Brit speak...

[lawyerguy]

This is a little off topic..but since this is an international forum..I just thought I would make a few observations..

I love that phrases you brits use..like "mate"..the only time we americans say "Mate" is in the context of mating rituals..or some such...and you say words like "rubbish"..I don't know many americans who say rubbish..it sounds like something a high class character in some movie would say to us americans...and you refer to your colleges as "uni"..I suppose it makes sense..its probably short for university..we just call it college ..oh and you brits call the punctuation at the end of the setneces "full stops"..instead of "periods"..which is what we say here...Its funny how the language is different..but there is a funny similarity I've noticed..brits use the word "reckon"..in america..the word "reckon" is primarily used by southerners..or "red necks"..you don't see many new yorkers or californians use that word..I wonder how that word got transplanted from england to the south of america but not to other regions?..oh well just a little mindless curiosity..

 

[pitkreet]

Here in the UK, periods are strictly a female thing....I've always been amused by the misunderstanding caused when Americans refer to pants - in the UK, pants are your private under-garments, so if everyone can see your pants, it's time to get embarassed.

Of course, there's the fanny issue, but let's not go there...

Incidently, do you know where the term "red-necks" originates? Do they have more colourful (colorful :roll: ) necks than everyone else?

 

[Dedication]

True that, lawyerguy. I love the "washing up liquid" for dishsoap and "lessons" instead of courses. What really sets me off is if one Brit calls another Brit a "slag" or a "prat" or a "ponce" :lol:

 

[lawyerguy]

I think its coz the south was settled mainly by very light skinned people from the british isles. (as well as african slaves) And the south is a very warm place especially during the summertimes. So a lot of these light skinned brit descendants would get sun burned on their necks..it would turn red..hence the name rednecks...modern day southenerners are just basically transplanted brits..I think that's probably where they got the phrases "reckon" from...what I don't understand is why that word didn't catch on in other parts of america...

 

[LazerCarp]

most of the slang in the south of america is from scottish people from the highlands who moved over

 

[Chilling__Echo]

uggggh rednecks... but yeah, it originates from the burnt skin on the neck from farming and being bent over.

all i know is a guy w/ a brit acent is HOT HOT HOT

but yeah, i always thought UK acents were so pretty. i always wondered what americans sound like (other than southerners, we tend to talk slow i guess is what most people think)

but yeah, it's neat to see all the differences on the board.

 

[lawyerguy]

chilling echo I'm a littl confused about what you said when you wondered what americans sound like.. If I'm not mistaken you are in american right?..so why would you wonder what we sound like?... Forgive me if I misunderstood

 

[LazerCarp]

americans sound kinda cheesy haha, like TV star type shit. Most british people don't sound like the "british" people on american TV, i doubt many yanks could understand anyone from newcastle or glasgow, etc.

 

[lawyerguy]

haha lazercorp you have to be careful on who you call yankee.. Southerners..and I think chilling echo will agree with me...aren't yankees...In america yankees are a generic term is mainly used to described americans living in the northern new england states. during the american civil war the southern states fought a war against the northern states (who they called yankees) and to this day many people in the south..still detest that word..and would never be called a yankee...

 

[LazerCarp]

haha yank's just a generic term for an american here.

 

[shep]

There is the WWI song written by Irving Berlin called "Over There" and in it the song goes.....".....over there, over there, the yanks are going over there....." etc., and it referred to all the American troops going to fight the war. Now I wish we would give it a rest and stay here. :roll:

 

[Hamble]

all i know is a guy w/ a brit acent is HOT HOT HOT

I'm guessing you've never met a guy from bristol or birmingham?
*runs and hides from those from bristol and birmingham*

 

[Hamble]

haha lazercorp you have to be careful on who you call yankee.. Southerners..and I think chilling echo will agree with me...aren't yankees...In america yankees are a generic term is mainly used to described americans living in the northern new england states. during the american civil war the southern states fought a war against the northern states (who they called yankees) and to this day many people in the south..still detest that word..and would never be called a yankee...

I thought the term yankee came from the song "Yankee Doodle went to town, riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his cap and called it macoroni"

 

[Chilling__Echo]

chilling echo I'm a littl confused about what you said when you wondered what americans sound like..Smile If I'm not mistaken you are in american right?..so why would you wonder what we sound like?...Smile Forgive me if I misunderstood

yeah. alot of stereotypes are that spanish spanish speakers talk really fast and that any oriental language is nothing but ching chang chong. i'm wondering what people think americans sound like. but so far i've heard that southerners talk slurred and slow.

and yeah, yankees aren't too kindly taken to in the south. i think it's all ridiculous. the only part of me that i call southern is the fact that i was born and raised IN the south. other than that, i'd move. :roll:

and on who's a yankee, you're right lawyerguy. there's alot of debate over whether Virginia is norther or southern. they're too northern for the southerners and too southern for the northerners. but either way, most conservitive southerners dislike the liberal northerners. at least i see alot of it as political. especially now.

and no hamble, tee hee, i know nothing about bristol or birmingham... guess if i ever met a brit boy i should pay attention to that? :wink:

 

[LilMissTragic]

In the UK a University is somewhere you go to get a degree, a college is somewhere you can go from the ages of 16 and upwards to get a specialized education.

Why is it every american I have talked to assumed I live in London as soon as I mention living in the UK?...lol.
Oh and in american films, how come you only hear the very posh, well spoken english accent or the really common sounding London accent?

 

[Hamble]

shh lilmisstragic, dont spoil the illusion. :wink:

To all americans... we all come from London and half of us are poor cockney chimney sweepers and the other half are aristocracy who take tea in the garden under parasols at 4pm. We're also all villians in real life, not just in the Movies.
And yes, you won the war... we could never had done it with out you.

 

[Chilling__Echo]

lol i thought it was where all the good music came from that americans like? :wink:

 

[LilMissTragic]

[email protected] yeh, best not shatter the illusion!

 

[Cutegal]

an american once thought I was australian with my Yorkshire accent :lol:

 

[Fredscars]

im from Birmingham nicest accent ever :lol:
when i went to florida on holiday a coupla years back this dude at this crocodile park asked where we were from and we said england, and he was continually asking if we understood or spoke english :? i never understood that.

hehe people from southern amercian states sound funny.

bristol...what do people from bristol sound like?