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American and British Vocabularies | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Philological Room |  | |
| Sunja Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 6085 days ago 2020 posts - 2295 votes  1 sounds Speaks: English*, German Studies: French, Mandarin | Message 17 of 76 06 August 2008 at 1:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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What do you guys think of some of our irregular verbs?
"proven" or "proved" "got" or "gotten" and does anybody use smelt (p.participle, smell) or wrought or spelt? (I actually know the answer, but thought I'd throw it out there ;)) Edited by Sunja on 06 August 2008 at 1:12pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Chung Diglot Senior Member Joined 7156 days ago 4228 posts - 8259 votes 20 sounds Speaks: English*, French Studies: Polish, Slovak, Uzbek, Turkish, Korean, Finnish | Message 18 of 76 06 August 2008 at 1:50pm | IP Logged | ||
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- I've learned that "proven" and "got" are OK as past participles. However I am aware that "proved" and "gotten" can do the same function.
- I always use "smelled" over "smelt" as I'd confuse it with the verb "to smelt" and the noun "smelt". - I often use "worked" for "wrought" but I am aware that both forms exist. In addition, I am aware of constructions such as "What hath God wrought?", "wrought-iron fence" or "machine that is worked by hand". I don't recall encountering "What hath God worked?", "worked-iron fence" or "machine that is wrought by hand" but perhaps they do exist. - I use "spelled" for "spelt" but was taught that "spelt" would turn up most frequently in British English. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| SamD Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 6659 days ago 823 posts - 987 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French Studies: Portuguese, Norwegian | Message 19 of 76 06 August 2008 at 2:37pm | IP Logged | ||
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[/QUOTE] The only exceptions in my use are autumn/fall, prison/jail (I use these pairs interchangeably) and toilets/restroom (I usually use "washroom"). "Restroom" seems officious to me.[/QUOTE] "Washroom" seems like the most commonly used term in Canada. I use the words "film" and "movie" more or less interchangeably. However, "film" seems like a more serious word; I'd use it to describe an independent or "art" film, but I'd use "movie" to refer to a summer blockbuster. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| robertdover8 Groupie United States Joined 6020 days ago 43 posts - 42 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian, Spanish | Message 20 of 76 06 August 2008 at 2:52pm | IP Logged | ||
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If I was in school and someone asked me for a "rubber", I'd tell them I don't carry condoms everywhere I go.
Also if someone asked me for coriander I'd have this confused look on my face. Never heard of it, but I definitely know cilantro. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| JW Hexaglot Senior Member United States youtube.com/user/egw Joined 6122 days ago 1802 posts - 2011 votes 22 sounds Speaks: English*, German, Spanish, Ancient Greek, French, Biblical Hebrew Studies: Luxembourgish, Dutch, Greek, Italian | Message 21 of 76 06 August 2008 at 7:39pm | IP Logged | ||
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Here are a few of my favorites that I always find humorous as an American would never use them:
Barrister - Lawyer Bollocks - Crap Lolly - Lollipop Maths - Math Pissed - Drunk (pissed means angry in the US) Fag - Cigarette (fag means gay in the US) Poofter - Fag Queue - Line Arse - Ass Rubbish - Garbage Sod off - Get lost Straightaway - Right Away Takeaway - Takeout Telly - Television, TV Wanker - Jerk Zed - Zee (last letter of the alphabet) Nappy - Diaper Later dudes (Cheers mates) Edited by JW on 06 August 2008 at 7:40pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| thebard Diglot Newbie United Kingdom Joined 6043 days ago 19 posts - 20 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Italian | Message 22 of 76 06 August 2008 at 8:12pm | IP Logged | ||
I do. And "dreamt" and some others too. But then I'm English. Wrought isn't so common, I suppose. But the verb itself isn't exactly common, either (in the sense of shaping metal, that is). BTW, a barrister is a specific type of lawyer, so the two aren't interchangeable. Don't forget Pram/Stroller for the thing you take the baby out in. I'd say "a can of coke", but a "a tin of beans". A cookie tends to mean a particular type of biscuit, usually big, with chips of something; American-style, if you will. I'm not sure about the stove-cooker one. For me, the thing you put the food in is the oven. What sits on top where you light the gas is the hob. Petrol station is much more common than "filling station". Suspenders in the UK are something a woman might wear. The guy who collects the dustbin is the dustbin man, or just the binman. Several of them are interchangeable to be honest these days. Film-movie, flat-appartment, lift-elevator. Post-mail has always been (our postal service is called, or was, the Royal Mail). We somethimes say jail, and you sometimes see it spelt "gaol". And if we did say sales-clerk, we'd pronounce it "clark", ha. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Rameau Triglot Senior Member Germany Joined 6107 days ago 149 posts - 258 votes 4 sounds Speaks: English*, GermanC1, Danish Studies: Swedish, French, Icelandic | Message 23 of 76 06 August 2008 at 8:51pm | IP Logged | ||
"Rubbish" is certainly used in the US (or at least in the northeast), if not as frequenty as "garbage" (it also sounds just a wee bit old-fashioned). "Wanker" also seems to be gaining some small traction among certain groups of young people (with the understanding that it's a decidedly British insult), possibly due to greater access to British television. Concerning the first list, I think the divide between a few of these terms is a bit exaggerated...Surely "jug" and "pitcher" are both acceptable terms on both sides of the Atlantic? And while I've always considered "fall" to be distinctly American, I don't think there's anything especially British about "autumn". Neither "sweets" nor "candy" is likely to raise too mant eyebrows on either side of the Atlantic. "Penitentiary" is never used in normal speech, except possibly when repeating the name of a specific facility--the common word is always "jail" or "prison". And I don't know where the book got the idea that "film" vs. "movie" was a regional difference rather than colloquial vs. (mildly) technical. The most notable differences, I think, are the smallest ones--maths vs. math, sport vs. sports, car park vs. parking lot, etc. I think it's also a mistake to reduce English simply to the two categories of "British" and "American"--there's also Australian, Canadian, Irish, and many other versions, all of which share vocabulary with both of the first two, as well as having their own specific words. And let's not forget regional variations within any of these countries... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Sunja Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 6085 days ago 2020 posts - 2295 votes 1 sounds Speaks: English*, German Studies: French, Mandarin | Message 24 of 76 07 August 2008 at 3:46am | IP Logged | ||
Thanks, thebard, I actually enjoyed all of what you wrote! That helps me to give a little more insight when I tutor English. The German students that I tutor get confused between British and American English and there's a tendency for them to mix it all together! You may not think that sounds bad, but they learn the ultra-strict "Oxford" English in their schools, starting about age 11 and at the same time, they are bombarded with a huge influx of American songs, movies, and television --- well, mostly songs because I can't convince them to watch their DVDs in English ;) Some Germans move on from British English and get jobs across the Atlantic, where their British English is then "watered down" to Canadian or American English. Granted: most differences are small; "play in a team", vs. "play on a team". What most are confused about is spelling. I teach them British spelling, but they often forget -- again, due to American books, magazines, etc. and can't remember, "plow" or "plough". As foreign language learners, it's hard for them to be consistent. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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