A question for the Brits...

by Country Girl 41 Replies latest jw friends

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  Country Girl

  I've so enjoyed my conversations with the folks from the UK and Australia on here. I'm enchanted by their darling expressions, and different banter than we have in the US. But I've always noticed one thing. Where we say someone is "whining" -- the UK folks always use "whinging." At first, I thought it was a typo, then I started noticing it in several people's posts that were from the UK. When you use this term vocally do you say: winging or is it prounounced the same as in the US: whining?

  I thought it might be fun to start a thread about the different terms we all use, and their pronounciation and usage. I noticed that in the UK and Australia they always say "bloody" this or "bloody" that. Is that considered profane there? I always loved the term "take a fancy" to something. That is *so cute*! Some other terms that I've heard the Brits and Aussies use:

  Bonnett = the hood of a car

  Boot = the truck of a car

  Pram = baby carriage

  there's many more! I'd also like to hear what others think of American accents. Do they sound strange to you there? Is there a myriad of different types of English accents, as there are in the US? How can I recognize the different ones?

  CG
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  chachasmum

  Yes whinging does mean the same as whining. We also spell things differently in Britain than the US, for example tomatoe tomatoe, potatoe potato, Programme program. I am sure there are plenty more i am too tired to think of them at the moment.
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  berylblue

  To my ex-husband's barely veiled contempt, I was never quite able to distinguish from which part of London a person came....but then again, he couldn't tell a North Jersey accent from a South Jersey accent AND his father made the fatal error of proclaiming that I had a NEW YORK (grrrrr) accent.
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  xjw_b12

  yeah we had some fun with that a while ago, when Simon started a post about whinging, and I filled about 7 - 8 lines of fun at him, because I honestly could not confirm that spelling of it.

  E- man graciously ( or not so graciously) corrected my incorrrectness, some time later.

  Now if we can just cure E-man of this overt use of the word overt, we'd be getting somewhere. !
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  Country Girl

  I am actually *not* trying to be interesting. My husband says, when I spell things like this, that I am "trying to be interesting." I tell him that I don't have to *try* it, because I already am. My Mother was actually a good Dub mom. She encouraged me to read, and to read a lot of early Brit lit. I learned to spell from reading. To me, humor was spelled "humour" , color was "colour" etc. I got marked off on a lot of words in school because I spelled them the Brit way, because I was used to reading British works. I watch alot of BBC because I totally identify with their sense of humour.. hehehe. I love "Keeping Up Appearances" and "Fawlty Towers." I am a big fan of Monty Python. I just love the Brits.. and the more I spell like them, the more British I become in "me own mind."

  CG

  a.k.a. "the country girl with snagged stawkins"
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  Country Girl

  So it IS pronounced "whinging" as in WINGing? How interesting! Not WINE-ing? I never did get an answer for this.

  CG
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  home_and_dry

  It is pronounced with a soft 'G', the 'winge' part rhymes with hinge.
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  Hamas

  Sidewalk = Pavement

  ...wow, what a contribution.
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  tinkerbell82

  I'm enchanted by their darling expressions, and different banter than we have in the US.

  i couldnt agree with you more
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  Fe2O3Girl

  I watch alot of BBC because I totally identify with their sense of humour.. hehehe. I love "Keeping Up Appearances"

  Kepping Up Appearances is not funny; it is tedious and embarrassing. Coupling is funny. Never Mind the Buzzcocks is hysterical, but I don't know if you get that on BBC America.

  John = Loo

  Eraser = Rubber

  Jelly = Jam

  Fries = Chips

  Chips = Crisps