British English vs American English

[Philly]

Fries and those greasy small things you get at mcdonalds. My favourite is jojos, those well baked, crusty potato wedge goodnesses. mmmmmm. I can almost smell them now

British English would be considered more correct, since it came first. We Americans ditched the dialect to make use less British after the colonial war. Out here, I believe, we speak "correct" english, that is to say, we don't have an accent, like American news anchors.

In my mind, British is proper, and I use it a lot calloquially. Never in school, though, I would get yelled at. I just don't have the accent down

 

[Omnis]

So what so you call oven chips? - like your steak fries, only baked in an oven rather than fried.

Sounds like Potato Wedges to me.

 

[kikie]

Isn't this suppose to be the British English vs American English thread?? All that off-topic-talk about fries makes me hungry although I don't like eating fries (not even the Belgian one).

 

[Thiele]

Sounds like Potato Wedges to me.

ohh, yum, wedges

even better than hot chips

 

[YSSMAN]

This has literally been one of the most interesting and utterly hilarious threads I have waded through in quite some time. My time on GTPlanet in combination with a greater amount of time watching and listening to the BBC certainly has increased my understanding of the separation between American and Queen's English, but there is simply far too much to cover in one thread.

...There has to be a book out there on the subject, isn't there?

What it comes down to for me is that we as Americans and the rest of ya'all (he he) as Britons or Aussies are "right" in your/our own ways. Certainly America and Australia being as isolated from Britain has altered the language over the past several hundred years. Certainly the overwhelming majority of the words are interchangeable, as are the phrases, etc. I think in most cases, even if the word or phrase is different, there is enough of a common understanding of the difference where we can usually understand where one another is coming from.

...Speaking from the perspective of an American for the moment, I often choose to use some of the Queen's English while going about my business simply because it is different. American English, although simplified, was created to differentiate ourselves from our former overlords in any way possible. Of course that has drastically evolved over the past 230 years, but the languages are still quite similar...

---

Back on topic:

One piece of "English English" that has always thrown me off is the word "bollocks." I do realize that it has both a positive and a negative connotation, and yes I do know what it means. Generally speaking, I only use it in the negative, in the "BS" sort of way, as I have misused it before according to my Grandparent's British friend.

But alas, it is fun to interchange the common language.

...I do have one other question; Why is it whenever ya'all (there I go again) imitate an American on TV or on the radio, our accent is always really nasally? Not all of us are from the Mid-West, but even then, I don't think we actually sound like that...

 

[TheCracker]

One piece of "English English" that has always thrown me off is the word "bollocks." I do realize that it has both a positive and a negative connotation, and yes I do know what it means. Generally speaking, I only use it in the negative, in the "BS" sort of way, as I have misused it before according to my Grandparent's British friend.

Does "bollocks" have any positive connotations? - i can only think that it does when used in conjuction with the word 'dogs' ie "it's the dog's bollocks" (meaning - it's really quite good)

...I do have one other question; Why is it whenever ya'all (there I go again) imitate an American on TV or on the radio, our accent is always really nasally? Not all of us are from the Mid-West, but even then, I don't think we actually sound like that...

No more than the 'Queen's English' that all us Brits speak - if you were to take US movies/tv example.

 

[Dave A]

Yep, though I have heared an American say he's suprised we don't all sound like we're supposed to, like in Lock Stock . One thing with England is that for such a small country were incredibly diverse when it comes to local dialects, at least I think we are. There's many dialects within 100 miles of Manchester that are vastly different to Manc, some dialects are so different to Manc I can't understand what they're saying properly. Oh and YSSMAN, it's good to see you have a firm grasp of bollocks.

 

[Omnis]

Oh and YSSMAN, it's good to see you have a firm grasp of bollocks.

👍

 

[fyfee]

...I do have one other question; Why is it whenever ya'all (there I go again) imitate an American on TV or on the radio, our accent is always really nasally? Not all of us are from the Mid-West, but even then, I don't think we actually sound like that...

Lol. Aussies can ask exactly that question about us. Like that episode of The Simpsons where they go to the Australia, you dont get everyone in the country talking like that. Im fact, ive yet to meet anyone who talks like that

 

[YSSMAN]

^ You can thank the Crocodile Hunter (may he rest in peace) for giving us Americans a great way to stereotype your dialect, and I guess Mad Max as well.

One thing with England is that for such a small country were incredibly diverse when it comes to local dialects, at least I think we are.

America is like that too, its just a bit more spread out by comparison to your island... And I don't mean that in a negative way. The city of Chicago has always had one of my favorite accents, particularly that of the north Chicago-type folks. Look no further than "Daaa Bears!" for reference there.

...As noted before with Australia, I think a lot of the American perception of the accents and dialects of Britian comes from Marry Poppins. Thats just a guess there, but I know that movie certainly shaped my opinion of Britons as a young child. Bedknobs and Broomsticks probably did something to me too...

 

[Jay]

^ You can thank the Crocodile Hunter (may he rest in peace) for giving us Americans a great way to stereotype your dialect, and I guess Mad Max as well.

and Crocodile Dundee too.

 

[Thiele]

[COLOUR=RED]i just realised why the colour tags don't work, it's color to America[/COLOUR]

American spelling...

 

[YSSMAN]

Well if you wouldn't stick unnecessary vowels in there, you would be spelling it right, silly...

c-o-l-o-r. col-or. Just like it is pronounced...

(lol)

 

[Dave A]

Over simplification of the English language me thinks.

Besides, it's not pronounced as it's spelt, look it up on dictionary.com, both color and colour are pronounced exactley the same and neither are how they're spelt.

 

[a917fan]

What about when you Brits call some one a "sod" or a "silly sod", what does that mean?

 

[Dave A]

It depends, it can mean a lot of things mostly offensive but not always. The best explanation is here...
http://www.freesearch.co.uk/dictionary/sod+(unpleasant)
Other than that, a sod is also a piece of grass and dirt, and it can also be used to replace sexual expletives in certain phrases.

 

[a917fan]

Thanks. 👍 I've heard it used many times and thought it meant something worse than idiot but wasn't sure.

 

[Sureboss]

What the heck are oven chips? No matter the name, I've never heard of the method. Fries are fried, and that's that.

Oven Chips tend to be exactly that, cooked in the oven (hottest temp possible normally), though you can get some that are part fried, then you finish them off in the Oven. Which is what most frozen chips in the Uk are.

My definition of fries are the pencil like things in McDonalds where they actually lack in what they are made of.

 

[slider-s15]

i don't know if this has been pointed out already but here it goes....

my step dad is American an i am English and we live in England, this has come up alot since i've known him and this is what i've always tell him.

"i'm English so what i say is English. your American, you don't speak English because you arn't English, you speak American!"

Basicly: English people speak English. Americans speak American, NOT English. it's like the French Speaking French, it's French!

(ps: I think this is what this thread is about anyways. i may be wrong )

 

[Freddy]

English people speak English.
American people speak English.
Australian people speak English.
French people speak French.

Isn't that right?

Now, if American people had their own language wouldn't it be called Amerikaan (like Afrikaans) instead of English?

 

[Dave A]

i don't know if this has been pointed out already but here it goes....

my step dad is American an i am English and we live in England, this has come up alot since i've known him and this is what i've always tell him.

"i'm English so what i say is English. your American, you don't speak English because you arn't English, you speak American!"

Basicly: English people speak English. Americans speak American, NOT English. it's like the French Speaking French, it's French!

(ps: I think this is what this thread is about anyways. i may be wrong )

No, not right. Americans speak English, there are just different dialects in America compared to the dialects in England. Geordies speak Geordi, but Geordi is also an English dialect. Some Londoners speak Cockney, but Cockney is still English, I speak Mancunian-ish, but that's still English, yet it's vastly different to Cockney and Geordie. A lot of Canada does or did speak French, just because it's French being spoken in Canada doesn't mean it's suddenly not French but Canadian. And yes, the French speaking people in Canada probably have developed localised dialects not found in France. Your confusing localised dialects with different languages here.

 

[Freddy]

When you think about it there are a set number of languages. Of those languages, there are a range of different dialects. Even each of these dialects can have variations. And, in the end, don't we all sound slightly different from one another and pronounce our letters and words differently?

When you think about it, English originated from French, German, Latin and a few other different languages as well. Is it really a seperate language, or is it just a lot of languages muddled up?

Japanese and Chinese are different languages yet the Japanese borrowed many of the sounds and symbols from the Chinese, as the Chinese are an older culture. Isn't Japanese just a dialect of Chinese?

So I ask the question, what makes a language a language?

 

[Dave A]

I think like most things, what seperates a different language to a different dialect is a big enough difference on the whole. There's very little difference between the average perception of an American dialect and a Mancunian dialect, in fact I'd say there's as much a difference beteen Mancunian and Geordie as there is between Mancunian and say Texan.

 

[Thiele]

[COLOUR=RED]damn these colour tags[/COLOUR]

 

[Slick Rick]

I was watching a program on dams today and an American kept pronoucing turbine as a turban

Turban:

Turbine:

 

[daan]

[COLOUR=RED]i just realised why the colour tags don't work, it's color to America[/COLOUR]

American spelling...

[COLOUR=RED]damn these colour tags[/COLOUR]

We heard you the first time.

 

[Roo]

[COLOUR=RED]damn these colour tags[/COLOUR]

You're a member of an American website, using American software, owned and run by an American. Why should English spellings be used?

 

[Omnis]

Let's talk about Aluminum v. Aluminium. How many british people use the former? Caesium (seez) v. Cesium (sess)? Homage (hom) v. Homage (om)?

 

[Dave A]

Let's talk about Aluminum v. Aluminium. How many british people use the former?

Hopefully none.

 

[daan]

We use aluminium because thats its name.