Literature The British English vs American English thread!

[Envy]

I need the HP audiobooks but I can't afford them. I also need the ebooks.

And my library doesn't have the audiobooks. Not that I would borrow them and copy them. No, I wouldn't do that because that's naughty.

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/user/MsBANE007/videos?query=HP[/SPOILER]

 

[Cerebellion]

I didn't exactly....um, pay...for them. I torrented it because I don't think you can get the Fry versions in the States

 

[Alice-Bee]

In the UK you would have nicked them

Whats with the American phrase 'taking a shower/nap/walk' Where exactly are you taking these things?

 

[Muggle]

In the UK you would have nicked them

Whats with the American phrase 'taking a shower/nap/walk' Where exactly are you taking these things?

The other one that makes me giggle sometimes is "I'm going to the bathroom" etc instead of toilet or loo. I asked some woman in California where the loos were and she looked shocked before telling me where the bathroom was. If I wanted a bath I'd want to know if there was a bathroom around, but I want the loos!

 

[Envy]

In the UK you would have nicked them

Whats with the American phrase 'taking a shower/nap/walk' Where exactly are you taking these things?

We say it like that in Sweden as well.

 

[Alice-Bee]

The other one that makes me giggle sometimes is "I'm going to the bathroom" etc instead of toilet or loo. I asked some woman in California where the loos were and she looked shocked before telling me where the bathroom was. If I wanted a bath I'd want to know if there was a bathroom around, but I want the loos!

haha. Try saying "how la' where tha bogs like pet lamb??"
My friend always says 'may I use the bathroom' it annoys me as I think shes asking to have a shower or something haha.

We say it like that in Sweden as well.

Well then youre just as bad.

 

[Digger]

The term 'bog' used to throw me... I always pictured folks going out into a swamp to do their business.

 

[mlp]

Here in the U.S., a room that has a bath in it will automatically have a toilet as well, so I suspect that "bathroom" became the acceptable term because the mental image evoked by "bath" is more pleasant than that evoked by "toilet." A bathroom that has a toilet but no bathtub or shower is called a "half bath" in real estate parlance, and one that has a shower but no bathtub is called a "three quarters bath." And strictly speaking, toilets in public buildings are called "restrooms."

 

[mlp]

This thread is making me start to wonder why Americans have the reputation of not being cognizant of and/or adaptable to different cultural norms and language differences. That seems to be far from being a primarily American trait.

 

[Digger]

This thread is making me start to wonder why Americans have the reputation of not being cognizant of and/or adaptable to different cultural norms and language differences. That seems to be far from being a primarily American trait.

Absolutely. In fact being the 'melting pot' that we are I'd surmise that the reality is quite the contrary.

 

[Cerebellion]

Being the melting pot, we have about 30 ways to say just about anything

 

[Cerebellion]

American Goulash, if you will

 

[Digger]

I do love a good 'wank' or 'toss' as opposed to beating off or jerking off.

 

[TreeHugger]

I do love a good 'wank' or 'toss' as opposed to beating off or jerking off.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I hate any altered books
Like Enid Blyton, I used to really like reading about shillings and then they changed it all to pounds in the new ones.

I didn't realise they had to change those type of things, I thought they only decided to alter the racist stuff. I used to love Enid Blyton's books as a child.

 

[Envy]

I do love a good 'wank' or 'toss' as opposed to beating off or jerking off.

Wanker!

 

[Digger]

Wanker!

Why thank you.

 

[Cerebellion]

Wanker does sound a better jerk-offer or beat off-er

 

[AeryFairy]

Tosser is good as well

 

[Cerebellion]

Funnily enough, I almost said that wanker flows off the tongue better than the other two. Oops