Members from different sides of the pond sometimes cross swords here, whether it’s a about gun control, or Boeing vs Airbus. So I thought maybe we could copy another forum I belong to, and have a thread to ask friendly questions about each other’s countries, ways of life etc. And please, no political points scoring; just simple, everyday questions to hopefully understand our two great countries better.
Right, my first question, Why are banknotes in the US all the same colour, namely green? I think every other country I’ve been to has different colours for different denominations, and it makes things easier all round. Must be a reason?
By: akj - 24th October 2013 at 12:25
I don’t think you can. If the software is American, the date has to be that way around.
It’s the same on Microsoft Office 365.
It can be customised
By: Arabella-Cox - 23rd October 2013 at 16:54
I don’t think you can. If the software is American, the date has to be that way around.
It’s the same on Microsoft Office 365.
By: trumper - 23rd October 2013 at 14:27
I don’t do it for the shortened date, though. 10/23/13 is just bl**dy confusing.
It is ,my video camera stores the files in that format and they are blooming hard to keep working out.I can’t see a way of changing them either. 🙁
By: charliehunt - 23rd October 2013 at 13:54
Sidewalk, highway, trunk, automoibile……Which reminds me that US English tends to use several syllables where one will do. A trait we are now copying, sadly, probably because long words are thought to be more “important”.
By: Arabella-Cox - 23rd October 2013 at 11:11
I have always put the date the American way around because that’s how it’s done in New Zealand. So, today is October 23 rather than 23 October. Some British people, including the headmaster at the school where I teach, have a real thing about it.
I don’t do it for the shortened date, though. 10/23/13 is just bl**dy confusing.
By: ZRX61 - 22nd October 2013 at 21:38
In a similar vein… WTF is up with Australians adding “ie” or “ies” to the end of words?
Bikies (bikers), carbies (carbs), tinnies (tin cans) ad frigging nauseum…
By: snafu - 22nd October 2013 at 21:23
Every American I know pronounces it “Root 66” not Rowt 66……
Due to the influence of Bobby Troup’s composition…;o)
By: ZRX61 - 22nd October 2013 at 21:10
Route – In America ‘rowt’ – how do they differentiate with “router” ( ‘rowter’ as a tool, how do they pronounce their internet/broadband thingy?)..
Every American I know pronounces it “Root 66” not Rowt 66……
By: ZRX61 - 22nd October 2013 at 21:04
The oddity that most confused me was a lady I knew a while back. She was from Seattle if that helps.
In the kitchen she would always talk of something called “erbs”. It turned out that this was nothing more exotic than good old herbs which for some reason had gained a silent ‘h’
Makes me laugh whenever they pronounce herbs with a West Indies accent 🙂
By: charliehunt - 22nd October 2013 at 12:58
I always thought that the original ‘Kings English’ was a description of George 1 – who was ‘proper’ german and could only speak fluent german/french – his english being a little errr ‘bad’…so the ‘kings english’ was a pi55 take
Was it indeed, baz? I didn’t know it went back that far…
By: charliehunt - 22nd October 2013 at 12:57
Yes, indelibly printed on my memory from somewhere…..parental influence probably!
By: John Green - 22nd October 2013 at 12:35
Re 26
Not quite !
There were unbridgeable language differences between the inhabitants of Normandy and the French who were in an almost permanent state of war. An exchange of insults prior to the serious stuff were ususally made in Latin.
Don’t forget Fowlers famous injunction: “Use only words of Anglo Saxon origin – avoid the Romance”. The lesson intended
was that it doesn’t make for good English.
By: bazv - 22nd October 2013 at 10:22
The phrase stems from the Fowler brothers’ book published in 1906 and as far as I am aware Edward was very English, despite his father’s nationality.
I always thought that the original ‘Kings English’ was a description of George 1 – who was ‘proper’ german and could only speak fluent german/french – his english being a little errr ‘bad’…so the ‘kings english’ was a pi55 take
By: trumper - 22nd October 2013 at 09:17
The truth ,whole truth and nothing but, this is the real language.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOSYiT2iG08
bonus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmk4PfuiPVY :very_drunk: Bet you cant watch it without at least a smile.
By: Lincoln 7 - 22nd October 2013 at 08:24
Because of Noah Webster who simplified spellings for American usage. That must mean something…;o)
Bit like Essex then Eh snafu?.
Jim.
Lincoln .7
By: charliehunt - 22nd October 2013 at 07:50
The phrase stems from the Fowler brothers’ book published in 1906 and as far as I am aware Edward was very English, despite his father’s nationality.
By: bazv - 22nd October 2013 at 07:10
To be fair…spelling in this country was….err….. flexible until the advent of the dictionary – and even then it evolved a great deal (and is still evolving) – but for fairly standardised english we had to wait for widespread education to come along.
English teaching took a retro step (I think) in the 1970’s!
Also makes me laugh when people talk about the ‘Kings English’…this of course was a pi55 take because he was German and struggled with english pronunciation!
By: snafu - 21st October 2013 at 21:43
American English is a language largely without the peculiar and superfluous flourishes of English English eg. colour/color. socks/sox, night/nite. etc.
Because of Noah Webster who simplified spellings for American usage. That must mean something…;o)
By: charliehunt - 21st October 2013 at 12:10
So pretty much what I said.
By: John Green - 21st October 2013 at 11:41
Re 21
Ahem ! Norman French and Latin became the lingua franca (dammit ! there I go again) of the Court. The Norman brand of French was heavily influenced by their Norse/Viking ancestry.
American English is a language largely without the peculiar and superfluous flourishes of English English eg. colour/color. socks/sox, night/nite. etc.
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October 19, 2013 at 11:18 pm