English to USA Translations

treetop57

A few strange (to my ear) British constructions:

1. "It was pouring with rain." We just say, "it was pouring rain," or even "It was pouring," period.

2. "Such and such will happen in fifteen minutes time." For us, it's just "in fifteen minutes," period.

3. "I met a man called Jones." For us, animals are "called" something; people are "named" something. To my ear, it's vaguely insulting to say "He is called Jones," instead of "He is named Jones."

mjterp

I don't think anyone has said this yet...My australian friend always teased me when I had to change a
DIAper instead of a NAPPie.

Malaika946

Innit = isn't it

Peta22

I don't know why we drop the h in herb. French influence? Cockney influence?

Silent h words: herb, honor, heir, honest, hour. For some Americans: humble. I personally hate hearing humble pronounced 'umble.

See thats strange though because we (Australian and UK as far as I know) don't pronounce the 'h' in honour, heir, honest or hour but we do prounced it in herb??? ... And definitely in humble!!!

It's a bizarre language really isn't it!

Oh - and, even though I was taught english in the traditional sense (the Queens English I believe they say) I must admit that I think American English makes much more sense from the spelling pespective... Just spell it the way it sounds!!! Much simplier!! :laugh:

treetop57

One I haven't seen on here yet is the English "bunches" referring to a hairstyle that (if I remember correctly) is what I grew up calling "dog ears". (Parted down the middle and made into a high tail on either side of the head generally above or slightly behind the ears.)

dog ears? I never heard that. We called them "pig tails", distinguished from the one in the back a "ponytail".

I've never heard dog ears either. But for me, pig tails are braided, while ponytails are not, because a pig's tail is curly while a pony's tail is not. A person can have two pony tails in my lexicon!

marylou1976

I met some Canadian girls on holiday once and said look at that bloke, and they said what's a bloke, I couldn't beleive they'd never heard that phrase, and I said oh sorry guy/man - I say bloke

also my scottish friend says "will I pick you up" I would say "shall I pick you up"

thegeordielass

A few strange (to my ear) British constructions:

1. "It was pouring with rain." We just say, "it was pouring rain," or even "It was pouring," period.

2. "Such and such will happen in fifteen minutes time." For us, it's just "in fifteen minutes," period.

3. "I meet a man called Jones." For us, animals are "called" something; people are "named" something. To my ear, it's vaguely insulting to say "He is called Jones," instead of "He is named Jones."

1) Well you know we love to talk about the weather! Might as well get as many words in there as possible. I'd normally say "it was chucking it down". I think the 'with rain' is more if you were really emphasising to someone how wet it was instead of just "oh, it was pouring" or something in a more casual way?

2) I think that's a more formal thing hat you'd head at a train station (well, that would normally be 'the train to xyz has been delayed by 30 mins') or feeding time at the zoo or something. Just another case of who you talk too and context I guess.

3) "I met" maybe. :P I guess that's just a cultural difference? Saying someone is 'named' something just sounds odd to me.

treetop57

American English has lost the "shall" in the first person too.

This makes sense to me:

Herb is a fine example of a type of linguistic conservatism found in American English. Until the sixteenth century the word was usually spelled "erb"-- it was a French word, who didn't say the "h" either. Right up until to the nineteenth century, long after the 'h' had been added due to further icky French influence, that was also the way it was said. "erb."

Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century colonists toward the Americas took their pronounciation with them. During the nineteenth century, the British people started to sound the first letter, in a "spelling pronunciation." So, the Americans are saying it the old fashioned way, and the Brits are playing around with their new-fangled words.

So, Eddie Izzard wasn't off saying that "We say herb like that because there's a f*&#in' 'H' in it."

http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=874581

Peta22

A few strange (to my ear) British constructions:

1. "It was pouring with rain." We just say, "it was pouring rain," or even "It was pouring," period.

2. "Such and such will happen in fifteen minutes time." For us, it's just "in fifteen minutes," period.

3. "I meet a man called Jones." For us, animals are "called" something; people are "named" something. To my ear, it's vaguely insulting to say "He is called Jones," instead of "He is named Jones."

I'm guessing a lot of these 'abbreviations' are laziness and, from what I hear, Aussies are some of the best for pronunciation laziness! (think 'G'Day')... We say "it was pouring ain" or "it was pouring" & "in fifteen minutes" ... We'd say "his name is Jones" though.

I think what you've mentioned above is very proper english. I've often been told I speak very well but I know its all to do with my circumstances! If I'm trying to impress, I will speak very clearly with well formed words and proper pronunciation (apparently at these times I don't even have an accent), however if I'm with friends or chatting normally, then I'll tend to slur words together and use slang ect.

Peta22

American English has lost the "shall" in the first person too.

This makes sense to me:

Herb is a fine example of a type of linguistic conservatism found in American English. Until the sixteenth century the word was usually spelled "erb"-- it was a French word, who didn't say the "h" either. Right up until to the nineteenth century, long after the 'h' had been added due to further icky French influence, that was also the way it was said. "erb."

Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century colonists toward the Americas took their pronounciation with them. During the nineteenth century, the British people started to sound the first letter, in a "spelling pronunciation." So, the Americans are saying it the old fashioned way, and the Brits are playing around with their new-fangled words.

So, Eddie Izzard wasn't off saying that "We say herb like that because there's a f*&#in' 'H' in it."

http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=874581

Classic!! Wow! I never would have guessed that 'erb' was actually the earlier version!!

amysj303

Here in Nz we have judder-bars.
you know those lumps of tarseal they put on the road to slow traffic down?
what do you call them?

speed bumps

treetop57

Of course, since we don't have recordings of sixteenth-, seventeenth-, eighteenth-, or early nineteenth-century speech, I wonder how "they" know that the "h" used to be silent in England. Perhaps based on whether people wrote "a herb" or "an herb."

Peta22

Of course, since we don't have recordings of sixteenth-, seventeenth-, eighteenth-, or early nineteenth-century speech, I wonder how "they" know that the "h" used to be silent in England. Perhaps based on whether people wrote "a herb" or "an herb."

The english language does fascinate me.

BTW, we still use 'shall' quite a bit in formal writing i.e: business correspondence. Is this not the case in America?

LisaD1021

Ta=Thanks (I think)

treetop57

BTW, we still use 'shall' quite a bit in formal writing i.e: business correspondence. Is this not the case in America?

Not so much. "I shall" is just more emphatic than "I will." No one follows the convention of "shall" being standard for the first person.

XXXMinnieXXX

Loved this! Love my USA buddies! X

Ravenesque_

one word....
fanny

Doesn't have the same meaning across the pond.

LOL You beat me to it. I almost had my *kitten* kicked by an entire pub full of Welshmen.
I told a 9 year old little girl that if she didn't leave me alone I was going to smack her little fanny.

Yeah, they didn't think that was funny and I had no idea why they were so angry.

OMG to me that sounds so so so so so sos so bad. makes you sounds like a pedophile! DW I can see you didnt mean it that way, but I can understand their reaction!

RobynC79

I occasionally get some cr*p from my American friends for saying 'herb' rather than 'erb'. And I've also heard humour pronounced without the H, but only in NY and surrounds.

I've never heard an american use 'whilst' (as in 'although', while is for 'during').

And one of my favorites (which my mum found somewhat alarming when she visited me in the US) - 'we will be taking off momentarily' used by airline pilots or cabin crew. For us, momentarily typically means 'for a moment', not 'in a moment'. Thus the assurance that we will be getting airborne for only a moment is all a bit alarming. The thought of 'ok, and then what?' is not what you'd like to think as the plane taxis away from the gate...

But then she got a solid giggle out of the classic americanism of 'deplaning', which we call disembarking, or alighting. Deplaning to me still sounds like a medical procedure.

_Kitten_Kate

Sometimes in the US, pancakes are called Johnny cakes. That's funnier when you know there is a school (can't remember if it's middle or high) in Catonsville, MD, called Johnny Cake.

Johnny Cakes are made out of corn meal... kinda like corn bread. Similar to pancake...but not...
I think johnny cakes are a northeastern yankee thing.

Peta22

And one of my favorites (which my mum found somewhat alarming when she visited me in the US) - 'we will be taking off momentarily' used by airline pilots or cabin crew. For us, momentarily typically means 'for a moment', not 'in a moment'. Thus the assurance that we will be getting airborne for only a moment is all a bit alarming. The thought of 'ok, and then what?' is not what you'd like to think as the plane taxis away from the gate...

But then she got a solid giggle out of the classic americanism of 'deplaning', which we call disembarking, or alighting. Deplaning to me still sounds like a medical procedure.

Bahahahahaha 'deplaning'!!! Yep, it sounds like your about to have a plane medically removed! :happy:

I have heard 'momentarily' too and I thought the same as above! It reminds me of a similiar quirk in South African... They tend to use 'just now' a lot... I.e: 'how are you just now' or 'I'll do that just now'... However they don't mean 'just now', they mean in general!

Ravenesque_

i'm still wrapping my head around the Brittish "fanny"...

also

I sometimes work with a guy from Wales and his accent is to. die. for.

Wrapping your head around.. a british fanny...

Im dying with laughter. Literally. Dying. Please please please rephrase. please for mercys sake.

NittanyLion95

bump

Ravenesque_

I don't know why we drop the h in herb. French influence? Cockney influence?

Silent h words: herb, honor, heir, honest, hour. For some Americans: humble. I personally hate hearing humble pronounced 'umble.

Umbel is actually a word. It refers to the guts and offal of animals.

umble pie was actually a proper dish, something poeple ate ages ago. Due to the similarity between umble and humble, the phrase was coined.

Its similiar to the word shambles, which originally meant a butchers yard.

Altarian

I grew up with a grandmother who was full blood british so some british terms i still use to this day and i'm american

British - american

Banger - Sausage
Beavering - Working enthusiastically
Bell end - head of the penis
Bird - female
Bladdered - drunk
Bloke - male
bobby - cop
Bogtrotter - irish person
Bubble and squeek - cooked cabbage with potato's, vegies, and left over roast beast
confuddled - confused
daft - idiot
duff - useless
*kitten* - cigarette
gob - mouth
have a shufty - quick look at something
pillock - jerk
shat - take a #2
sod off - to get away
piss off - F off
*kitten* - annoying person
baby minder - baby sitter
Bits and bobs - misc stuff to get while shopping

rml_16

Sometimes in the US, pancakes are called Johnny cakes. That's funnier when you know there is a school (can't remember if it's middle or high) in Catonsville, MD, called Johnny Cake.

Johnny Cakes are made out of corn meal... kinda like corn bread. Similar to pancake...but not...
I think johnny cakes are a northeastern yankee thing.

Grew up in the Northeast. We did not have johnny cakes. All the Southern people I know (and I now live in the Deep South) say they're pancakes.

rml_16

My ex (from England) used to always say

"taking the piss out of you" eg.. making fun of you..

so weird.

We could also talk about Canadianisms vs. Americanisms..

my most hated.. Soda(US) vs. Pop (canada)

A lot of people in the US say pop.

rml_16

Innit = isn't it

Innit is not a word anywhere.

colsey89

It is easy to understand if you think of it as 5 mini roundabouts!

stylistchik

car park = parking lot
gateaux = cake
prawns = shrimp
lemonade = lemon lime soda (7up, Sprite)
chips = fries
cossie = swimsuit

gateaux is just the french word for "cake"

stylistchik

UK: Plastic wrap/cling film USA: Saran wrap (I think!) NZ/AUS: Glad Wrap!!!

Those just seem to be brand names for the same thing like tissue/kleenex