Dialect and culture: UK vs USA

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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:32 pm

Morgain Le Fay wrote:

Then those are regional. In the south all cold beverages, except tea, is called a Coke. Some southerners will use "cold beverage"

In South Louisiana where my spouse was raised it is "cold drink." When I lived in Texas I would bristle whenever I heard "soda water."

I spent some time in the UK in my 20s and brought back with me "I'm sorry" when I mean, "please repeat that." Here in Ohio you hear simply, "Please?"

Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:40 pm

^^Where I am, we say "excuse me?"

Though I never traveled to the UK, I was stationed in Australia in the mid-80s. I used to drink Jim Beam wiskey and 7-Up. But over there, 7-Up was called "lemonade."

Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:43 pm

Pantomime's 'risky' jokes axed for American audience

Lines have been removed from Dick Whittington and his Cat in case they offend an American audience
A production of Dick Whittington being staged in Bury St Edmunds has had lines removed due to fears they could offend American visitors.

Colin Blumenau, the Theatre Royal's artistic director, said a joke about spotted dick had been axed and they could not refer to the cat as "pussy".

He said the changes had been made ahead of a visit of American students.

"It's about two cultures having the same language but having different meanings for words," said Mr Blumenau.

"It's a family show and we try very hard to make sure everybody enjoys it, so there's no point in trying to offend people.

"If people say it means something else in our culture, you think about it and if it's not to the detriment of the show, which it isn't, you change it."

Mr Blumenau said the changes were only being made to two specific performances of Dick Whittington and his Cat, which runs until 15 January.

Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:24 pm

Fo'andles wrote:

Colin Blumenau, the Theatre Royal's artistic director, said a joke about spotted dick had been axed and they could not refer to the cat as "pussy"

One wonders what they would have made of Mrs Slocombe Shocked

Not quite a Newb Joined: 11 Jan 2012 Posts: 61

Sold_Me_Out wrote:

It did confuse me a little bit, but we have some confusion here too in the UK, between our Southeren accents and the Northern, especially Scottish accents

A sack for a shopping bag???? wow!!

One thing I have never quite understood is that MOST houses in America or Canada are made of wood.... what is the reason for this do you think??

The United States has different dialects depending on where you are from. Northerners and Southerners are just two examples of dialects. Then you have state specific accents from: New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Massachusetts etc. I could go on, but you get the general idea.

As far as houses go - We have several terms for homes here. Not all are built of wood, but typically, most homes that are built on a permanent foundation are considered "stick built" If they are not on a permanent foundation, they are "mobile homes", now referred to as Manufactured housing (constructed in a huge warehouse then assembled on the property it will sit on). Most insurance companies here, partially base quotes on what type of house you have.

Homes built of wood can be reasonably considered as "log homes" and are quite expensive to build. Most other homes here are based on a cinder block type foundation (if there's a basement) with a 2x4 frame. Drywall is on the inside - not wood. Plywood is used to close in the home and either siding or brick (or a combination of the two) is normally used on the outside shell of the house.

Many of the homes now being constructed, and up to 20 years old, have been slapped up (built) within a few days or weeks and they are really showing their wear and tear now. I live in one of those and there's so much work that needs to be done, it's sad.

Ok I'm rambling now.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 11 Jan 2012 Posts: 61

Fo'andles wrote:

"It's about two cultures having the same language but having different meanings for words," said Mr Blumenau.

One more example of that is what people on the other side of the "pond" call a cigarette.

Here in the US we call it a cigarette or a smoke. Over there in the UK... it's called a fag, which has a hugely different meaning here in the US.

Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 10:24 pm

I visited one of those huge warehouses this year, the scale of things is pretty staggering. They had good discounts on pre-built homes which could be broken down and shipped, ex-display and stock. They were stacked up like an impromptu housing estate. Prefabricated housing in Britain got a bad name in the 50s - 70s when they were made of precast concrete sections with sheet metal skirting boards. they were constantly cold and usually used for council houses that rapidly degenerated into sink estates. Prefabricated housing is sometimes used in Britain but usually employed for specialised builds or, oddly, for fast food restaurants. Many new-build Mcdonalds come along on the back of a truck, with slim brick sections glued all over the outside and being pointed after installation to look like a brick-built construction. The cost savings that you'd usually get from building a house this way are offset by the high purchase price of land and the difficulty of finding a suitable site for it. It's an interesting idea though, it just works better in the states. link: http://www.designhomes.com/salix.htm.

Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 10:30 pm

Quote:

Over there in the UK... it's called a fag, which has a hugely different meaning here in the US.

On a similar note, I once worked with an RAF officer. One day he was looking for a pencil eraser. He wondered why he got a strange stare from the secretary when he asked her for a rubber.

Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 11:25 pm

More to be found here: http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=205610&highlight=americanisms

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 12:05 am

Question PF.What did you do the first time someone served you grits?

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 12:25 am

One of the worst Americanisms that ever hit the UK is the phrase 'Have a nice day' mostly used by store staff.
For some reason it just sounds so naff & insincere.

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 12:47 am

PF wrote:

You sound a little more Southern than I was years ago. I was stationed in KY, you sound more AL, MO, LA.

Aye. I'm about 60 miles west of Shreveport LA, in East Texas. We have some Cajun restaurants that will knock your socks off, and most grocery stores carry wonderful spices and rubs. BBQ is a religion in these parts, and I am thankful for it! If my nose is runnin' and my mouth is on fire, that's reason for a second helping!

@Morgain, the first time I heard the phrase "I'm fixin' to _______" I cringed, and did for many years. I guess I've gone native, because now it rolls off my tongue like water off a beaver's back. It drives my family back East insane. Razz

Another fun thing in the summer is attending a mudbug (crayfish or 'crawdad') boil (pronounced "bawl"). For those who are unfamiliar, they kind of look like little bitty lobsters (they are freshwater, I think?) and are boiled in huge pots filled with Cajun spices. There's even a "Mudbug Festival" held every year in Shreveport. You break them in half and, as was told to me, "suck the head and eat the tail." It's great fun! Eat a mess of mudbugs, have a beer to kill the flames, eat another mess of 'em, have another beer...after numerous rounds of that, it's time to get some grilled gator tail on a stick and walk around to watch a few Zydeco bands. ooooooooo, I'm tellin' ya!

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 12:59 am

^^ While I live in the south, I don't eat anything called "mudbugs" 'cause I ain't sucking their little heads. Crayfish is routinely served at outdoor wedding receptions down here.

As to dialects, even in the south there are different dialects depending on the region y'all live.

@TheFae - When we first moved to the south one of my daughters swore she would never say "fixin' to" Within 3 wks I heard her say she was "fixin' to do her homework"!

doc holliday Grits! This is definitely a southern term for something up North called "farina" or "porridge". I grew up in Ohio eating "farina" but down here they call them "grits".

Not quite a Newb Joined: 11 Jan 2012 Posts: 61

Eh, up here north of the Mason-Dixon line, we still say grits.

Typically Northerners like them sweet while Southerners prefer them to be savory. I can eat them either way. If I eat them savory, I MUST have them with bacon. Real nice fattening bacon. YUM

My tastes in cuisine varies greatly. Being of Italian decent, I prefer to eat authentic Italian foods such as Gnocchi, Bruchetta or stuffed Artichokes.

Did you know that authentic lasagna is NOT cooked or baked with any sort of marinara sauce, but it rather considered a soup in small Italian villages and towns? I have a recipe book from Italy and not a single one of the lasagna recipes in it calls for any sort of marinara sauce.

Ciao!

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

doc holliday wrote:

Question PF.What did you do the first time someone served you grits?

I really didn't know what to do with them, in basic training (Ft. Benning, GA) they served them at every meal.

At breakfast I ended up eating them with syrup or brown sugar and butter, for dinner I ate them with hot sauce. I don't miss the damn things a bit.

What I do miss is some authentic SOS, or creamed chipped beef over toast. I loved that stuff.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 08 Jan 2012 Posts: 57

Just a question, whats a grit??? lol

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

^

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Grits

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 5:43 am

I fell for this:

Quote:

Folk wisdom contends that dry grits, scattered where ants can get at them, can be used to kill them by causing them to 'explode' as the grits expand inside them; however, laboratory tests conducted on fire ants suggest that grits are ineffective

Let's talk fire ants. I was warned about them, but I thought they'd be big 'ol red ants and I'd get out of the way as they bumbled toward me. NOT. Those little bastards (pardon my language) are the size of what I knew to be 'sugar ants' -- brush them aside and they'd go on their merry way to the next picnic, right?

Fire ants: HELL NO. They are the hellish cross between ants and bees. They bite, like an ant would do if you innocently trod on one, but at the same time they hold on and sting, in a circular motion no less. And sting. And sting. And more come. And they sting, too. Before you realize you've stepped on one, a whole swarm is having their way with your foot, or your dog, or both.

I used to love running about barefooted, feeling the ground and grass. I'm brokenhearted now.

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 5:47 am

Morgain La Fay wrote:

Crayfish is routinely served at outdoor wedding receptions down here.

My father in law occasionally sends us frozen crawfish, but most of the seasonings are available here.

I have heard long and sometimes heated discussions in the South on what is the proper wine to serve with a Moon Pie.

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 11:23 am

Quote:

a joke about spotted dick had been axed and they could not refer to the cat as "pussy"

Years ago I was appalled to read something written by a G.I. where he talked about patting girls on the fanny as they passed by in the street.

That SO means something completely different in the UK (same as the cat).

In the US we had to stop Hayley's friend Mrs S from announcing to the world that she was 'going outside for a quick fag', as eyebrows were being raised.

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 11:29 am

dwatina wrote:

^^Where I am, we say "excuse me?"

Though I never traveled to the UK, I was stationed in Australia in the mid-80s. I used to drink Jim Beam wiskey and 7-Up. But over there, 7-Up was called "lemonade."

Thanx to years working with the armed forces, I use "Say again?" if something isn't clear.

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 12:48 pm

lakeside77 wrote:

I spent some time in the UK in my 20s and brought back with me "I'm sorry" when I mean, "please repeat that." Here in Ohio you hear simply, "Please?"

I grew up with that in Cincinnati where I understand it is derived from the German "bitte". I quickly dropped it after moving to Virginia where people would respond with "please what?".

Not quite a Newb Joined: 11 Jan 2012 Posts: 61

I grew up in Maryland before transplanting to Pennsylvania - yeah I know... I didn't stray very far.

When I moved to PA, one thing I heard quite often was people getting "the shits" of things. Never heard it in MD. Also, to red up a room in PA means to clean it.

In Maryland, we say wooder for water. and zinc for sink. I am not from Baltimore. I am from Balmer. In Dundalk, everyone ends their sentences with "hun". or correctly pronounced, says "hawn" with a heavy accent on the "a" so that your almost adding a "h" sound to the word ON. You get the idea.

Never heard of eating Chicken and Waffles until I got to PA either. Now it's one of my favorite foods. Lots of unique things to be done with waffles here. get your minds out of the gutter people.

And to end.. You aren't truly an Marylander unless you have an ample supply of Old Bay in your cabinet.

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 2:41 pm

Tuco wrote:

I grew up with that in Cincinnati where I understand it is derived from the German "bitte". I quickly dropped it after moving to Virginia where people would respond with "please what?".

Well, a lot of phreases are sort of common Germanic (English is a Germanic language). For instance, "pardon me" is very likely related to the German "Enschuldigen Sie", the Danish "Undskyld mig", the Swedish "Ursäkta meg", and so on.

Many phrases are the same in different Germanic languages.

And then there's the french "Pardonnez moi", just to obscure the picture further. Wink

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 2:45 pm

@The Craptastic Goddess And you are truly a southern Marylander if you love soft shell crabs with hot sauce and beer. The more you ate the more you drank and the more you drank the more crabs you ate and eventually your lips would be numb from the hot sauce and you would be numb from all the beer. Ah, those crazy Navy days!

In southern Maryland (we were stationed there) I recall people saying "rach hear" for "right here" - that is with a short "a"

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