British words and accents
Aug 18, 2011, 4:31 pm
#61
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Aug 19, 2011, 7:36 am
#63
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We did the 'outwith' variations. What about 'without'?
As young persons many years ago, we were taught to sing:
'There is a green hill far away
Without a city wall ...'
http://www.hymnwiki.org/There_Is_a_Green_Hill_Far_Away
It was explained to us perplexed youngsters that this didn't mean the green hill didn't have a city wall
but that it was outside a city wall. This was explained as a Scottish use of the word. Can this be true?
As young persons many years ago, we were taught to sing:
'There is a green hill far away
Without a city wall ...'
http://www.hymnwiki.org/There_Is_a_Green_Hill_Far_Away
It was explained to us perplexed youngsters that this didn't mean the green hill didn't have a city wall
but that it was outside a city wall. This was explained as a Scottish use of the word. Can this be true?
Aug 19, 2011, 8:19 am
#64
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We did the 'outwith' variations. What about 'without'?
As young persons many years ago, we were taught to sing:
'There is a green hill far away
Without a city wall ...'
http://www.hymnwiki.org/There_Is_a_Green_Hill_Far_Away
It was explained to us perplexed youngsters that this didn't mean the green hill didn't have a city wall but that it was outside a city wall. This was explained as a Scottish use of the word. Can this be true?
As young persons many years ago, we were taught to sing:
'There is a green hill far away
Without a city wall ...'
http://www.hymnwiki.org/There_Is_a_Green_Hill_Far_Away
It was explained to us perplexed youngsters that this didn't mean the green hill didn't have a city wall
but that it was outside a city wall. This was explained as a Scottish use of the word. Can this be true?
Aug 19, 2011, 10:53 am
#66
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Aug 19, 2011, 11:54 am
#67
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And I've admired US English for its efficiency, too, specially with grammar and sentence construction. I assume much comes from usage by immigrants from mainland Europe.
OK, some words grate. Why use one syllable when three will do? Is there a significant difference between 'transport' and 'transportation', for example? (OK, that's 2/4, but you get my drift?)
I guess it's one of those tomayto/tomarto situations.
OK, some words grate. Why use one syllable when three will do?
Is there a significant difference between 'transport' and 'transportation', for example? (OK, that's 2/4, but you get my drift?)I guess it's one of those tomayto/tomarto situations.
"Billy used the efficient transportation provided by the Olympic Games to transport his children to the stadium"
If we are going into multi-syllable words when shorter would do, how about:
Would you like a drink (UK) v Would you like a beverage (US)
Put it in the bin (UK) v Put it in the garbage can (US)
It's the dark blue estate (UK) v It's the dark blue station wagon (US)
Would you care for a starter (UK) v would you care for an appetizer (US)
Aug 19, 2011, 4:33 pm
#69
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Me too.
I think I would have recognized most of that by the time I was 15 (at which time I don't think I had ever been more than 20 miles from my home). But my parents always encouraged us to read and seek out other cultures because they were interesting.
Sadly, I think most Americans watch only films that feature large breasts, even larger guns, and plenty of explosions. Dialogue/plot are superfluous.
Likewise, if your reading material consists mostly of tweets, web pages, and (thin) books with lots of pictures, you're never going to be exposed to other ways of saying things.
Hey! I can go 500 miles from home (to the South, let's say
) and I'll have difficulty understanding them. It's not wrong, it's just different and, in many cases, more colorful and interesting.
For the size of this country (US), we certainly appear to be very provincial.
I think I would have recognized most of that by the time I was 15 (at which time I don't think I had ever been more than 20 miles from my home). But my parents always encouraged us to read and seek out other cultures because they were interesting.
Sadly, I think most Americans watch only films that feature large breasts, even larger guns, and plenty of explosions. Dialogue/plot are superfluous.
Likewise, if your reading material consists mostly of tweets, web pages, and (thin) books with lots of pictures, you're never going to be exposed to other ways of saying things.
Hey! I can go 500 miles from home (to the South, let's say
) and I'll have difficulty understanding them. It's not wrong, it's just different and, in many cases, more colorful and interesting.For the size of this country (US), we certainly appear to be very provincial.
Aug 19, 2011, 9:45 pm
#70
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And to be entirely fair on the US, this is hardly surprising. American culture is very domineering, the country is virtually isolated in the world (surrounded by virtual cultural non-entities - sorry Mexico and Canada, but it's true) and to get to anywhere substantially different from most Americans' current cultural exposure, you need to fly several hours (usually overnight) and spend several hundred dollars which most people probably don't have.
Aug 20, 2011, 5:25 am
#71
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It does, but just because MS Word seems to object to the -se forms and always make them -ze means I tend to use them in preference.
Aug 20, 2011, 5:52 am
#72
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If you change the language of the document (and perhaps your default language as well) to "English (United Kingdom)" you shouldn't have these problems anymore.
Aug 20, 2011, 6:12 am
#73
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Flying into FRA last night, I made a few language related notes:
1. When passing through with the drinks trolly, CC ask if you would like a "sweet or savoury" snack. Does anyone other than a British native speaker know what a "savory" snack is? I don't think the Germans on board did.
2. The captain thanked the passengers for "their custom". same as above - to me a British phrase not heard elsewhere in the English speaking world.
1. When passing through with the drinks trolly, CC ask if you would like a "sweet or savoury" snack. Does anyone other than a British native speaker know what a "savory" snack is? I don't think the Germans on board did.
2. The captain thanked the passengers for "their custom". same as above - to me a British phrase not heard elsewhere in the English speaking world.
2, I would understand what was meant by "their custom", but would never, ever use the phrase. If I heard it I would think that the speaker was taking part in a revival of "Are You Being Served".
I suspect that it would mainly be Americans who would have difficulty understanding a lot of those quaint British phrases, most Anglophones generally speak English as she is spoke.