Britishisms used in the US

[Laura Corin]

There was a survey about this a while back, but I thought some might find this blog interesting too.

 

Laura

[elegantlion]

Thank you. :D

[Laura Corin]

It's interesting for me too: after twenty-five years of living with a Texan, I no longer have a strong hold on what is British and what not. My accent is wonky too: I've been identified as Irish, Canadian and 'Where the heck?' in the last couple of weeks.

 

Laura

[Firefly]

I picked up many Britishisms when I lived in the UK for several years, and even though it was ages ago most have stuck with me. I've even transferred some to my dc, since they've heard me say them so many times! If they're becoming popular here in the US, maybe we won't seem so odd anymore. :D

[Onceuponatime]

The "NOOB" kept throwing me off. I was hearing my 14yo in my head and wondering what that had to do with Britishisms.

[Laura Corin]

The "NOOB" kept throwing me off. I was hearing my 14yo in my head and wondering what that had to do with Britishisms.

 

I think it stands for Not One-Off Britishisms.

 

L

[Onceuponatime]

I think it stands for Not One-Off Britishisms.

 

L

 

 

I figured it out. I wonder if the double connotation is intentional. :-)

[Mom in High Heels]

We use Britishisms all the time, but it's probably because many of the English channels we get over here are British. Sometimes my family doesn't understand what I'm saying. Weird.

[Tammi K]

We lived in Australia for 6 years and the expressions and idioms of the area seep into your speech so subtly that you aren't even aware of it. My kids never sounded like Aussies to me until we stepped foot into the Los Angeles airport. As soon as I heard 'real Americans' speaking, I realized how Australian my kids sounded. For instance, American kids don't generally say, "Go put your rubbish in the bin," or "Ben's shirt and pants are all wonky so I better get him sorted."

The thing is that the adoption of the phrases or words is so subtle that you don't even realize you use it. It just becomes the norm. My dd commented after a recent visit to Subway that the sandwich maker always looks confused when she asks for capsicum and she doesn't know why - and we've been back for 10 years. You think she would have noticed before now.

[Laura Corin]

"Ben's shirt and pants are all wonky so I better get him sorted."

 

 

I'm not Australian, but I think that might be 'shirt and trousers'. Otherwise Ben's wonkiness might definitely need sorting out if he's out in public.

 

Laura

[Mom in High Heels]

I'm not Australian, but I think that might be 'shirt and trousers'. Otherwise Ben's wonkiness might definitely need sorting out if he's out in public.

 

Laura

 

:smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5:

 

 

Is 'wonky' a Britishism? I use it all the time. Maybe that's why people look at me like I'm mad? <--American's don't generally get that one either. They think I mean 'angry' and not 'crazy.'

 

I also use gobsmacked, which no one seems to understand.

[nmoira]

My dad was English and I grew up watching British TV. Still watch it. My head is all a muddle though when it comes to grammar, punctuation and spelling because I was raised in Canada but live in the US, and we read tonnes of books from the UK. With time it's getting worse instead of better.

 

Strangers sometimes ask my kids if they are English, usually after a "shall" or a "shan't." Go figure.

[Danestress]

I have an (unreasonable, probably) bias against people who easily adopt other people's speech patterns. I think it is because of the deep disdain my parents had for my Aunt, who married a southerner and made every effort to sound like Scarlett O'hara for the rest of her life. I love her, but I hate her fake southern accent. I live in the south - I don't feel that way at all around people with authentic accents and speech patterns. It's just knowing how badly she wanted to sound southern that irritates me.

 

When I lived in England, I understood how Americans so easily find themselves adopting the little peculiarities of the spoken language in the UK. I probably did it myself. But somehow I just can't stand when they maintain those things back in the States. I find it pretentious, though I do understand that some people just are more linguistically adaptable than others. Like I said, it is probably and unreasonable bias, but I will own it.

[Tammi K]

 

 

I'm not Australian, but I think that might be 'shirt and trousers'. Otherwise Ben's wonkiness might definitely need sorting out if he's out in public.

 

Laura

 

 

Thank you, Laura. Yes, wearing his 'pants' in public might leave him feeling exposed!

 

Funny story: Right after we got to Australia, we were invited to a church service with some neighbors. During a break in the service, a little boy was wandering around asking everyone if they had seen his 'skivy' Now, where I grew up, skivvies refereed to underwear. So, here we are, in a church service, wondering just how on earth this little kid lost his underpants and why his mother didn't seem bothered.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention that skivy means long-sleeve t-shirt or turtle neck.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Language is naturally picked up from reading, watching t.v. and other media and being around people. To pick up words and even an accent that way is not fake, it is the natural progression of language acquisition. Growing up overseas, all the books in the books in the bookstores were by the British divisions of the major publishing houses and had British spelling. Many of the authors happened to be British. My English is a conglomeration of American and British English and of course other languages as well, as those words become part of the linguistic landscape.

[Laura Corin]

I have an (unreasonable, probably) bias against people who easily adopt other people's speech patterns. I think it is because of the deep disdain my parents had for my Aunt, who married a southerner and made every effort to sound like Scarlett O'hara for the rest of her life. I love her, but I hate her fake southern accent. I live in the south - I don't feel that way at all around people with authentic accents and speech patterns. It's just knowing how badly she wanted to sound southern that irritates me.

 

 

I think there is a difference between people who affect an accent and those who pick one up by accident. My accent/usage is a bizarre agglomeration of my native southern English (RP) sound and aspects picked up from living with a Texan for twenty five years, plus two years spent in the US and another fifteen years in various expatriate communities, surrounded by accents from all over the world. My speech is odd but it's not an affectation.

 

Laura

[Dicentra]

It's interesting for me too: after twenty-five years of living with a Texan, I no longer have a strong hold on what is British and what not. My accent is wonky too: I've been identified as Irish, Canadian and 'Where the heck?' in the last couple of weeks.

 

Laura

 

:D So... Southern England x Texan = Canadian. :D I always wondered what Canadians sounded like to everyone else... ;) :laugh:

(I'm just teasing. :))

[SarahW]

Hmm, yes, people keep on asking me where I'm from. When I answer that with a location in white-bread Midwest they get confused. I guess I've picked up an accent in my travels and choice of marriage partner?

 

I enjoyed living in Ireland, where "got" is a completely normal verb. As in "Have you got your bags?" signs at the grocery store. I always felt slightly embarrassed about my preference for "got" over "have" before then.

[Laura Corin]

 

:D So... Southern England x Texan = Canadian. :D I always wondered what Canadians sounded like to everyone else... ;) :laugh:

(I'm just teasing. :))

 

Since moving to Scotland, I've been hearing how Scottish the Canadian accent is. To my ears, the Canadian 'oo' sound (sometimes used - of perhaps used by some - where a USAsian would say an 'ow' sound) appears to be straight out of Scotland.

 

I don't think I actually sound Canadian - more indeterminate with a light N. American slant.

 

Laura

[Firefly]

I have an (unreasonable, probably) bias against people who easily adopt other people's speech patterns. I think it is because of the deep disdain my parents had for my Aunt, who married a southerner and made every effort to sound like Scarlett O'hara for the rest of her life. I love her, but I hate her fake southern accent. I live in the south - I don't feel that way at all around people with authentic accents and speech patterns. It's just knowing how badly she wanted to sound southern that irritates me.

 

When I lived in England, I understood how Americans so easily find themselves adopting the little peculiarities of the spoken language in the UK. I probably did it myself. But somehow I just can't stand when they maintain those things back in the States. I find it pretentious, though I do understand that some people just are more linguistically adaptable than others. Like I said, it is probably and unreasonable bias, but I will own it.

 

 

This is true, and for that reason I try to catch myself when with people I don't know well. Most of my family and friends know my history and they don't think twice about it, but I definitely get odd looks from others if I slip up and say I need to pop to the loo or get something out of the boot of my car.

[Rosie_0801]

'Wonky' is such a good word.

[Dicentra]

Since moving to Scotland, I've been hearing how Scottish the Canadian accent is. To my ears, the Canadian 'oo' sound (sometimes used - of perhaps used by some - where a USAsian would say an 'ow' sound) appears to be straight out of Scotland.

 

I don't think I actually sound Canadian - more indeterminate with a light N. American slant.

 

Laura

 

When I hear someone from Newfoundland speak, I definitely hear "aboot" for "about" but I'm not sure if I do it, too. (I'm in central Canada - Ontario but almost in Manitoba.) I don't think I do but then it's hard to analyze one's own accent. ;)

 

Because I'm right on the border with Minnesota, many of the homeschoolers we hang out with are American. I recently supervised a group of junior high students doing standardized testing over in the American border town. During the listening section, I had to read a number of short passages aloud and then they had to answer questions. They were bugging me about my "accent". :) I suggested that maybe they should submit a note with their test stating that they had troubles with that section due to the fact that their tester had an indecipherable foreign accent. :p

 

I think Canadians tend to use some British phrases for things. Chesterfield is one that comes to mind. We also have eavestroughs, not gutters. Of course we also use French words - a toque is a knitted winter hat, sometimes with a knitted pom-pom on top but not always. What do other countries call toques??

[Rosie_0801]

What do other countries call toques??

 

Beanies.

[Danestress]

 

 

My speech is odd but it's not an affectation.

 

 

 

I didn't mean you! 25 years with a Texan will affect your speach:)

 

I more meant Americans who spend a year aboard in London and come home pretending it's just soooo hard for them to remember that they live in an apartment, not a flat.

 

But anyway, I recognize that some people really do probably just adopt new speech habits more easily or shake them later more reluctantly.

[diplomum]

 

 

 

I think Canadians tend to use some British phrases for things. Chesterfield is one that comes to mind. We also have eavestroughs, not gutters. Of course we also use French words - a toque is a knitted winter hat, sometimes with a knitted pom-pom on top but not always. What do other countries call toques??

 

Bobble hats.

 

And Brits tend not to use the term Chesterfield. It's a couch or a sofa or a settee, depending on your family preference and maybe geographical location. I'm pretty sure they are also gutters in the UK, though I may adopt eavestroughs just because it's awesome.

[Firefly]

Wanted to add... I never picked up an accent in all my years living there. Just a few expressions and phrases. I did know other Americans who had been in the UK for a shorter period and already had acquired a bit of one, so I guess it is that some are just more predisposed to picking up accents than others.

[Tammi K]

 

I more meant Americans who spend a year aboard in London and come home pretending it's just soooo hard for them to remember that they live in an apartment, not a flat.

 

But anyway, I recognize that some people really do probably just adopt new speech habits more easily or shake them later more reluctantly.

 

 

The thing is, adopting new speech habits isn't necessarily a conscious choice. Sometime it sneaks in. There are Australian phrases and pronunciations that just sounded so wonky to my ears that I thought I could NEVER get used to saying them. But, when you live in an environment 24/7 and your kids go to school in that environment, and your friends were raised in that environment, things begin to seep into your language and you forget that you are even doing it.

 

There were times, after we first returned from Australia, when I would say something and people would look at me oddly, and I wouldn't even realize I said something 'unAmerican' and other times my kids would say something and get an odd response and ask if what they said was 'Australian' and I wouldn't be sure. I've lived in four different US states, including Hawaii, which sometimes has a language all its own, as well as three different countries. Sometimes, I really do forget what phrases come from what locale. It's not an attempt to put on airs. It's just that assimilation happens so subtly that sometimes you just can't remember where/when you started using a word or turn of phrase.

[Acorn]

Eavestroughs aren't American? I grew up in Michigan and our house had them.

[Jean in Newcastle]

If you are accustomed to learning your language from your environment - as I have learned my foreign languages, you become very adept at unconsciously picking up accents. It is precisely that skill that allows you to sound like a local, after all. I was talking to some Mexican migrant workers once and after talking for awhile, one asked me, "Are you mocking us?" I realized to my horror that I was mimicking their accent and even their grammar - but I assured them that it was totally unconscious and was part of my desire to be understood and to understand and was not mocking at all. After that, we had a great discussion.

[KungFuPanda]

Hmm, yes, people keep on asking me where I'm from. When I answer that with a location in white-bread Midwest they get confused. I guess I've picked up an accent in my travels and choice of marriage partner?

I enjoyed living in Ireland, where "got" is a completely normal verb. As in "Have you got your bags?" signs at the grocery store. I always felt slightly embarrassed about my preference for "got" over "have" before then.

 

That's completely normal for those of us who are Appalachain-American! I choose 'have' as an adult, but I was definitely raised on 'got' and hear it when I'm back home.

[Jean in Newcastle]

That's completely normal for those of us who are Appalachain-American! I choose 'have' as an adult, but I was definitely raised on 'got' and hear it when I'm back home.

 

Got milk?

[Danestress]

If you are accustomed to learning your language from your environment - as I have learned my foreign languages, you become very adept at unconsciously picking up accents. It is precisely that skill that allows you to sound like a local, after all.

 

Yes, understood. I thought the blog was mostly about what Britishisms were being adopted in America by Americans, and that is more what I was thinking about. I expect an American living in London for a year will start calling her sweater a 'jumper' around her British friends in the UK. I find it somewhat pretentious to continue to do so three years after moving back to Detroit. But I didn't mean to offend anyone.

[Firefly]

Well, now that you've heard that for many of us it's not intentional or trying to be pretentious, I hope you'll give others you meet the benefit of the doubt. :)

[Jean in Newcastle]

Much of the time I can't remember what "brand" of English a word falls under. For example, I use 'wonky' all the time and no one has ever misunderstood me. I didn't classify it in my mind as particularly British. I would however know that 'lorry' was British and wouldn't use in the U.S. because that is a word I never come across in an American context. And when I'm in Canada, I always remember to ask for the washroom and not the restroom because that was drummed into my head after one memorable visit when I was having trouble finding the facilities! I do use "loo" sometimes but not as an affectation - just as a synonym when I'm trying to play with words. I do like to play with words. But most of the time? It all melds together into one big melting pot of "English".

[LaxMom]

I use "wonky". I sometimes use "shvitzing" (in the Yiddish sense, not the vulgar "urban" sense), too. Some words are just delightfully descriptive like that. I've never had anyone misunderstand me.

 

Gobsmacked is not obscure, is it? I think people just may not have very good vocabularies. I had a rather odd conversation to that effect with another parent at practice the other night. She thinks I use "big" words. Like "subtlety". WTH?

 

 

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Yes! I think it is a matter of poor or at least restricted vocabularies. I love having a range of words with all their subtleties at my fingertips! And Angela, I've been accused of talking like a book!

[Dicentra]

Beanies.

 

 

Bobble hats.

 

And Brits tend not to use the term Chesterfield. It's a couch or a sofa or a settee, depending on your family preference and maybe geographical location. I'm pretty sure they are also gutters in the UK, though I may adopt eavestroughs just because it's awesome.

 

 

Learned something new. :) When I asked my friend in Minnesota what they call a toque, she just looked at me and said, "A hat - a winter hat." :D

And I always thought Chesterfield and eavestroughs were British. Learned something else new. :)

 

Eavestroughs aren't American? I grew up in Michigan and our house had them.

 

 

My Minnesotan friend (who isn't originally from Minnesota, if that makes a difference) says they always called them gutters. Maybe it's a regional thing. Or maybe you and your family subconsciously wanted to be Canadian. :D

 

Let's see, from the blog...

I use "mum" all the time when I speak but I still spell it "mom" when I write it down. My friend's daughter heard me say "mummy" once and corrected me - it's "mommy", not "mummy" - those are in Egypt, apparently.

The culinary "do" seemed right to me so that makes me think that we must say that here.

I always thought it was "leapt", not "leaped". But then I'm the one who posts about "honours" chemistry so the "-our" instead of "-or" has stuck around from our days as a British colony. :) It's also "grey", not "gray". ;)

I use "crappier" all the time. :D

We have a federal House of Parliament and a provincial Parliament and I've definitely heard the term "backbencher" used frequently.

"Turn up" is used all the time, as opposed to "show up".

 

I think, secretly, Canada still wants to be British. :leaving: :laugh:

[psychmom]

Having grown up with a British father and now being married to a British man I sometimes forget the "right" word or pronunciation--this is definitely not an affectation, because I feel quite proud of my American accent! Occasionally, I confuse "windscreen" and "windshield" and have been known to say "garage" wrong. It does get worse after we spend time in the UK. I also annoyed myself when I moved from Texas to Illinois in my 20's and began saying "you guys" after a few years. I like saying "y'all" but it the "you guys" just sort of crept in!

[nmoira]

I think, secretly, Canada still wants to be British. :leaving: :laugh:

 

Maybe. It depends on age and where you are in the country. My feeling is it's more that Canada doesn't want to be American.

[beaners]

I always thought it was "leapt", not "leaped". But then I'm the one who posts about "honours" chemistry so the "-our" instead of "-or" has stuck around from our days as a British colony. :) It's also "grey", not "gray". ;)

 

 

I was shocked the first time I saw the word "leaped" in one of our picture books. I was even more shocked that I was wrong about it being written incorrectly. I thought no one had noticed it was misspelled. :lol:

 

I can never decide whether to write gray or grey.

 

I pick up accents embarrassingly quickly. Most of it fades after I'm out of that environment, but I still have a few highlights from different places I've lived. My son's speech therapist asked where I was from after she heard the way my son says his "a" sounds. "You aren't from around here, are you?" I was busted.

[Dicentra]

I think, secretly, Canada still wants to be British. :leaving: :laugh:

 

Maybe. It depends on age and where you are in the country. My feeling is it's more that Canada doesn't want to be American.

 

I was just sort of being silly. :) I think we mostly just want to be... Canadian. :)

[nmoira]

I was just sort of being silly. :) I think we mostly just want to be... Canadian. :)

:)

 

MIL used to bait me regularly about not "seeing any difference between Canada and the US," etc. Before we had kids (giving her a whole 'nother line of attack), she knew it was the only way she could get my goat.

[Belacqua]

I was shocked the first time I saw the word "leaped" in one of our picture books. I was even more shocked that I was wrong about it being written incorrectly. I thought no one had noticed it was misspelled. :lol:

 

I can never decide whether to write gray or grey.

 

I pick up accents embarrassingly quickly. Most of it fades after I'm out of that environment, but I still have a few highlights from different places I've lived. My son's speech therapist asked where I was from after she heard the way my son says his "a" sounds. "You aren't from around here, are you?" I was busted.

 

Heh. My husband's influence becomes evident when our son says "Chris-tee-an" and "med-ee-ee-val."

[Mom in High Heels]

Yes! I think it is a matter of poor or at least restricted vocabularies. I love having a range of words with all their subtleties at my fingertips! And Angela, I've been accused of talking like a book!

 

Ha! James Bond has a less expansive vocabulary than I do, and calls some of my words five dollar words. Indy said something one day, prompting James Bond to say "I see your mom has been teaching you her fie dollar words," to which Indy replied, "Not really, I simply like to expand my horizons. I think when I'm older it will be cool to be able insult people with words they don't understand." I gave him my raised eyebrows look and he quickly covered himself by saying "Not that I would, I just think it would be cool." Hmmmm.

 

People thought Indy was British for years after we moved back to the US. When he was learning to talk, we were mostly watching British shows and cartoons, and he learned to say things with an accent. He learned to form some words in a slightly different way than American do (meaning the shape of his mouth or where the sound comes from), and still says some things with a slight accent. We were somewhere in IL, when he was about 5 and some lady asked me if he was from England because he sounded like the kids on "those British TV shows." Weird.

 

We've also started noticing it with Han Solo. He says some things in a very British way (bananas is buh-nah-nuh, car is cah-r, castle is cah-sel). He's also picked up phrases. Instead of saying 'ready, set, go,' which is they way most Americans would say it, he says 'ready, steady, go.'

 

We say rubbish instead of garbage. That's mostly due to the fact that we have 4 different bins (ha, see it would be cans in the US, right), for sorting, so rubbish means not paper, plastic or compost.

[Laura Corin]

 

There were times, after we first returned from Australia, when I would say something and people would look at me oddly

 

It can happen within a learned foreign language too. I learned my Mandarin first in Beijing, then in Taiwan, then I finally moved to provincial China. When I arrived in Taiwan, people found my accent amusing because only the old soldiers who came across with Chiang Kai Shek in 1949 had Beijing accents. By the time I moved from Taiwan back to China, I had a light Taiwan accent, but it wasn't much remarked upon; my vocabulary was all wrong, however. The first time I tried to ask someone where I could find a taxi, I was met with incomprehension: I was asking for a 'metred car' rather than a 'rented out car'.

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

My son's speech therapist asked where I was from after she heard the way my son says his "a" sounds. "You aren't from around here, are you?" I was busted.

 

Hobbes has a stutter, and when we first saw a local speech therapist after moving to Scotland, she gave him a general assessment. She said, 'He doesn't have much of an 'r' does he? If he were a Scot I'd be working on that with him. I think it's within the normal range for someone with a southern English mother though.'

 

Laura