British Expatriate Network

What language changes have you made and what Britishisms do you retain (apologies to those now in non-"English"-speaking countries)

Here's my starter for 10:

Do say:
deeefence not d'fence (defence) at soccer games (occasionaly still call it footy)
pro-juice when I mean greengrocers' stuff (;)) (produce)
gas not petrol
pee not wee

Don't say:
trunk (it's the boot)
suspenders -braces hold up trousers, suspenders hold up stockings
go potty (ugh)
soccer field. It's a pitch, dammit.

Totally inconsistent/midatlantic with:
nappy/diaper
garaaaje/garidge (garage)
skejul/shedjewel (schedule)
grocery store/supermarket
pants/trousers

Do say

Home Dee-po (Home Depot)
Pacifier (dummy)
crib (cot)
stroller (buggy)
pee (wee)
soccer (football)
grocery store (supermarket)
leash (lead)
candy (sweets)
dessert (pudding)
underwear (knickers)
sneakers (trainers)
vacuum (hoover)
yard (garden)




Don't say

flatware (plates)
cart/carriage (trolley)
pants (trousers)








Inconsistent although mostly because I translate according to my audience

Silverware/cutlery
gas/petrol
boot/trunk
bathroom/toilet
chips/fries


that's all I can think of tonight )

dont say....

paetronise [patronise] grrrrr..

Don't say

Hood [bonnet]

Trunk [boot]

wateeeeeeeeeeeeeeer [water]

give me this and that [ please can I have one of those ........, then say cheers/thank you]

Slight off topic, but what do Americans call 'wellies'? I saw some bloke wearing them, and Michelle didn't have a clue what 'wellies' or 'wellington boots' were when I mentioned them, nor did she know any American word for them

Also, does anyone feel like an idiot when they say 'please' for anything? Like 'Could I have X please?'. Like in Subway, 'Lettuce, please,....tomato please.....onion please.....'. I feel like a bloody parrot.

Do say:
y'all
trunk
sidewalk
pack
carton

Don't say:
tomaydo
nookilar
aloominum
go gidum
bin
store
rest room (I mean really, is this where you go for a nap?.. yes, that was a N not a CR..) :wink:
[tab]

Still say

Trainers
Football
Speciality
Tomato

Cringe when I say

Daiper
"Can I get...."
Check (rather then bill)

Cannot bring myself to utter
"so**er" (rather than football)....unless preceeded by the words (the sport you know as.....)

Rain boots

I like to think that I am fairly biligual having lived in the US for 6 years and being married to an American for 19 years.

The trouble is, I don't necessarily know which words are British and which words are American. When in America, I would always stick to British words (as much as I could identify them). In Britain, I have been known to deliberately use American words to show how cosmopolitan I am razz I have lots of American friends/aquaintences and usually talk to them in American English.

The only American word that I seem to enjoy using is "regular".

All depends on who I'm with. It's much easier to talk "American" to the folks here and then switch back to "English" with my Brit friends. When I go back home it's like I've never been away....I fail to see the point or need to cultivate a mid-Atlantic accent simply to impress. grin

I learned a while ago that being understood on the phone was dependant on my over pronouncing my "r's". Makes me feel rather foolish but does the trick.

I say "Home DESPOT"!!!!!

Debs x smile

This is one of my pet peeves. I, and the rest of the crowd that came at the same time, went through the same difficulties that some of you are having. And we moaned about it to each other, just as here. If you go to a non-English speaking country, do you not at least try to get by in their language? If Americans had visited the UK while you were there, did you cut them any slack and try to understand them?

If you had gone into a pub in Glasgow and ask for a half pint of beer, you would probably have got a shot of whiskey. A half 'n half was a shot of scotch and a half pint of beer and the shot was the first half.

I didn't know what they were talking about when they spoke of trainers in a Brit programme. When I left, we wore sand shoes, or plimsols or tennis shoes. It took a while to figure out.

Limey Yank

DEEtail D'tail
CONtraversy conTROVersy
have you got any? do you have any?
An oddity;
pAtent patent
patronage pAtronage
Another oddity;
news noos and others like this
Hoosten hyewston for Houston
pavement sidewalk
roadway pavement
serviette napkin
napkin diaper My daughters and Grandma had fun with this when she visited.

I take issue with Kentgirl, my mum was straight and didn't make me wear knickers, I wore underpants, with a slit in the front, so there roll

Rest rooms used to have settees and attendants here, they were, literally, places where you could rest up a few minutes.

In the pee or wee thought, "take a leak" is common to both.

You can say nasty things about people in the south as long as you add "bless her heart"; "She is as fat as a house side, bless her heart."

Me (US)/ Him (UK)

Bouey (boo-wee) / forget how he pronounces it
pickles/Gherkins
Oregano (or-egg-gan -oh)/ Or reh gano (actually the correct pronunciation)
trash can/ bin
trash bags/ Bin liners
eggplant/ aubergine (did I spell that right?)
German Shepherd/ Alsation (I know I didn't spell that one right!)
How are you? / Allright?
pills/ tablets

We just had this conversation with a Canadian/American couple! It was actually kind of funny, it was like the US citizens vs. immigrants! lol Add a few glasses of wine in, and it makes for some fun dinner conversation.

Pronouced Boy....If what you mean is one of those things that bob up and down in the water :)

Mandy

paracetamol and acetaminophen

Unfortunately most of the american words that drive us up the wall are actually english words. A couple of hundred years ago we would all have been using words like gotten. Aluminium was originally called aluminum and it was the english that, fairly recently, decided to change it to aluminium.

The dreaded soccer word is also an english word. It has its origins at Eton school where the posh kids would make slang by adding er to words. For example they would play rugger after brekkers. Therefore, because football is properly known as association football, its slang name is soccer.