American/Canadian/British English-Language Differences!

[ladyrowan]

Was thinking earlier today, wouldn't it be a good idea to have a thread devoted to the differences in our language? It does appear at times that we're speaking a different one altogether; i've often been at a loss to know what you're all talking about, hahaha.
It could also help people not to offend the 'other side' unknowingly!!
It could be fun - here are 2 recent examples:

quote:
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Originally posted by Wyrdsister
Now, with the stanza above, I actually pronounce "aunt" as rhyming with "haunt," though I know it is also pronounced as "ant." Is the rhyming with "haunt" a Canadian/British thing? Does everyone in the States say "ant"?

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my answer:
We pronounce haunt as 'hornt' and aunt as 'arnt'
Does that mean you pronounce aunt as 'ornt'? hehe

AND

quote:
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Originally posted by random

what is that????

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my answer:
I think a fringe might be what you call 'bangs. It's the hair that covers you forehead down to your eyebrows!! hahahahahah

Sometimes i think it might be very useful to have a language class here, could save a lot of confusion!!

For example, if a Brit went out in the street with just his pants on, he'd be arrested! hehe

(Our pants are worn under the trousers, what do you wear under your pants?!!)



Anyone know of any more?

[threenorns]

dont' even get me STARTED on the "language thing"!!!

my mother's a finn, me da is a brit, and my hubbie is french-canadian whose english is VERY poor. it's funny to watch a canadian who's not an immigrant struggle to translate from french to english and back again!

example (from my stepson): "the duck on the stove is whistling!"
("canard" is french for kettle, but also for duck [the quack-quack kind]).

another example: "you throw the cow over the fence some hay". (nice trick, if you can manage it!).

another faux-pas: "i'll knock you up some time!" in north america means "i'll get you pregnant some time"!

"i'll give you a ring" means "i'll call you" on one side of the ocean, but "we're going to be engaged" on the other!

[Rævyn Cigány]

LOL! This is going to be a great thread...my biggest 'problem' with the english language is this: one of my closest friends is British....how the heck do they get another 'I' in aluminum??? Wendy pronounces it 'aluminium'....

And is it just me who cringes every time someone (whether they be Canadian, American, British, whatever) says 'excape' instead of escape?? LOL

BB

Rae )0(

[threenorns]

how about that "nyew-kew-ler" instead of "nuclear"?

i might be wrong, but think it's not that the brits added another "i", but i think an "i" was removed....

another thing that really gets stuck in my craw is "pottering around", instead of "puttering around" (the first means to be making pottery all over the place, while the second means one is busy looking busy).

[Myst]

I pronounce it aluminium somedays too, but I doubt that has anything to do with my heritage - just somedays I can't pronounce it :)

Another ol' fave is "tramp" - as in a hobo vs as in a prostitute :)

[Myst]

I prefer "pottering about"...

(potter actually also means, according to the dictionary,
to busy one's self with trifles; to labor with little purpose, energy, of effect; to trifle; to pother)

[gunner]

see my joke in another thread, "they haven't spoken it in america for years!" i think it would be an interesting thread, one we could have a bit of fun with. we could also perhaps throw in a bit on aussie slang for them as don't speak "strine", fair dinkum?

[SnowStar]

The thing about trousers v. pants in the UK and pants v. ??? in the US:
There are so many ways of saying it, but I would figure the most common is underwear. Some call them underpants. I think its a regional thing or just plain semantics.

Even in the States though there are regional differences in meanings of words. Up north mostly pop is a soft drink, if you ask for a pop anywhere in the southern US you get some weird looks. You even get odd ones for calling it a soda. The most common way to ask for a soft drink in the southern US is just to ask for a coke, then they'll ask you what kind. I had an odd experience at the movie theatre when I first moved to GA with that little difference.

Another thing I think I've noticed between British English and American English is different names for clothes. I am pretty sure a "vest" in the UK is a tank top in the US, and I think a sweater is sometimes called by something else in the UK as well. I usually don't have a hard time discerning and figuring out what people mean myself, though I am sure that this post will be helpful nonetheless.

Also, the thing about translating French to English and back (or any language for that matter) that can get pretty amusing. I knew this one girl who spoke French as a second language and her pronounciation wasn't the greatest and instead of asking this French guy if he was hungry (Tu as faim?) she accidentally asked him "Tu es femme?" (Are you woman?) We picked on her for awhile for that one, that is until someone else instead of asking where the toilets were called someone a toilet.

Language creates a whole mess of outtakes and funny misunderstandings...

[EasternPriest]

hmmm....a napkin is what you ask for in a restaurant in the US, in England a napkin is a diaper.

[gunner]

"in England a napkin is a diaper."

or a "nappie", if you want to get into some real fun try figuring out cockney rhyming slang.

[Mariposa De La Luna]

I believe a sweater in the US is a jumper in the UK. I think I heard it from Harry Potter. While a jumper in the US is like a skirt overall type thing that girls wear.

I'd like to get the Harry Potter books in British to see how the languages differ and to teach my daughter.

[cybele]

As one of the "most likely to cause misunderstanding", people who dare attempt communication, I should like to kiss your beautiful brain. ( smootchysmootchy )

I use "gray" as a color and "colour" as a action/emotion. ( especially; "coloured") "Grey" is an emotional colour as in, "It was a grey day coloured in heavy responsibilities." ( it does not help matters that I often mispell things) I grew up in Minnesota and was engaged to a Canadian with whose family I lived with for a while and learned to pronounce "garage". :) I took French in school until I was eighteen and now live in the southwest where Spanish is spoken all about ( "a-boot"). My mother taught me Latin in pre-school. I have a tendency to make up words for fancy. I am vauge and loose with grammar. If I am understood at all it is luck.

What I am trying to say is that perhaps asking meaning is the best path on message boards when one is not clear on meaning.

I would like to learn these new expressive words. I am trying to be understood, it just does not work all the time.

Bless,
Cybele

[Draeconin]

In America, a bubbly soft drink was usually called a soda-pop. Now, in some parts of the USA, you ask for a pop, in some you ask for a soda and in others you ask for a soft drink. Didn't know about the Georgia thing and "coke". Interesting! :)

Let's see... Car parts. In Britain you have a bonnet and a boot. In America you have a hood and a trunk. Some of the antique cars in Britain have runners. In America they have side-boards.

In Britain you might be asked for an elastic. In America they're rubber bands.

If a Brit asks you for a rubber, give him/her an eraser. :D

If a Brit asks you for a fag, do NOT take him/her to a gay bar! :eek: They want a cigarette. :D

[Swanspirit]

Isnt something you put spray and wash ON LOL ....... you think that is bad ... try attending World Cup Cricket .... and wondering
why they are "wearing all that armour" and there arent any horses? and why someone is standing in the silly spot ????
ROFLMAO.......
Love and laughter and language .....
Swannie

[gunner]

will you pass me that spanner mate, i've got to take out the dynamo from that morris minor.

[cybele]

Do you knw the cockney rhyming for gin? I heard it a long time ago and cannot remember it. There is a "ditty".

It will now drive me crazy until I know. ( it may drive me to drink........gin)

Cybele

[Anne]

In Austria (at least 11 years ago) if you were blue, it meant that you were drunk! (In U.S.A. it meant sad). In England if you are pissed it means drunk (I believe) and in America it means angry!

When in Austria I may remark that someone was sweet and the children would lick their fingers and laugh. Not a usual wording in their vocab.

[threenorns]

... that the world thinks we sound scottish? i'm pretty certain i don't say "oot and a-boot", although gunner sez i do.

here's one: pilvikki is a finn. the finnish language is seriously short on the tonal variety. as a result, she simply can't hear the difference between (for example) "free" and "three". talk about confusion!

so we have:

me (lapsing into a wierd UK kind of hybrid accent in the most scathing of tones when i get pissed -- er... "annoyed", not "drunk")

my hubbie, who speaks a highly regional dialect of french not understood anywhere else in the world by anybody who lives more than 25 miles away and where everything ends in a nasal "ay-ee?" sound. the best way to understand it clearly is to overdose on poutine and pretend you're listening to a bunch of drunken lumberjacks.

my mother, who retains a lyrical scandinavian lilt and the habit of speaking rather softly.

my stepson, who combines his father's french accent with the atrocious habit of today's teenager of not being caught dead moving his lips when he speaks.

.....

quite frankly, i'm surprised we haven't all murdered each other by now.

[gunner]

"In England if you are pissed it means drunk (I believe) and in America it means angry!"

right in one, as in "andy came home from the pub pissed again and had a row with his missus and the cops had to sort them out"

[Wyrdsister]

Originally posted by threenorns
another faux-pas: "i'll knock you up some time!" in north america means "i'll get you pregnant some time"! HAHAHAHA!!! This one's great! My mom worked with a lovely Brit a few years ago, a very friendly, quiet, charming woman. My mom was rather surprised when her co-worker mentioned that a good friend of hers had knocked her up on the weekend!! :eek: :D

One that really makes me giggle is the word "fanny." Over on this side of the Atlantic, fanny means one's derierre (sp?). A few Scottish friend of mine tell me that a "fanny" is not one's posterior, but a female's ... frontal region? :eek: They completely crack up whenever someone says they have a "fanny pack"... hehehehe!!!

Wyrdsister

PS Oh yeah, and don't those Americans just spell everything wrong? :D :D *joke!*

[Wyrdsister]

Originally posted by threenorns
my hubbie, who speaks a highly regional dialect of french not understood anywhere else in the world by anybody who lives more than 25 miles away and where everything ends in a nasal "ay-ee?" sound. the best way to understand it clearly is to overdose on poutine and pretend you're listening to a bunch of drunken lumberjacks. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! OMGoddess, I think I know exactly the sound you mean!! You have explained it perfectly!! LOL!! :D :D 8O My dear threenorns, you certainly have a gift for language! I guess it's no wonder with your family structure! :) :)

Wyrdsister

[Swanspirit]

Merry Merry ,
What exactly IS Poutine??? its not related to sticking your lower lip out and feeling frustated is it???.... I knew that LOL
Love and Laughter and Language,
Swannie

[threenorns]

.... you're not french-canadian then, are ya!

poutine is the "national dish" of quebec and french ontario.

it's basically fries with a generous sprinkle of cheese curds (some heathen places use grated mozzarella), topped off by the richest, darkest gravy you can make.

no, canned just doesn't do it.

great for the tastebuds, lousy for the hips!

[Swanspirit]

Merry Merry,
That is does sound delicious and fattening LOL, and I just lost eight pounds !!! siggggghhhhh But just goes to show you how gratifying multicultural experiences can be LOL,
especially in the food exchange category........ Lasangna with homemade sauce and homegrown herbs?? anyone ???or Brijole ?? or how about some homemade guacamole mmmmmmmm with homegrown garlic???
Love and bon appetit !!
Swannie

[Draeconin]

Originally posted by gunner
will you pass me that spanner mate, i've got to take out the dynamo from that morris minor.

Ok, a spanner's a wrench, a Morris Minor was a car which I believe was highly thought of, so a dynamo is a generator?

[threenorns]

at a guess, i'd say the alternator?


about food, don't even get me *started*! i've got any number of recipes, ranging from diabetic to decadent, and including liqueurs, truffles, and whatsit.

if anyone needs ideas for a dinner party or potluck (etc), let me know and i'll shoot some your way.

[ladyrowan]

WOW, what a response!!!! Lots of laughs reading throught them all, and we've not even started the cockney rhyming slang yet!!!
(Just going down the frog and toad with my skin and blister to look at a jam-jar for my trouble and strife)hehe

Right, here goes:

Q....how the heck do they get another 'I' in aluminum??? Wendy pronounces it 'aluminium'....
A
@cos we don't pronounce it aloominum (I learnt that from Tin Men!), more like alaminium


Q......another thing that really gets stuck in my craw is "pottering around", instead of "puttering around"
A
We 'potter around' being busy, we've no such word as puttering, unless you're talking about playing around on a putting green!


Q....."they haven't spoken it in america for years!"
A
Agreed, Gunner! hehe

Q.....we could also perhaps throw in a bit on aussie slang for them as don't speak "strine", fair dinkum?
A
Good idea. Always make me laugh when they call someone a spunk!!!! (Here it means a certain Male emission!!!!!)

Q....I am pretty sure a "vest" in the UK is a tank top in the US
A
A vest can be either an underwear top thingy to keep you warm in winter, or a sleevless T-shirt

Q.....hmmm....a napkin is what you ask for in a restaurant in the US, in England a napkin is a diaper
A
a napkin here is a restaurant thing, or a nappy (diaper) or a sanitary towel ('feminine hygeine' thing, don't know what you call them!)

Q....I believe a sweater in the US is a jumper in the UK
A
Thats right, also called a pullover

Q........I use "gray" as a color and "colour" as a action/emotion. "Grey" is an emotional colour as in, "It was a grey day coloured in heavy responsibilities
A
Here, it's always 'grey' and 'colour'

Q......Some of the antique cars in Britain have runners. In America they have side-boards
A
Side-board? Thats a waist-height cupboard, traditionally used for storing crockery in the dining room, haha
A runner is also a long narrow carpet in the hallway

Q.......If a Brit asks you for a rubber, give him/her an eraser
A
Oh-oh, not much help in the heat of the moment!!!! roflmao!
Another word with dual meaning!

Q....If a Brit asks you for a fag, do NOT take him/her to a gay bar! They want a cigarette
A
We also use 'fag' the same way as you, but more commonly 'faggot' - which, by the way, is also a meatball!!

Q.....will you pass me that spanner mate, i've got to take out the dynamo from that morris minor.
A
Sounds perfectly reasonable to me!

Q....Do you knw the cockney rhyming for gin? I heard it a long time ago and cannot remember it. There is a "ditty".
A
Sometimes called 'mothers ruin', but i don't know a ditty or another word for it

Q.....In England if you are pissed it means drunk (I believe) and in America it means angry!
A
Means both now, your influence I believe, although usually we're 'pissed off'

Q....A few Scottish friend of mine tell me that a "fanny" is not one's posterior, but a female's ... frontal region?
A
That's right, hehe

Q....PS Oh yeah, and don't those Americans just spell everything wrong? *joke!*
A
No Comment Wyrdsister! haha



Thanks for the laugh everyone, I'm sure there's plenty more to come, and BTW, translation from the top -
"I'm going down the road with my sister to look at a car for my wife" !!!

BB

[Myst]

The "oot" and "aboot" stuff drives me nuts, same with "root", "doot", and "eh".. I have american friends who say eh more then I do! :)

[BrightStar]

Hi all!
Another difference is in the last letter of the alphabet,the letter z.Here we pronounce it as zee,but my proffesor from Britain would say zed.She used to say,"everything from a to zed",then all these grad students would start giggling.
My father spoke fluent Okie.It had a sort of buzz to words.An example is,"Ja eechet?"which is did you eat yet?Nahchet=not yet.We say "I'm fixin to"which means I'll do it in a short while.
Oh well,just thought I'd add a little Okie to the convo.
Now I gots ta go over yonder and git me sum maters.
Translation=I'm going to the garden to pick some tomatoes.
Rob

[Lilu]

Originally posted by gunner
see my joke in another thread, "they haven't spoken it in america for years!" i think it would be an interesting thread, one we could have a bit of fun with. we could also perhaps throw in a bit on aussie slang for them as don't speak "strine", fair dinkum?

LOL WHERE are you getting your Aussie from??? *grin*

I've never heard the word "strine" so I'm guessing it's from the North of Australia or something where they speak different.

As for "Fair dinkum" you're kind of using it out of context *grin*

Fair dinkum is usually roughly translated as "For real?"

If you were to ask someone if they were being "fair dinkum" you would be asking them if they were being serious. If they replied "Fair Dinkum!" they would be affirming that they are indeed serious.

Lilu

[ladyrowan]

I know what Strine is, maybe it's an English term?

BB

[threenorns]

... that always drives me bonkers:

"he's up on the 'ruff' fixing the chimney"? what happened to the long "o" sound, as in "rooooof"?

do american cows say "muh"?

[Shy Hawk]

I have had little to no experience with the British and Candians...so this thread is really interesting to me.

Anyhow, american cows go moooooo.

By the by, I'm one of those people who say "eh" a lot, my friend from Canada has yet to say eh in front of me. But something she does do that is histerical....she has a way of saying everything like it is a chipper and happy thing...and then asking a question, at the end of every sentence.
(picture a wide eyed blonde girl of about 18 skip into view)
"wow, oh my gosh, let me tell you what happened. My dog, it got run over this morning right? it was so crazy, huh? Oh my gosh, I have to tell you, I almost cried you know?...."
ShyHawk

[EasternPriest]

My Kiwi friends always say "Good on ya!" as a form of congratulations.

[Spirahl]

I don't use a napkin to wipe my face, I use a "serviette", which we got from the French. I certainly would'nt use a diaper! LOL

Canadians on the east coast will say "aboot", but nowhere else. They have a strong Scots/ Irish heritage there. My Nana still talks like that, though she moved to Ontario when she was 17.

In US it is a couch or sofa, not a chesterfield which is used here.

I get ticked with my fellow Canadians who have Americanized their spellings, and have seen it in our mags and newspapers too.
It's colour, not color
centre, not center
programme, not program
cheque, not check.

I've noticed some Americans say "mar-jeen" instead of margarine. This is funny to me.

[threenorns]

i say "eh" a lot, but more like "eh? what was that you said?"

i've never used teh term "chesterfield" -- i'm afraid we use "couch", too, as it is from the french word "coucher" (to lie down) WHICH, by the way, PROVES my theory that couches ARE meant to be slept on!

[Danustouch]

My friend in college was from Pennsylvania Dutch Country. There, instead of saying "turn the lights out" or "shut off the lights.." they say "Out the lights".

My cousins husband is a biking addict. Bikers tend to use those little belt packs to keep all of their valuables in, out of convenience. Well..he was visiting France, once, and was taking a break from biking there, when he saw another biker, a female, trying to fix her belt pack. My cousins husband always referred to those belt packs as a "Fanny Pack". So he asked her..."Having a problem with your Fanny pack...want some help?". She gave him the MOST horrified look. And hopped on her bicycle and rode away. He related the story to a friend of his back at the hotel...and his friend started cracking up. He notified my cousins husband that in the UK...fanny is a term for the vagina.

[Danustouch]

In New England, a common term for "Very" cool...is "Wicked" cool. My husbands brother in law just notified us that in California, they now use ..."Heller", instead of Wicked.

One of my pet peeves is people trying to say "supposedly"...my ex boyfriend used to say "supposantly"...oh gods did THAT ever drive me nuts.

[Danustouch]

My Grandfather, Gotta love him, could never break the habit of saying WARSH instead of Wash.

"Helen, hang the Warsh out to dry". That always drove me nuts.
What the hell is a "Warsh"?

[Spirahl]

Originally posted by Danustouch
in the UK...fanny is a term for the vagina.

8O :eek: 8O My GreatGranny's name was Fanny and she tried so hard to get my parents to name me that, even trying to bribe them with her gold watch. They didn't.
Whew! A narrow escape for me! I'd always thought that it meaning butt/bum/bottom was horrendous enough!

[Rævyn Cigány]

Originally posted by Spirahl
Canadians on the east coast will say "aboot", but nowhere else. .

Not true...Noooooootttt TRUE!!! I'm from Eastern Ontario and we DO say "aboot" and something like "cooch" (but not quite) for couch, and yes, our cows do say "muuuuuuuuuuhhhh" ;) Just like we go the theatre and watch a "muhvee"....

hehehehe...look at me and ma bad self ;)

BB

Rae )0(

[Spirahl]

Well, I guess the East Coast starts at Eastern Ontario then...:D
I'm a southerner darlin'!

[Myst]

There's also a habit of using the word "hella" instead of "wicked" as in "hella cool"...

My friend who's father is from Quebec pronounces cushion closer to "koi-shin", but not that pronounced.

My dad often says "battry" instead of battery.

[Lilu]

Originally posted by Danustouch
He notified my cousins husband that in the UK...fanny is a term for the vagina.

It's the same in Australia. We call them "bum bags" not "fanny packs" and even though I'm in America and no one understands what I mean by a bum bag, I REFUSE to say fanny pack LOL.

Lilu

[rantnraven]

Originally posted by threenorns
"he's up on the 'ruff' fixing the chimney"? what happened to the long "o" sound, as in "rooooof"?

do american cows say "muh"?

No, "Muh" is Southern for "I dunno", which is West-Coast American or I Don't Know.

American cows I cannot speak for but, here in California they say, "Like, moo, ya know."

In Australia, they eat veggimite(sp?). In America we call it, well...er...veggimite:rolleyes:

In Boston, they Pahk the Cah. Here, we park our cars but, in East Los Angeles, they Park the Ride.

In Texas there is a saying, "All for oil and oil for all" that sound closer to "All for all and all for all".

Ebonically speaking, can I axe you a question?

Working in Scott is Wokkin' with is a style of cooking in Asia.

Cathininny - a common greeting for men fishing "cathing any?"

I'm dun fer now.

RnR - NO! not Runner. Just "R" "n" "R"

[Danustouch]

Rhode Island has a couple of funny sayings...

If somebody is confirming something that somebody else said...they say..."all day long!!". So..."Did you watch that movie, I think it sucked". They will reply.."Oh my god! yes..it sucked ALL day long!".

And then, when you are surprised by something someone says, instead of saying "no WAY" as a sighn of disbelief...they say..."No SUH!" (no sir).

I still get irked over the Supposently thing...and the warsh thing.

[rantnraven]

Originally posted by Danustouch
My Grandfather, Gotta love him, could never break the habit of saying WARSH instead of Wash.

"Helen, hang the Warsh out to dry". That always drove me nuts.
What the hell is a "Warsh"?

nearly grounded me for the same thing. The first president of the U.S was Warshington, you idiot.

Would love to stick around but I have a load of laundry in the Warsher that needs tendin' to.

RnR

[Danustouch]

I was watching a documentary on Garth Brooks once. Apparently, on his tour of Ireland, he asked his tour director, to teach him a phrase in Gaelic. He wanted to learn how to say something in their own language, to show solidarity, i guess. His tour manager considerately said.."oh..well..you could say Pog Ma Hoine (sp)"..that means good morning, in Gaelic. So...Garth Brooks walks into a restaurant and says to the barmaid.."Pog Ma Hoine, can I have a pint?". The waitress gives him a funny look, but gets him a pint. Then, on his way out, he see's a mother and her small child. He smiles, and says.."Pog Ma hoine", the mother grabs her childs hand and hurries along away from him. Then..he see's a priest. He says.."Pog Ma Hoine, Father"....the priest looks absolutely shocked, and scurries away, a very disapproving look on his face. Finally..Garth starts to figure out that something JUSSSSSSSSSSSST isn't right. He gets back to the tour bus, and says.."hey...how come every time I greet people with Pog Ma Hoine, they get ticked off at me." the tour manager, and the rest of the bus...starts cracking up. Pog Ma Hoine, in Gaelic (don't know the right spelling), means "Kiss My Ass".

[Danustouch]

Are you Fixin to tend to that Load of Warsh you got there? If so...let me get you the whatchamacallit...". Yep..that was my grandpa. And he was NOT a southerner, either! oh...and his OTHER saying was..."whassumthere". Whassumthere was a generic term that fit in ANY place in a conversation where there was a pause, or a lack of words.

"I went down to that store today, whassumthere, and bought a new pair of slacks so I could go to the party, whassumthere".

LOL.

Grew up wondering if maybe my name was meant to be Whassumthere.

[rantnraven]

Keen, neato, cool, groovy, bad, boss, bitch'n, cherry, tight, rad, swell, great, hip, in, hoppin', ni-i-ice, thumbs-up, E-e-eh!, Whoa, WOW, curls, hangin' ten...

Did I miss any?

Antonym: bites, sucks, stale, blows, lame, lousy, loose, icky...

Any more?

RnR :D :rolleyes:

[Dellit Tandannon]

a lot of people in new jersey say warsh as well. and we say soda, but a lot of other areas say pop. people i meet from outside my area laugh at the way i say water and coffee as well.

friggin vernacular :rolleyes: lol

[Wyrdsister]

Originally posted by Spirahl
Canadians on the east coast will say "aboot", but nowhere else. They have a strong Scots/ Irish heritage there. My Nana still talks like that, though she moved to Ontario when she was 17.

In US it is a couch or sofa, not a chesterfield which is used here.

I get ticked with my fellow Canadians who have Americanized their spellings, and have seen it in our mags and newspapers too.
It's colour, not color
centre, not center
programme, not program
cheque, not check. Yeah, I can sort of agree with that. I lived in the Maritimes for about 11 years and I never developed the "oot" sound, but part of the population seems rather attached to it. :)

The biggest thing I notice in Maritime (at least, mid to southern NB) speech is the pronunciation of "tour" - they say "tore" or "tor". So if you go visiting the province you'd be a "torist".

I've never actually said "chesterfield" - it's always been "couch" for me.

And yes, the American-spelling Canadian is a BIIIG pet peeve of mine! *grrr* ;)

Wyrdsister

[Shy Hawk]

yeah I can agree with the water and coffee thing. When I still had my bitchin' (hehe) NY accent...it was pronounced differently then the rest of the world seems to say them.

Water in NY is Wahtuh...roughly
Coffee (for some parts of the city) Kwah-Fee
Idea on Long Islan NY is I-Dear
Ask-axe
Soda.....soda, there is no pop in NY! lol
:p

[BrightStar]

Hi all!
One summer in Louisiana,I was at a record store.The man asked me"Where y'all from",we replied "Oklahoma".
He said,"Oh,you got a lot a whales down there".I told him,no,Oklahoma is landlocked.He laughed and said "No,oyil whales!" as in oil wells.
We use the term warsh occasionally.I had a friend who was always saying,"I gots ta git me a good warsherwoman."Meaning a woman who'd cook,clean and etc,then go home!
My granny used to use the word yarbs instead of herbs.
We use 2 syllables a lot for one syllable words.
Shit is shee-it.damn is day-um.I guess curse words lend themselves well to exagerration.
Of course,y'all is used a lot for one or many persons.My New Yorker friend claims to have no accent,thinks we all sound stupid.He says,"Youse guys sound stoopid".
When people come here from the North US(We call them Yankees,sometimes day-um Yankees!)the way they say spoon always gets a laugh.They pronounce Coors beer the same way.The u sound is a lot longer here in spoon,but Coors is more like kerz.
And we who live in the cities or suburbs of Oklahoma City or Tulsa speak differently than those from the rural areas.And Northwest Oklahomans speak differently from those in the Southeast part of the state.
Peace and Love
BrightStar

[Danustouch]

Oh..and to my grandmother, if you don't bake it yourself...it's BOUGHTEN.

Boughten pie, Boughten bread. Because you BOUGHT it at the store.

[Rick]

Ya'll are day-yum straight there, Neighbor! :D 'cept it's 'awl wale'.

Typical Okie conversation: "You wanna Coke?" "Yeah." "Wut kind?" "Seh-um Up."

Personally, I LOVE IT! I wouldn't change regionalisms for all the warsh in all the Chinese laundries!

PS - 'southern' is pronounced 'suthrin', or 'sutharin'... leastwise, south of the Mason-Dixon line...

[ladyrowan]

Originally posted by Spirahl
I don't use a napkin to wipe my face, I use a "serviette", which we got from the French. I certainly would'nt use a diaper! LOL


the 'snobs' now tell us that it's terribly 'common' (downmarket) to say serviette, the best people all use a napkin!! I just use my sleeve, hahaha

[ladyrowan]

Originally posted by Danustouch
My cousins husband is a biking addict. Bikers tend to use those little belt packs to keep all of their valuables in, out of convenience. Well..he was visiting France, once, and was taking a break from biking there, when he saw another biker, a female, trying to fix her belt pack. My cousins husband always referred to those belt packs as a "Fanny Pack". So he asked her..."Having a problem with your Fanny pack...want some help?". She gave him the MOST horrified look. And hopped on her bicycle and rode away. He related the story to a friend of his back at the hotel...and his friend started cracking up. He notified my cousins husband that in the UK...fanny is a term for the vagina.

I'd say he was lucky not to get a slap round the face too!
Although it's not really an obscene word here I couldn't use it like you do there.
It can also be an affectionate nickname, cockney i think, but not heard so much these days. I wonder why?? hehe

[ladyrowan]

Originally posted by Danustouch
...and his OTHER saying was..."whassumthere". Whassumthere was a generic term that fit in ANY place in a conversation where there was a pause, or a lack of words.
"I went down to that store today, whassumthere, and bought a new pair of slacks so I could go to the party, whassumthere".


I think that's got to be the strangest one here, never heard that one before!!

BB

[Danustouch]

My boyfriend likes to tease me for the way I say things. He's the one with the Killer New England Accent. He was brought up in RI, I'm from CT, near the NY border.

Anyway...I say CelERy...he says CELRY

I say Ruum he says Rooom

i'll say..."I need to get some hamburger (or hamburger meat) at the grocery store, and he'll say..."I need to get some hamburg".

[Danustouch]

How many of you serve "Gravy" on your pasta, and how many serve "Sauce".

Go to Boston, and ask for a milkshake, and they'll give you a paper carton of milk, shaken. There, you must ask for a "frappe".

In Rhode Island, as in England, French Fries are "Chips".

Another pet peeve of mine, is people who say Stawr "give me a strawr for my drink". and then say Draw for Drawer "put these socks away in that draw".

And I do not wear "Frocks"...I wear dresses. I don't wear "slacks" i wear pants. Slacks are those thick shiny nylon things in bright peaches, and gross greens that my grandma used to wear. The ones with the big seam down each leg, in front?

Do you say AUNT or ANT? Vaz or VASE?

[ladyrowan]

Just moving this to the top for Skye to find
BB

[Sequoia]

my dad and mom had a years-long argument about whether the ground up beef was hamburg or hamburger. . . hehe I refused to get into it.

I've had many teachers get on my case, because for some reason I spell it "colour" "centre" etc, I say "ahnt" for aunt, and can occasionally (especially when angry) start using a British accent (I have never been to England in my life, I have no CLUE where I picked up THAT one.). I scare myself.

my mom liked to brag about how she came from rhode island and had an accent, but it got to the point that the only thing she could say with an accent anymore was "pahk the caa" 8O

[gunner]

"Ok, a spanner's a wrench, a Morris Minor was a car which I believe was highly thought of, so a dynamo is a generator?"

right, the morris minor came out before the switch to alternators and you're also right in saying the morris minor 1000 was quite well thought of. it was about the size of a folkswagen but, i think rather a better car. mine was a drophead saloon and after i found out it used the same b.m.c. motor block as the mk1 sprite and most parts were interchangeable my morris quickly found itself with a set of twin sidedraft s.u. carburettors and the cylinder head from a wrecked racing sprite and i started giving the 1.5 liter boys a hard time. the handling was also quite good, much better than folkswagen and you could "drift" a corner quite predictably with just a touch of throttle to hold it in line then accelerate out very nicely. if i were to find another morris i could afford i'd buy it in a heartbeat.

(that little "hot rod morris" was, by the way, our "honeymoon car" when irene and i got married and every time she sees one she gets a bit misty eyed.)

[Kiya]

Puhleeeeeeeeeeeeeze!!!!!!!! You'll start an argument! Moggies vs Beetles at dawn!!

Another one for you though - you say 'gas' and we say 'petrol' (in the UK!)

Um......... someone must have already mentioned that in England a rubber is a pencil eraser????? I find that amusing, but then I have a warped English sense of humour!!!

[gunner]

"I have a warped English sense of humour!!!"

but that's the very best sort!

[Kiya]

It's the only kind we grow round here!

Warped, sick and twisted.... I blame it on the English Summer myself!!!

hmmmmmm........ one of my favourite (notice the spelling, that's the English way!) phrases is 'In for a penny, in for a Pound'....... is there an american equivalent?

PS......I'm even more twisted than most English folk - I LIKE root beer!!!

[gunner]

"'In for a penny, in for a Pound'....... is there an american equivalent?"

oddly enough that one is heard over here too fairly often though likely most that use it don't realise that it refers to the pound sterling rather than a pound weight.

(and i've just finished a nice cold glass of root beer, cheers!)

[gunner]

do yorkshiremen still call a lackwit "gormless" or has that one gone by?

[Kiya]

I can't even get root beer round here! Used to be able to buy the odd can in one supermarket where I used to live, but nowhere round here!

I moved 300 miles north last september, and I'm having fun trying to understand my Yorkshire colleagues....

For instance, they call their coffee mugs 'pots' which is also used as slang for the toilet.

Instead of saying 'I'll wait until next week' they'll say 'I'll wait while next week" and what about 'owt' and 'nowt'? (that's anything and nothing!!)

Yours, dazed and confused......

[Spirahl]

Funny. People who pronounce film as "fillum" and known as "knowen". Where's that from?
And folks who pronounce drawing as "drawring"- "Well you know my name is Simon, and the things I draw come true..." (Sorry, a childhood flashback):)

[gunner]

not a bit of it, we vermonters are accused of "having an accent" too but actually it's the "flatlanders" that talk funny, we don't have any trouble understanding each other.

[Kiya]

....used to pronounce film 'fillum' as in 'Ah can't be doin' with them new-fangled fillums - give 'em bad 'ead and what be wrong with the wireless anyways?'

Tranlation is: I don't like the new movies because they give me a headache, and what is wrong with listening to the radio?

She also used to look at the sky, and if there were thunderclouds on the horizon she would state that it was a bit black over Will's mother's. I never did find out who Will, or his mother, actually was!

[gunner]

i've been enjoying this kiya but i've got to get ready to drive my grand daughter to her day camp, its 0800hrs here, time to be up and about. take care and we'll see you later

[Danustouch]

Puma..I'm glad to know your mom MOSTLY Got RID of the RI accent. I'm trying terribly hard not to become infected with it! LOL. I catch myself dropping my "r's every once in a while, and want to slap myself. I can't STAND The RI accent. LOL.

Gunner....you're a vermonter?

You're answer had better be.."yep". hehehe..I used to date a vermonter..and that seems to be the most often used word in their vocabulary...

"Yep".

[gunner]

"Gunner....you're a vermonter?"

ay-yep

[Danustouch]

heheheheheh ;);)

[rantnraven]

I, like, totally, do not have an accent, ya' know. It's, like, there was this one time, in band camp, that this girl says, like, you totaly, like, talk funny. And I was all, like, Right!

Gotta jet, surf's up.

Like, ya know,
Rn - like - R

[Danustouch]

For Sure For Sure!!!!!!!! Like...TOTALLY!!!!!!!

[Dellit Tandannon]

Originally posted by Spirahl
"Well you know my name is Simon, and the things I draw come true..." (Sorry, a childhood flashback):)

i loved that show!!!

[Sequoia]

like, hey! I was like born in California! We don't like talk funny and like stuff. Jeeze! Like, California is da bomb! I gotta like go to the mall, I dunno when I'll be back, it'll prolly be like late out, and stuff. Like.

;)

[Swanspirit]

Merry Merry ,
Of the Atlantic East Coast Seaboard, and
on the East Coast Flyway ( gotta get a plug in for the wildbirds :>) is a state called Maryland..... if we go north they say "you are a southerner arent you ?"
and if we go south .. we are a D*** Yankee
sigh..............
Love and Light
Swannie

[ladyrowan]

Originally posted by gunner
do yorkshiremen still call a lackwit "gormless" or has that one gone by?

It's still used all over Britain as far as I know, it's certainly a south-east expression, but not as often as it was.
Some other words with the same meaning are:

numbnut
dweeb
dickhead
wally
plonker

plus hundreds of regional variations. Never heard 'lackwit' though!

BB

[gunner]

" Never heard 'lackwit' though!"

that's a very old expression, outdated these days i reckon, like another old one, "the foolkiller" as in "you keep driving like that boy and the foolkiller will get you for damm sure".

[ladyrowan]

just discovered another one:

You say 'Redneck'

We say 'Country Bumpkin'!

BB

[ladyrowan]

"This is the sort of English up with which I will not put."

Sir Winston Churchill, Marginal comment on state document, quoted in Sir Ernest Gowers, Plain Words



8O He was a great man, so quick-witted and brilliant with words.

Do you have much 'legal jargon' there? It's stuck in the dark ages here!

BB

[threenorns]

i use gormless and lackwit on a regular basis, along with poltroon (as in "macrocephalic poltroon", a fancified way of calling someone a "fat-headed idiot").

i also like "what a maroon" (in bugs bunny's accent).

[cringe: martha stewart and her "marin-AHD" instead of "marinAID" -- is that really a regionalism, or is she just being hoity-toity?]

[Earth Walker]

How 'bout: Shall I knock you up in the morning? :eek: :D

[Niamh]

I'm just reading this post for the first time... it's wonderful!

I had a cousin over from Wales (Llangennech, specifically, and no, I can't pronounce it!) last month, and we exchanged slang, insults, etc. one day for about two hours. It was hilarious!


On another note entirely... I love listening to people from New Hampshire
"You cahn't get they-ah from he-ah"

[ladyrowan]

I just discovered another one - seems you don't use the word 'fortnight' meaning '2 weeks' ?? It's very commonly used here.

BB

[Niamh]

No, we don't commonly use fortnight.
And from what I understand, we tell time slightly differently over here, too. We'll say "twelve thirty" and you'll say "half noon" or "half twelve." (?)

[ladyrowan]

Originally posted by Niamh
No, we don't commonly use fortnight.
And from what I understand, we tell time slightly differently over here, too. We'll say "twelve thirty" and you'll say "half noon" or "half twelve." (?)

We'd say either twelve thirty or half twelve, but I've never heard 'half noon'. We only use noon, or midday, when it is actually twelve o'clock.
Some people might say it, it could be a local thing, but it's not commonly used.

BB

[ladyrowan]

The following line comes from another thread, and i just wondered what 'nonce' means in America? I REALLY hope it's not the same as our meaning.

quote:
"I will say I went and read one of HIS poems. ...and that's ALL I'll say for the nonce. "


BB

[bloodstone20]

i think its a typo. whats it mean in england?

[bloodstone20]

Originally posted by ladyrowan
I just discovered another one - seems you don't use the word 'fortnight' meaning '2 weeks' ?? It's very commonly used here.

BB
that explains alot of the things i read in fantasy books ... i thought it meant 4 in the morning...

[ladyrowan]

Originally posted by bloodstone20
i think its a typo. whats it mean in england?

Here, 'nonce' is a common word for paedophile.

BB

[bloodstone20]

and that means....

[gunner]

"I will say I went and read one of HIS poems. ...and that's ALL I'll say for the nonce. "

there's an example of how words and language change, in past times "for the nonce" meant approximately "for now", "for the moment" or "for the time being". the expression dropped out of use for many years and now we see it returning in its present less savoury incarnation with an entirely different meaning

[bloodstone20]

okie dokie. now what does paedophile mean?

[Earth Walker]

Originally posted by bloodstone20
okie dokie. now what does paedophile mean?

Child molester :G :sick:

[bloodstone20]

thats dirty

[bloodstone20]

maybe we should close this thread and start anouther. it is qite large.

[ladyrowan]

Originally posted by gunner
"I will say I went and read one of HIS poems. ...and that's ALL I'll say for the nonce. "

there's an example of how words and language change, in past times "for the nonce" meant approximately "for now", "for the moment" or "for the time being". the expression dropped out of use for many years and now we see it returning in its present less savoury incarnation with an entirely different meaning

Thanks Gunner, was relieved to hear that meaning, and it makes much more sense in that particular context.
Never heard it used in that way, US saying, maybe?

BB

[bloodstone20]

now that i read that it is quite funny. LOL!

[ladyrowan]

Originally posted by bloodstone20
maybe we should close this thread and start anouther. it is qite large.

I wouldn't have thought so, no point having two the same.

BB

[bloodstone20]

okiedokie

[gunner]

"Never heard it used in that way, US saying, maybe?"

actually i believe it was common on both sides of the pond in the 18th and early 19th centuries then dropped out of use.