American English

[rowbie]

20 odd years ago American exchange students taught me to pronounce "awesome" so it rhymes with blossom.

[rfrazier]

I believe that "vacation" has the same roots as "vacate". In any case, I use "vac." and "vacation" because that's how the periods are listed in the Oxford University Pocket Diary, and I just try to go along with local customs[1], unless there is very good reason not to do so. In the diary the main divisions of the year are Michaelmas Term, Christmas Vacation, Hilary Term, Easter Vacation, Trinity Term and Long Vacation. I take it that "vacation" is used because the students vacate the colleges.

Best wishes,
Bob

PS I did a bit more investigation, and here's what Wikipedia has to say.

In the United Kingdom, vacation once specifically referred to the long summer break taken by the law courts and, later, universities—a custom introduced by William the Conqueror from Normandy where it facilitated the grape harvest. In the past, many upper-class families moved to a summer home for part of the year, leaving their usual family home vacant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacation

RLF

PPS [1] There is more than one way to skin a cat, not that I'm particularly into cat skinning.
RLF

[dickbrowne]

Thank you for the explanation Bob, that makes sense and I did wonder, as I said, as to the derivation. It was of interest as Mrs. Rev Dick studied at Oxford and uses the term liberally without knowing why. Personally, I studied at Leicester and Cranfield and was far too busy trying to dodge knuckle-draggers and window-lickers to worry about what breaks were called.

I know my place in the pecking order

[rfrazier]

Thank you for the explanation Bob, that makes sense and I did wonder, as I said, as to the derivation. It was of interest as Mrs. Rev Dick studied at Oxford and uses the term liberally without knowing why. Personally, I studied at Leicester and Cranfield and was far too busy trying to dodge knuckle-draggers and window-lickers to worry about what breaks were called.

I know my place in the pecking order

I studied at Western Washington University (100 miles north of Seattle) and University of Massachusetts at Amherst (about 100 miles west of Boston). Neither have I ever worried about what the periods between academic terms are called. If the local convention had been to call it the "Easter Holiday" or "Easter Break" that's what I would have done. I have no objection to using (here in England) terms or phrases that originate in the USA, except to the extent that they interfere with communications, nor do I worry about having an American accent, or using American pronunciation.

Best wishes,
Bob

[dickbrowne]

And I still know my place in the pecking order :)

[rfrazier]

As an aside. Lots of what seems from the outside of the USA to be American pronunciation and American phrases are really Californian (south west Californian, in particular). People sometimes forget just how big and diverse is the USA. If you got a little travelled native from northern Maine (Downeast accent) together with a little travelled native from the Cajun country of Louisiana (Cajun French), the chances are that they would have some difficulty communicating. :)

Best wishes,
Bob

[dickbrowne]

As an aside. Lots of what seems from the outside of the USA to be American pronunciation and American phrases are really Californian. People sometimes forget just how big and diverse is the USA. If you got a little travelled native from northern Maine (Downeast accent) and a little travelled native from the Cajun country of Louisiana (Cajun French) together, the chances are that they would have some difficulty communicating. :)

Best wishes,
Bob

Very true - I've worked extensively in the US and talk to my Texan colleagues differently to my Californian ones and the ones from Boston are different again.

The interesting point, and the one I was interested to understand more fully, was how many perceived "Americanism's" are actually English or European in origin.

The UK is far smaller, but we also have extensive localisation of vernacular. If it weren't for Boys From the Blackstuff being on the telly in the 1980's, I wouldn't have a clue what Gazza was crying about in the football :)

[rfrazier]

The interesting point, and the one I was interested to understand more fully, was how many perceived "Americanism's" are actually English or European in origin.

I've heard said that the "high" or educated northern Virginian accent would be remarkably like the English Elizabethan one.

Also, because of the isolation, the dialect of the Appalachian South is still remarkably related to English as spoken in Scotland during the Elizabethan period.

http://www.wvculture.org/history/jou...h/wvh30-2.html

Best wishes,
Bob

PS I have a mongrel dialect and accent, coming from a service family. I was born in Richmond Virginia and started out with a southern accent, however.
RLF

[sundial]

My mid-Atlantic accented sister in O'Fallon Illinois often tells me she has, " ... gotten ..." something :roll: :evil:

dunk

[demer03]

My mid-Atlantic accented sister in O'Fallon Illinois often tells me she has, " ... gotten ..." something :roll: :evil:

dunk

Yup....we do say that.

I've gotten used to it.

[Steve748]

Last year I met my American g/f now fiancée and I have spent most of the winter over in SoCal near San Diego and we have had a few interesting moments with the differences in language.

I introduced her to the word 'bollocks' when I used it as a swear word without really thinking about it and I said they were things that dangled between our legs when she asked....... oh...ok...
Later we were having a conversation and a guy was telling me something about the UK that wasn't true.... "Oh that's a load of bollocks" I said and I later explained in that context it meant something that wasn't true....oh...ok.
A few days later we were walking somewhere and saw a lovely custom Model A and I said wow that's the 'Dog's bollocks' and she said 'oh so it's a load of rubbish or it's not true' and I said no no it's the best there is, top of the tree something really good! Then I use the term again but abbreviate it to 'the dogs' and confuse her a bit more1

I ask her if she wants 'a cuppa' and she says 'what's a cuppa?' I say a cup of tea and she says that will be nice, yes please..... next day she asks me if I want a cuppa... I say 'go on then' .... she says 'eh? well do you or don't you want a cuppa?' so I explain 'go on then' is an abbreviation of 'go on then I would love a cuppa tea!

I never use the term 'rest room' as I say you don't go there for a rest of any sort... I always ask 'where is the loo or toilet' when we are out.

Last night I told her the 'decorators were in' at the house I am finishing off and she questioned it saying I didn't need them as I was renting it. Seems they call 'interior designers' decorators and the ones that put the paint on ..............painters!

[SimonK]

My mid-Atlantic accented sister in O'Fallon Illinois often tells me she has, " ... gotten ..." something :roll: :evil:

dunk

Gotten was the past participle of 'get' in Elizabethan English, it simply dropped out of use around 300 years ago in England.

[sundial]

Last year I met my American g/f now fiancée and I have spent most of the winter over in SoCal near San Diego and we have had a few interesting moments with the differences in language.

I introduced her to the word 'bollocks' when I used it as a swear word without really thinking about it and I said they were things that dangled between our legs when she asked....... oh...ok...
Later we were having a conversation and a guy was telling me something about the UK that wasn't true.... "Oh that's a load of bollocks" I said and I later explained in that context it meant something that wasn't true....oh...ok.
A few days later we were walking somewhere and saw a lovely custom Model A and I said wow that's the 'Dog's bollocks' and she said 'oh so it's a load of rubbish or it's not true' and I said no no it's the best there is, top of the tree something really good! Then I use the term again but abbreviate it to 'the dogs' and confuse her a bit more1

I ask her if she wants 'a cuppa' and she says 'what's a cuppa?' I say a cup of tea and she says that will be nice, yes please..... next day she asks me if I want a cuppa... I say 'go on then' .... she says 'eh? well do you or don't you want a cuppa?' so I explain 'go on then' is an abbreviation of 'go on then I would love a cuppa tea!

I never use the term 'rest room' as I say you don't go there for a rest of any sort... I always ask 'where is the loo or toilet' when we are out.

Last night I told her the 'decorators were in' at the house I am finishing off and she questioned it saying I didn't need them as I was renting it. Seems they call 'interior designers' decorators and the ones that put the paint on ..............painters!

When my sister came over from the USA for a visit she had some strange looks from my father when she talked about her 'fanny'.

dunk

[SimonK]

Last night I told her the 'decorators were in' at the house I am finishing off and she questioned it saying I didn't need them as I was renting it. Seems they call 'interior designers' decorators and the ones that put the paint on ..............painters!

Next time she gets arsey, you can ask her if she's 'got the decorators in'. Then explain what it means. :)

[TheWatchman]

I work for a US company in Yorkshire.
The arguments about tI-tanium Vs TIT-anium are hillarious.

What about a-loom-minum v al-u-mini-um or US Asian= Chinese,Japanese v UK Asian= Indian,Pakistani.

[stooo]

Router, row-ter.

[Hubs]

60 million British English speakers

300 million native English non British English speakers (USA, Canada, Oz, NZ)

2 billions international english speakers.

Apparently, smaller vocabularies going down the list (British English containing a lot of old words less used elsewhere). International English has the smallest word count of the three.

Net conclusion; although English remains widely used, British English is an obscure subset of the global use.

[demer03]

* Is there really such a thing, or is it simply English abused by dumb Merkins?

Why I outta.... :wink:

[demer03]

Dont be too offended - what really boils my piss is the way that an element of British society seek to emulate an uneducated underclass in American society, meaning that our language is being dragged down, and were are then told that this is a natural evolution of our language...

I may yet turn into my father! :D

Sadly, I agree. My daughters get on me for sounding strange when using correct pronunciation at times....the hip-hop-ification of the English language really chaps my backside.

Now fellas....I have a friend in Barnsley...if THAT isn't a bastardization of the language, I don't know what is!

[5freddys]

I have recently fallen for Wheeler Dealers on Velocity here in the states. Two English gents that are excellent with the cars they purchase and fix up. One whose Brit vocab is postively superb. I love the lingo. :)

As for American English... I am guitly as charged. Still use the word "awesome" from time to time. Although, it may just be the inner Barney Stinson in me. :lol:

[VoleBoy]

I was on another forum and somebody from the US was saying they were here on holiday with his daughter. She was misbehaving and he told her he would 'spank her fanny'. That got some strange looks.

I don't like how films are now movies. Repeats are now re-runs, and instead of a series on TV, it's all about season 1, 2 etc. But complaining about it seems like an uphill struggle.

[5freddys]

By the way, when you take time off work to get away you are on vacation. A holiday is a day in the year when you celebrate an annual occasion such as Christmas, Thanksgiving or Valentine's Day.

Please follow the rules, my peeps.


:wink:

[TheWatchman]

Buoy rather than boi is pronounced as boo-e...
and another that gets my goat Carnegie Hall being pronounced as CarNIGie Hall. :evil:

[jk103]

Buoy rather than boi is pronounced as boo-e...
and another that gets my goat Carnegie Hall being pronounced as CarNIGie Hall. :evil:

If you really want to have your head spin google Boston accent, speak, slang or others. You have never heard real Americans talk until you've heard the Boston accent...and yes I'm proud of mine :wink: :blackeye:

Typical Boston linguistics, these are cities and towns correct spelling on left pronunciation on the right:

Worcester : Wuhsta (or Wistah)
Gloucester : Glawsta
Leicester : Lesta
Woburn : Woobun
Dedham : Dead-um
Revere : Re -vee-ah
Quincy : Quinzee
Tewksbury : Tooks ber ry
Leominster : Le-min-sta
Peabody : Pee-ba-dee
Waltham : Walth-ham
Chatham : Chaddum
Samoset: Sam-oh-set or Sum-aw-set, but nevah Summerset!

Another favorite word Police car we call a cruiser pronounced crusah :mrgreen:

[demer03]

Buoy rather than boi is pronounced as boo-e...
and another that gets my goat Carnegie Hall being pronounced as CarNIGie Hall. :evil:

If you really want to have your head spin google Boston accent, speak, slang or others. You have never heard real Americans talk until you've heard the Boston accent...and yes I'm proud of mine :wink: :blackeye:

Typical Boston linguistics, these are cities and towns correct spelling on left pronunciation on the right:

Worcester : Wuhsta (or Wistah)
Gloucester : Glawsta
Leicester : Lesta
Woburn : Woobun
Dedham : Dead-um
Revere : Re -vee-ah
Quincy : Quinzee
Tewksbury : Tooks ber ry
Leominster : Le-min-sta
Peabody : Pee-ba-dee
Waltham : Walth-ham
Chatham : Chaddum
Samoset: Sam-oh-set or Sum-aw-set, but nevah Summerset!

Another favorite word Police car we call a cruiser pronounced crusah :mrgreen:

Nice...my Mom is from Lynn and Peabody, and Dad's side is from Marblehead generations ago. Always a good time going to uncle Lefty's on Cape Cod.

[Neil.C]

Buoy rather than boi is pronounced as boo-e...
and another that gets my goat Carnegie Hall being pronounced as CarNIGie Hall. :evil:

If you really want to have your head spin google Boston accent, speak, slang or others. You have never heard real Americans talk until you've heard the Boston accent...and yes I'm proud of mine :wink: :blackeye:

Typical Boston linguistics, these are cities and towns correct spelling on left pronunciation on the right:

Worcester : Wuhsta (or Wistah)
Gloucester : Glawsta
Leicester : Lesta
Woburn : Woobun
Dedham : Dead-um
Revere : Re -vee-ah
Quincy : Quinzee
Tewksbury : Tooks ber ry
Leominster : Le-min-sta
Peabody : Pee-ba-dee
Waltham : Walth-ham
Chatham : Chaddum
Samoset: Sam-oh-set or Sum-aw-set, but nevah Summerset!

Another favorite word Police car we call a cruiser pronounced crusah :mrgreen:

Actually John a lot of those Bostonian pronunciations are very similar to the English ones, especially stuff like Worcester where most other Americans will say Wor-cester and Lie-cester for Leicester.

A lot of the town and city names are English too. :wink:

BTW Lloyd Grossman who appears on TV over here a fair bit is a Bostonian with a pretty odd accent.

[jk103]

Buoy rather than boi is pronounced as boo-e...
and another that gets my goat Carnegie Hall being pronounced as CarNIGie Hall. :evil:

If you really want to have your head spin google Boston accent, speak, slang or others. You have never heard real Americans talk until you've heard the Boston accent...and yes I'm proud of mine :wink: :blackeye:

Typical Boston linguistics, these are cities and towns correct spelling on left pronunciation on the right:

Worcester : Wuhsta (or Wistah)
Gloucester : Glawsta
Leicester : Lesta
Woburn : Woobun
Dedham : Dead-um
Revere : Re -vee-ah
Quincy : Quinzee
Tewksbury : Tooks ber ry
Leominster : Le-min-sta
Peabody : Pee-ba-dee
Waltham : Walth-ham
Chatham : Chaddum
Samoset: Sam-oh-set or Sum-aw-set, but nevah Summerset!

Another favorite word Police car we call a cruiser pronounced crusah :mrgreen:

Actually John a lot of those Bostonian pronunciations are very similar to the English ones, especially stuff like Worcester where most other Americans will say Wor-cester and Lie-cester for Leicester.

A lot of the town and city names are English too. :wink:

BTW Lloyd Grossman who appears on TV over here a fair bit is a Bostonian with a pretty odd accent.

I did read that the Bostonian accent is quite close to the original english one from the early settlers. The funniest thing though Neil, is that most Americans from outside MA pronounce Worcester..Worchester but there is no "H" and they laugh at us :mrgreen:

[SternG]

I've never been to Boston, but I was in rural Maine once (a long time ago) and I had to rely more on body language than the actual words spoken :D

[TheWatchman]

Buoy rather than boi is pronounced as boo-e...
and another that gets my goat Carnegie Hall being pronounced as CarNIGie Hall. :evil:

If you really want to have your head spin google Boston accent, speak, slang or others. You have never heard real Americans talk until you've heard the Boston accent...and yes I'm proud of mine :wink: :blackeye:

Typical Boston linguistics, these are cities and towns correct spelling on left pronunciation on the right:

Worcester : Wuhsta (or Wistah)
Gloucester : Glawsta
Leicester : Lesta
Woburn : Woobun
Dedham : Dead-um
Revere : Re -vee-ah
Quincy : Quinzee
Tewksbury : Tooks ber ry
Leominster : Le-min-sta
Peabody : Pee-ba-dee
Waltham : Walth-ham
Chatham : Chaddum
Samoset: Sam-oh-set or Sum-aw-set, but nevah Summerset!

Another favorite word Police car we call a cruiser pronounced crusah :mrgreen:

Actually John a lot of those Bostonian pronunciations are very similar to the English ones, especially stuff like Worcester where most other Americans will say Wor-cester and Lie-cester for Leicester.

A lot of the town and city names are English too. :wink:

BTW Lloyd Grossman who appears on TV over here a fair bit is a Bostonian with a pretty odd accent.

Never knew Lloyd Grossman was a Bostonian but your right he does have the strangest accent.

Few others: EYErak,POOma,semEYE,nikEE,NOkia,HUNDYE,KNEEsan.

[stooo]

I for asked which bus went to Loo-bor-ooh once.



Loughborough.

[TheWatchman]

Buoy rather than boi is pronounced as boo-e...
and another that gets my goat Carnegie Hall being pronounced as CarNIGie Hall. :evil:

If you really want to have your head spin google Boston accent, speak, slang or others. You have never heard real Americans talk until you've heard the Boston accent...and yes I'm proud of mine :wink: :blackeye:

Typical Boston linguistics, these are cities and towns correct spelling on left pronunciation on the right:

Worcester : Wuhsta (or Wistah)
Gloucester : Glawsta
Leicester : Lesta
Woburn : Woobun
Dedham : Dead-um
Revere : Re -vee-ah
Quincy : Quinzee
Tewksbury : Tooks ber ry
Leominster : Le-min-sta
Peabody : Pee-ba-dee
Waltham : Walth-ham
Chatham : Chaddum
Samoset: Sam-oh-set or Sum-aw-set, but nevah Summerset!

Another favorite word Police car we call a cruiser pronounced crusah :mrgreen:

Actually John a lot of those Bostonian pronunciations are very similar to the English ones, especially stuff like Worcester where most other Americans will say Wor-cester and Lie-cester for Leicester.

A lot of the town and city names are English too. :wink:

BTW Lloyd Grossman who appears on TV over here a fair bit is a Bostonian with a pretty odd accent.

. The funniest thing though Neil, is that most Americans from outside MA pronounce Worcester..Worchester but there is no "H" and they laugh at us :mrgreen:

True. Heard it being pronounced with the phantom 'h' when i heard someone ask for the sauce of the same name in a local corner(read grocery) shop(read store) in NY, i did giggle :lol:

[TheWatchman]

I for asked which bus went to Loo-bor-ooh once.



Loughborough.

Try this for size

Milngavie :wink:

[Neil.C]

I for asked which bus went to Loo-bor-ooh once.



Loughborough.

I had similar with a American friend who thought he had mastered English and mentioned Sluff.


I didn't know what he meant until I realised it was........ Slough. :wink:

[andyb190]

On my last trip to the ''Good Ol''' I was being annoyed (or annoying) in a bar and finally remarked 'You are awed by that ?', after yet another trivial remark was met with a far too intense 'Awesome'.
This elicited a puppy-like tilt of the head, a slow realization and then a withdrawal as the 'fella' (his word) realised not all Brits are polite.

It made me realise that a lot of the annoying language traits of Americans result from their desire to be friendly and appear interested by the greatness of those in their company. No incident or story can be met by an 'Oh, really' or 'Mmm'. The end of every story has to be an OMG moment, with everyone in awe of how you dealt the school run or with how you put your trash out.

Even servers (of all types) seem to feel the need to reaffirm their positive experience by informing you 'That's Great' whenever you ask for anything. Ordering breakfast one day,the waitress (a real 'looker'?) enthusiastically informed me 'That's perfect' as she finished scribbling on her pad. I replied that she was being mildly premature but that I'd let her know after the meal. Same puppy-like tilt and again a certain distance was created as she then chose to communicate through my friend giving me a half-hearted smile even though she obviously thought I was a dick(head).

I discovered that I am a rude person by US standards because I can't be doing with all the BS and social niceties; and I realise that if I lived there I would definitely never get laid or have friends.

[gentlemenpreferhats]

I for asked which bus went to Loo-bor-ooh once.



Loughborough.

I had similar with a American friend who thought he had mastered English and mentioned Sluff.


I didn't know what he meant until I realised it was........ Slough. :wink:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_na ... unciations

As a Londoner I get used to being asked for directions to Lye-Sester Square or War-Wick Road or Saint Pancreas. My party trick to confuse Americans (and many Brits) is the pronunciation of Featherstonehaugh, Auchinlech, Beauchamp, Belvoir & Marjoribanks.

[patrick]

In the couple of years since this post,Ive noticed the US police use "real quick" as a staple.As an aside comparing US police shows to UK,the UK police appear to have to be almost apologetic when making an arrest.

[Scrubnut]

Arrrrggghhh!

Why do Americans have to add lots of letters to words?

Anaesthesiologist, burglarised etc.


The one that hacks me off most, and it's all over WUS, is 'pull the trigger'.

Yes. Please. Go ahead. Make my day.

[RJK35]

The one that used to get to me was the habit (especially in the Washington DC area) of saying excuse me after the person involved had either barged past you, or pushed you out of the way.