Americanisms

[Wyvern89]

A crumpet is basically a very thick batter made with self raising flour and yeast, fried in a pan after pouring the mixture into a metal ring. It's quite thick and stodgy, imagine a bagel with holes running through it. If you can get some, try it. There's nothing better than a crumpet toasted on the fire, and spread with butter and Bovril.....

Sod it, I'm gonna have some now!

That looks so good right about now I wanna try it!

 

[White & Nerdy]

I'm pretty curious though... what dialect of American is it and where do the people come from that pronounce Wash as Worsh? It's not Worshington.

Hahahaha... my grandfather always did that. And ironically enough he lived in "Worshington".

In answer to the OP, I prefer the ways of my home country. Pronouncing the letter "Z" correctly (FYI, it's "zee", not "zed", and I feel like punching things whenever someone says "Corvette ZedR1"), spelling words like "tires" and "center" correctly, and not using plurals for everything ("Maths" and "torques" are two particularly egregious examples).

Also, that crumpet looks disgusting, like someone wanted a pancake that looks like the surface of the moon.

 

[Daniel]

You're not "off to university," you're "going to college."

College and High School are interchangeable here, though College is more used. We use University for your college.

 

[W3H5]

One Queston for the Brits, what the 🤬 is a crumpet?

A pretty girl. Or the most delicious breakfast going.....

What really gets me about the whole US English and English thing is it's export.

Working as an English teacher to foreigners can be problematic. The programme I use to teach my students is an American based English. The problem I have is with the audio CD that will say 'wa'er' or 'spagh''i' and completely drop the t out of the word. I do that naturally being a Cockney but these people aren't paying to learn to speak lazy English. They should be taught Standard English, which I try to do but is made difficult by the materials available.

Other pronunciations that confuse my students; 'aunt' which is pronounced by most American audio's as 'ant' and 'can' and 'can't' which, without pronouncing the t, sound exactly the same. (Have only 1 Merican pal who says 'carn't' like I do)

I'll be the first to admit that my English isn't perfect, although I'm constantly improving it, I still have the heavy 'a' sound (short) because of my regional dialect. This is why I can argue about dialects too much. What I've explained to my company who buy the teaching materials is; would they go to the states or the UK and teach Chongqing hui (hui - dialect)? They answer no and say they'd teach Mandarin. I ask why then it is that they use materials which are not Standard English.

The fact is that there are 300m Mericans or more and only a handful of Standard English speakers left in the world, 80m perhaps. The chances of my students ending up in the UK are slim. The chances of ending up somewhere that uses US English as it's main language are high. That is why sooner or later, Standard (BBC) English will die out and US English will become the standard.

It is rather amusing to my students when an audio requires us to follow and do the action and it then says "Take off your pants!" and I then proceed (pretending) to strip off completely.

I'm sure there's a lot I could say on this topic, both positive and negative but I really can't do anything like that until I've had a beer and it's only 1.30pm so that won't be for a while.

 

[terminator363]

The only English word I hate is Maths.

I meant MAAFTHESSE

 

[W3H5]

I just think Americans hate the work 'maths' because it's not easy to pronounce.
Along with a whole host of wrongly pronounced words e.g. schedule, oregano, anyone from Oregon that says organ, data, depot and a load of other words with wrongly differently pronounced vowels.

 

[mattythedog]

Ah yes another one I've just thought of. Beverage (drink in Queens English). I was in a restaurant stateside and the waitress asked me what beverage I wanted, and of course I had no idea what she was on about. Quite an awkward moment.

 

[Keef]

And in Murrcka, UK means Kentucky.

Xavier is as far south as I go before I start getting anxious.

I'm pretty curious though... what dialect of American is it and where do the people come from that pronounce Wash as Worsh? It's not Worshington.

I have no idea. All I know is that to clean something is to wash, and a washer cleans things, but a washer is also a thin, round spacer.

Here in Arizona we have a city called "Prescott". I pronounce it just like it looks, but apparently the official way to say it is "Presket". Drives me nuts.

There's a road near my house called Heincke. I took German so I know how it's pronounced, and most people not from here get it right. But the the locals call it "Heinekey", and therefore I do too despite knowing it's wrong. That's just the way it's said.

The only English word I hate is Maths.

I meant MAAFTHESSE

Seriously, British people go a little overboard with their FFFths. I don't understand. Is it the teeth getting in the way of your tongues or what?

 

[White & Nerdy]

Also, I'd like to nominate "Honder" (Honda) for most unnecessary, seemingly counterproductive British mispronunciation of all time, along with its close cousin, "Mazder" (Mazda).

Sad thing is, a lot of Britishisms have been invading my vocabulary due to excessive viewing of Top Gear. "Sat nav" is probably the biggest offender.

Also, British terms for parts of cars. They drive me nuts. "Bonnet" ("Hood" is the proper term, but I tend to use "engine lid" for rear- or rear mid-engine cars), "boot" (properly "trunk") and "bootlid" (properly "trunklid", "decklid", or "rear deck") all need to be stopped. "Flappy panel" (paddle shift) gets a free pass because it's funny, and I admit I rather like that one.

 

[mattythedog]

I heard that Hyundai is pronounced oddly in the US. Here it's 'Hi-un-dy', but I was reading a car article that said Americans said it differently.

 

[W3H5]

Also, I'd like to nominate "Honder" (Honda) for most unnecessary, seemingly counterproductive British mispronunciation of all time.

I've never heard anyone call it a 'Honder'. In fact most of the people I know, being from east London, would replace any 'er' sound with an 'a' like they'd say "Computa's ova there".

 

[White & Nerdy]

I heard that Hyundai is pronounced oddly in the US. Here it's 'Hi-un-dy', but I was reading a car article that said Americans said it differently.

I thought it was pronounced "Hi-un-day". Or, if you're really lazy, "Hon-day".

@shem: I think one or two of the TG hosts do it, either Clarkson or May. But there may be regional dialects here just as there are there.

 

[Grayfox]

Gaol

Jail

Same thing, but which looks correct?

 

[W3H5]

One of these things is not like the other.

 

[Northstar]

Before you even go down that road, take a history lesson.

 

[W3H5]

I'm well aware of the whole soccer / football thing. I thought I could get away with a bit of trolling but you are clearly too tough a crowd.

 

[Roush_fan_99]

Edit: post too late
By the way, what is bovril? I saw it on a topgear rerun, the one with the "snowbine harvester"

 

[W3H5]

Bovril is a kind of yeast extract that I find is revolting. I believe it comes from the filth taken from the top of beer while it's fermenting. I could be wrong. Too lazy to Wiki it.

Here you go.

 

[Grayfox]

Bovril is a kind of yeast extract that I find is revolting. I believe it comes from the filth taken from the top of beer while it's fermenting. I could be wrong. Too lazy to Wiki it.

Here you go.

It is a meat extract, I looked it up after I saw the top gear snow plow challenge.

When May said "In Winter every one knows you have bovril.

 

[White & Nerdy]

One of these things is not like the other.

I know. One is called soccer.

/buzzkill

 

[W3H5]

It is a meat extract

You're right, I was thinking about Vegemite and Marmite.

 

[Roush_fan_99]

so basically it's basically it's kind of like tea in a way when mixed with water?

 

[mattythedog]

so basically it's basically it's kind of like tea in a way when mixed with water?

Sort of. But not as nice as tea.

 

[Roush_fan_99]

Sort of. But not as nice as tea.

Stronger? Bitter? Spicy? What makes it not as nice as tea?

 

[Wyvern89]

You're right, I was thinking about Vegemite and Marmite.

Is there any difference between vegemite and marmite?

 

[W3H5]

Vegemite is mainly consumed in Australasia and Marmite is used in the UK. I couldn't really tell you too much about the taste as I think they're both disgusting, although Twiglets rock.

 

[Wyvern89]

Vegemite is mainly consumed in Australasia and Marmite is used in the UK. I couldn't really tell you too much about the taste as I think they're both disgusting, although Twiglets rock.

Yeah I had vegemite before. My ex girfriend who was Australian introduced my to it. Not to fond of it, Haha! Then she brought me some Tim Tams (an popular Australian chocolate biscuit). I was happy once again!

 

[Grayfox]

! Then she brought me some Tim Tams (an popular Australian chocolate biscuit). I was happy once again!

You mean those tiny itty bitty things?

A local supermarket is selling ones that are 1 meter in length or 39"


http://www2.woolworthsonline.com.au/Shop/SearchProducts?search=tim+tams#url=/

Last item, the one where the used the word "miter" instead of meter.

 

[Wyvern89]

You mean those tiny itty bitty things?

A local supermarket is selling ones that are 1 meter in length or 39"


http://www2.woolworthsonline.com.au/Shop/SearchProducts?search=tim+tams#url=/

Last item, the one where the used the word "miter" instead of meter.

LOL! Nice! Imagine doing a Tim Tam Slam with that, Haha!

 

[Grayfox]

LOL! Nice! Imagine doing a Tim Tam Slam with that, Haha!

This is something I would expect in America with the jumbo sizing of food, I guess you should say hello to the newest states of America.