Why do some Americanisms irritate people? 9

[strongm]

>For me, you see, its meegraine not m'eye'graine

Possibly so - but the OED has both pronunciations for British English

>certainly its never EYE-raq

Well, true. Yes.

 

[SantaMufasa]

A few months after I was married (38 years ago), the lovely daughter of friends from England travelled with her girlfriend to California. We hosted them in our home for a few days. While staying with us, the girls inadvertently opened up my bride's eyes to the differences between 'Merkin English and British English:

Dave, I'm writing home. Do you have a rubber I can use?

I plan on giving my mum a tinkle later today.

Dave, we'd like to get an early start on sight-seeing in San Francisco tomorrow. Could you please knock us up at ha'past six?

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

 

[JCreamerII]

I would beg to differ on the resting in the rest room. After a number of kidney stones, I do occasionally rest while setting on the can? I maybe the exception that makes the rule on this one.

Jim C.

 

[BadBigBen]

restrooms - just call it a LOO or a JOHN... ;-)

Santa, OMG you have aged... ;-) btw. they didn't leave any 'faggots' (and no not the meatballs) around, and polluted the air at your home?


strongm,

>certainly its never EYE-raq

Well, true. Yes.

unless you work in a Pool (Billiard) Hall...



Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[stubnski]

--> You don't really get Americans pinching bits of British English though do you? So this is purely a one-way issue.

Most Americans don't pinch bits of Brtish English, most just say "Huh...What did you say?" or "Learn to speak English!"


Stubnski

 

[Qik3Coder]

If I isn't EYE, then how do you say EYE?
Do you say EE have a meegraine?

When I/we/americans talk, these all make the same sound.

I
EYE
ce [cream]


[blue]The doc walks in.[/blue] The good news:[green]"It's just Grumpy Old Man Syndrome."[/green] The bad news:[red]"You're not even 30."[/red]

 

[SamBones]

I (an American) was working in London back in the 80's. One of my Brit coworkers started telling me about how he was going to buy a new pair of "pumps". I gave a wry smile and a snicker.

(Pumps in the US are generally womens' high heeled shoes. At least where I hail from.)

Some other interesting words...

Sked-ule vs Shed-ule
v-EYE-king vs v-IH-king
A-lu-mi-num vs A-loo-mi-ne-um (I asked my friend to show me where the extra syllable came from in "Aluminum").

And I love the English use of the word "Brilliant". To me that tops the American equivalents of "Awesome", "Cool", or "Great".

 

[Qik3Coder]

Sam,
<cough>

Aluminum has 2 different spellings. I believe we drop the letter to support the way we say it.

it's along the lines of SAMMON (Salmon)

[blue]The doc walks in.[/blue] The good news:[green]"It's just Grumpy Old Man Syndrome."[/green] The bad news:[red]"You're not even 30."[/red]

 

[SantaMufasa]

I asked my friend to show me where the extra syllable came from in "Aluminum"

Actually, Sam, The Brits have the high ground on this one. Our aluminum is actually a mis-spelling from an historical perspective...the correct spelling is the British aluminium. The "American" spelling didn't come about (officially) until 1926, when the American Chemical Society officially decided on the spelling aluminum. American dictionaries typically show the British variant, aluminium.



Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

 

[strongm]

> Our aluminum is actually a mis-spelling from an historical perspective

Actually it isn't.

Blame Humphrey Davy and his inability to make up his mind. When he first isolated the metal he initially called it alumium. Then he called it aluminum. But that didn't fit in nicely with the -ium endings of potassium, sodium etc, so it got renamed aluminium. The point being that aluminum predates aluminium.

 

[Welshbird]

Ha. I was once in a bar in New York when I realised that my usual way of asking if I might avail myself of a cigarette from someone was not appropriate in 'Merkin English.

Can I bum a fag?

Fee

"The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea." Isak Dinesen

 

[1DMF]

Fee, I've made an American run away when I asked for a fag in Eybor City , Tampa Bay ,Florida!

Though the fact is if you look at things historically American english is actually more correct or 'older' then English.

Our language has evolved, where USA still hang on to old english words and meanings.

Gargbage or pants for example.

Garbage is actually relating to food only, it was a dish made with offal (livers mainly). As we got more civilised we and stopped eating such things, it became a word to mean the food parts we threw away. which USA has kept to mean anything you throw away, where as we continued to evolve the word and use different ones to mean different types of garbage, trash, waste, rubbish etc..

Pants, comes from Pantylooms, which is why we still have the word under-pants, so the fact we call them under-pants, but not pants and instead trousers means technically USA is correct, however, our language has evolved USA continue to use yeo old english which technically is correct ;-)

I'm not sue where all the Z'eds come from though?




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[tcsbiz]

it's along the lines of SAMMON (Salmon)

Or, airplane (U.S.) and aeroplane (U.K.)

 

[Noway2]

@Santa, lets not start the 'Merkin English' thing again (-:
I think we all learned the real definition of a Merkin last time.

 

[1DMF]

If Santa wants to wear a Merkin, he is perfectly entitled to, after all we are all living in liberal and tollerant society

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!"

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[Noway2]

1DMF, have you ever seen the (British) comedy show, Red Dwarf?
Your "liberal and tolerant society" comment reminds me of one of the funniest show episodes that I have ever, and I mean ever, seen on TV.

 

[djj55]

The word that gets me is colonel which gets pronounced Kernal. (best guess as to how to write it) Where does the "r" come from?

For examples see most old war movies from Hollywood.

I am guilty of mispronouncing words. However, if I find that I am pronouncing a word incorrectly I will try to start using the correct pronunciation.

djj
The Lord is my shepherd (Psalm 23) - I need someone to lead me!

 

[SantaMufasa]

And while we are on the subtopic of military-rank-pronunciation weirdness, how did lieutenant come to be pronounced leftenant in so many British movies?

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

 

[CajunCenturion]

==> You don't really get Americans pinching bits of British English though do you? So this is purely a one-way issue.
With all due respect, Fee, I'm not sure that's quite right. At the end of the day, you might be gobsmacked at the number of 'isms' that come this way, know what I mean?


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[Michael52x]

Am I irritating yet? Or, Are you irritated yet?
Britishisms really chap my hide.
To me, it is snobish, and most of the time mumble-jumble.
Took months for me to understand a Kiwi I worked for.
Elocution seems to be lacking, and haphazard at best.
Right, then, Bob's yer uncle!

"Impatience will reward you with dissatisfaction" RMS Cosmics'97