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#284990 - 01/08/2006 19:05 Re: English vs American [Re: furtive]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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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#284991 - 01/08/2006 19:19 Re: English vs American [Re: peter]
canuckInOR
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/02/2002
Posts: 3212
Loc: Portland, OR
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]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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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#284993 - 01/08/2006 20:01 Re: English vs American [Re: JBjorgen]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3995
Loc: Manchester UK
Quote:
Trousers = Pants


Up here in the north west Pants == Trousers
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#284994 - 01/08/2006 20:04 Re: English vs American [Re: furtive]
g_attrill
old hand

Registered: 14/04/2002
Posts: 1172
Loc: Hants, UK
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]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3995
Loc: Manchester UK
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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#284996 - 01/08/2006 21:48 Re: English vs American [Re: andym]
Mataglap
enthusiast

Registered: 11/06/2003
Posts: 384
Whilst vs. while

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#284997 - 01/08/2006 22:17 Re: English vs American [Re: Mataglap]
Ezekiel
pooh-bah

Registered: 25/08/2000
Posts: 2413
Loc: NH USA
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]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
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]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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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#285000 - 02/08/2006 01:07 Re: English vs American [Re: furtive]
Robotic
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 2026
Loc: Seattle transplant
Quote:
...And the pizza hut adverts that are currently being shown in the UK ...

I had to laugh when my Brit work-mates told me about the local "Peetzer 'ut"
It sounded for all the world like Pizza Rut, which tickles my funny bone like 'Dead Lobster' (Red Lobster) and 'Craplebee's' (Applebee's) (US restaurant chains).

Speaking of work mates:
mate= friend
partner= mate

On the food front:
I got blank stares from the hotel proprietor one morning when I asked if it might be possible for the kitchen to make some 'French Toast' for me.
Eggy Bread = French Toast
The seasoning is quite different, too. Most Americans expect the dish to be neutral, served with butter and then sweetened with powdered sugar and/or maple syrup.
In general, I was horrified at the amount of salt in the food I was eating in the UK.

Oh yeah-
porridge = oatmeal (a salty affair in Scottish tradition)

'Nowt' (nothing) and 'Sommat' (something) were common colloquialisms in the area I was working.

It took me a while to get used to being greeted with 'Are you alright?'
Americans usually reserve that one for accident victims.
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#285001 - 02/08/2006 02:20 Re: English vs American [Re: Robotic]
bootsy
enthusiast

Registered: 17/08/2000
Posts: 334
Loc: Seattle, WA. USA
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]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5914
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
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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#285003 - 02/08/2006 05:02 Re: English vs American [Re: Mataglap]
Cybjorg
addict

Registered: 23/12/2002
Posts: 652
Loc: Winston Salem, NC
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]
Cybjorg
addict

Registered: 23/12/2002
Posts: 652
Loc: Winston Salem, NC
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]
tahir
pooh-bah

Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1896
Loc: London
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]
tahir
pooh-bah

Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1896
Loc: London
BTW broiled = grilled doesn't it?

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#285007 - 02/08/2006 11:11 Re: English vs American [Re: FireFox31]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12318
Loc: Sterling, VA
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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#285008 - 02/08/2006 11:23 Re: English vs American [Re: Dignan]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5680
Loc: London, UK
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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#285009 - 02/08/2006 11:31 Re: English vs American [Re: Roger]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12318
Loc: Sterling, VA
Gotcha. Interesting read! Thanks!
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#285010 - 02/08/2006 11:49 Re: English vs American [Re: FireFox31]
Cybjorg
addict

Registered: 23/12/2002
Posts: 652
Loc: Winston Salem, NC
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]
Tim
veteran

Registered: 25/04/2000
Posts: 1522
Loc: Arizona
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]
peter
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4172
Loc: Cambridge, England
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]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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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#285014 - 02/08/2006 12:49 Re: English vs American [Re: peter]
CrackersMcCheese
pooh-bah

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2489
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]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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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#285016 - 02/08/2006 13:06 Re: English vs American [Re: wfaulk]
tahir
pooh-bah

Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1896
Loc: London
Puke is cross cultural though isn't it?

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#285017 - 02/08/2006 13:22 Re: English vs American [Re: tahir]
furtive
old hand

Registered: 14/08/2001
Posts: 886
Loc: London, UK
Yes

Another one

Enemy plane = Bogey
bogey = booger
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#285018 - 02/08/2006 13:36 Re: English vs American [Re: furtive]
Mataglap
enthusiast

Registered: 11/06/2003
Posts: 384
"Way Out" vs. "Exit" on signs

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#285019 - 02/08/2006 13:53 Re: English vs American [Re: Mataglap]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3582
Loc: Columbus, OH
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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