International Englishes

Beauregard

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2002
Messages
19,240
Reaction score
1,239
Perhaps we'd call it a soft doughy pastry like a roll?

Don't forget the classic difference. Pants = underwear in england, while in america, Pants - trousers

Going back a bit, I looove the Australain accent, i could hear it all day.

Going back a bit further, I never say Aces instead of cool. And I've never heard it said in England.
 

Vic Romano

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2003
Messages
5,161
Reaction score
86
Really? In another forum where I (used to) post and was heavily inhabited by Brits, when I submited art they really liked; they'd say: "Oh, that's aces" or "Your aces", so I assumed it meant "cool", but now I'm nervous and wondering if it means something like "rotting beef carcass".

I was also told that the word "bloody" is the equivelant in the UK as the American "F" word. Is that true? And "******" is also a really bad word there. Here; it's just one of those kooky words the Brits use! :wink:

Here in the states; the FCC strictly regulates "bad language" that appears on television and radio, yet everyone in the streets cuss and swear anyway, which is their right to do, but something I always thought was weird. In other words; why is it our first amendment right to say whatever we want and in fact do so, only to be regulated so heavily? Don't get me wrong, I don't advocate swearing; I try and avoid it as best I can. I used to work construction and that was really the only way to communicate with anyone, but now I see it as offensive and a little low brow to others, which is why I do my best to keep a clean mouth. Albeit I slip every so often and repent soon there after.

EDIT - Woah! I just saw the word I was asking about was censored! I guess it is a bad word! Um, all I can say then is that it rhymes with "tanker".
 

Whatever

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2003
Messages
2,968
Reaction score
20
Beauregard said:
Perhaps we'd call it a soft doughy pastry like a roll?
That takes a long time to say out loud, though!
 

MrsPepper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2004
Messages
4,333
Reaction score
75
Do you mean tea biscuits? **is confused** My gran makes tea biscuits, which are pretty much scones. But she also calls arrowroot biscuits 'tea biscuits' once in a while, so I'm kind of confused.

The other day I called someone a cow, and my mother enlighetened me to the fact that it is supposedly a very british thing to say. Which I never knew.
 

Beauregard

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2002
Messages
19,240
Reaction score
1,239
Hahah! Well, yes, a cow is kind'a british, lol. Becuase when a brit is struggling to be Exceptionly polite and British, yet wanting to insult they say, "You little...er...Cow!"

As for bloody, yes. Not quite as bad as the F word, but certainly stronger than darn, or blooming (which shounds kinda british). However some british words are not allowed on this forum...I tried to type the british word for meat-balls which begins with F, has an AG, and ends in ET. but it was not allowed. Also, a word we regularly use for a cat, Pu(double s)y the filter won't let me use. *****. See?

As for the Aces, thing. Ace, yes. Aces never. "That's Ace." Would be sociably acceptable. However, "That's Aces," I myself have never heard.

Also, hardly anyone uses Ace anyway. However, my MSN screen name is usually, "King of Aces." :big_grin: Lil bit of trivia there...
 

ryhoyarbie

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2002
Messages
3,565
Reaction score
122
RedDragon said:
IT'S SO TURE!!!!!!!!! I love the Aussie accent. But I love the Irish accent more.
I believe both men and women love accents in people. Makes those people seem better than the local people, atleast in my opinion.

ryan
 

luvtosr

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 12, 2005
Messages
284
Reaction score
8
Whew! I've been away some (broken pc).

OK. Biscuits in Britain refers to any sweet biscuit, I believe Americans would term them cookies. Savoury biscuits - like the ones that go with cheese are crackers.

From what I can gather the scone-like foodstuff Americans eat with gravy and call biscuit we would call cobbler.

As for your MAC or ATM machines I call them cash points.
 

Whatever

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2003
Messages
2,968
Reaction score
20
Oy! For Americans, cobbler is a sweet pastry that tops a sweetened, cooked fruit to make a dessert, aka pudding. We have apple cobbler and peach cobbler mostly. This language gets more confusing the more I learn.

Today I learned that in Britain, a "bap" is a roll used to make a sandwich.
 

Whatever

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2003
Messages
2,968
Reaction score
20
An American "boyfriend" is apparently a British "fellow."
 

Beauregard

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2002
Messages
19,240
Reaction score
1,239
Whatever said:
An American "boyfriend" is apparently a British "fellow."
What meanest though?

Boyfriend in english means, er, the guy that you are dating. Fellow would I suppose mean, a honerable chap who's a friend of yours. However, Fellow is seriously outdated and rarely used (at least, in my part of the world anyway!)
 
Top