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#1
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AmericanEnglish again
On 05/12/2015 20:44, Christina Websell wrote:
"Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Mon, 30 Nov 2015 20:07:25 -0000, "Christina Websell" wrote: "philgurr" wrote in message ... "Gary Woods" wrote in message ... Quite a while ago, I bought a neat little tool described as a "Widger." Just a slightly curved piece of stainless steel sort of the size of a largish pen; different widths on the 2 ends; used for pricking out seedlings and transplanting small stuff. The name sounds very British - is it? Previously (and still for very small seedlings), I used a pocket sized flatblade screwdriver. See :- http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/de...english/widger Phil I have quite a few American friends and we disagree all the time about their idea of English and mine. American English is very different from "English" English. "Two nations divided by a common language" (attribution uncertain, but probably not Churchill) Americans think they speak English, I can assure them that they don't. Glad that has been sorted out once and for all. |
#2
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AmericanEnglish again
"David Hill" wrote in message ... On 05/12/2015 20:44, Christina Websell wrote: "Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Mon, 30 Nov 2015 20:07:25 -0000, "Christina Websell" wrote: "philgurr" wrote in message ... "Gary Woods" wrote in message ... Quite a while ago, I bought a neat little tool described as a "Widger." Just a slightly curved piece of stainless steel sort of the size of a largish pen; different widths on the 2 ends; used for pricking out seedlings and transplanting small stuff. The name sounds very British - is it? Previously (and still for very small seedlings), I used a pocket sized flatblade screwdriver. See :- http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/de...english/widger Phil I have quite a few American friends and we disagree all the time about their idea of English and mine. American English is very different from "English" English. "Two nations divided by a common language" (attribution uncertain, but probably not Churchill) Americans think they speak English, I can assure them that they don't. Glad that has been sorted out once and for all. grin Americans used to speak English once: now it's American. |
#3
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AmericanEnglish again
On 6/12/2015 8:43 AM, Christina Websell wrote:
"David Hill" wrote in message ... On 05/12/2015 20:44, Christina Websell wrote: Americans think they speak English, I can assure them that they don't. Glad that has been sorted out once and for all. grin Americans used to speak English once: now it's American. I saw a very interesting TV show quite a few years ago on just this topic. It suggested that the English now spoken by Americans is more like the English spoken in the UK a few centuries ago than the sort of English now spoken in the UK. The show cited both words still used by Americans that have changed use over time in the UK and the accent. One example I recall is the way Americans still use the word "kettle" (ie, a cooking pot, not a spouted water boiling thingamabob) which is the way it used to be used in the UK centuries ago. Also the accent in the long "a" when American say "bath" is the way it used to be said in the UK centuries ago. Basically, the show said that it was the UK which had changed in the way it used English whereas Americans had stayed more in line with the speech and usage of the UK centuries ago. |
#4
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AmericanEnglish again
"Fran Farmer" wrote in message ... On 6/12/2015 8:43 AM, Christina Websell wrote: "David Hill" wrote in message ... On 05/12/2015 20:44, Christina Websell wrote: Americans think they speak English, I can assure them that they don't. Glad that has been sorted out once and for all. grin Americans used to speak English once: now it's American. I saw a very interesting TV show quite a few years ago on just this topic. It suggested that the English now spoken by Americans is more like the English spoken in the UK a few centuries ago than the sort of English now spoken in the UK. The show cited both words still used by Americans that have changed use over time in the UK and the accent. One example I recall is the way Americans still use the word "kettle" (ie, a cooking pot, not a spouted water boiling thingamabob) which is the way it used to be used in the UK centuries ago. Also the accent in the long "a" when American say "bath" is the way it used to be said in the UK centuries ago. Basically, the show said that it was the UK which had changed in the way it used English whereas Americans had stayed more in line with the speech and usage of the UK centuries ago. well, lets not tell an American how to speak English eh? they never will. |
#5
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AmericanEnglish again
On 6/12/2015 8:25 PM, Martin wrote:
On Sun, 6 Dec 2015 09:12:51 +1100, Fran Farmer wrote: On 6/12/2015 8:43 AM, Christina Websell wrote: "David Hill" wrote in message ... On 05/12/2015 20:44, Christina Websell wrote: Americans think they speak English, I can assure them that they don't. Glad that has been sorted out once and for all. grin Americans used to speak English once: now it's American. I saw a very interesting TV show quite a few years ago on just this topic. It suggested that the English now spoken by Americans is more like the English spoken in the UK a few centuries ago than the sort of English now spoken in the UK. The show cited both words still used by Americans that have changed use over time in the UK and the accent. One example I recall is the way Americans still use the word "kettle" (ie, a cooking pot, not a spouted water boiling thingamabob) which is the way it used to be used in the UK centuries ago. Also the accent in the long "a" when American say "bath" is the way it used to be said in the UK centuries ago. The way bath is pronounced in UK depends on where one comes from. Do those places in the UK pronounce "bath" with a long "a" in an American fashion or do you just mean that there are regional variations of the way the word "bath" is said? |
#6
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AmericanEnglish again
On 06/12/15 12:05, Fran Farmer wrote:
On 6/12/2015 8:25 PM, Martin wrote: On Sun, 6 Dec 2015 09:12:51 +1100, Fran Farmer wrote: On 6/12/2015 8:43 AM, Christina Websell wrote: "David Hill" wrote in message ... On 05/12/2015 20:44, Christina Websell wrote: Americans think they speak English, I can assure them that they don't. Glad that has been sorted out once and for all. grin Americans used to speak English once: now it's American. I saw a very interesting TV show quite a few years ago on just this topic. It suggested that the English now spoken by Americans is more like the English spoken in the UK a few centuries ago than the sort of English now spoken in the UK. The show cited both words still used by Americans that have changed use over time in the UK and the accent. One example I recall is the way Americans still use the word "kettle" (ie, a cooking pot, not a spouted water boiling thingamabob) which is the way it used to be used in the UK centuries ago. Also the accent in the long "a" when American say "bath" is the way it used to be said in the UK centuries ago. The way bath is pronounced in UK depends on where one comes from. Do those places in the UK pronounce "bath" with a long "a" in an American fashion or do you just mean that there are regional variations of the way the word "bath" is said? In the NW at least it is pronounced with a short "a", whereas in the south it is pronounced "barth" with a long "a". I have no idea how it is pronounced in Glaswegian or Geordie. |
#7
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AmericanEnglish again
On 6/12/2015 11:30 PM, Tom Gardner wrote:
On 06/12/15 12:05, Fran Farmer wrote: On 6/12/2015 8:25 PM, Martin wrote: On Sun, 6 Dec 2015 09:12:51 +1100, Fran Farmer wrote: On 6/12/2015 8:43 AM, Christina Websell wrote: "David Hill" wrote in message ... On 05/12/2015 20:44, Christina Websell wrote: Americans think they speak English, I can assure them that they don't. Glad that has been sorted out once and for all. grin Americans used to speak English once: now it's American. I saw a very interesting TV show quite a few years ago on just this topic. It suggested that the English now spoken by Americans is more like the English spoken in the UK a few centuries ago than the sort of English now spoken in the UK. The show cited both words still used by Americans that have changed use over time in the UK and the accent. One example I recall is the way Americans still use the word "kettle" (ie, a cooking pot, not a spouted water boiling thingamabob) which is the way it used to be used in the UK centuries ago. Also the accent in the long "a" when American say "bath" is the way it used to be said in the UK centuries ago. The way bath is pronounced in UK depends on where one comes from. Do those places in the UK pronounce "bath" with a long "a" in an American fashion or do you just mean that there are regional variations of the way the word "bath" is said? In the NW at least it is pronounced with a short "a", whereas in the south it is pronounced "barth" with a long "a". When I used the term "long 'a'" I was trying to convey how I've heard Americans say 'bath' which is less like 'barth' but more like the 'a' in 'bat'. I'm sure there is some symbol that applies and which would tell more knowledgeable peeps instantly how I menat it to sound, but every time I've tried to figure out what my dictionary means by it's symbols, I've lost the will to live. I have no idea how it is pronounced in Glaswegian or Geordie. :-)) Regional dialects are very interesting IMO |
#8
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AmericanEnglish again
On 06/12/15 22:34, Fran Farmer wrote:
On 6/12/2015 11:30 PM, Tom Gardner wrote: On 06/12/15 12:05, Fran Farmer wrote: Do those places in the UK pronounce "bath" with a long "a" in an American fashion or do you just mean that there are regional variations of the way the word "bath" is said? In the NW at least it is pronounced with a short "a", whereas in the south it is pronounced "barth" with a long "a". When I used the term "long 'a'" I was trying to convey how I've heard Americans say 'bath' which is less like 'barth' but more like the 'a' in 'bat'. Ah, that's the opposite way round! The NW variant sounds like "ba-th" (as in "bat"), OTOH the Bath natives pronounce their town "bar-th", and southerners use that for everything to do with washing. Except when they don't, e.g. bathe is pronounced "bay-th". I'm sure there is some symbol that applies and which would tell more knowledgeable peeps instantly how I menat it to sound, but every time I've tried to figure out what my dictionary means by it's symbols, I've lost the will to live. Just so, although I'm sure there's a website somewhere which converts, say, bæθ fənɛtɪks into the sounds for "bath phonetics". I have no idea how it is pronounced in Glaswegian or Geordie. :-)) Regional dialects are very interesting IMO "Interesting" in the Chinese sense Then you get into the downright perverse, e.g. those at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...o nunciations which has both UK and US pitfalls. |
#9
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AmericanEnglish again
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#10
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AmericanEnglish again
"Martin" wrote in message ... On Sun, 6 Dec 2015 09:12:51 +1100, Fran Farmer wrote: On 6/12/2015 8:43 AM, Christina Websell wrote: "David Hill" wrote in message ... On 05/12/2015 20:44, Christina Websell wrote: Americans think they speak English, I can assure them that they don't. Glad that has been sorted out once and for all. grin Americans used to speak English once: now it's American. I saw a very interesting TV show quite a few years ago on just this topic. It suggested that the English now spoken by Americans is more like the English spoken in the UK a few centuries ago than the sort of English now spoken in the UK. The show cited both words still used by Americans that have changed use over time in the UK and the accent. One example I recall is the way Americans still use the word "kettle" (ie, a cooking pot, not a spouted water boiling thingamabob) which is the way it used to be used in the UK centuries ago. Also the accent in the long "a" when American say "bath" is the way it used to be said in the UK centuries ago. The way bath is pronounced in UK depends on where one comes from. -- English is constantly evolving and it evolves from the UK. Because we are English and it's our language. Americans speak American. Do you have a faucet in your house, does your car have a hood or fender? I rest my case. |
#11
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AmericanEnglish again
"Christina Websell" wrote:
English is constantly evolving and it evolves from the UK Wrong tense, methinks: "evolved?" The various versions that left the UK at various times have taken their own course like Darwin's birds. -- Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic Zone 5/4 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G |
#12
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AmericanEnglish again
"Gary Woods" wrote in message ... "Christina Websell" wrote: English is constantly evolving and it evolves from the UK Wrong tense, methinks: "evolved?" The various versions that left the UK at various times have taken their own course like Darwin's birds. No wrong tense, English evolves, we are constantly updating our dictionary |
#13
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AmericanEnglish again
In article ,
Gary Woods wrote: "Christina Websell" wrote: English is constantly evolving and it evolves from the UK Wrong tense, methinks: "evolved?" The various versions that left the UK at various times have taken their own course like Darwin's birds. With a certain amount of misgenation in all directions, though the version we speak in the UK is more misgenated than most, as is the genetics of the population! And, of course, the ecology - a persistent discussion point on this group. Do you have a faucet in your house, does your car have a hood or fender? I rest my case. Yes, yes, and yes. Those are perfectly reasonable synonyms, and all educated Britons understand both forms. Indeed, our current 'correct' spelling dates only from the 19th century, and anyone reading earlier literature or attempting to write historical fiction needs to learn some of the other forms. Elizabethan (Tudor, that is) English was all over the shop, and Chauce spelled bald 5 different ways in the Prolog alone. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#14
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AmericanEnglish again
On Mon, 7 Dec 2015 00:05:05 -0000, "Christina Websell"
wrote: English is constantly evolving and it evolves from the UK. Because we are English and it's our language. Americans speak American. Do you have a faucet in your house, does your car have a hood or fender? I rest my case. Ford Anglias had a knob on the dashboard quite clearly marked Hood. This is a photo of one. http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/OTU1WDEyODA=/z/mjgAAOSw3ydVlYjK/$_1.JPG Quite a few people had one at one time. G Harman |
#15
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AmericanEnglish again
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