English: British, Canadian and American
English: British, Canadian and American
(OP)
In no other place have I seen captured in such eloquent, practical, written thought that inherently elegant truth: Britain, Canada and America - three uniquely, intimately intertwined nations, consummately and inexorably separated by a commonly-shared language.





RE: English: British, Canadian and American
I'm Irish but I spent my first year out of college working in England. I found myself facing blank looks of incomprehension half the time.
It's the little everyday sayings that cause the most problems. Like a quick enquiry of "Story boy?" or "How's she cuttin?" Or the way English people think asking "how are you doing?" is a query after their health rather than merely "hello".
New York was the funniest though.
Never tell your New York boss you had good craic in the pub the night before.
New York bosses, never offer your Irish employees a ride.
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Here in Australia, you don't keep cold drinks in a pitcher, you hang it on the wall to look at.
Also some advice for Americans - don't tell an Aussie your 'rooting' for them if you want to give them encouragement - they will fall over laughing.
LewTam Inc.
Petrophysicist, Head Stockman, Gun Welder, Gun Shearer, Ski Instructor, Drama Coach.
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP3.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
http://zikzak.zikzak.net/~bunny/strine.html
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
David
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Asking for a 'bucket of piss' is likely to get a few laughs (it made me laugh!) and endear one to the locals...a great icebreaker!
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
'You right?' also 'Yeah?'- Translation: 'Good Morning sir, how may I help you?' (This isn't necessarily the lack of respect or bluntness that some foreigners think it is. I get it at some McDonalds drive-throughs in rural Australia, it's just that subservience is very hard to beat into us Aussies.)
'Whadayaknow?' - Pronounced as one word, is literally 'What do you know?', a rhetorical question asked in place of a greeting by people who generally don't know much themselves. Most people don't answer this question but I have started answering with a useless fact such as 'Lisbon is the capital of Portugal. What else do you want to know?'
And a rare example of rhyming slang that is actually used from time to time:
'Septic Tank' - Rhyming slang for 'Yank'. Shortened to 'sep' or 'seppo'. Usage: 'I can't believe the amount of seppo bulls**t there is on TV these days'
LewTam Inc.
Petrophysicist, Head Stockman, Gun Welder, Gun Shearer, Ski Instructor, Drama Coach.
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Also, if you're used to a lot of 'yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir' American-style customer service you may be in for a shock. Tipping is practically non-existent and the minimum wage is quite good. Consequently sales people don't exactly put on the charm offensive. I must say I prefer being able to shop without hearing 'Can I help you?' every five minutes and I have a strong aversion to being called 'sir'.
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
I must say I prefer being able to shop without hearing 'Can I help you?'
Nothing annoys me more than being asked Can I help you?
If a shop is properly set up then there should be no need for help.
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Helpful SW websites every user should be aware of FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions FAQ559-1091
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Ketchup is what slow workers have to do.
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
'Pissed' is being drunk, not angry
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Where in Canada are you moving? (In proper Canuck: "Where-boot are ya movin' to, eh?" hehe)
Here's a pretty comprehensive guide to Canadian Slang from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_slang .
Heed the notice at the top of the article. A lot of these words are regional (I eat doughnuts, not jam-busters..)
Your best bet is to speak english as you do, and pick things up as you go along. I personally like accents on English, be they from the UK, Australia, Asia, Latin America, the Carribean or otherwise. It reminds me that I live in a city of diverse culture and ethnic background. Life would be boring if everyone sounded the same.
a big welcome from the big smoke!
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Naresuan University
Phitsanulok
Thailand
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
moving from NW Ontario to New South Wales (on the 17th of Sept)
Heard through the grapevine that one saying they use frequently is
'Howyagoing' instead of 'Howya doin?'It's little sayings like this that will help me 'fit in' !
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
It's been my experience that "little sayings like this" make you look like a poser and no one responds well to that.
In London once, a fool I was traveling with asked everyone he met "what is the proper pub ettiquete for ...". Everyone thought he was an idiot so they gave him some "tips" on how to act in a pub. Some of them were really funny (i.e., "ALWAYS tip 100% or more, otherwise the waitstaff won't serve you next time"). Others were kind of dangerous (i.e., "you have to find the biggest person in the pub and ask his permission to take a seat").
The fool survived, but never did understand why his "pub experience" was not as good as he had expected. Don't try to affect local customs until the locals have had a chance to find out if they care how you act.
David
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Hg
Eng-Tips guidelines: FAQ731-376
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
I mention this because some people can get a little upset if you use the wrong spelling.
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
and it's centre, litre, metre not center, liter, meter.
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
A great Test series though, the best I've seen.
Cheers
dbuzz
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Naresuan University
Phitsanulok
Thailand
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
The variation of the vocabulary never ceases to amaze. My favourite is: "No worries, mate". This, in Australia's own inimitable style, has become "No f*****g worries", then Spoonerised to: "No Wucking Furries" and contracted to: "No Wuckers".
People with red hair are called "Bluey" and they really do say "Fair Dinkum?".
Why would you live anywhere else?
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Laters,
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Cheers
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
(Hint) In Sydney they call a suitcase a port for some strange reason. Nowhere else in Australia, just in NSW. If you say "suitcase", the taxi driver will smile a knowing smile and ask where you are from.
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Jeff
RE: English: British, Canadian and American
Cheers
Greg Locock
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.