Thread: Variants of English

By that standard, British and American should be different languages.

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

Stupid thread.

As these cultural superlative/one-upmanship directed threads usually are.
More often created and followed-up upon by those who are the most threatened by a subliminally lost [deluded] superiority - usually accompanied with insecurities brought on by sheer differences.

I think some forms of English might be close to separate languages. I was flying from London to Venice a few years ago. I swear to god I could make out maybe one in five words of the Glaswegian stewardess's accent.

Originally Posted by fohk

The boundaries between languages is ultimately fuzzy. English and German are separate languages, but it wouldn't take as much effort to hammer out some sort of trade language as it would between English and Russian.

The way the language is written might be different (I think it was Edward 3 who standardised it), but if you spoke using a regional dialect, then the north of England would fair quite well in northern Germanic countries. For instance, it has been said that, if someone were to go to Frisia and speak broad Yorkshire, then they could probably make themselves understood without even knowing a word of Dutch/German.

Originally Posted by Fozzy

Originally Posted by Humbert

Americans really don't give a fig if Brits spell and pronounce Aluminum differently.

And nor do most Brits mate, I assure you.

But it does allow us to make "funny" TV adverts for totally unrelated items.

Originally Posted by fohk

There's an old line that says "a language is a dialect with an army and a navy", used to joke about why British English and American English are the same while Cantonese and Mandarin are both "Chinese".

Written yes. Spoken, no. Same written symbols, completely different pronunciation

Originally Posted by fohk

This is not a bashing anyone thread, its about language as I am also confounded at times. Focus on the topic.

Originally Posted by OckerRocker

Serbian:
Сва људска бића рађају се слободна и једнака у достојанству и правима. Она су обдарена разумом и свешћу и треба једни према другима да поступају у духу братства.

Croatian:
Poslije našeg razgovora sa učiteljem

I wasn't bashing you, but your example of 'sameness' is very much 'out there'.
German and Dutch/Flemish or Schwitzerdütsch would have been better examples of dialects

BR English and US English are 99% the same

Originally Posted by fohk

This is not a bashing anyone thread

Originally Posted by fohk

I mean Americans simply aren't funny.

Sounds like a pretty sweeping put-down to me.

Lighten up dude, just saying American humour doesn't translate so well to others. I was watching Fallon Tonight and most of it was, right I didn't get it but they are all laughing so it was funny maybe.

A couple of other people's observations on English:

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary." - James D. Nicoll

"English is the result of Norman men-at-arms trying to make dates with Saxon barmaids, and no more legitimate than any of the other results." - H. Beam Piper

sometimes it's just the idioms that are a disconnect between speakers of the same language. the context of a previous discussion can bring clues.

an american may not understand, "that sheila's a beaut" if he's never traveled to Oz.

same with the term , "fair dinkin."

first time i heard "show'd 'nuff, he put me in a trick bag" i didn't have a clue.
that was in memphis.

"a fur piece" in tennessee means a far distance, nothing to do with a lady.

english spoken in north america has a multitude of variants valley girl , canuck inner-city , nu yoiker , military, southern, texan , slang and ebonics.
words are added to hip-dictionaries every year.

The old bards how do they translate into American as I sure don't get that either.

Get a merkin to read it. He will revert to queens English. lol

Originally Posted by PeeCoffee

an american may not understand, "that sheila's a beaut" if he's never traveled to Oz.

Americans may or may not travel outside the USA but the world of entertainment is globally mobile. How do you suppose the likes of Gibson, Kidman, Crowe et al found such rewarding international careers in fim and theatre?

Originally Posted by PeeCoffee

same with the term , "fair dinkin."

Did you mean fair dinkum?

Honestly PC you seem to be dumbing down evey post. There are grown ups on here you know.

Are you merkin?

There's an interesting master's thesis for someone: how much difference in vocabulary is there between UK and US English, as opposed to regional differences within each country? I know what lifts, lorries and bin liners are from watching Dr. Who and Monty Python some others.

I don't know what the UK term for a carbonated soft drink, like Coke, is, but around here, you might hear "soda," "pop," "soft drink," "seltzer," (although people who say this are dying out), "Coke" as a generic term ("What kind of Coke do you have?" "Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, 7-Up, Diet Pepsi"), and for trash cans, you might hear "waste can," "waste basket," "garbage can," and a few more.

If you are going to call British English and American English two different languages, then you might have to call the English of East Texas and the English of Brooklyn two different languages.

The only time I couldn't understand someone who was English, it was in Kings Cross, and he was drunk and missing most of his teeth.

Now, it's true that people do "code-switching," so that they attempt to make themselves understood, and aside from the missing teeth, the guy in Kings Cross who was Indian, may have been too drunk to pick up on me "not being from around there," and make fine adjustments in his pronunciation and word choices.

Winston Churchill, quote, two great nations separated by a common langauge,

Yesssssss well said.

Originally Posted by fohk

If you are going to call British English and American English two different languages

You are the only one doing that. Every other poster seems to be saying there are minor differences, (the reasons for which have been explained) and the rest is close enough for government work.
Don't see what your problem is honestly.

Originally Posted by fohk

Yesssssss well said.

Umm, he included the Uk and the USA . . . care to revise?

I am encouraging some discussion. When this filters down to education in a foreign country parents have a choice of British or American English. ( or whatever varient there is to be had ).

^ And Indian English, Filipino English and sometimes Singaporean English.

So my situation with my two is this: My two curtain climbers want to switch schools next year to a 'cool' school which is American. I'm not sold on it. One will turn thirteen next year and thinks American is the way to go where all his 'cool' mates go to. Out of my depth. The question was about language yes.

It was inspired by the differences here with international schools where its a banquet of availability which comes at a high price, and I also have problems with US English, adults I'm cool but paring it down to youngsters not so much. So many movies these days and games and the prophet cool trend is go American.

Where are you from, fohk? I got the impression you were American but your post above indicates you are not.