[net-gold] CORRECTION: URL FOR ARTICLE: GUIDE : An American Guide to British English for the London Olympics
- From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Net-Gold -- Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Net-Gold <Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K-12ADMINLIFE <K12ADMIN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K12AdminLIFE <K12AdminLIFE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Platinum <net-platinum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Sean Grigsby <myarchives1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <NetGold_general@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple Gold Discussion Group <TEMPLE-GOLD@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple University Net-Gold Archive <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2012 09:06:21 -0400 (EDT)
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[Net-Gold] GUIDE :
An American Guide to British English for the London Olympics
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The web address for this article is
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/
american-guide-british-english-london-olympics-232249067.html
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A shorter URL for the above link:
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http://tinyurl.com/7ep3ep2
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Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:30:48 +0530
From: Soundara Rajan <nssrajan@xxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: David Dillard <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Net-Gold] GUIDE : An American Guide to British English for the London
Olympics
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An American Guide to British English
for the London Olympics
By Wendy Carpenter |
The Upshot
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/
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In 1882, Oscar Wilde wrote about Great Britain:
.
"We have really everything in common with America
nowadays except, of course, language."
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That still rings true today.
.
So if you're one of the estimated
250,000 Americans going to the Olympics
Games in London this summer, you
might want to pack a dictionary.
.
For English-to-English translations.
For example, "The lorry driver taking
kit to the football pitch was so
knackered he pulled into the lay-by
near the petrol station for a quick
kip," means this in the United States,
according to the Associated
Press
.
http://news.yahoo.com/huh-us-british-english-
collide-olympics-191724425--olympics.html
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The truck driver delivering uniforms
to the soccer field was so tired he
pulled into the rest area near the
gas station for a nap.
Right.
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The differences are endless, from
pronunciation and punctuation to spelling
and slang. So here is a beginners
guide to the differences between British
English and American English.
.
The Olympic rings are in front of
London Bridge, lit behind in red,
and the skyscraper ?
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When watching sports (that would be
sport in England, singular not plural):
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- Track and field is called
"athletics."
- At the Olympics, you will likely
spend a lot of time in line. But
don't call it that. The preferred
term is "queue."
- "Torrid" has the opposite meaning
for sports in England. In the U.S.,
if a sprinter runs a "torrid race,"
it means they captured gold. In Britain,
it means they made it to the finish
line during the medal ceremony.
- The most obvious difference is
football. Only in America does it require
shoulder pads. Everywhere else it means
soccer, which is played on a "pitch",
not a field. The players wear "shirts"
and "boots" not uniforms and cleats.
Uniforms are called "kits."
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More clothing caveats:
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- Be careful with the word "pants,"
because in Britain they refer to
underwear. Go with "trousers"
instead. Pants can also mean bad,
such as "that game was pants."
- At night, you may wear a "jumper,"
another word for sweater. And your
jacket will be called an "anorak."
Be warned -- "anorak" may also mean
a geeky or obsessive person.
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When you're eating:
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- If you are served a biscuit,
it will be a scone, not a cookie.
Pudding means any and all desserts,
not just the jiggly kind.
They may also be called "afters."
Be careful of blood pudding or
black putting, because that is a
sausage. Same goes for bangers and
mash ? the first of which also means
sausage. If someone is cooking bangers
on the "barbie" it is not a sacrificial
use of the doll. It's another way of
saying barbecue.
- A "bitter" refers to beer. And your
bitter is served on a "beer mat"
another way of saying coaster.
And you shouldn't be serving "cider" to
children, since the British version
generally contains more alcohol than
most beers.
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When it comes to appetizers and entrees,
it's all mixed up. In England --
and the rest of Europe -- the entree
is the appetizer, not the main course.
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- The word "cracker" moves beyond food
across the pond, meaning a very
good thing. "That race was a cracker!"
Or it can be an adjective: "That gymnast
gave a cracking floor routine."
- When you're ready to pay in a
restaurant, ask for the bill, not the
check (or cheque as it's spelled?)
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Everyday life ?
.
- To get around London, you will board
the "tube," meaning the subway.
The tube has "carriages" not cars, and
when you board one, you will be warned
to "mind the gap," the space between
the carriage and the platform.
- If someone excuses themselves to go
to the bathroom, they mean that literally ?
they are going to take a bath. To use a
restroom, ask for the "loo."
- Expect to see a lot more of the letter
"u" on signs. Instead of color, it's
colour; harbor is harbour ? the letter
must have dropped in the Atlantic on the
way over. And er is transposed to re as
in centre, theatre.
- Get ready to do some math to tell time
in the afternoon, because it will be in
what Americans refer to as "military time"
or a 24-hour clock.
- More math. If the subject of your weight
comes up, tread carefully. The British use
the word "stone" for their weight.
A stone is 14 pounds.
- If someone says to turn around
"anti-clockwise" it doesn't mean they are
against clocks. It means counter-clockwise.
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Cheerio good chap, and good luck!
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------------------------------------
N.S. Soundar Rajan
Proponent,
Prof Eric Mazur's Teaching Methodology
Founder-Facilitator
ENGLISH SYNDICATE
If you know your English well, life is a party!
One On One Online English Skills Classes
esy.css@xxxxxxxxx
Tamil Dialect & Culture Coach
Ang Lee's 'Life of Pi' movie
Moderator
E-Utilities Yahoo! group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dh_eutilitiesurls
Founder-Facilitator
MYSOORU LITERACY TRUST (MLT)
Enhancing English skills among the poor
Soundar tweets at soundar_esy@xxxxxxxxxxx and eutilities2011@xxxxxxxxxxx
Also, Soundar blogs at everydayeutilities.blogspot.com
.
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