I'm not usually a nit-picker but this is bugging the hell out of me.
POSTED BY: ebonezer
UPDATED: Monday, April 18, 2005 23:22
VIEWED: 36713
PAGE 11 of 14
Both spellings are correct - true its mostly the British who do it now, but it still correct in "american".
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I adore this whole thread.
My input.
I grew up in Western Oregon (yes there is a huge difference between the western part of the state and the central and eastern parts of the state. Not surprising since it takes about ten hours to drives from the western edge to the eastern edge.)
Carbonated beverages were always, Pop.
French fries can be dipped in anything including, catsup (still pronounced "Ketchup"), mayonaisse, mayo with garlic, ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, special sauce (a mix of about 4 different condiments), tartar sauce, mustard, mustard mixed with mayo (a personal favorite) and of course a chocolate shake or a frostie.
Flip flops were always thongs when I was growing up. I think I was in my thirties before I started calling them flip-flops.
Many of my relatives also pronounced words like "wash" as "warsh". I think this is a german midwestern thing that must have come over to Oregon with my great grandparents' families. I stopped pronouncing it that way in first grade after being mercilessly teased. I still cringe when older people in my family say it.
I spent a summer in London working a few years ago. I could understand what the French, Spanish, Italians, Aussies, Kiwis, and the Danes said long before I could understand people from the UK.
I would usually ask my French friends for translations because I had no idea what was being said unless it was "proper english". I have a suspicion that more often than not it was done on purpose. 
Phrases like "pissed" and "top'ad" drove me to distraction.
I never got the whole "coke" thing in the south. I got in several arguments with friends from Mississippi about this. Because I wanted a 7-up, damnit!
And Spanish and Mexican is ridiculously different. I can read Spanish but I would never attempt to speak it. I can get my meaning across verbally in Mexican.
And the craziest thing. When I was in college (40 minutes from where I grew up) everyone always asked where I was from because my accent was so different. This I could never understand except that I had years of drama training so I actually enunciated my words. My older brother slurs all his words and isn't so much understandable unless you are from the west coast or the south.
In grad school I had several professors just assume that I was from New York (a place I have never been). I mostly think that is just because I am a straightforward, bitch and has much less to do with my accent.
And one last pet peeve to end this overly long post. Oregon is pronounced OR-EEE-GUN, not Argon.
Xiexie.
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Whee! A thread that includes Joss, Eddie Izzard, salt and vinegar on chips and fries in chocolate milkshakes- so many of my favorite things!!! (for reference, I'm a Los Angeles girl who went to school in Britain). Ebonezer and Gunhand, if you find that you are getting obesessive about US/UK English, or the English language in general, I respectfully direct (if no one else has) you to Bill Bryson's excellent books, The Mother Tongue (about the English language itself) and Made in America (a history of English in the US), Actually, fabulous reading for anyone.
I must say that it took me a good six months to be any good at crosswords in England (kerb? tyre????), and that I was in constant fear of failing my A-levels because I could never remember to put in the U's (not sure if they really did mark off for spelling, as my teachers kept saying...). And I got into a huge fight about the proper pronunciation of aluminum... right up until I realized (or realised, if you prefer) that in Britain, it actually had an extra i.
But the most ridiculous moment, I believe, was when a new friend came back from being off in the bushes with a boy, and announced that she had "got off with him," which I felt was far too much information (and had happened rather quickly...). It wasn't until weeks later that I realized she'd meant hooked up with. Or made out with. Or necked. Or kissed. Or french kissed. Or however it's refered to in your part of the world.
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Quote:Slippers are soft warm footware, often worn with pajamas.
Originally posted by Naga:
I know Flip-Flops as 'Slippers'. What's slippers to you guys?
What do you call those?
Quote:It's still 'through' in our dictionaries, just not very often in online posts.
If in American English 'through' is spelled 'thru', then why is 'grotesque' not spelled 'grotes'?
Quote:That goes back to when they were first invented, their batteries weren't as good and they couldn't be left on, so you had to make do with brief 'flashes' of light. The Brittish way makes more sense now, that was good linguistic planning.
Can someone explain to me why a torchlight is call a flashlight? I understand torchlight because it lights the way like a torch does, but it definitely don't 'flash', unless you're trying to send a signal.
"Light it."
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Quote:
Originally posted by JustDavid:Quote:Slippers are soft warm footware, often worn with pajamas.
Originally posted by Naga:
I know Flip-Flops as 'Slippers'. What's slippers to you guys?
What do you call those?
We call any footwear that you can simply slip into and go, slippers. Simple, logical.
Quote:
Originally posted by JustDavid:Quote:That goes back to when they were first invented, their batteries weren't as good and they couldn't be left on, so you had to make do with brief 'flashes' of light. The Brittish way makes more sense now, that was good linguistic planning.
Originally posted by Naga:
Can someone explain to me why a torchlight is call a flashlight? I understand torchlight because it lights the way like a torch does, but it definitely don't 'flash', unless you're trying to send a signal.
Yes the Brits are quite good with their linguistic planning, most of the time...
Another thing I would like explaination on: Why is a figure like 1,200 referred to as 'twelve hundred' in USA and not as 'one thousand two hundred'?
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Just caught this thread and had to tell the story of my trip to St. Lucia (West Indies) back in the 80's. I was a thirty-something from the South but living in Connecticut at the time. There were lots of Brits there. One couple in their late sixties or so usually sat at our table during meals. I had the unfortunate habit of saying "I'm stuffed" after a meal to which my husband corrected me and told me that in Britain that means "I'm f**ked". I had a difficult time refraining from using the term in order not to give the elderly Brits heart failure.
Also, born in Tennessee raised in Chicago, always said soda instead of pop, never heard of putting french fries in Chocolate shakes until today and always put ketchup on fries. Only ketchup and mustard on a burger, only relish and mustard on a dog.
Also, I learned a great deal from the thread about spellings and made me realize why there are so many different ones (guess I never really thought about it before).
"Very interesting but stupid." (from '60's Laugh In)
"And I'm thinking you weren't burdened with an over-abundance of schooling." Mal - Train Job
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Wow, I'm bored at work today, see this thread. Read the whole thing. Somehow I missed it the first time around, but as it's been bumped ANYWAY, may as well reply. :)
Quote:
no no no. you've got it all wrong. you put RANCH dressing on them.
HELL YES. Especially Outback Steakhouse Ranch. OMG, you so need to try Cheese fries there - they've got bacon, melted cheese, and the best ranch you've ever had.
And my normal favorite fries topping that I oddly have not seen mentioned yet, Old Bay and Malt Vinegar. You gotta have the Old Bay! (It's a Maryland thing). A few summers ago I was in Belgium - terrific fries over there, I was so sad that there wasn't any Old Bay to be had. I swear, I'll bring my own if I ever go there again. ;) (For those that don't know, Old Bay is a spicy seasoning best known for it's use on crabs)
Ok, now to the other item. It's soda. Somehow the use of the word 'pop' grates on me. And calling it 'coke' is ridiculous, coke is coca-cola, one specific type of soda.
I can't speak for people that live where I do, I kind of develop my own dialect based on words and sayings that I like from all over. ;) And lately it's been becoming very Joss Whedon inspired. There is just so much goodness in the dialog of his shows.
~AFf
Keep flying
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Quote:
Originally posted by Naga:
Another thing I would like explaination on: Why is a figure like 1,200 referred to as 'twelve hundred' in USA and not as 'one thousand two hundred'?
I don't think that's true. I say both, depending on what I feel like. Twelve Hundred is just easier to say, less syllables.
Keep flying
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Quote:
Originally posted by rklenseth:
Then you have theater which to the English is theatre.
Actually, Americans have both. Theatre is the 'art of theatre' if you will (or theatre class), while theater is the building itself, "we are going to the theater." Or you could take a theatre class in the theater. See? I can contribute to the discussion.
It might actually be the other way around, I'm not positive, but there is a diference.
-----------------------------------
Four out of five gynecologists recommend calling Ebo a girl.
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Hey, y'all, Yank living in the UK (10 years now).
9 years ago, on my first job, my boss was a very well-spoken chap with a "cut glass accent", very posh (and stuck up). He wanted to use the pc with internet access (we only had one) for personal use but didn't want to disturb my work. When I realized this I stood up and said he should have said something, if he wanted the pc he "should just toss me off". I then went to lunch.
I hadn't then learned that anything with the word "toss" in it referred to masturbation. I'm told my boss stayed in a state of shock for about 5 min until my British colleague begged for mercy for me, saying "he doesn't know what he said!"
I was the first person laid off when the company started dying, to my great relief.
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