I was just reading another post from a knitter in Australia whose pattern referred to the left “pin.” And it made me think of the fact that all around the world, english-speaking people use different english words to refer to different objects. It also reminds me of that when I watch my daughter’s favourite TV channels, because a lot of them are made by people in England, Australia, etc.
I live on the far eastern side of Canada, which means the ancestry here is primarily European (United Kingdom). Because of this, Newfoundlanders often use terms from that area that other Canadians aren’t always familiar with. Some examples:
the “bonnet” of a car (the hood)
“beanie” (toque)
There are tons more, but of course I can’t think of them now, perhaps others have some.
It’s also the reason sometimes I will write “color,” and sometimes “colour.” Although the accepted spelling, all across Canada is “colour.”
I’ve always found the different terms and spellings interesting. It makes it hard to understand what someone is saying occasionally, but a few questions usually clears that up. :teehee:
Just remember - there is no one right way… they are all just different.
YES! I love to hear the flow of language as it is spoken/written/read.
As a United States-ion, I there are quite a few British terms that I absolutely love:
bumbershoot (umbrella)
bubbler (drinking fountain)
lift (elevator)
flat (apartment)
Bobby (cop, policeman)
Governor (Boss, Chief)
knickers (underwear, panties)
loo (restroom)
mates (friends)
bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes)
bubble and squeak (cabbage stew)
Bob’s your uncle (voilà! there you have it!)
bugger (a universal swear word)
gob-smacked (amazed)
knackered (worn out)
quid (a UK dollar/pound)
row (rhymes with cow - argument)
shag/shagging (having sex)
sixes and sevens (not up to par, in disarray)
wanker (jerk)
All this talk takes me back to when I was in college studying in Paris, France. I met my best friend there (a Brit) who used to tease me about my “American slang” - meaning my everyday language! We used to tease each other quite a bit - she kept calling my sweaters “jumpers”, and I kept calling her “dresses” jumpers!
Anyway, I don’t know whatever happened to it, but for Christmas I ended up with and English-American dictionary! We had a lot of laughs over that one!!!
