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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
 newyorkeric Diglot Moderator Singapore Joined 6379 days ago 1598 posts - 2174 votes  Speaks: English*, Italian Studies: Mandarin, Malay Personal Language Map | Message 9 of 16 16 March 2014 at 1:00pm | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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These are really a lot of vocabulary differences that most people would never come across unless you live in
both countries for extended periods of time. Here are some of them off the top of my head that I have come across in Singapore. I assume these are mostly left over from when the language here was more English centric. Flip-flops/slippers Parking lot/car park Parking spot/parking lot Sneakers/runners Apartment/flat Elevator/lift Dump truck/tipper truck Moped/motorbike Pants/trousers Sweater/pullover Passenger/riding pillion Trunk/boot Hood/bonnet Stroller/pram Cart/trolley Mail/post Edited by newyorkeric on 17 March 2014 at 3:11pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| dampingwire Bilingual Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4665 days ago 1185 posts - 1513 votes Speaks: English*, Italian*, French Studies: Japanese | Message 10 of 16 16 March 2014 at 2:10pm | IP Logged | |||||||||||
I think those are "trainers" in the UK. "runners" I've never come across, "running shoes" I've heard used here.
I think in the UK an "apartment" is a "flat" that an estate agent is trying to sell to you :-) (and I think in the US an "estate agent" would be a realtor).
I think a motorbike is universally a two-wheeled vehicle with a powerful engine. A "moped" in the UK is a motorbike with an engine size of (iirc) 50cc or less, so basically a glorified bicycle with a lawn mower engine :-)
I can't work out the difference between a sweater, a pullover and a jumper. As far as I can see they are all a tube of material that covers from the neck to the waist with a cylinder for each arm. A cardigan is the same thing but with a front opening and fastenings (buttons or a zip). Edited by dampingwire on 16 March 2014 at 2:11pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| shk00design Triglot Senior Member Canada Joined 4444 days ago 747 posts - 1123 votes Speaks: Cantonese*, English, Mandarin Studies: French | Message 11 of 16 16 March 2014 at 4:02pm | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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Several words off my head:
lorry / truck bonnet / hood (front cover of a car) petro (short for petroleum) / gas underground / subway tube station / subway station Other spelling differences: organise / organize organisation / organization aeroport / airport aeroplane / airplane Some words in England are pronounced with a higher pitch A such as can't for cannot, aunt as in aunt & uncle, dance. Recently I came across books in the business section of the bookstore by Richard Branson & Donald Trump. You can tell Mr. Branson uses British spelling for words and Mr. Trump uses American spelling. Edited by shk00design on 16 March 2014 at 4:03pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| AlexTG Diglot Senior Member Australia Joined 4638 days ago 178 posts - 354 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: Latin, German, Spanish, Japanese | Message 12 of 16 17 March 2014 at 8:41am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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In terms of pronunciation I'd say Standardised British English and Standardised American English (i.e those
used in media when they want to avoid a regional feel) are more similar to each other than they are to their regional variants. In fact actors in the 40s and 50s from both countries spoke a mixed accent called "transatlantic". 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| luke Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7205 days ago 3133 posts - 4351 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Esperanto, French | Message 13 of 16 17 March 2014 at 9:02am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
Motorbike is not used much in the states. If one needs to clarify, one says "motorcycle" instead of "bicycle". I hear "bike" or "Harley" a lot. A "bike" is something with a "real" engine in it. A person who called a moped a "bike" would probably be laughed at. There are varieties of course. The "crotch rocket", is a fast bike in which the passenger(s) lean forward. That would not be used for a moped nor a powerful "touring bike". 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| boon Diglot Groupie Ireland Joined 6159 days ago 91 posts - 177 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: German, Mandarin, Latin | Message 14 of 16 18 March 2014 at 12:15am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
They are usually "runners" in Ireland too. Interesting that the same word seems to be used in Singapore. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| DaisyMaisy Senior Member United States Joined 5380 days ago 115 posts - 178 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish Studies: Swedish, Finnish | Message 15 of 16 19 March 2014 at 4:49am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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I'm in the US, and motorbike to me is one of those motorcycle like, off road dirt bike things - the deathtraps that young guys ride around on obstacle courses. You wouldn't ride a motorbike on normal streets, at least in the usage I'm familiar with.
I agree that anyone who called a moped a "bike" around any "bikers" would be laughed out of town. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| newyorkeric Diglot Moderator Singapore Joined 6379 days ago 1598 posts - 2174 votes Speaks: English*, Italian Studies: Mandarin, Malay Personal Language Map | Message 16 of 16 21 March 2014 at 8:32am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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As some have noted, the relationships between words aren't always one to one.
For example, motorbike here is generally used for all two wheel motorized vehicles. I mapped it to mopeds because the overwhelming majority of motorbikes in Singapore are similar to what we Americans call mopeds (i.e., small with puny engines). What we would call motorcycles are also called motorbikes here. As for sneakers, I believe both the words runners and trainers are used here. There may be some subtle differences that I am not aware of, which is often the case since even though these words are not rare by any means I still haven't heard them in enough contexts to always pick up their subtleties. Edited by newyorkeric on 21 March 2014 at 8:32am 1 person has voted this message useful |
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