Americanisms

[afbarnes]

I've been to school in Germany and china and i happend to be in English lessons when I was there and when you have an English convo they use Americanisms and are taught US English not Standard or The Queens English so I always had a habit of correcting them when talking to them... Also I have a friend from San-Francisco and she speaks with an American accent but says no Americanisms it another friend a fellow essex'er does speak with Americanisms and when I hear her say the a bit of me dies inside... Life story over

 

[Submerged]

The reason, I have come to the conclusion, is that everyone in Germany or China watches American shows to learn the language of English. Even though English as such, is generally from England (using the word "English" to mean "the language from England").

Having said that, there has been a few stories of British teachers being told to teach in the American way of pronunciation and grammar. Which wasn't (technically) what they had been employed for, in the first place....

So, with Germany and China, it is understandable that they would use the Americanisation of English and find it easier to understand. Now, when it comes to Essex people, that isn't so nice to hear, but then it happens mainly because they watch American films and shows.

Reading Bill Bryson's book about the English language confused me quite a bit until I figured out that it was basically written in the late 80's/early 90's. He was saying words that (are now) American, but stating that they were only spoken by the English at that time. So from that, I gathered that fashion changes with Americanisation of words and may rise and fall due to people using them to either differentiate them from the other group, or to include themselves in the group.

Although, its annoying sometimes.

 

[sumbrownkid]

As an American, I, for the life of me, cannot comprehend Bayou talk from Louisiana.

And I've lived in the south (Florida) for over six years now.

 

[wfooshee]

Tampa, Florida is not the bayou country of Louisiana! Those folks have completely different roots from anyone else around the south, and have been relatively isolated for a very long time.

Tampa has a huge Spanish heritage, and then, of course, you have the yankee blue-hairs that move down from Joisey or Lone GUY-land to retire to Flar-da.

That said, I was watching something about them (the Cajuns, from "Arcadians") on TV several years ago, and kept wondering why the interviews were subtitled. I had no trouble understanding them!

America itself is full of Americanisms, except everybody in the country except the folks from your own hometown say everything wrong!

 

[White & Nerdy]

Nobody has mentioned this yet:

Coupé - "Coop'ay": hardtopped sports cars or sporty variants of sedan (saloon) body styles, with doors commonly reduced from four to two, and a close-coupled interior.

vs

Coupé - "Coo'p": Something that sounds like you keep chicken in, but American's believe is a hardtopped car in 2+2 fashion.

Here, I was under the impression that a coupe was just about anything with two doors and a cargo area seperated from the interior space (i.e. not a hatchback or wagon). A hardtop is a special kind of coupe, invented decades ago for people who wanted the pillarless look of a convertible without all the trouble that came with one.

 

[afbarnes]

The reason, I have come to the conclusion, is that everyone in Germany or China watches American shows to learn the language of English. Even though English as such, is generally from England (using the word "English" to mean "the language from England").

Having said that, there has been a few stories of British teachers being told to teach in the American way of pronunciation and grammar. Which wasn't (technically) what they had been employed for, in the first place....

So, with Germany and China, it is understandable that they would use the Americanisation of English and find it easier to understand. Now, when it comes to Essex people, that isn't so nice to hear, but then it happens mainly because they watch American films and shows.

Reading Bill Bryson's book about the English language confused me quite a bit until I figured out that it was basically written in the late 80's/early 90's. He was saying words that (are now) American, but stating that they were only spoken by the English at that time. So from that, I gathered that fashion changes with Americanisation of words and may rise and fall due to people using them to either differentiate them from the other group, or to include themselves in the group.

Although, its annoying sometimes.

I guess your sort of right with Germany but china is a whole different ball game cus they're still communist (every time a police car stopped near me I nearly craped myself) any form of media is regulated; films tv shows emails even letters. The people that I were staying with got some of there films of the gray market and they use American tapes in the schools, I was amazed at the schools though they're very milatairan :/ any way as with my friend she speaks with Americanisms and she even writes with them but she's bloody bright!! She's getting A's and A*'s so its all good I guess!!

 

[W3H5]

I guess your sort of right with Germany but china is a whole different ball game cus they're still communist (every time a police car stopped near me I nearly craped myself) any form of media is regulated; films tv shows emails even letters.

Do I want to dignify that comment with an argument. Nope.

 

[White & Nerdy]

I don't care for communism either (OK, that's an understatement, I straight up hate it), but your lazy writing style isn't helping the cause.

 

[Famine]

Here, I was under the impression that a coupe was just about anything with two doors and a cargo area seperated from the interior space (i.e. not a hatchback or wagon). A hardtop is a special kind of coupe, invented decades ago for people who wanted the pillarless look of a convertible without all the trouble that came with one.

Bodystyle definitions

The technical definition of a coupe (with an acute accent on the e) is a vehicle with a plunging rear roofline and no B-pillar.
A coupe with a solid roof is a fixed-head coupe (or "hardtop"), a coupe with a removable roof is a drop-head coupe (or "soft-top"). A car with a removable roof that has no fixed-head variant is a cabriolet. There are varying other subcategories of soft-tops.
A car with no B-pillar but without a plunging rear roofline is a shooting brake (this one is actually quite badly broken regularly, with manufacturers using the term wherever they feel like it - typically interchangeably with "estate" or "wagon").
A car with a B-pillar and a seperated cabin and luggage space is a saloon/sedan.
A car with integrated cabin and luggage space is a hatchback, regardless of pillars.

There's something of a crossover in categories. My MX-3, for example, has a boot (trunk. Whatever) lid that blows cold air across the cabin when open, so it's a hatchback (in fact it forms part of the roof over the rear seat passengers' heads!). It also has no B-pillar, so it's a coupe. There's no incongruity there - it's both.

The BMW Z3 is a cabriolet. It was made initially as a car with a removable roof with no fixed-head variant. And then they made a coupe version of it - only the coupe wasn't a coupe... It had no B-pillar but the roofline didn't plunge and the boot (trunk. Whatever) lid opened into the cabin. So it was called a coupe but it was both a 3-door hatchback (integrated cabin/luggage space) and a shooting brake and it was based on a cabriolet...


The majority of our car body terms come from older horse-drawn carriage terms. Manufacturers like to misapply them for marketing reasons.

 

[W3H5]

Faminepedia

Who needs any other informational website when this clearly is the admin we're all looking for!?

Is there anything you don't know?

 

[axletramp]

You just knew it was coming as well.

 

[Famine]

If there is, I don't know about it...

Ohnoes! Paradox!


Incidentally, I pop up on Urbandictionary as having a weak spot of not knowing the definition of hatchback (or somesuch). This was after a discussion about the Clio V6, which Renault say is a 3-door hatchback. In fact it has a B-pillar and the rear opens into the cabin so it's a hatchback. Except the rear is the engine bay - the luggage compartment is up front, separate from the cabin and the definition of hatchback is a shared cargo/passenger area accessible through a rear opening hatch - and the roofline does drop markedly compared to the normal hatch (the term "coupe" in fact describes the roofline - it comes from the French "couper" [to cut] and means something that, from the side, looks like it has been slashed). So while it's sold as a hatchback it doesn't have the key hatchback features (shared passenger/cargo are accessible through a rear opening) and, B-pillar aside, it looks more like a coupe. It's probably neither - I think you could get out of it by just calling it a "sports car" and ignoring the body style...

 

[Shaun]

Who needs any other informational website when this clearly is the admin we're all looking for!?

Is there anything you don't know?

If there is, I don't know about it...

Ahem

The load testing device caused the fault though it's largely voodoo to me so I won't attempt to explain how and that caused the RCB to trip on the main board in the house.

Cheers Shaun.

 

[Danny]

I had some of those from Popeyes.

It's genuinely like eating salted cardboard.

 

[daan]

The technical definition of a coupe (with an acute accent on the e) is a vehicle with a plunging rear roofline and no B-pillar.

A car with a B-pillar and a seperated cabin and luggage space is a saloon/sedan.

So which one of those 2 is the RX8? It has a B-pillar sometimes i.e. only when the door is closed...

 

[Submerged]

I guess your sort of right with Germany but china is a whole different ball game cus they're still communist (every time a police car stopped near me I nearly craped myself) any form of media is regulated; films tv shows emails even letters.

The people that I were staying with got some of there films of the gray market and they use American tapes in the schools, I was amazed at the schools though they're very milatairan :/

any way as with my friend she speaks with Americanisms and she even writes with them but she's bloody bright!! She's getting A's and A*'s so its all good I guess!!

..... That was basically what I was saying with regards to China. They use American shows to watch and learn English from. Additionally, it seems to be quite common for language schools and/or state schools to teach the American form of English.

So, basically you've just re-affirmed what I was saying all along in how the students were learning their English.

I lived and worked in Shanghai for six months. I found the police didn't care about a white face so long you weren't doing any crime. Like all police forces everywhere in the world. I even was present when a very very very drunk customer in a bar refused to pay for his drinks and the police were called. The police (two guys) were actually very nice to him and treated him quite well before he got taken away to the police station. Additionally had a friend who was taken home in a police car because he was so drunk.... All government everywhere regulates their industries to a certain level (some more than others).

To say that China is still a Communist country isn't correct anymore. It is a combination of things, such as a high economic output, certain part of the Communist policy they follow and other things that I can't remember at this moment.

Personally, my view with English with people from other countries is that so long two people from different countries can understand what one another is saying to a certain level, then it has fulfilled the point of language, be it using Americanised words or British words.

I had some of those from Popeyes.

It's genuinely like eating salted cardboard.

That's why you put butter or jam in it.

 

[axletramp]

I had some of those from Popeyes.

It's genuinely like eating salted cardboard.

Are you sure that's not psoriasis?

 

[Submerged]

psoriasis is a bird disease, right? Are you saying that the symptoms are lack of taste?

Danny could have had a mystery cold at the time instead.....

 

[Danny]

That's why you put butter or jam in it.

Yes, if it were a scone.

Scones aren't 60% salt.

 

[Famine]

psoriasis is a bird disease, right?

That's psittacosis. Psoriasis is a skin disease.

So which one of those 2 is the RX8? It has a B-pillar sometimes i.e. only when the door is closed...

That'll be a door.

 

[axletramp]

Well, I used have mild psoriasis when I was a kid and as far as I know I'm a mammal...

 

[Submerged]

Ooops.

 

[afbarnes]

I don't care for communism either (OK, that's an understatement, I straight up hate it), but your lazy writing style isn't helping the cause.

Was this for me or shem?? and i dont mind communism i only exprienced 4 weeks of it and i havent studyed it eathier but i guess i cant really have a valid argument because i have lived under a diplomatic society for nearly my whole life so...

 

[Submerged]

afbarnes, White and Nerdy was referring to you, due to a wall of text and slightly incorrect grammar usage which made it quite difficult to read easily and efficiently.

I wrote out a load of information about the "diplomatic society" comment, but lost it all. Anyway, my point was, England isn't really a "diplomatic society" at all. Its a country that desires to control its population through secret means and to give you an illusion that you have freedom and power, when technically, you don't. Unless you have a ton of money.

 

[afbarnes]

afbarnes, White and Nerdy was referring to you, due to a wall of text and slightly incorrect grammar usage which made it quite difficult to read easily and efficiently.

I'm sorry for making it difficult to read... :/

 

[Submerged]

Don't worry about it, afbarnes.

 

[rb26x]

This isn't language, but the resturaunts around here are super-American. The other night I went to a diner to get a California bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake. Everything else on the menu was hot dogs, omlettes, or home fries. Just thought I'd share.

 

[White & Nerdy]

How many ways are there to make a hot dog? Or fries?

 

[Submerged]

Fries? Isn't that chips?

 

[rb26x]

Fries? Isn't that chips?

I'm pretty sure. I don't know how to post a picture using the app, so all I can say is "rods" of fried potato, yellow-gold. Great with salt and ketchup. Home fries, on the other hand, are thinly sliced potatoes cooked, but not to a crisp. They're delicious.
Edit:There's an Americanism, fries. The ones that Everyone else calls chips I think are french fries.