Differences in language can be confusing, but also illuminating. Sometimes it's just interesting. In the British film O Lucky Man! (1973), the Malcolm McDowell character Mick Travis is asked at least twice to "sign off by the cross." In the US, it'd more likely be, "sign by [or at] the ex [x]." There's a distinct difference in the interior visual, for sure.
For the letter "Z," the British say "Zed." In Italian and Spanish, it's zeta. Zero in French is zéro, but Z is zède. In punctuation, a "period" in American English is a "full stop" in Anglo-English, and also in telegrams, when people still sent them. Anglo-English spelling is often a bit different from American English; one of my favorites is aluminium vs. aluminum, giving that word-sound a totally different vibe.
Examples could go on and on. Working in London, I had to compose library reports using British grammar and spelling, which required a certain alertness to the nuances of these two forms of English, just like a Detroiter might want to discern differences in English phrasing, spelling and even meaning across the border in Windsor, Ontario (and vice versa, the other way around).
Have you ever been "thrown for a loop" or felt "out of the loop" by language usage? How about delighted by differences? Meeting someone for the first time, in French one might say, Enchanté. Certainly sounds more magical than, "Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name . . .," doesn't it?
Today's Rune: Fertility.
7 comments:
I like learning about different slangs and word usage in different places. I don't think it's that hard to figure out what the other means though, you have to look at it in context for the most part.
But sometimes there are some stumpers. I remember when I learned what the British call an eraser. Gave me the most immature giggle fit ever. lol.
Dude you have to be born here to really get the nuance of our particular language(s)
For years I used colour instead of color in my writing, influenced no doubt by the wealth of British writers I read in early SF. There are other examples too and I still use blonde and often use grey and gray as different colors.
Living in northern England, I realized just how many differences in language there were. It still throws me when BBC talk is not used.
Thanks, y'all for the comentários! Much appreciated. Mark, I remember a guy from Syria (formerly married to one of my sisters who'd attempt his own nuances. To "what's up," he'd respond, "What's down?" Cool stuff. AD, that puts on a new spin on the Iggy Pop lyric, "They stare at my rubbers, it makes me uptight . . ."
haha! XD Poor Iggy, always having people oogle his erasers :p
Um, well, yes...I HAVE had phrase-related issues. I was at work one day & mentioned to a coworker/friend that someone was "f**king the dog." In Canada, that's a euphemism for being lazy, a goldbricker. The way my coworker stopped & stared at me in disbelief, however, I knew that wasn't what it meant down here. (I explained it & everything worked out, but that moment of silence was incredibly awkward!)
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