We were pleased to welcome back last Friday evening Pearl McCabe whose talk was entitled 'From away!' (writes J. R.).
The content of her talk concerned our attitude to people we meet from other areas of our own country or who come from 'foreign parts', England or abroad.
The way we speak, our pronunciation, vocabulary, order of words, and even our appearance and behaviour are all factors in these attitudes.
Pearl McCabe pointed out that speech was a kind of information currency. Conversation can take the form of direct questions or more subtle enquiries. She quoted examples from her own experience as an incomer in shops, on buses and in the street, many of which were very amusing and easily identified by members of the audience!
Our attitudes to one another in urban areas can be very different from those in rural parts. Here Pearl compared living in Cardiff with that of living in the Rhondda Valley and later in Pembrokeshire.
Incomers are often regarded with suspicion and even with hostility sometimes before they are finally accepted. They are perceived to be different and 'a bit odd!' In other words 'from away!'
Pearl McCabe's keen observations of everyday life and how we react to each other made for a fascinating and very entertaining evening. She approached her subject with humour and wit to which her audience responded with much pleasure.
Tonight (Friday, October 17), Sheila Edwards will give an illustrated talk on 'Comparisons and contrasts in painting'. All are welcome to Church House at 8 pm. Admittance is £1 for members and £2 for non-members. Light refreshments will be served.