15

M: Hello everybody. This is Mark. I am just sitting here in a room, in a big classroom, and I am talking to my friend, Eric. Eric comes from Oklahoma. Where do you come from exactly, Eric?
W: I come from southern Oklahoma about a fifteen-minute drive from the Texas border. The nearest big city is Dallas, which is about ninety minutes by car.
M: Dallas is in Texas, isn’t it?
W: That’s right. Dallas, Texas.
M: Wow, right OK, so you’re a southerner?
W: Aah... yes, I am a southerner.
M: What differences are there between the north and the south in the United States?
W: Well, there are a lot of areas of the north and areas of the south so it’s difficult to characterize... but... you know... basically... the area that I come from... maybe people are a bit more friendly and.., helpful.., for instance if you have car trouble.., it’s very likely that a nice person will stop and try to help you instead of a bad person stopping and trying to hurt you...
M: Right... right...
W: ... or something... not to say that people in the north won’t help you out too... but I think... there is a bit more of a friendly helpful spirit... in the part of the south that I come from.
M: I see. I think a lot of warm countries... the people have a kind of a laid-back relaxed helpful friendly sort of attitude... I think that’s a common thing...