Name a (wacky?) English language cultural difference! 
And/or, help the rest of us understand what’s going on! 
Or maybe just commiserate with our confusion. 
We’re all familiar with some of the cultural differences of English used in different countries and even different parts of the same country. For example, British “mums labour over their favourite nappies” while American “moms labor over their favorite diapers”. Some of the differences like the “o” versus “ou” might not be that interesting to discuss. But what about some differences that are subtle, wacky, or just a mystery we’d like to clear up? Well, here’s our chance to think and talk about these things.
We heartily welcome people to post here whose native language is not English; they may have interesting perspectives that native speakers don’t have. But please keep in mind that our focus here is not on learning English, but on learning the variances of English usage. ** We can state differences we’ve noticed. ** We can ask questions about where variances came from. ** And we can answer and even speculate on the parts we think we know.
I’d like to also request that you write proper English (spelling, grammar, and punctuation) as well as you are able. Distinguish your English examples within quotation marks or italics or color so it’s easy for your readers to tell your examples from your discussion about them. Thanks! Let’s have some fun here!
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So, I’ll start us off. In America, we will tend to say “She’s back from the university.” and “He’s back from the hospital.” using the “the”. But the British will say “She’s back from university.” and “He’s back from hospital.” without the “the”. Why do you think we have developed these differences? | The Philosopher Princess wrote: |
| So, I’ll start us off. In America, we will tend to say “She’s back from the university.” and “He’s back from the hospital.” using the “the”. But the British will say “She’s back from university.” and “He’s back from hospital.” without the “the”. Why do you think we have developed these differences? |
My guess - as a native Dutch speaker I can only guess - is that the Brits consider 'hospital' or 'university' an institution, while the Yanks are inclined to refer to that particular one hospital he came back from.
Maybe the abundance of medical services in the US creates a need to be specific when referring to a medical facility.
I would be inclined to say in (British) English "On leaving the hospital, he got himself a cab', bt this is just a gut feeling, not corroborated by any text book. I would use this phrasing, because here there is no reference to the institution, but rather the actual building.
But then again, I could be completely wrong. The discussion might be interesting though.Good comment, -TomJ-. Institution: I’ll have to think on that.
| -TomJ- wrote: |
| I would be inclined to say in (British) English "On leaving the hospital, he got himself a cab'. |
Okay. I feel like (but I also don’t know for sure that) Britons would not use the “the” in your example. So maybe we can get some help. I find it very interesting that there are 2 versions of the English language, UK and US. I have also wondered how these differances have come about. Possibly it is because the US is a "melting pot" of many laguages and cultures (not to say the UK isn't) and we have incorporated many bits and pieces of those languages into our (US) version. I also find it most interesting, and not just a bit funny, the "slang" both countries use.
For example...lighting up a fag in the UK is fine...in the US however you go to jail for it 
I like how there are differences. It shows stuff. Even with in the us. Like Y'all and you all. In the UK I notice things like they say pardon instead of excuse me. Just word usaged too is interesting. That is why i like culture class. Well in Australia, a lot of us pronounce our own country as "Osstraya". I personally make an effort to pronounce it correctly though .
One of the things that gets me though, is from the placement of French words into the English language. For example, Hors D'eouvre (SP), it took me YEARS before I learned how to pronounce that correctly! I was never taught that one in school, yet French words and phrases are not an uncommon occurrance in the English language. Rendezvous is obviously VERY French! When I first saw it in writing, I read it as "ren-dez-vuss".
All these problems would be fixed if the English curriculums in our English speaking countries actually taught us how to SPEAK our own language and inherited phrases. Too much time is spent on analysing literature, and not enough time understanding the foundations of literature. Alright! I’m enjoying these posts! Yeah, David_Pardy, and we get Spanish, Italian, German, and other injections as well. It sure makes life interesting doesn’t it, Blaster? 
I still have to look up hors d’eouvre to get it right. What about gesundheit? Do Osstrayans say that one? And what do you do about the thes mentioned previously?
Max, glad you’re back online! Frihost missed you!
| Vrythramax wrote: |
| For example...lighting up a fag in the UK is fine...in the US however you go to jail for it |
I didn’t know what the UK version meant, but I’ve now looked it up; okay, a fag is a cigarette. 
It would be fairly mute of me to make any comment as I have fairly poor usage of the English-language myself.
there is also a way of speaking. That implies speaking of yourself in the third person. That has been used a lot in Britain as well more of the upper social class area. "If one was to have a look at it in the way""if one must" there is a whole different set of dynamics.
The English adhere to there British sovereignty.
While the Americans became a conglomerate of mixing nationalities.as various different nationalities settled in areas throughout America than their language would be impregnated with the styles of those nationalities. Television has spread more of an influenceof the style and way of speech.
Here in Australia. There was a very Australian way to speak. Which has now been watered down through the intervention of TV and a lot of the American sitcoms and shows that are presented to us on a daily basis. And a lot of the movies they come out from America.
When they started airing the news originally on TV back even 40 years ago the news presenters spoke in an American accent.
So now the Australian language is being butchered and bastardised as well. Of which it is also a butchered and bastardised form of the English.
maybe the English like to speak in minimalistic. Why use too many word when it can be said in less.
Australian "g'day" American "Howdy" English "how do you do"
wow I didn't start off meaning to write all this. Just that when I got going, I really got going.
| The Philosopher Princess wrote: |
| okay, a fag is a cigarette. |
Of course, there's always "fagged out," as well. That would probably take on other connotations among some in the U.S.
Some of the difference are just simple grammar. "The crowd is going wild" (U.S.) vs. "The crowd are going wild" (U.K.). The latter also being more grammatically correct if one is not considering the crowd to be a single entity, but a collection of individuals.
In addition, the parts of a car are interestingly different:- Hood - Bonnet
- Trunk - Boot
- Gas - Petrol
- Battery - Accumulator
- Glove compartment - Cubby box
- Generator - Dynamo
- Ground - Earth
- Truck - Lorry
- Windshield - Windscreen
Many more probably exist, but those were the ones I know that came to mind. | Vrythramax wrote: |
I find it very interesting that there are 2 versions of the English language, UK and US. I have also wondered how these differances have come about. Possibly it is because the US is a "melting pot" of many laguages and cultures (not to say the UK isn't) and we have incorporated many bits and pieces of those languages into our (US) version. I also find it most interesting, and not just a bit funny, the "slang" both countries use.
For example...lighting up a fag in the UK is fine...in the US however you go to jail for it |
and in the US there are different regional dialects, especially so in the Southern US and Northeast, however, both are less so now, I guess because of national news and so forth that moderates regional differnences. | jazrt wrote: |
| It would be fairly mute of me to make any comment as I have fairly poor usage of the English-language myself. |
Hence you will be remaining mute instead of rendering your comments moot? You’re making me laugh, jazrt. Thank you for all that. I use the “One must...” approach on a regular basis. You also make me think about non-English languages that use parts of English. For example, I recently watched a Scandinavian movie (with English sub-titles), and I was surprised to find that they kept saying “hi”. (At least I thought that was English. In any case, it’s even shorter than the 3 you named. ) | Traveller wrote: |
| jazrt wrote: | | It would be fairly mute of me to make any comment as I have fairly poor usage of the English-language myself. |
Hence you will be remaining mute instead of rendering your comments moot? |
touché | The Philosopher Princess wrote: |
| You’re making me laugh, jazrt. Thank you for all that. I use the “One must...” approach on a regular basis. You also make me think about non-English languages that use parts of English. For example, I recently watched a Scandinavian movie (with English sub-titles), and I was surprised to find that they kept saying “hi”. (At least I thought that was English. In any case, it’s even shorter than the 3 you named. ) |
in Australia we call the little pack that you wear around your waist.
"A bumbag"which in America bum is not a good word.
In America they say.
"Fanny Pack" which in Australia is not good to use because Fanny refers to the more private parts of women's anatomy.
There are words that are used in one country. That are accepted in use.
While in another country it is considered rude or profane.
This was one example.
And I'm sure there are many other examples as will probably follow. If others pick up this thread.
I just put in edit in; my father was in Texas as a missionary. While there, he had been out for a jog. When he had come back to where he was staying with others who were American there,he had said, " that he was all knocked up"in Australian which meant that he was exhausted from jogging. The Americans upon hearing this were quite alarmed and shocked. As to being knocked up in America meant to have got the girl pregnant.
Last edited by jazrt on Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:18 am; edited 4 times in totalI've got a lot to say on this subject and I didn't know.
Not only language cultural differences.
This also goes into body language cultural differences.
There's a whole new bucket of worms to open up. Or should I have said can of worms.
| Traveller wrote: |
| "The crowd is going wild" (U.S.) vs. "The crowd are going wild" (U.K.). |
Actually "The crowd is going wild" is right. Are is a verb and is is a noun. So that is wrong.
And yes The Philosopher Princess it does make you think.
I like the whole in spain it is differnt for the plural form of you. The form in most is
For -ar verb like tocar
I) toco _____________We)tocamos
You) tocas
he she) toca ________him her) tocan
Now if we where in spain it would be tocasteis. | Blaster wrote: |
Actually "The crowd is going wild" is right.
|
Both "the crowd is going wild" and "the crowd are going wild" are grammatically correct. It all depends if you consider the crowd to be one entity, or a word decribing a quantity of individuals.
| Blaster wrote: |
Are is a verb and is is a noun.
|
This is not correct: both "are" and "is" are verb forms. "Are" is the plural form and "is" is the singular form used for the verb "to be" in the present tense.
Most European languages I know have distinct forms for the second person singular and plural. Many languages even make a distinction between a "colloquial" second person (German du, French tu, Norwegian du, Dutch jij) as opposed to the polite form (Sie, vous, De, U). Which makes translating from English tricky, as you do not only need to know the meaning, but also the national or cultural habits. In German, parents are addressed with the polite form, in French, prayers use Tu, the colloquial form (but with a capital T). | Traveller wrote: |
| The Philosopher Princess wrote: | | okay, a fag is a cigarette. |
Of course, there's always "fagged out," as well. That would probably take on other connotations among some in the U.S.
Some of the difference are just simple grammar. "The crowd is going wild" (U.S.) vs. "The crowd are going wild" (U.K.). The latter also being more grammatically correct if one is not considering the crowd to be a single entity, but a collection of individuals.
In addition, the parts of a car are interestingly different:- Hood - Bonnet
- Trunk - Boot
- Gas - Petrol
- Battery - Accumulator
- Glove compartment - Cubby box
- Generator - Dynamo
- Ground - Earth
- Truck - Lorry
- Windshield - Windscreen
Many more probably exist, but those were the ones I know that came to mind. |
Actually, I use both forms of most of those words alot apart from Battery - Accumulator, I didn't even know accumulator was related to batteries . With things such as Generator and Dynamo, I use both in certain instances:
Generator: The power in the hospital went down so the generator started up to power the hospital.
Dynamo: The radio had a dynamo power source in the form of a handle which is rotated to cause power.
(I could have used the wrong meanings or not. I only have an Australian dictionary and am too lazy to go on dictionary.com . With "Lorry" I will never use that though.
Some more:
[*]Soda - Soft drink
[*]Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwitch - Peanut Butter and Jam Sandwitch
[*]Peanut Butter - Peanut Paste
Just to set the record straight: Soft drink actually gets it's name because it is a fancy beverage that does not contain alcohol (Or something similar to that)
As for the second one... What is with that!? I wikipediafied it (what I mean is searched wikipedia for it). here | Traveller wrote: |
[*]Trunk - Boot
[*]Gas - Petrol
[*]Battery - Accumulator
[*]Glove compartment - Cubby box
[*]Generator - Dynamo
[*]Ground - Earth
[*]Truck - Lorry
[*]Windshield - Windscreen[/list]Many more probably exist, but those were the ones I know that came to mind. |
cubby box xD actually down in canada alot of people call it a dash box | Blaster wrote: |
| Are is a verb and is is a noun. So that is wrong. |
Actually, both are verbs of the "be" form. Hence, you have some characters in literature saying "He/They be OK", instead of "He is OK" or "They are OK".
| Hogwarts wrote: |
| [*]Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwitch - Peanut Butter and Jam Sandwitch |
Hmm.... I wouldn't be too sure about this. I've had friends who've made me sandwiches with peanut butter and actual jelly as well as friends who've made me sandwiches with peanut butter and fruit jam.
Here in India, spoken English is unpredictable. You've got American accents, British accents and "Hinglish", a fine mixture of Hindi and English words. I'll give some more examples of Hinglish later.
Also, a lot of Indian words have been added to the English language either modified or unmodified. A few examples are:
1. actress - The word for both males and females originally was actor. The word actress only started being used recently, and I believe it was first used in India.
2. pre-pone - This word is obviously the conjugate of postpone. But you probably wouldn't find it in any really old dictionaries. That's because the "correct" word is advance. However, prepone does serve a good purpose, doesn't it?
3. chaddi - I believe this is used to refer to shorts or short shorts generally. However, in India, it was generally used to refer to underwear, or really short shorts. 
Other words are:
Sahib - Generally used to refer to someone at a higher position or authority than you.
Locally, here in my city, Hyderabad, we use the word "Boss" while addressing auto drivers, shopkeepers, etc.
Also, another thing peculiar to India is that we generally call each other with respect. Anybody who's a friend of my dad's automatically becomes my "Uncle", and similarly, anyone comparable in age to my mum (and older) gets called "Aunty". We rarely refer to anyone by their names, as in Hello, Mrs. Sharma is generally replaced by Hello, aunty.. Actually, I even address people at the bus-stop as Uncle/Boss (based on how old they look) when I ask them which bus will take me to where I want to go.
Last edited by tidruG on Sat Jun 10, 2006 9:53 am; edited 1 time in totalThere are a few differences beetwen them...I think British English has interrupted and gained new words from the African Languages...And I want to tell my knowledge( too small)..
British-American
Underground-Subway
Tube station-Subway station
White coffee-coffee with cream
Town centre-downtown
Tower block-Skyscraper
Torch-Flashlight
Take away-Carry out
Surgery-Doctor's office
Subject-Citizen
Tin-Can
Ring up-Call
Return ticket-Round trip ticket
Shopping centre-Shopping mall
etc...(if you want I can continue) | The Philosopher Princess wrote: |
So, I’ll start us off. In America, we will tend to say “She’s back from the university.” and “He’s back from the hospital.” using the “the”. But the British will say “She’s back from university.” and “He’s back from hospital.” without the “the”. Why do you think we have developed these differences? |
Being British I'll try and sort this one out. The fact is we would use both terms. If my daughter went to another town to study at University, when she came home on holiday (vacation) she would be 'back from University'. In this case, without the definite article University is really referring to the general concept of Higher Education. If my son had to visit a University on business, on his return he would be 'back from the University', the definite article is used because he visited a specific University. The same is true with your other example where hospital can refer to healthcare in general or a specific building. Usually though, in the non-specific cae we would say out of hospital
@tidruG
| tidruG wrote: |
Also, a lot of Indian words have been added to the English language either modified or unmodified. A few examples are:
1. actress - The word for both males and females originally was actor. The word actress only started being used recently, and I believe it was first used in India.
2. pre-pone - This word is obviously the conjugate of postpone. But you probably wouldn't find it in any really old dictionaries. That's because the "correct" word is advance. However, prepone does serve a good purpose, doesn't it? Wink
3. chaddi - I believe this is used to refer to shorts or short shorts generally. However, in India, it was generally used to refer to underwear, or really short shorts. Razz
Other words are:
Sahib - Generally used to refer to someone at a higher position or authority than you. |
Actress is the female form of actor, which is a Latin word and has been used in English since the 14th century.
Pre-pone is a word I've never heard of and is not AFAIK in use in general English.
chaddi people in England know this word, as meaning underpants, from a british-asian comedy series. It is not used in English generally.
sahib is known in England as a Hindi word but is not used in general English.
Words that we do use with Indian origins include jhodpur, bungalow, shampoo and many others.
Adding my own differences between American and British English, there is the issue of pronunciation.
Since we parted ways in 1776 pronunciation of some words has been preserved in American English and changed in British or vise versa. For example Americans do not pronounce the H at the beginning of the word herb, the British do pronounce the H. In 1776 however, no one pronounced the H in herb.
Americans pronounce tune as if it rhymes with moon but British people pronounce it tyune.
There is also the phrase in American English 'He smells from fish' while in British English we say 'he smells of fish'. Again the American preserves an earlier British usage.That was very helpful on the “the”s, Miniwood. It makes me analyze the American usage more. If someone asked me what happened to the driver in the car crash, I might answer “They’re taking him to the hospital.” -- even if there were 5 hospitals in the area and I didn’t know to which hospital he was going.
In other words, I’d use the definite article even when it wasn’t being definite. I’m not saying it’s logical, but that is a cultural “proper” standard. And, I contend, it has a different subtle meaning from using “a hospital”.
~~~~~~~~~~
I didn’t realize we’d be getting so many funny ones. “Bumbag”! “Cubby box”!
| Traveller wrote: |
| Ground - Earth |
So on that one, are you saying that, to the question “Should I hang this driveway lamp right now?”, Britons might answer “No, just put it on the Earth. I will hang it later.”?
| selim06 wrote: |
| Shopping centre-Shopping mall |
Yes, but some of the “uppity” Americans still use “centre” and “theatre”, while others have gravitated to the seemingly more logical “center” and “theater”. (More logical because they are spelled how they are pronounced.)
| selim06 wrote: |
| Torch-Flashlight |
That’s funny too. A “torch” makes me think of a wooden stick with actual fire on the end.
I would love to hear more from Australians and Britons on what American phrases seem funny to you and why. In Australia we use all of these:
Bonnet
Boot
Petrol
Battery
Glove compartment
Generator, Dynamo
Ground, Earth
Truck
Windshield, Windscreen
Princess - By Ground and Earth it's talking about the electrical connection of a device to keep it 'earthed'. For example, some people buy 'earth straps' for their cars which dangle from the vehicle and touch the road to discharge electricity. Inside the vehicle, all the components are 'grounded' or 'earthed' meaning they're connected to the body of the vehicle which is connected to the negative terminal of the battery.
We do use the words Ground and Earth within their other definitions - for example:
"I tripped and hit the ground hard"
"He's digging up a pile of earth"
"Stay within the grounds where it's safe!"
"Welcome to planet Earth, I hope you enjoy your stay!"
Alright, I've been talking to a few people from England and Australia for the past few years and I've found numerous differences. I do appologize if the ones I mention on here may have been mentioned on here before, but I'm just going by what I remember.
Foreign English - U.S. English
===================
Petrol - Gasoline (Gas for short)
Torch - Flashlight
Bloke - Guy (Man, or Gentleman for proper)
Bird - Chick (Girl, or Woman for proper)
Knackered - Tired
Colour - Color
Centre - Center
Favourite - Favorite
Chav - I'm assuming it's a teen that dresses bad ?? Don't exactly know.
Tele - Television
Windscreen - Windshield
Ay - Hello
Barbie (like the doll) - Barbeque
Mum - Mom (or Mother)
Uni - University
Fag - Cigaratte
Smeg (from Red Dwarf, a TV show that I watch that's British lol) - Replace with any curse word of your choice
Coke - Soft drink (I live in Chicago, and here it's called "Pop" or "Soda Pop")
Underground - Subway station (or here in Chicago, it's called "The L" or "The Loop", the "Chicago Loop" which goes underground, on ground, and above the roads).
Lift - Elevator
Car Park - Parking Lot (or Parking Garage)
That's all that I can think of for now. If I think of any more, I'll post them here.
- Mike.
| izcool wrote: |
| here in Chicago, it's called "The L" or "The Loop", the "Chicago Loop" which goes underground, on ground, and above the roads |
I love E.R. and they often mention the L. I had assumed it was 'el' and was short for electric or elevated railway, LOL.
| The Philosopher Princess wrote: |
| I didn’t realize we’d be getting so many funny ones. “Bumbag”! “Cubby box” |
I never heard of 'Cubby-box', who uses that?Nice topic
Hospitals:
Over here in the UK we have the NHS so we kind of refer to hospitals as all being the same as they are run by the same people and whichever on you went to it would be free.
| Miniwood wrote: |
| Being British I'll try and sort this one out. The fact is we would use both terms. If my daughter went to another town to study at University, when she came home on holiday (vacation) she would be 'back from University'. In this case, without the definite article University is really referring to the general concept of Higher Education. If my son had to visit a University on business, on his return he would be 'back from the University', the definite article is used because he visited a specific University. The same is true with your other example where hospital can refer to healthcare in general or a specific building. Usually though, in the non-specific cae we would say out of hospital |
That basicly
| The Philosopher Princess wrote: |
| selim06 wrote: | | Torch-Flashlight |
That’s funny too. A “torch” makes me think of a wooden stick with actual fire on the end. |
I think thats where it comes from. Dictionary definition - a small portable electric lamp, a wooden or tow shaft dipped in wax or tallow and set alight. You see a torch is usually small and provides little light, just enough to see like your 'wooden stick with actual fire on the end'. We do however have the word flashlight as well but use this mainly for Largelights, usually non-portable such as security lights on buildings which provide a bright light over a large distance unlike a torch.
| Traveller wrote: |
| The Philosopher Princess wrote: | | okay, a fag is a cigarette. |
Of course, there's always "fagged out," as well. That would probably take on other connotations among some in the U.S. |
We use cigarette, fag is merely slang
In regard to "fagged out", never heard of it.
Gas - Petrol
Put simply we use petrol so call it that. I believe 'gas' is shortened from 'gasoline though where that came from I don't know as we refer to gas as a state of matter (like solid & liquid) though petrol is liquid and it all becomes rather confusing.
| Traveller wrote: |
| Some of the difference are just simple grammar. "The crowd is going wild" (U.S.) vs. "The crowd are going wild" (U.K.). The latter also being more grammatically correct if one is not considering the crowd to be a single entity, but a collection of individuals. |
Indeed, if you were for instance to change crowd for 'people' you would (at lleast here) say "The people are going wild". A crowd is not considered an object basicly
The one I love is our roundabouts, the way American's call them traffic circles | mathiaus wrote: |
| The one I love is our roundabouts, the way American's call them traffic circles |
In the New-England region of America, we always called them "rotaries." | David_Pardy wrote: |
| Princess - By Ground and Earth it's talking about the electrical connection of a device to keep it 'earthed'. For example, some people buy 'earth straps' for their cars which dangle from the vehicle and touch the road to discharge electricity. Inside the vehicle, all the components are 'grounded' or 'earthed' meaning they're connected to the body of the vehicle which is connected to the negative terminal of the battery. |
Oh, okay, that kind of ground and earth! Yes, I realize that “In a toaster oven, if the ground wires are not grounded, the connection will not be complete and the appliance won’t work and could be a fire and shock hazard.” Would you use “earth wires”?
Now my previous “put it on the earth” hypothetical seems even funnier.
~~~~~~~~~~
| Miniwood wrote: |
| I never heard of 'Cubby-box', who uses that? |
Not that I know the answer, I do see lots of Google hits on it.
In an American public gradeschool, we used to have “cubby holes”, which were something like lockers, only they were open and without front doors; we could put our personal lunch boxes, jackets, spelling books, and such in “our” cubby hole. For a car, I say “glove compartment” or with a minivan I say “glove drawer” (since it slides under the front passenger seat), though I’ve never heard anyone else saying that.Okay, at work today I was going over some of the conversations I had with my friend in England and remembered more of the differences between common language over there and what it's like over here.
Foreign English - U.S. English
===================
Mobile Phone - Cellphone (or "Cell" for short)
Catalogue - Catalog
Mad - Crazy (think of Austin Powers on this one, "Are you mad ?!")
Again, I'll try to think of more.
| Miniwood wrote: |
| I love E.R. and they often mention the L. I had assumed it was 'el' and was short for electric or elevated railway, LOL. |
Oddly enough, it does all three (above the streets, below the streets, and on ground level). The "L" ("The Loop") is circling a chunk of Downtown Chicago and branches out to O'Hare Airport (that's where it goes underground and above ground) with other places throughout the city too. It's a little weird, but "The Loop" is actually referring to the section that's Downtown, although everyone calls it that even when it branches out from that section of town.
- Mike. | izcool wrote: |
Foreign English - U.S. English
===================
Mobile Phone - Cellphone (or "Cell" for short)
Catalogue - Catalog
Mad - Crazy (think of Austin Powers on this one, "Are you mad ?!") |
Those are not all that foreign: I was born and raised in the U.S., never been to England, and have used those last two for as long as I can remember. Yes, it's true that I became a big fan of British comedies, etc., as a teenager, but I was already using "mad" and "catalogue" before that. | Miniwood wrote: |
| (...) There is also the phrase in American English 'He smells from fish' while in British English we say 'he smells of fish'. Again the American preserves an earlier British usage. |
I don't exactly know if this is an American thing, but normally in American English most would reply "He smells like fish." or like Miniwood said "He smells of fish". | Miniwood wrote: |
| (...) There is also the phrase in American English 'He smells from fish' while in British English we say 'he smells of fish'. Again the American preserves an earlier British usage. |
Use "He smells like fish" to indicate a comparison between his aroma and that of fish.
Use "He smells of fish" to indicate that his aroma is caused by the presence of fish upon him.
Have never heard "He smells from fish," until now.
| quartnee wrote: |
| ...or like Miniwood said "He smells of fish". |
Of course, the point of grammar, here is that it should be "as Minwood said."I like to find the different catch phrases and crutch phrases in different cultures. On a recent cruise to Alaska I was lucky enough to hear everything from my Native "How's it goin', eh?' (CDN) to 'I'll tell you what!" (USA) to "Bully for you, Bob's your Uncle" (er.. not sure where he was from. Can anyone shed some light?
| Darren wrote: |
| ...."Bully for you, Bob's your Uncle" (er.. not sure where he was from. Can anyone shed some light? |
Are (and I could most cerainly be wrong here) UK slang...not sure of thier meanings though 
It’s funny how, once you get this kind of topic in the back of your mind, you notice applications all over the place.
I was reminded over the weekend (from an excellent movie) of schedule -- its pronunciation. Americans start with sked- with the k sound, while British start with shed- with the sh sound.
And yet Americans say school with the k sound, which, am I correct that, Britons say too? Do we have other differences on the sch’s?
~~~~~~~~~~
Then there’s the spelling of judgement (Britons) and judgment (Americans), with and without the e respectively. I know there are other similar words, but I can’t think of them offhand.
In discussing the World Cup with my Spanish tutor, today (she helps me with Spanish and I help her with English), one England/America difference that came to mind was "sport" vs "sports."
| Traveller wrote: |
| one England/America difference that came to mind was "sport" vs "sports." |
Don’t we need more to go on to understand the difference?
Americans would say “Which sport do you spend more time with?” and “Are you much into sports?” | The Philosopher Princess wrote: |
| Don’t we need more to go on to understand the difference? |
Ah! Perhaps we do. My reference was regarding the term used to encompass all such competition. Probably the easiest examples being news broadcasts and newspapers, where the U.S. would use "Sports," but the U.K. would use "Sport."Yes, I see that now, Traveller.
As examples, besides the subcategories of “entertainment”, “news”, “weather”, etc. http://news.bbc.co.uk/ lists “sport” while http://nytimes.com lists “sports”.
This kind of thing is so small, and yet that one letter can identify a person’s culture. (I say “can” because text rife with typos can hide things like that. ) Ah, now this is making me think of more and more differences that I can remember that I've seen in conversations with my friend in England.
Foreign English - U.S. English
===================
Time Table - Schedule (In regards to classes for school, on how they are lined up)
Football - Soccer (Football here is a completely different sport than Soccer)
Shoppe - Shop
Yet once again, I'll try to think of more.
- Mike.
Last edited by izcool on Tue Jun 13, 2006 8:21 am; edited 1 time in total Brits say "fag" when referring to cigarettes (or so I'm told).
The rest of the world calls them cigarettes.
| izcool wrote: |
| Football - Soccer (Football here is a completely different sport than Soccer) |
Players in American "Football" rarely contact the ball with their feet. Indeed, it is a different sport from (proper grammar, not "than") Soccer - the true FOOTball. | Traveller wrote: |
| izcool wrote: | | Football - Soccer (Football here is a completely different sport than Soccer) |
Players in American "Football" rarely contact the ball with their feet. Indeed, it is a different sport from (proper grammar, not "than") Soccer - the true FOOTball. |
I dunno, to me it seems OK (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Than) where you can use "than" to compare two objects. "From" (to me) seems like "I just came FROM the office, I'll be home shortly", although I do see what you're trying to get at. Since this is on topic, it looks like that English over there may be different than how it's looked at over here. If you didn't know, I'm from the United States where rules seem to be bent in language. After all, rules are made to be broken.
- Mike.The word "fag" has a couple of other meanings in English, it is not just a slang word for cigarette. It can also mean:
"A junior pupil at a public school who does minor chores for a senior pupil"
(Give a whole new meaning to "lighting up a fag"!)
"An unwelcome task" (According to my dictionary, though I've never heard it used that way)
Incidentally, "Public School" is an interesting phrase. It refers to a type of school that generally only the verr rich can afford to send their children to. What most people would regard as a "Private school"!
The wiki article is correct, but is about "than," not "different." The reason the wiki article is correct is that it is talking about comparatives. Although "different" makes a comparison, it is not a grammatical comparative (as in "adjective," "comparative," "superlative"). Thus, when using comparatives, "than" is correct (e.g. "bigger than," "smaller than," "greater than," etc.).
The following links provide additional references: Another difference regarding sport is in the declaration of the score when at least one team has zero points. In British English, one would say, for example, "America lost: three nil," but in American English, it would be "America lost: three nothing." The former is starting to be used a little more on ESPN and by some other American sportscasters, but the latter is still more common.
Ever notice how some people say "I did it ON accident!" when one should say "I did it accidentally!"?
That's my little pet peeve.
My friend was in the US recently and while at a bar with his American friends he asked (quite innocently) "...can i bum a fag please" - now of course, he was just asking for a cigarette but there was quite some suprise around the table!
Later that same night he realised the bar was lacking women and then embarrased himself again by suggesting they moved somewhere else to find more fanny - again he didn't realise that that term referred to the bit of your body that you sit on.
Personally I think all these difference are brilliant really - all languages are living things evolving with the people that speak them, and to be honest it's perhaps more appropriate to call them American, Australian etc as the differences in spelling and meanings of words increases?
Hehe, sorry, I just thought of another.
Foreign English - U.S. English
==================
Cheers - Thanks
- Mike. Outside of Frihost, a friend wrote this to me (and gave me permission to copy).
| a friend wrote: |
| The word “fag” for cigarette and homosexual has the same etymological root. Faggot comes from the Latin word for burning sticks. A cigarette is a burning stick. In Roman times, and the Dark Ages, homosexuals, Christians, and other “undesirables”, were tied to stakes and surrounded by faggots to kill them. So, the word faggot was associated with homosexuals, and later shortened to fag. |
But I looked into that further, and it appears to be an urban legend (with which my friend now agrees). I thought it would be interesting for you all.
Source: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=fag&searchmode=none
| Online Etymology Dictionary wrote: |
faggot (2)
"male homosexual," 1914, Amer.Eng. slang (shortened form fag is from 1921), probably from earlier contemptuous term for "woman" (1591), especially an old and unpleasant one, in reference to faggot (1) "bundle of sticks," as something awkward that has to be carried (cf. baggage). It was used in this sense in 20c. by D.H. Lawrence and James Joyce, among others. It may also be reinforced by Yiddish faygele "homosexual," lit. "little bird." It also may have roots in Brit. public school slang fag "a junior who does certain duties for a senior" (1785), with suggestions of "catamite," from fag (v.). This was also used as a verb.
"He [the prefect] used to fag me to blow the chapel organ for him." ["Boy's Own Paper," 1889]
Other obsolete senses of faggot were "man hired into military service simply to fill out the ranks at muster" (1700) and "vote manufactured for party purposes" (1817). The oft-heard statement that male homosexuals were called faggots in reference to their being burned at the stake is an etymological urban legend. Burning was sometimes a punishment meted out to homosexuals in Christian Europe (on the suggestion of the Biblical fate of Sodom and Gomorah), but in England, where parliament had made homosexuality a capital offense in 1533, hanging was the method prescribed. Any use of faggot in connection with public executions had long become an English historical obscurity by the time the word began to be used for "male homosexual" in 20th century American slang, whereas the contemptuous slang word for "woman" (and the other possible sources or influences listed here) was in active use. |
I am learning the english language, I don't understand differences of some words...
Hey y’all, I have an additional method for gathering some good examples: While reading other Frihost threads, when we run across examples that strike us as relevant to this topic, quote them and discuss. We are not doing this to make fun of people, but we can have fun with people; I hope my distinction makes sense. Let’s keep everything friendly!
Here’s an example:
| wumingsden wrote: |
| I came across an advert for some new car |
Of course I realize that “advert” is short for “advertisement” (an apparently popular abbreviation in the UK), but I also realize that I (and I believe most Americans) would say “ad” rather than “advert”. Neither is right or wrong, but just customs. Ooh, an interesting topic indeed! I remember having trouble all the time in grade [elementary] school (not sure what the British term for that would be) writing my papers, because I always confused the o's vs. the ou's. Color/Colour, Favorite/Favourite, Savior/Saviour... And then the odd ones as well, such as Program/Programme, Shop/Shoppe. Although the only reason I had confusion with the latter was because I lived in a German-town (hence it's name, Germantown 
). Calling a grocery store a Markt Platz was easily understandable, and shoppe somehow played into that...
Regardless, I find the difference in grammar to be somewhat amusing to discuss. Brits always say that "their" English is the proper dialect. Then there's American English. There's Northern 'talk,' and the Southern jibberish.
Most American newscasters, however, come from the Midwest, because that's the region with the most properly-pronouncing dialect. Sorry, random trivia for you there..
Anyway, I think it's pointless to claim and cry what's proper and what's not, because more often than not, both versions are correct and acceptable in their respectable home lands. Than; of; from... It's all the same to me. Trying to figure out when to use 'por' and 'para' in Spanish--now that's a challenge (both mean "for"). Okay, I'm not positive on this one, but pretty sure:
A sedan becomes a saloon.
A station wagon becomes an estate.
Actually, that seems more like a "Europe in general" thing. Once again, not positive.
| Allweareisair wrote: |
Ever notice how some people say "I did it ON accident!" when one should say "I did it accidentally!"?
That's my little pet peeve. |
A lot of people around where I live (Maritimes in Canada where the English is appalling!) say that. I think another proper way of saying it is "...by accident." That's how I would say it!
****What is up with SODA = POP??! Here we say Coke, for Coke(Coca-Cola) and Pop for Orange Pop(Cola), Ginger Ale, Sprite etc. When you order a soda, why do you(Americans) assume they know what flavour?! I just don't get it.
PS. Fag here means a homosexual. | Juparis wrote: |
Ooh, an interesting topic indeed! I remember having trouble all the time in grade [elementary] school (not sure what the British term for that would be) writing my papers, because I always confused the o's vs. the ou's. Color/Colour, Favorite/Favourite, Savior/Saviour... And then the odd ones as well, such as Program/Programme, Shop/Shoppe. Although the only reason I had confusion with the latter was because I lived in a German-town (hence it's name, Germantown ). Calling a grocery store a Markt Platz was easily understandable, and shoppe somehow played into that...
|
I would not understand a reference to a grocery store by Markt Platz (I learned the term to mean "marketplace" or "market square" in German class). I think of a marketplace as an outdoor market, but I think of a store in a building when I hear grocery store.
| The Philosopher Princess wrote: |
Then there’s the spelling of judgement (Britons) and judgment (Americans), with and without the e respectively. I know there are other similar words, but I can’t think of them offhand. |
I've always believed the correct spelling is judgement, and I am an American. I believe I have even been corrected after spelling it without that "e".Selim06 writes
Curious this. The British were always subjects, of Her Gracious Majesty. When I received my last passport I discovered that I am now a "British Citizen". Has Britain become a republic, without me noticing? 
I think, as they say, we should be told... | SNES350 wrote: |
| The Philosopher Princess wrote: | | Then there’s the spelling of judgement (Britons) and judgment (Americans), with and without the e respectively. I know there are other similar words, but I can’t think of them offhand. |
I've always believed the correct spelling is judgement, and I am an American. I believe I have even been corrected after spelling it without that "e". |
That “missing” “e” certainly does seem wacky! I mean, are we Americans really saving a whole lot of time by not having to type or write those “e”s? I’d like to see a scientific study: maybe we save, what?, 2 minutes and 14 seconds a year, average!
Seriously, I don’t know why the “e” was dropped, but if you look in an American dictionary, I believe you will find that “judgment” is the only standard American spelling. The extra form of “judgement” will be offered too but only as the “Brit” form.In England if you are hit crossing the road you were "run down."
In America if you are hit crossing the road you were "run over."
If you run a race in America and you are caught the you are "run down."
In england if you run a race and you are caught in England then you were "over come."
That's my two cents, and it doesn't really matter what side of the coin you choose to look at. It's just two cents! 
| IceCreamTruck wrote: |
In England if you are hit crossing the road you were "run down."
In America if you are hit crossing the road you were "run over."
If you run a race in America and you are caught the you are "run down." |
Well I guess if there would ever be an expert on “run down”s and “run over”s it would have to be an IceCreamTruck! This is a simple on the word The prononced as THA or T-he its simple but even the same person swicths it up in the same sentence, also in the south in elementry we sayed "he skiped me!" but some idiot form up norths says "you cut me" the diffenct was moumental, i thought the guy was bleeding the first time he sayed that, also britains way of saying scheudle, how ever you spell it, i was listen to a speaker it took me a hour to realize what he was saying, dang dailects!
| The Philosopher Princess wrote: |
| You’re making me laugh, jazrt. Thank you for all that. I use the “One must...” approach on a regular basis. You also make me think about non-English languages that use parts of English. For example, I recently watched a Scandinavian movie (with English sub-titles), and I was surprised to find that they kept saying “hi”. (At least I thought that was English. In any case, it’s even shorter than the 3 you named. ) |
I'm a Dane, and I actually have no idea if that's a word we borrowed from English or both languages got from somewhere else (such as Dutch "Hoi") - or it's a coincidence (unlikely). In Danish, it's "hej", in Norwegian, "hei", they don't mean exactly the same, though. We'll often use "hej" also as a greeting of "goodbye" / "see you", for example (although I think that's relatively new, like, the past 30-40 years).
I do know we have plenty of words borrowed from English, and plenty of words that we borrowed from the same languages as English (French, Latin, Greek, Spanish, Arabian etc.)
And the etymology of a large amount of every day English words is actually Scandinavian (by way of the vikings), for example: window, anger, blunder, welcome, shirt, cake, kid, guess, husband, egg, low, odd, rotten, both, crash, scream, shy, bread, dirt, clown, talk, ugly, bush, bubble...; some of the week days; and several hundred other words (one funny example: balderdash)
Some of them (like balderdash ) we don't use anymore, many we do, some have changed their meaning here while keeping their original meaning in English (for example, "anger" in Danish, which is rarely used, has meant sorrow/regret for hundreds of years). | jharsika wrote: |
| What is up with SODA = POP??! Here we say Coke, for Coke(Coca-Cola) and Pop for Orange Pop(Cola), Ginger Ale, Sprite etc. When you order a soda, why do you(Americans) assume they know what flavour?! I just don't get it. |
Within the States, this is regional. Some people call it "soda," some call it "pop," and some call it "soda pop." There are even a few areas in which it is called "Coke," regardless of the brand or flavour. | Panthrowzay wrote: |
| ...also britains way of saying scheudle, how ever you spell it, i was listen to a speaker it took me a hour to realize what he was saying, dang dailects! |
Schedule ("shed-dule")
BIG differences (Mainly pointing to america):
England - A single nation
Great Britain - Group of nations (England, Wales and Scotland)
United Kingdom - Group of nations (England, Wales, Scotland and N.Ireland)
I am English, also British.
English the langauge comes from (I know this might be hard to believe) England, the Welsh speak a form of Gaelic (Welsh) the Irish speak a form of Gaelic (Irish), British accent - none existant. English accent (I bet there are more different accents in England than there are in america).
| jharsika wrote: |
| ...What is up with SODA = POP??! Here we say Coke, for Coke(Coca-Cola) and Pop for Orange Pop(Cola), Ginger Ale, Sprite etc. When you order a soda... |
In England we say Pop / Fizzy pop etc.
| The Philosopher Princess wrote: |
| ...I realize that “advert” is short for “advertisement” (an apparently popular abbreviation in the UK), but I also realize that I (and I believe most Americans) would say “ad” rather than “advert”... |
We say Ad Ads Advert Advertisement, but for advertisements on the TV you tend to say commercial, we still say ads.
| izcool wrote: |
| Cheers - Thanks |
Cheers / Thanks
| izcool wrote: |
| Foreign English - U.S. English |
This is irritating me, ENGLISH. Not foreign, proper English, the langauge itself.
In 1604 the first English dictionary was published.
| izcool wrote: |
...Time Table / Schedule - Schedule
...
Shoppe - Shop... |
We say shop and spell it shop, not shoppe.
| Traveller wrote: |
| ...Probably the easiest examples being news broadcasts and newspapers, where the U.S. would use "Sports," but the U.K. would use "Sport." |
Yes we have a 'Sport Section' of newspapers not 'Sports Section' etc.
| IceCreamTruck wrote: |
| In England if you are hit crossing the road you were "run down."... |
In England we say either "run over" or "run down".
We say "Caramel" nor "carmel"
We pronounce words like "Semi", not "Semiiiiiiiiiii"
We pronounce "Nike" not "Nikeeeeeee"
We (usually) say maths (As mathamatics) not math
We say (generally) "Shopping centre" not "Shopping mall"
We tend to say "Holiday / Vacation" not "Vacation"
Toaster - toaster oven
Zed (In the dictionary verbal pronunciation of the letter 'Z' - Zeeeeee
Schools
Preschool - Kindergarten (We start school at different ages and you call kindergarten 'School' when I was in america I was 'tought' in kidergarten is basically preschool for us (In Scotland you start school at four))
Secondary school - High School
Grammar School - High School
6th form / College - High School
University - University / College
| Vrythramax wrote: |
I find it very interesting that there are 2 versions of the English language, UK and US. I have also wondered how these differances have come about. Possibly it is because the US is a "melting pot" of many laguages and cultures (not to say the UK isn't) and we have incorporated many bits and pieces of those languages into our (US) version. I also find it most interesting, and not just a bit funny, the "slang" both countries use.
For example...lighting up a fag in the UK is fine...in the US however you go to jail for it |
Oookay, in England we have had our langauge turn about from many many different culutres invading us, also a big influance is also French (Why we have spellings like Colour Cheque etc.). There are lots of different versions of English, but there are three main types Chinese English, English and american.
One that aggitates me a little
Theatre where a play is acted out.
Cinema where a movie is shown.
Movie theatre - No such thing in my mind nor a home theatre.
Chav / townie - people that dress in tracksuits and think they look good, listen to crud music and buy things simply because someone else has, people that are led. Also tend to drink a lot and have a low IQ.
(There are lots of differences between langauges, though most of what I have said are general but you must realise that in america they tend to use few ways of saying things but all of you say it) for example when my family went to live in american (We lived in florida) my mum and my sister went to see a friend and my sister wanted to stroke the cat, my mum was there for half an hour (Litrally) trying to explain that my sister wanted to stroke the cat until she finally said she wanted to 'pet' the cat, it wasn't until then the american friend finally realised what she meant.
[EDIT] I am also a limescale if anyone that isn't British can tell me what that means I will give you all my Frih$[/EDIT]
[HINT]By limescale I mean I'm anit-septic[/HINT]
Last edited by Jack_Hammer on Sun Jun 18, 2006 2:14 am; edited 1 time in total | Jack_Hammer wrote: |
| [EDIT] I am also a limescale if anyone that isn't British can tell me what that means I will give you all my Frih$[/EDIT] |
I am not British. I am curious about that. Is it related to limey, which was a derogatory term used for a British sailor, derived from the use of limes on British ships to prevent scurvy? | Jack_Hammer wrote: |
| [EDIT] I am also a limescale if anyone that isn't British can tell me what that means I will give you all my Frih$[/EDIT] |
I am English and have absolutely no idea what that means 
| The Philosopher Princess wrote: |
| IceCreamTruck wrote: | In England if you are hit crossing the road you were "run down."
In America if you are hit crossing the road you were "run over."
If you run a race in America and you are caught the you are "run down." |
Well I guess if there would ever be an expert on “run down”s and “run over”s it would have to be an IceCreamTruck! |
In england I "run them down" but in america I "run them over" be sure to get it right!! | jharsika wrote: |
****What is up with SODA = POP??! Here we say Coke, for Coke(Coca-Cola) and Pop for Orange Pop(Cola), Ginger Ale, Sprite etc. When you order a soda, why do you(Americans) assume they know what flavour?! I just don't get it.
PS. Fag here means a homosexual. |
Commonly in resturants here, they have their own soda machines where you can fill it yourself. At other resturants they ask what flavor you want. (Hey, that's another, "flavor" in U.S. English to "flavour" for Foreign English). When I order, I say "Medium Drink" and then followed by the flavor "Coke" or "Pepsi" (the two common ones in resturants here). At home or something, I call it "Soda Pop", "Soda", or just "Pop". It's a little weird.
- Mike. | IceCreamTruck wrote: |
| In england I "run them down" but in america I "run them over" be sure to get it right!! |
Yeah, but how do you get your IceCreamTruck overseas? Nevermind, don't answer; that would be off topic.
Forget the children. Just send me a case of CA-ra-mel chocolate chip sundaes with sprinkles and a side case of soft drinks, preferably Classic Coke. Well, my teacher explained a few things to the class:
Cigarettes - Fags
Apartments - Flats
And intrestingly enough, in the U.S. you would ask for a wake up call, where in the U.K. you would say "Knock me up at X o'clock"
And in the U.S. the term "knock up" is used to describe someone drugging someone else up.
| Soulfire wrote: |
And intrestingly enough, in the U.S. you would ask for a wake up call, where in the U.K. you would say "Knock me up at X o'clock"
And in the U.S. the term "knock up" is used to describe someone drugging someone else up. |
LOL ....to knock someone up, here it means *ahem* get them preggers as the Brits would say! Hah....
| The Philosopher Princess wrote: |
Seriously, I don’t know why the “e” was dropped, but if you look in an American dictionary, I believe you will find that “judgment” is the only standard American spelling. The extra form of “judgement” will be offered too but only as the “Brit” form. |
That reminds me how in Britain they spell it aluminium but here in Canada, and I think the States too, we spell it aluminum. Do the Brits pronounce the i too? I've always wondered what happened there.....(with the i)!
| IceCreamTruck wrote: |
In England if you are hit crossing the road you were "run down."
In America if you are hit crossing the road you were "run over."
If you run a race in America and you are caught the you are "run down."
In england if you run a race and you are caught in England then you were "over come." |
In my corner of Canada we say overcome(by fear, emotion), run over(or hit, by a car) and rundown(tired, dilapitated {sp?}). We're crazy, I know.
One last thing. After reading a series of hilarious books in Junior High (The Confessions of Georgia Nicholson by Louis Rennison...) I started using some of the slang from Britain like "nippy noodles", "nunga-nungas", "snogging", "fags", "spots"(zits), aaand "cor" etc. ex. Cor it's nippy noodles, my nunga-nungas are giving everyone a peep-show.... I dont know if this is the same type of difference, but its funny how different things are said in different languages and countries. For Example, in the US (especially NY) when its really cold its said to be F**king cold, although in german its a$$ cold, while in spanish its penis cold, and in hungarian its wh0re cold.
piss - urinate
piss off - go away
That's weird already...
In Canada we speak a strange blend of Brit and American English. Most of us are pretty defensive about our zed (It's not "zee"); we drink pop, fags are homosexual, and if we don't spell with an "ou", we get very poor marks in school. (Which is always a hang up in my CSS - there is no colour property!)
For the most part, we tend to speak the same language as our neighbours to the south. A short time ago, we were travelling as a family in the US, and my mother had occasion to ask someone for something to tie back her hair. After a long, comical exchange, we discovered that Americans use rubber bands; Canadians use elastics. Go figure.
| riv_ wrote: |
| In Canada we speak a strange blend of Brit and American English. Most of us are pretty defensive about our zed (It's not "zee")........... A short time ago, we were travelling as a family in the US, and my mother had occasion to ask someone for something to tie back her hair. After a long, comical exchange, we discovered that Americans use rubber bands; Canadians use elastics. Go figure. |
I say rubber band for like office supply elastics (there I go), and hair elastics or just plain "elastics" for tieing my hair back. When scrunchies were in we called them that too.
Hey I say zee OR zed! It makes no difference to me, and people don't seem to care when I say it either way. I always forget which it is "supposed" to be anyway.Reading more and more of these are starting to bring back some more conversations.
Foreign English - U.S. English
<