05-22-2001, 06:29 AM | #1 |
Jack Burton
Join Date: March 1, 2001
Location: Airstrip One
Age: 40
Posts: 5,571
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Prompted by the Grey v Gray debate. I have always been intrigued by the way in which language evolves. For example - when did the spelling of grey change to gray and why? Will American English be a seperate language one day? Why are there so many different regional accents in Britain? and why do Americans that I have met in the States think I'm Australian even when I'm sober!
Many of the American words are also used in Britain. Some of the words are just changes in spelling. AMERICAN - BRITISH Airplane - Aeroplane Aluminum - Aluminium Apartment - Flat Appetizer - Entree, Starter Archeology - Archaeology Baked Potato - Jacket Potato Bathroom - Loo, The Toilet Band-Aid - Elastoplast Bank Teller - Cashier Bedspread - Similar to a Eiderdown and Duvet Billion - Trillion Bleachers - Terrace Braces (for teeth) - Brace Call me (on the phone) - Ring me Can - Tin Candy - Sweets Catalog - Catalogue Chapstick - Lip Balm Check - Cheque Checkers - Draughts Chips - Crisps Cigarette - Fag Closet (bedroom) - Wardrobe Clumsy - Cackhanded Collect Call - Reverse Charge Call Color - Colour Cookie - Biscuit Cotton Candy - Candy Floss Commercial - Advertisment Cracker - Savoury biscuit Crib - Cot Cross Walk - Zebra Crossing, Pedestrian Crossing Crossing Gaurd - Lollipop Man/Woman Cupcake - Fairy Cake Curb - Kerb Dessert - Afters, Pudding Detour - Diversion Diaper - Napkin, Nappy (we don't wipe our mouth with a napkin ) Drugstore - Chemist Duplex - Semi-Detached House Eggplant - Aubergine Elevator - Lift Emergency Room - Casualty or Accident & Emergency A&E Eraser - Rubber Expensive - Dear Faucet - Tap Favorite - Favourite Fire Department - Fire Brigade Flashlight - Torch A Flirt - Tart Freeway (Expressway) - Motorway, Carriageway Garbage Man - Dustman Garter Belt - Suspenders Gasoline - Petrol Gizzards - Offal Golashes - Wellingtons, Wellies Gray - Grey Hamburger Bun - Bap Honor - Honour Hood (car) - Bonnet Horny - Randy House (one story) - Bungalow Humor - Humour Hungry - Peckish Jail - Gaol Jello - Jelly Jelly - Jam Jewelry - Jewellery Kiss (passionate) - Snog Ladybug - Ladybird Line - Queue Living Room - Lounge Lawyer - Barrister, Solicitor Leash (Dog) - Lead Licens Plate - Number Plate Liquor store - Off License, Offy Mail - Post Mailbox - Postbox Mail Carrier - Postman, Posty Maneuver - Manoeuvre Math - Maths Mold - Mould Movie - Film Movie Theater - Cinema Napkin - Serviette Nudist - Naturist On/Off Ramp - Slip Road Oven - Cooker Overalls - Dungarees Overpass - Flyover Pacifier - Dummy Pants - Trousers Paper Towel - Kitchen towel, Kitchen Paper Parade - Carnival Parking Lot - Car Park Period - Full Stop (I won't even try to explain what a period means to us Pharmacist - Chemist Picnic Basket - Picnic Hamper Pie Crust - Pastry Base Plastic Wrap - Clingfilm Private school - Public school (now how did this happen? ) Public School - State school Pajamas - Pyjamas Purse - Handbag Raincoat - Mackintosh Realtor - Estate Agent Rent (to) - Hire Robe - Dressing Gown Rubber - Condom Sand Box - Sand Pit Sandwich - Butty, Sarny Santa Claus - Father Christmas Sell - Flog Shopping Cart/Basket - Trolley Sidewalk - Pavement Sir - Squire, Guv'nor (I don't think so!) Sneakers -Trainers, Plimsolls,Pumps Soccer - Football Spelled - Spelt Stroller - Pram, Pushchair Styrofoam - Polystyrene Suspenders - Braces (only women wear suspenders! ) Sweater - Pullover, Jumper Take-Out - Take-Away Talk Show - Chat Show Traffic Jam - Tailback Thumb Tack - Drawing Pin Tic Tac Toe - Noughts and Crosses Tire - Tyre Toothpick - Cocktail Stick Track Housing - Housing Estate Trailor - Caravan Trash - Rubbish Trailor Trash - Tottenham Hotspur Trash Can - Bin, Dustbin (the one outside) Truck - Lorry Trunk (car) - Boot Tuxedo - Dinner Jacket Umbrella - Brolly Undershirt - Vest Underwear - Pants, knickers 'Nice pants' is NOT a compliment. Vacation - Holiday Vest - Waistcoat Wallet (Woman's) - Purse Washcloth - Flannel Windshield - Windscreen Yard - Garden Zee (letter) - Zed Zip Code - Post Code Zucchini - Courgette ------------------ Save Chip - Don't let Sarah win! Official Titterer of the Laughing Hyenas |
05-22-2001, 06:43 AM | #2 |
Very Mad Bird
Join Date: January 7, 2001
Location: Breukelen (over the river from New Amsterdam)
Age: 52
Posts: 9,246
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Too true Donut. It is most assuredly a language in development that given isolation and time would definitely move to a dialect and then language.
Very cool post. ------------------ I am the walrus!.... er, no hang on.... A fair dinkum laughing Hyena! |
05-22-2001, 06:59 AM | #3 |
Ironworks Moderator
Join Date: February 28, 2001
Location: Boston/Sydney
Posts: 11,771
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I have one:
AMERICAN-BRITISH wrench-spanner ------------------ |
05-22-2001, 07:08 AM | #4 | |
Jack Burton
Join Date: March 1, 2001
Location: Airstrip One
Age: 40
Posts: 5,571
|
Quote:
and to any Dutch speakers on the board. The underground system in London is run by London Underground Limited and their logo 'LUL' is plastered up all over the place. Now why would a Dutch friend of mine find that so hilariously funny. ------------------ Save Chip - Don't let Sarah win! Official Titterer of the Laughing Hyenas |
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05-22-2001, 07:22 AM | #5 |
20th Level Warrior
Join Date: May 3, 2001
Location: .
Age: 40
Posts: 2,762
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AMERICAN - New Zealand Airplane - Airplane Aluminum - Coke cans Apartment - A Uni Students home Appetizer - Fish and Chips Archeology - stuff we dont understand Baked Potato - The chips in fish and chips Bathroom - The Pisser Band-Aid - Sticky Strip Bank Teller - Checkout Chick Bedspread - Dooner Billion - Too Much Fuckin Money Bleachers - Deck Braces (for teeth) - Shit Collectors Call me (on the phone) - Gimme a yell Can - Can Candy - Lollies Catalog - Rubbish Chapstick - Lip Balm Check - Check Checkers - Naughts and Crosses Chips - Chips Cigarette - Durry Closet (bedroom) - Wardrobe Clumsy - Retarded (not offending disabled ppl) Collect Call - Collect Call Color - Colour Cookie - Biscuit Cotton Candy - Candy Floss Commercial - More of that damn crap on again Cracker - Cracker Crib - Cot Cross Walk - Zebra Crossing, Pedestrian Crossing Crossing Gaurd - Lollipop Man/Woman Cupcake - Cupcake Curb - Curb Dessert - Dessert Detour - Short cut Diaper - Turdwipes Drugstore - Chemist Duplex - Sounds like Durex condoms Eggplant - Eggplant Elevator - Sex-o-matic Emergency Room - Emergency Room Eraser - Rubber Expensive - SHIT! Faucet - Tap Favorite - Favourite Fire Department - Fire Department Flashlight - Torch A Flirt - Skank Freeway (Expressway) - Freeway Garbage Man - Garbo Garter Belt - Cant say no one wears them Gasoline - Petrol Gizzards - Offal Golashes - Gumboots Gray - Grey Hamburger Bun - Hamburger Bun (what the hell kinda name is a bap?) Honor - Honour Hood (car) - Bonnet Horny - Horny House (one story) - Uni Student House Humor - Humour Hungry - Starved Jail - Jail Jello - Jelly Jelly - Jam Jewelry - Jewellery Kiss (passionate) - Deep throat Ladybug - Ladybird Line - Queue Living Room - Lounge Lawyer - Servants of the Devil Leash (Dog) - Leash Licens Plate - Number Plate or Liscense plate Liquor store - Boozer Mail - Mail Mailbox - Postbox Mail Carrier - The guy whos having an affair with the lady of the house Maneuver - Manoeuvre Math - Maths Mold - Mould Movie - Movie Movie Theater - Cinema Napkin - Serviette or Napkin Nudist - Weirdo On/Off Ramp - On/Off Ramp Oven - Oven, Stove Overalls - Overalls Overpass - Overpass Pacifier - Pacifier Pants - Pants Paper Towel - Paper Towel Parade - Traveling Freakshow Parking Lot - Car Park Period - Full Stop (I won't even try to explain what a period means to us Pharmacist - Chemist Picnic Basket - Picnic Basket Pie Crust - Pastry Base Plastic Wrap - Gladwrap Private school - Private school Public School - Public school Pajamas - Pyjamas Purse - Handbag Raincoat - Raincoat Realtor - More servants of Satan Rent (to) - Hire Robe - Dressing Gown Rubber - Condom Sand Box - Sand Pit Sandwich - Sandwich Santa Claus - Father Christmas Sell - Sell Shopping Cart/Basket - Trolley Sidewalk - Footpath Sir - Sir Sneakers -Sneakers Soccer - Soccer Spelled - Spelt Stroller - Pram, Pushchair Styrofoam - Polystyrene Suspenders - Braces (only women wear suspenders! ) Sweater - Jumper or sweater Take-Out - Take-Away Talk Show - Talk Show Traffic Jam - Traffic Jam Thumb Tack - Drawing Pin Tic Tac Toe - Noughts and Crosses Tire - Tyre Toothpick - Toothpick Track Housing - Housing Estate Trailor - Caravan Trash - Rubbish Trailor Trash - ? Trash Can - Bin, Dustbin (the one outside) Truck - Truck Trunk (car) - Boot Tuxedo - Tuxedo Umbrella - Umbrella Undershirt - ? Underwear - Undies, Knickers Vacation - Holiday Vest - Vest Wallet (Woman's) - Purse Washcloth - Cloth Windshield - Windscreen Yard - Garden Zee (letter) - Zed or Zee Zip Code - Zip Code Zucchini - Big long green thing ok so it is alot of slang but we arnt par of the empire no more ------------------ "I was born of darkness. My fathers eyes closed before mine opened. I am not of this world or the other, and I have the right to be what I am..." |
05-22-2001, 07:23 AM | #6 |
Symbol of Cyric
Join Date: March 1, 2001
Location: WA, USA
Age: 67
Posts: 1,328
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I'm impressed Donut. You did a lot of work on this. It reminds me of a discussion I had with a couple of people from England that I was working with in Yemen. Somehow in a conversation I used the word "aluminum", and they burst out laughing. We ended up having a somewhat intense debate (no, not argument) about the proper pronunciation of it .. was it "Aluminum"? Or "AluminIum"? We were both insistent that we were right. I'm a better than average speller (usually ) and so I knew I was correct. It was my first experience with the differences that occur between American English, and British English. Canadian English is different in some ways from both too.
Thanks for posting this Donut. I found it very interesting. ------------------ Sometimes I think I understand everything, then I regain consciousness. Happy Member of Fast Fourward. |
05-22-2001, 08:07 AM | #7 |
Horus - Egyptian Sky God
Join Date: April 10, 2001
Location: Tacoma, WA, U.S.A.
Age: 40
Posts: 2,615
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Donut how can billion and trillion mean the same thing? I dont care where you are billion and trillion are two very different things.
------------------ BOW TO THE BISCUIT KING AND HIS THRONE OF SCONE!!! |
05-22-2001, 08:09 AM | #8 |
Anubis
Join Date: March 1, 2001
Location: Up in the Freedomland Alps
Age: 59
Posts: 2,474
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Cheers and applause, Donut and AzureCutie !
Now I would like to know, aside from words, are there expressions that differ from American to British to Australian to ... ? Go back to your pen and paper, guys ! ------------------ The world is my oyster ! And now I have the knives to open it ... [This message has been edited by Moiraine (edited 05-22-2001).] [This message has been edited by Moiraine (edited 05-22-2001).] |
05-22-2001, 08:15 AM | #9 | |
20th Level Warrior
Join Date: May 3, 2001
Location: .
Age: 40
Posts: 2,762
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Quote:
------------------ "I was born of darkness. My fathers eyes closed before mine opened. I am not of this world or the other, and I have the right to be what I am..." |
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05-22-2001, 08:51 AM | #10 | |
Jack Burton
Join Date: March 1, 2001
Location: Airstrip One
Age: 40
Posts: 5,571
|
Quote:
We consider a billion to be one million millions (1 x twelve 0's). In America a billion is one thousand millions (1 x nine 0's) What we call a billion, you call a trillion. What you call a billion we call a milliard. My head hurts ------------------ Save Chip - Don't let Sarah win! Official Titterer of the Laughing Hyenas |
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