#284990 - 01/08/2006 19:05
Re: English vs American
[Re: furtive]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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It was probably the difference in the pronunciation of the "A". In the US, the "A" is much more flat, almost whiny sounding. In the UK, it's much more at the back of the throat. I think that the difference in the pronunciation of the "T" is largely based on the differences in how we pronounce that vowel.
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Bitt Faulk
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#284991 - 01/08/2006 19:19
Re: English vs American
[Re: peter]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 13/02/2002
Posts: 3212
Loc: Portland, OR
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Quote:
Jam / jelly
I always thought the difference between these was that Jam had chunks of fruit in it, but jelly didn't -- it was just made from the juice of the fruit. But then, I'm neither British, nor American. 
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#284992 - 01/08/2006 19:29
Re: English vs American
[Re: canuckInOR]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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That's the US difference. In the UK, jam is either one and jelly is what we in the US would call gelatin, or, more likely, Jell-O.
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Bitt Faulk
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#284993 - 01/08/2006 20:01
Re: English vs American
[Re: JBjorgen]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
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Quote:
Trousers = Pants
Up here in the north west Pants == Trousers
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Cheers,
Andy M
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#284994 - 01/08/2006 20:04
Re: English vs American
[Re: furtive]
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old hand
Registered: 14/04/2002
Posts: 1172
Loc: Hants, UK
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Quote:
When in NY my wife asked for a bottle of waTer in a deli and the guy didn't have a clue what she wanted despite her saying it very clearly a number of times.
I had the same problem asking for a "tuna melt" - (pronounced "tuner"), after repeating it he said "oh, you wanna toona melt?"
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#284995 - 01/08/2006 20:07
Re: English vs American
[Re: furtive]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
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Quote:
I can't understand how he couldn't understand someone saying it like it is spelt though.
I think the man was obviously a spazz.
Whilst at uni my flatmate moved his girlfriend in, she was from california and couldn't understand a word I said. However my flatmate who hailed from Dundee was understood perfectly, looking back now I wonder whether she was just taking the piss.
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Cheers,
Andy M
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#284996 - 01/08/2006 21:48
Re: English vs American
[Re: andym]
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enthusiast
Registered: 11/06/2003
Posts: 384
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#284997 - 01/08/2006 22:17
Re: English vs American
[Re: Mataglap]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 25/08/2000
Posts: 2413
Loc: NH USA
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How could we have gotten this far without bollocks/balls? And did I miss it or did someone already post the link to the English/American Dictionary page? This is a very amusing thread... -Zeke
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#284998 - 01/08/2006 22:45
Re: English vs American
[Re: Cybjorg]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31600
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Quote:
In American, the word Brilliant refers to 2 things: the brightness of an object or the extreme genius of one's intellect.
With the word frequently being used the British way in the hugely popular Harry Potter films, I'll bet that this is one usage that will become commonplace in the US within a generation.
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#284999 - 02/08/2006 01:03
Re: English vs American
[Re: Cybjorg]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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Haven't read the whole thread, but how about:
al-U-min-ium vs. al-oo-mi-num
Aren't there some other creative chemical name differences? Do the English still use names such as Hydrargyrum, Stannum, Plumbum, Aurum, Argentum, etc? (totally copied from wikipedia; I only knew the odd symbols off hand)
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- FireFox31 110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set
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#285001 - 02/08/2006 02:20
Re: English vs American
[Re: Robotic]
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enthusiast
Registered: 17/08/2000
Posts: 334
Loc: Seattle, WA. USA
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Wow, this far without...
Lift = Elevator
That one always cracked me up when my English friend in 5th grade would use it. Oh, what about...
Naught = Zero
"Zed" = "Zee"
Those two caused me big trouble in College Calculus. Our Professor was a South African Dutch and I could barely understand what he was saying when he was speaking English... much less explaining Calculus.
And I was always under the impression that "waDur" was not American, but a New Jersey thing... or am I confusing that with "Wudder".
Edited by bootsy (02/08/2006 02:24)
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#285002 - 02/08/2006 04:38
Re: English vs American
[Re: Robotic]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
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Quote:
In general, I was horrified at the amount of salt in the food I was eating in the UK.
That is odd. I am always shocked by how salty the fast food and food in some diners is in the US.
I remember a visit to a Denny's diner in Bellevue, WA where I could barely eat any of the food it was so salty. I didn't have a rental car at the time, so my breakfast choice was Pizza Hut, Denny's or some crappy steak house (as they were the only places in walking distance of my hotel).
The people in the UK who slag off US food in general however clearly haven't gone to the US themselves and eaten selectively. In the two areas I have been to (Washington State and Manhatten) I ate plenty of excellent food.
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Remind me to change my signature to something more interesting someday
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#285003 - 02/08/2006 05:02
Re: English vs American
[Re: Mataglap]
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addict
Registered: 23/12/2002
Posts: 652
Loc: Winston Salem, NC
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Quote:
Whilst vs. while
The word 'whilst' really bothers me for some reason, especially in the context that it is use throughout the UK.
Here's one I heard on the radio this morning:
anti-clockwise vs counter-clockwise
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#285004 - 02/08/2006 05:04
Re: English vs American
[Re: bootsy]
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addict
Registered: 23/12/2002
Posts: 652
Loc: Winston Salem, NC
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Quote:
I was always under the impression that "waDur" was not American, but a New Jersey thing...
I think that's "waaduh".
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#285005 - 02/08/2006 08:00
Re: English vs American
[Re: peter]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1919
Loc: London
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Quote:
With the right weather, watering, and feeding, marrows can become truly gigantic; competitive marrow-growing is very much a part of Wallace's Yorkshire culture.Peter
We're running a virtual marrow competition at Downsizer, based solely on length. Hate to say it but they don't stand a chance I've got the longest marrow I've ever seen developing on one of my plants.
My favourite way to eat marrow is boiled, mashed, loads of butter, black pepper and nutmeg. Great with any meat, especially lamb. Makes a good veggie curry too.
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#285006 - 02/08/2006 08:36
Re: English vs American
[Re: tahir]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1919
Loc: London
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BTW broiled = grilled doesn't it?
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#285007 - 02/08/2006 11:11
Re: English vs American
[Re: FireFox31]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Quote:
Haven't read the whole thread, but how about:
al-U-min-ium vs. al-oo-mi-num
Oh, sorry, that's another one that bothers me. Why is there an extra syllable in there? Is the word actually spelled differently in the UK?
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Matt
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#285008 - 02/08/2006 11:23
Re: English vs American
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
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Quote:
Quote:
al-U-min-ium vs. al-oo-mi-num
Oh, sorry, that's another one that bothers me. Why is there an extra syllable in there? Is the word actually spelled differently in the UK?
Yes.
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-- roger
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#285009 - 02/08/2006 11:31
Re: English vs American
[Re: Roger]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Gotcha. Interesting read! Thanks!
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Matt
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#285010 - 02/08/2006 11:49
Re: English vs American
[Re: FireFox31]
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addict
Registered: 23/12/2002
Posts: 652
Loc: Winston Salem, NC
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Quote:
Haven't read the whole thread, but how about:
al-U-min-ium vs. al-oo-mi-num
Aren't there some other creative chemical name differences?
I've heard:
con-Trawversy (all run together) vs. con-Tro-vers-y
common-Try vs. common-Tary
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#285011 - 02/08/2006 12:04
Re: English vs American
[Re: Cybjorg]
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veteran
Registered: 25/04/2000
Posts: 1529
Loc: Arizona
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Australia has some that threw me the first time also:
Take Away = Carry Out
That was the biggest one I remember, but I don't remember hearing it in the UK.
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#285012 - 02/08/2006 12:05
Re: English vs American
[Re: Cybjorg]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4180
Loc: Cambridge, England
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Quote:
con-Trawversy (all run together) vs. con-Tro-vers-y
Mmm, good spot (though even people who say con-Trovver-sy say con-tro-Ver-shal). The one that seemed to cause the Austinites most amusement on our recent trip to the Sigmatel mothership was shed-yule vs. sked-yule.
Peter
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#285013 - 02/08/2006 12:49
Re: English vs American
[Re: andy]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Quote:
The people in the UK who slag off US food
Hah! I believe the British are renowned the world around for their terrible cuisine. Not to say that there aren't good things to be eaten in the UK (heck, there's a US reality TV show starring Gordon Ramsay, so we apparently have to import Brits for food -- or maybe just vitriol) but it seems the majority of it is imported from other cuisines. You don't see much boiled meat on the menus of good restaurants.
Quote:
I am always shocked by how salty the fast food and food in some diners is in the US.
I agree with you, actually. Most chain places seem to really oversalt food. I imagine that it's to cover up the freezer burn resulting from cross-country food shipments.
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Bitt Faulk
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#285014 - 02/08/2006 12:49
Re: English vs American
[Re: peter]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2489
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Barf and vomit would be another (maybe). In 'Day of the Tentacle' I couldn't figure out what 'Fake barf' was for about 2 weeks. Maybe I was just an idiot I owe a lot to The Simpsons for teaching me a lot of Americanisms.
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#285015 - 02/08/2006 13:02
Re: English vs American
[Re: CrackersMcCheese]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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For the record, in case you didn't know, "barf" is very slightly off-color slang. No one would really be offended by it, but you wouldn't say it to the queen. "Vomit" is certainly a viable word, and the one you would use when talking to the queen. I can't imagine why you'd be talking to the queen about vomit, though.
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Bitt Faulk
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#285016 - 02/08/2006 13:06
Re: English vs American
[Re: wfaulk]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1919
Loc: London
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Puke is cross cultural though isn't it?
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#285017 - 02/08/2006 13:22
Re: English vs American
[Re: tahir]
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old hand
Registered: 14/08/2001
Posts: 886
Loc: London, UK
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Yes
Another one
Enemy plane = Bogey
bogey = booger
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#285018 - 02/08/2006 13:36
Re: English vs American
[Re: furtive]
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enthusiast
Registered: 11/06/2003
Posts: 384
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"Way Out" vs. "Exit" on signs
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#285019 - 02/08/2006 13:53
Re: English vs American
[Re: Mataglap]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
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I heard an anecdote the other day...I have no idea if it's true or not.
Patton asked a Britsh general for a "shedule" (schedule).
The general, somewhat pleased, asked Patton where he had learned to say "shedule" properly. He quickly replied, "I learned it in shool."
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~ John
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