Language differences

We have started a sewing/quilting group at our church with a group of lovely Persian ladies from Iran (mainly 'boat' people) and a quilting friend has donated a sewing machine and loads of fabrics.

As well as teaching them some skills it is a great opportunity to help them learn more about our culture and improve their English ............. which reminds me once again of the differences in English speaking countries - Australia, Britain and USA. Australia seems to have a mixture of both so its even more confusing for them

20 BRITISH WORDS THAT MEAN SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT IN THE U.S. ? Bigstock Blog

That's funny!

Well that was good for a giggle! I knew a lot of them already, as I am a huge Royal fan and read the Daily Mail everyday. Thanks for sharing!

:lol: I heard Elton John reportedly say, he was the biggest Queen of England! Very cute Loved reading and seeing these pictures
Thanks

That was cute! I've often said that we're two peoples divided by a common language. :)

Ple-e-ease don't believe everything (or anything!) you read in the Daily Mail.:icon_eek:

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Originally Posted by HdWench

:lol: I heard Elton John reportedly say, he was the biggest Queen of England! Very cute Loved reading and seeing these pictures
Thanks

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Looking at your signature, you have a few moggies. My daughter married a Brit, lives there, and I'm slowly getting used to some terms. I have 3 moggies, she has 6.

You know my DH is an interpreter, right?

Now you understand why an American Lady (?) and a Native Spanish Speaker do not converse well . . .

Definitely the same the world around.

Maybe that's because he's male though . . .

Differences can be soooo embarrassing. True story: I am a Brit and my mother was in Miami many years ago and she wanted a wake up call so she asked the guy on the reception desk if he could " knock her up" at 6am. She did to understand why he almost choked trying to suppress his laughter ! I now live in the East Midlands (Nottinghamshire ) and I used to work for a US company. Originally from the southern part of England I have much less of an accent than the locals who not only have their midlands accents but also use a lot of dialect, so, when anyone came over from Seattle to the UK office I often had to walk round with the guys and, for want of a better word 'interpret' the conversation.. For instance if it looks like it is going to rain, locally that would be expressed as - it's black over our Bills mothers. Honest. I am not making this up. Another thing that springs to mind as typically local to here was when I heard some one say 'mek it go backards' when trying to tell a drive r to reverse his car. Don't you just love the thing that make us all just that little bit different? I hope I have not bored your eyes shut here. I am not known as the mouth from the south for nothing you know! Lol

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Originally Posted by HdWench

:lol: I heard Elton John reportedly say, he was the biggest Queen of England! Very cute Loved reading and seeing these pictures
Thanks

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There is also a story about the late queen mother who called down to the kitchen one day and asked if any of the old queens down there could make a pot of tea for this old queen.

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Originally Posted by Jeannie acton

when anyone came over from Seattle to the UK office I often had to walk round with the guys and, for want of a better word 'interpret' the conversation.. For instance if it looks like it is going to rain, locally that would be expressed as - it's black over our Bills mothers. Honest. I am not making this up. Another thing that springs to mind as typically local to here was when I heard some one say 'mek it go backards' when trying to tell a drive r to reverse his car. Don't you just love the thing that make us all just that little bit different? I hope I have not bored your eyes shut here. I am not known as the mouth from the south for nothing you know! Lol

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Local/regional dialects are even more fun aren't they? My Mum came from Fife and had some real humdingers! I'm a 'posh' southerner myself and speak with a 'BBC' accent (all because I went to elocution as a child to get rid of a stutter!)

Hi Jane, my grandma was scots and she lived with us on and off. My friends thought she was a foreigner because of her accent and dialect. Lol. Your post has just reminded me that we used to have elocution lessons in school! I an clearly remember having to hold my hand in front of my mouth as repeating K P and T over and over to feel the air hitting the palm of your hand when pronounced correctly. I would like to say happy days but they were not. Lol