Americans Are Barmy Over Britishisms

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/fashion/americans-are-barmy-over-britishisms.html?_r=2&adxnnl=%201&mod=e2tw&adxnnlx=1349907947-zR28BCOJphcQvfIjDsrjdQ&


speaking like a british person when not in britland

mockery is the sincerest form of flattery lol

Haha just read the comments, some of them (quite a lot of them really) get it sooo wrong. eg I've never knocked up my neighbour in the morning, I might have knocked in the morning but definitely not "knocked up".

I never call the toilet, the 'loo', it's always the 'bog'.

I think this is a good thing, especially in a world where Chrome tries to correct me when I spell things like ''Flavour'' and ''Organise''..

It's also funny how americans like the whole 'British' thing. But travel out of the South-East of England and it's a different story. You wouldn't have someone from the East coast of the USA taking on words like 'nowt' or 'quality' (same meaning as 'brilliant') or 'nae barra pal'

I did laugh at the "inadvertant use of 'cheesed off...'"

nickyf1 wrote:I never call the toilet, the 'loo', it's always the 'bog'

the sh*ter?

CRUMPETS

Don't forget your tea Duncan!

After a TORA Endurance Race it takes me weeks to relearn the American language... confounds the locals.

Depends where you are in Britain. People from Yorkshire say 'Butty' for Sandwich. When I asked for a sausage butty in Manchester they had no idea what I was talking about! Think they thought it was a euphemism.

In that Dom Joly sketch show, 'Fool Britannia', he plays an American visiting Britain. Running around Scotland saying "I LOVE SCOTCHLAND!"

I'm not sure there is any other country with such a diverse range of dialects, languages and accents. The north of England is a great example. Look how close Manchester and Liverpool are, vs how completely different the speech is.

It's great being abroad, in the company of non-scots people. Going full pelt in Glaswegian to your mates ensures they'll have no clue about what you're saying.

British English is more of a collection of different speeches, rather than just one thing on it's own, unlike American English. And there is no definitive 'British' accent, as much as the American Harry Potter and Doctor Who fans would like to think. In the same way there is no definitive English, Welsh, Irish or Scottish accent.

Amazing for a country of 60 million people crammed onto a tiny island in the north-west of Europe.

Kilroy8 wrote:When I asked for a sausage butty in Manchester they had no idea what I was talking about! Think they thought it was a euphemism.

I asked for a sausage butty once, and was taken round the back instead.

Standaman94 wrote:

Kilroy8 wrote:When I asked for a sausage butty in Manchester they had no idea what I was talking about! Think they thought it was a euphemism.

I asked for a sausage butty once, and was taken round the back instead.

It was a hotdog down a hallway job i heard!

nickyf1 wrote:
British English is more of a collection of different speeches, rather than just one thing on it's own, unlike American English.

False. There are quite a few dialects here in America. In the Upper Midwest, such as Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Dakotas there is an accent with strong ties to Canada. Then there is the Northeast Accent, such as Boston and New Jersey. While the Southeast has its own languages, as evidenced by lots of NASCAR drivers. The Louisiana Bayou has a very indecipherable dialect all its own. Then you have the West Coast, which I guess has the accent that most people outside of America would call "The American Language" as that is home to Hollywood's studios, therefore the main export of all things culturally American.

A great example of how different American dialects can be:
New Jersey

Virginia


Two very different dialects, from just a hundred miles away from each other.

True dat, got yer Texas oil tycoon, yer Mississippi river fisher, yer New Yorker cwaahfee drinker, and yer Californian porn star, plus everything in between!

Just to point out one big thing...
As you guys know I'm from Devon and the standard stereotype is that we are all oo-arr!
Well, yes and no. That 'yerr tiz Devon. Use the Boi-parss, gerroff me land stuff only really is heard in the VERY small villages and parts of Plymouth. (I nearly needed a dictionary when I was there last!)
I think the only sort of sayings I've really picked up are things like Where's it to? Which would obviously be 'Where is it?' Also 'You right?' (Are you alright?) but this is more from Brizzle (Bristol.)
If you're called 'my lurv or flower' it's the equivalent of 'darlin' in the South East (I think) or 'duck' if your of the Lincolnshire pursuasion.
Thinking of place names, I come from Exmuth (Exmouth or the Muff) which is near Exterr (Exeter). Another village near there is Tops-ham or Topsham depending on how posh you are. The other soide (side) is Kerrton (Crediton) which is one of my personal faves

Oh yeah and we don't have holiday makers or tourists in Devon, we have Grockles... and they are hated by locals

Flyin Mikey J wrote:

nickyf1 wrote:
British English is more of a collection of different speeches, rather than just one thing on it's own, unlike American English.

False. There are quite a few dialects here in America. In the Upper Midwest, such as Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Dakotas there is an accent with strong ties to Canada. Then there is the Northeast Accent, such as Boston and New Jersey. While the Southeast has its own languages, as evidenced by lots of NASCAR drivers. The Louisiana Bayou has a very indecipherable dialect all its own. Then you have the West Coast, which I guess has the accent that most people outside of America would call "The American Language" as that is home to Hollywood's studios, therefore the main export of all things culturally American.

A great example of how different American dialects can be:
New Jersey

Virginia


Two very different dialects, from just a hundred miles away from each other.

that's southern virginia.

people from northern virginia (me) dont sound like that.

and then you've got baltimore accent

which is only about 30-40 miles away from DC/northern virginia

Oh, I'm aware of different American accents (I love the old-timey Georgian accent of that pit reporter in NASCAR.. his name escapes me), and I'm not trying to take anything away from America. What I meant is that there are much more local dialects (bordering on different languages in some places) within Britain.

I'm talking distinct differences in everyday vocabulary and sentence structures in spoken language. British English, in the written sense, is a completely different thing of course.

Having grown up in the San Fernando Valley district of Los Angeles (aka "The Valley" as in Valley girls etc) then going to Malibu (30 miles over the hills) and racing in Bakerfield (an hour away over other hills) I can safely say that there are unique dialects in very close proximity. The Valley accent is infamous, while in Malibu the surfers have a more Hawaiian language, then Bakersfield is a whole nother country, as 1) its NASCAR oriented, 2) it was settled by Oklahoma and Texas oil workers.

Fit like?

Fit all you young loons and quinnies jibbering aboot?

Even people from Scotland can't understand an aberdeoian.

Matt wrote:Just to point out one big thing...
As you guys know I'm from Devon and the standard stereotype is that we are all oo-arr!
Well, yes and no. That 'yerr tiz Devon. Use the Boi-parss, gerroff me land stuff only really is heard in the VERY small villages and parts of Plymouth. (I nearly needed a dictionary when I was there last!)
I think the only sort of sayings I've really picked up are things like Where's it to? Which would obviously be 'Where is it?' Also 'You right?' (Are you alright?) but this is more from Brizzle (Bristol.)
If you're called 'my lurv or flower' it's the equivalent of 'darlin' in the South East (I think) or 'duck' if your of the Lincolnshire pursuasion.
Thinking of place names, I come from Exmuth (Exmouth or the Muff) which is near Exterr (Exeter). Another village near there is Tops-ham or Topsham depending on how posh you are. The other soide (side) is Kerrton (Crediton) which is one of my personal faves

Oh yeah and we don't have holiday makers or tourists in Devon, we have Grockles... and they are hated by locals

"Uim frum blurddy torntun"

Cockney slang anyone

Carcoat Damphands -

Grasp the basket, grunting is milky at this sage of the cousin. Up the hammer at Chris Quentin last Wogan, saw a well turned Hut Cop go past the knackers for six orphans under a wazzock. Touched the lovely, smoked a lizard, came up smelling of geese. Well somebody must know who stole the undercloth Jennifer. Meaty.

Also... Starfleet's new academy in Carnoustie



''It's aboot yin 'ir twa sizes bigger 'an oors captain!''

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