The case of the curious accents

Having spent a week trying to recite Robert Burns' Address to a Haggis with a Scottish accent, I can understand how poor Günther Oettinger, the new EU commissioner for energy, feels. In case you haven't heard, he's been in the news for his rather peculiar English pronunciation. But instead of feeling embarrassed about his accent, Oettinger might consider turning what appears to be a shortcoming into an advantage. I'm thinking here of the popularity of this video spoof of the film director Werner Herzog, who speaks English with a very distinctive accent, reading Curious George by Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey.

By the way, the Reys moved from Europe to Massachusetts and lived in a house near Harvard Square until Hans died. Today, there's a children's bookstore named Curious George & Friends near the square.