Whenever I come back to the States for any long period of time, I am faced with having to deal, once again, with this crazy joint language my two countries seem to have. It isn’t getting any easier over time; rather, just more complicated. (It’s so bad that now even when I hear a waiter say “I’ll be your server tonight” I can’t stop thinking “and what will you be tomorrow night?”). Of course there are the well-known vocabulary differences like elevator instead of lift, line instead of queue — but those are just quaint, maybe even charming in the right circles. Norman Schur wrote a very funny and useful book on the subject called British English: A to Zed which for a while became a family dinner table favourite (oops — there’s the nasty issue of spelling, too). But as I sat on the beach yesterday, eavesdropping on other peoples’ conversations, I realized that the longer I live in Britain the more self-concious I have become about which words pop out of my mouth when I’m trying to express whatever feeble thoughts have arisen in my head. I suppose I’ve become more aware of the real and important differences these word choices make. Let’s face it — the words you choose to use are a reflection of who you are and the culture you live in. And sometimes, making the wrong choice in the wrong situation can get you into trouble. For me, it has become a bit like deciding which side of the road to drive on. Sometimes I just have to stop and think and notice what others around me are doing before I can accelerate.
So, just for fun, I’ve created a short list of words and expressions that I have stumbled over in the past for your amusement and edification (the American version comes first):
bangs fringe
parking lot car park
bathroom toilet
john lou
bathing suit swimsuit
vacation holiday
vacuum hoover
saran wrap cling film
tin foil foil wrap
pants trousers
underwear pants
rubber condom
eraser rubber
is tap water okay? still or sparkling?
you’re kidding you’re joking
go to the movies see a film
figure it out suss it out
buy a newspaper take the Guardian/Sunday Sport
have a nice day bugger off
Love it! I have to deal with all those and more, living here in Israel with “English” speakers from US, UK, Australia, S Africa etc… Thank goodness for those Canadians, they make me feel at home. Funnily enough, a flash story of mine was recently accepted by an American publication which prints stories on gorgeous postcards and posts them to its subscribers. They said, would I mind them changing the name? The story is called “Plaits”. Well, except, now it’s “Braids”. Made me laugh. I’ve had Americans who think the story is about plates, so I don’t mind it being changed. This is one word the Yanks can’t seem to get their head around (excuse the hair-related pun!).
Do you ever feel though, that it stifles who you are or what you want to say? Like you’re held back? I know that my writing goes much better if I worry less about how it will come across. In speaking, effects are much more immediate and hard to edit after the initial presentation, so there is that….
I love ‘have a nice day/bugger off’. That’s so true!
I loved the ‘Have a nice day’ ‘Bugger Off’ one….made me roar with laughter!!!
I have the same problem with Scottish vs English. I thought I would give you a few examples (Scottish first)
Stookie – Plaster cast (ie what you have if you have broken your arm or leg)
Peely-Wally – Your looking a bit pale
Baffies – Slippers
Wheesht – Be Quiet
Stank – Drain hole cover
Bampot – A mildly unhinged person
Poke – A paper bag
Bunnet – A hat
Slitter – To dribble something on yourself
Oxter – Armpit
Numptie – an idiot
Mince – Nonsense or Rubbish
I could go on and on…..
C x
Two of the ones I still struggle with are: Garbage – rubbish and gas – petrol
Oh they’re brilliant. (And the Scottish ones, too). Thanks for sharing them, JJx
This is such a fascinating topic. What I like is how it shows that language is such a living thing. Interestingly here in S Africa, we use a mix of English and US English – though mostly it’s English English.
What you now need to do is a full listing, which includes the “colonies” 🙂
This is such a fascinating topic. What I like is how it shows that language is such a living thing. Interestingly here in S Africa, we use a mix of English and US English – though mostly it’s English English.
What you now need to do is a full listing, which includes the “colonies” 🙂
Aha, jolly nice post indeed.
And to reinforce the British stereotypical pedantic natue of us all. It’s LOO dear, not LOU.
Lou, for example could be one’s dotty great aunt. Whereas the “Loo” is the place where one keeps magazines such as “Hunting Today” or “Tatler” and the “birthday” calendar pinned up to remind us when the Queen’s birthday is…
Tally Ho – Catherine