The joys of the English language!

[craftychris]

Ah, beck pecks and fush & chups! - Aren't Kiwis the ones who mix all their vowels up? !!!!

We sure do! But I've been here long enough to think that I wouldn't. We did a motorhome trip about 15 years ago round the South Island and the evening meal was f&c. Went into a little byway shop to order and my daughter, niece and myself all doubled over - we could scarcely understand the lass behind the counter when she confirmed our order for "fush and chups". The accent seem to stronger on the west coast of the SI than I've ever known. Thanks for opening up all this amusing discussion Jane. Cheers Chris

[Poppytree]

Imagine my friends who are Mandarine and Cantonese when "Ho" became a joke! They were not so amused! lol Very proper friends! Sandy be quiet, yes, they are our friends!!

Many years ago we had 2 young Chinese/Malay men stay with us. One of them was called Tin Poh. Don't know if it means the same in the USA but any Brits reading will understand!

[Poppytree]

Now all this is all very amusing and so real. But could someone please explain to me why we buy fabric by the metre and cut in imperial? Is it an Aussie thing or an all over the world thing?

Most quilting was done in the USA and UK and other nations were in the minority and went along with it. Australia used to have feet and inches and older people still refer to them. Nearly all patterns produced today are still in inches

Much of our fabric comes from the USA and widths there are in inches (approx 42") but everything else is metric here so we buy the lengths in metres! (Same in the UK and Europe) I would think that there are more American quilters than anywhere else so everything will be measured in inches. I doubt Americans will every become metric although their currency is decimal (100 cents to the $) We started to go metric in the UK back in the 70s but never went the whole way. So weights for food is in metric but distances are measured in miles and yards. Clothes have both and the building industry works mainly in metric. Very confusing.

[Denis]

Now all this is all very amusing and so real. But could someone please explain to me why we buy fabric by the metre and cut in imperial? Is it an Aussie thing or an all over the world thing?

It's the same here in Canada. My guess is because our countries adopted the metric system but the majority of our quilt patterns and notions come from the US where they still use the imperial system. Canadian designers also use inches in their patterns so they can be sold to US quilters. I've seen patterns from Europe where they use metric in their cutting.

[mommadeb]

I'm constantly in awe of the number of people in Europe who speak English. I don't understand how they managed to learn our language. So many exceptions to the rules. Where did they find the time to not only learn their own language but ours as well? Americans, on the whole, really don't need to learn a second language. Over here I really see the need to converse in more than one. I guess the schools over here put a greater emphasis on learning multiple languages.

The kids here start learning Icelandic as their mother tongue (obviously), then about age 8-9 they start learning UK english in school and then in about 8th or 9th grade they start learning Danish. By the time they graduate, the are already fluent in three languages!

[Poppytree]

This is a pretty bird but “fit bird” has an entirely different meaning. (Photo/AP)

We may have invented the English language but that doesn’t mean our version is always understood by those who share our mother tongue.

1. What we say: “Sorry”
What Americans hear: “I sincerely apologize.”
Saying sorry is like a national tic, which means we Brits rarely use the word to convey a heartfelt apology. This is baffling to Americans who will, on occasion, reply with something like, “Why, exactly, are you sorry?” “I’m not,” you’ll say, confused. “Sorry.”

2. What we say: “How do you do?”
What Americans hear: “Please provide a rundown of your most recent medical.”
Despite how it sounds, this is a formal greeting and not an invitation for commentary on a person’s quality of life. But Americans sometimes take it literally and have no problem replying truthfully, with a list of ailments.

3. What we say: “Cheers”
What Americans hear: “To your good health”
In the U.S., this is what people say when they clink glasses in the pub. We do this too but Brits have other uses for this word, all of which will flummox your American friends. Like when we say “cheers” instead of “thank you.” Signing off a phone call or an email this way will leave U.S. folk wondering why you’re toasting them.

4. What we say: “You know what I mean?”
What Americans hear: “Did you comprehend what I just said?”
This British conversation filler isn’t even weighty enough to count as a rhetorical question. Nonetheless, Americans will take it at face value and seek to reassure you that they did indeed understand your last statement.

5. What we say: “I’ve got the right hump.”
What Americans hear: “I have a hunchback.”
Sometime Brits see fit to borrow camels’ dominant physical attribute to help explain that they’re annoyed or frustrated. We’re not, in fact, opening up about a crippling disfigurement.

6. What we say: “It’s a bit dear.”
What Americans hear: “It’s slightly adorable.”
When we Brits want to politely say something is too expensive, we might roll out this quaint old expression. Not a good idea if you’re trying to haggle with an American: they’ll take it as a compliment.

7. What we say: “I got off with this fit bird.”
What Americans hear: “I disembarked with an athletic pigeon.”
Don’t expect Americans to even attempt a translation here. But if they do manage to guess that “got off with” means “made out with”, be sure to clarify that what you mean by “bird.”

8. What we say: “I went to public school.”
What Americans hear: “I went to a school my parents didn’t pay for.”
Americans with a snobbish bent will lap up tales of posh British schooling. However, your use of the word “public” may well throw them off. Begin by explaining that, in the U.K., public school is the same as private school. Or, decide not to have this conversation in the first place because it’ll make you sound like a twit.

9. What we say: “I’m easy.”
What Americans hear: “I always have sex on the first date.”
Even the ultra laidback Brits who use this expression might still take issue with the American translation. To avoid misinterpretation, plump for something more on the nose like, “I don’t mind.”

10. What we say: “All right, darling?”
What Americans hear: “How are you, love of my life?”
Save prudish Americans’ blushes by not directing this informal version of “How do you do?” at them. Worse still is the West Country version, which substitutes “darling” for the infinitely more bewildering and inappropriate “my lover.”

[Sandy Navas]

Jane, I had a very brazen American friend who came to fisticuffs with a British friend when the 'Merican told him: "You Brits may have come up with the English language, but you had to send it to America so it could become perfected."

[Sandy Navas]

Did anyone else notice that Jane's comments above did not mention having a joint, patting a fanny . . . some of the others escape me right now (don't let that offend thee, my friends from the UK).

[alwaysinmyroom]

I love that even the same English words can have very different meanings! I try not to offend or make people laugh by using the incorrect ones when I see them or travel...I think most people now understand that the world is becoming quite homogenous! I took Latin in school so many of the languages sound the same to me and I can understand a lot when I hear it, mostly Spanish, French and English. I am struggling with the Asian languages because it is not just the words but the sounds as well that can change meaning...yet, my Asian friends tell me English is still the toughest language they had to learn!

ha ha Sandy--I never say "fa--ny pack" anymore! And I started calling sweaters I knit "jerseys" if I post on an English knitting site! I love all the words...

Thanks all for sharing your amusing stories!

[Musical_Starling]

We share some "colloquialisms" (I think that's the right word) with our friends across the pond, and I've heard my Mom say that something is very "dear", meaning it is very expensive. And I call random strangers anything from "Darling" to "My Lover" to "Sweetheart" or even "My Honey" lol Are they going to think I'm coming on to them? lol

I've also heard that when I wake up my hair is "like a birch broom in the fits" and I'll need a "yaffle" of hair pins to keep it down lol Not sure if these are local to Newfoundland or if they're more terms we've "borrowed" from our British ancestors You can actually buy a Newfoundland dictionary, and sometimes it comes in handy! lol