One of our 50 is STILL Missing
When I was growing up in New Mexico, a book called One of Our 50 is Missing was something talked about as something of a (mostly) amusing topic. New Mexico shares its name with old Mexico and as such not infrequently has been accused of being a foreign country. The book in question is a collection of stories about individuals having problems with the fact many people don't understand the New Mexico is not a separate country.
One of the most hilarious stories was of now former Senator Pete Domenici. He went to the travel office of the Senate to get a ticket back to NM. He was told the travel office didn't handle returning home to a foreign country. An employee of travel office of the United States Senate didn't know New Mexico was a US state.
I have to admit, I encounter this from time to time. Many foreign folks think I am talking about Mexico when I mention where I am from. And being "whetto" with a currently Californian-ish accent[2] they get confused really quick. It often takes some explaining.
One would think that in this day and age of the internet, New Mexico would no longer being 'missing.' Alas, that is not the case.
Gavin Clarkson(1), a Republican New Mexican politician, went to go get a marriage license in Washington, DC with his fiancee. He was told he needed an New Mexican passport to get the marriage license. Apparently, the clerk thought New Mexico was a foreign country. The kerfluffle was cleared up and the pol was allowed to get the license. However...
One of our 50 is STILL Missing.
set aside whether you like him or not.
My New Mexican accent comes back when I go back. My ex wife is of European extraction. The first time we went back, she kept looking at me funny when we were with my friends. That evening when I finally got her to tell me what was bugging her she pronounced I didn't sound like me and she didn't like it. Should have seen it as a sign, folks. Should have seen it as a sign.
New Mexican accents tend to be sing-songy, even among anglos compared to other parts of the US. The pitch goes up and down based on emotional content. The speed varies as well based on the content. There are some variations on the accent, too. The pasty folk of New Mexico often have a tongue of the Texas twang, but if told them that, they would likely grumble.
In contrast, Californian accents tend to be nasal and relatively flat compared to NMican. Somehow, I picked up the Californian accent PDQ when I moved here, since I met my now ex wife about a year after moving to the SF Bay Area. That said, folks do note differences between my current accent from the normal Californian. Enough so some ask if I am from Europe. Frequently, I am asked if I was originally Irish or Danish, but lived here a long time. I'm 1/8 Irish: great grandmother was Catholic and came from Belfast. She died a full 42 years before I was born though. I'm not Danish at all and haven't even been there as yet. That may have been an influence from my ex though.
I had lunch with a linguist once post divorce and she was fascinated when the topic came up. She noted all sorts of oddities compared to Californian accents once she started paying attention. She was delighted.