust, as well.
Finally, Sammy invited me to a
party he was giving. However, it didn't sound very tempting,
because it seemed that only one poor soul was attending besides
me! I also started to get worried because it seemed that the
festivities would be taking place on a ship, which generally
costs a lot of money. And when Sammy urged me to shave my
savings, I finally had to throw in the towel.
Thanks to almighty Neptune I finally
realized what had caused the misunderstandings. This experience
showed me why it is very important to pronounce carefully;
and especially, to pay attention to sibilants. I mentioned
this to Sammy and he promised to put in some serious practice.
I’m confident that you will, too, since practice makes
perfect!
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