What words and phrases do Brits and others see as 'American'?

by sonnyboy 114 Replies latest jw friends

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  Sad emo

  English - non rhotic (except certan parts of England, like in the North)

  We pronounce car non-rhotic in Yorkshire but in parts of Lancashire (Lancasheer!) which are close to us theres a sudden switch to rhotic within a short distance (about 5-6 miles/10km) you get some interesting mixtures of the two accents around here.

  My friend who now lives in NJ says the Americans pronounce our place names which end 'borough' as 'burg' . Any ideas how it got to that? my hunch is its possibly a German/Dutch influence?

  On spelling differences, Americans drop the 'u' from words such as colour - color

  jgnat - do you pronounce kewl as its written? k(y)ewel has become quite popular around here - although I think it developed more from a certain Australian footballer (er - soccer player!) who used to play for Leeds United!
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  Why Georgia

  I just want to say if you think American English is confusing to people in Europe....try moving from California to Massachusetts. Sheesh!

  We live near Providence Rhode Island and there is a discernable difference between the Masschusetts pronunciation and the Rho Dieland produnciation.

  Example.

  Worcester - Wooster

  Warwick - War-Ick

  And the hits just keep coming......Not to mention the people from Maine and New Hampshire with their different pronunciations.
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  sonnyboy

  South african - not sure :-)

  Can anyone other than South Africans understand South Africans? They often sound like they're speaking another language all together; I'm not sure if it's a mixture of English and Swahili or what.

  I was watching a program the other day about shark attacks off the coast of Cape Town, and it included subtitles....thankfully.
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  IronGland

  Utter disregard of context when using words:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  US-I am inspired by God to write a new testament. UK--Hand me my tophat please.
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  iggy_the_fish

  Do any other Britishers get a childish giggle when they hear an american using the phrase "blow off"? Where I come from, to blow off is to fart, whereas the merry-cans seem to think it means to ignore, or give the cold shoulder to.

  And another one, "I couldn't care less" and "I could care less" seem to mean exactly the same thing. Go figure(<-- there's another one)

  Like, whatever! Well, DUURRR

  ig.
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  talesin

  lol @ jgnat

  re this

  It may be interesting to note that even though Britain and Ireland are geographically smaller than the United States and Canada, we have many more accents.

  hehe, well, nope! If I travel 2 hrs SW in my province, to Bridgewater, I can't even understand the local dialect. Was talking to my friend in BC the other nite, who is from B'water, and he was remarking on that - when we see the fishermen from there on the news, we can't make them out at all! Then there's cape breton, 3 hrs in the other direction, totally different accent. Where my folks come from, about 2 hours drive away, is yet another accent. (I can hear 5 different ones in my head, just thinking about it, from Nova Scotia alone.)

  Further east, you have Newfoundland, which not only has an accent, but is a whole other language,,, and actually, till the 50s when it joined Canada, was its own Dominion!

  From the Avalon Peninsula ,,,

  Stay where you're at till I come where you're to ... (well, you get that one)

  I'm perished ! (too cold or hungry)

  There's Buddy walking down the street (no, it's not a name, just everyone is called 'buddy', but pronounced boody)

  Yes, b'y! (right on)

  They pronounce Boy as B'y,,, and drop their h's ,,, add h to words that start with a vowel ...

  eg. I just saw 'elen (helen) with a honion (an onion) in 'er 'and (her hand).

  If you are from another part of Newfoundland (say Cornerbrook, for example), they don't drop h's ..

  Folks in Ontario speak differently from here, and hardly anyone east of Montreal says 'eh' ....

  We always know if someone is from Ontario or points west,, instantly recognizable, and I'm sure they have their own regional differences as well.

  And the US,,, try spending a couple of days in Maine, then drive down to Boston LOL! (make sure you visit Hahvahd Yahd) Now, go for a visit to NYC,,, you will find that the different boroughs each have their unique accents, and their next-door neighbours in Jersey are easy to pick out of a Brooklyn or Queens crowd ... Next , travel to Louisiana (or should I say Looooo-zee-ana) or Georgia,,, heheh, Texas will offer another different take on regional accents ...

  Hey, we are all the same, in the many varieties of our differences .... that, I think, is the reality ..
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  MidwichCuckoo

  If I travel 2 hrs SW in my province, to Bridgewater, I can't even understand the local dialect.

  lol - 2HOURS? - if I travel 15 minutes I can't understand the dialect - Black Country!
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  RichieRich

  Depending on where you live in the US, it is the same.

  I speak southern, "ghetto", and straight out professional, proper english.

  I use which ever dialect is necessary depending on who I'm talking to.

  Also, Older southerners have their own language entirely. I understand it, but I can't speak it.
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  FlyingHighNow

  My friend who now lives in NJ says the Americans pronounce our place names which end 'borough' as 'burg' . Any ideas how it got to that? my hunch is its possibly a German/Dutch influence?

  
  

  
  Here's the accurate scoop on this: Vicksburg is pronounced Vixberg. Most places that would have been spelled borough are spelled boro. Statesboro (Georgia) Blues is named after just such a town. But in New York city, you have boroughs and they refer to different parts of New York City. The boroughs of New York. Burough or the suffix boro are pronounced burrow, like the donkey type animal, where I come from.

  I used to live in Chicago. There are villages within the city. I used to work in Andersonville, the Scandinavian area on the north side. Later I lived in Rogers Park, the area just south of the Chicago suburb Evanston and just west of the lake. But, they are still City of Chicago.

  A lot of non southerners imagine all southerners have an IQ lower than Forrest Gump's because of the way we sound. Not all southerners speak like uneducated hicks or bumpkins. Allthough we can speak that way for fun or for effect. I get on the phone with the doctor's office or bank down in Georgia and I am talking just like them within 30 seconds. Andy, being the Michigander yankee that he is, gets a terrific kick out of that. He thinks southern women are the say-ix-iest women on the earth because of the way they sound, walk and gesture.
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  katiekitten

  I always thought loads of the expressions and words in the Witchtower were pure american 'you folks' 'glean' 'old timers'. It was like listening to the theocratic version of Starsky and Hutch listening to the taped American dramas at the assembly.

  And the WItchtower americanisms just didnt sit well with the ancient wizened Yorkshire man reading it from the platform.