Job Discussion Forums

[Larry Parnell]

I'm interested in what the 'international' English is for a non-landline phone. I mention both 'cell' and 'mobile' when teaching but whilst personally using 'mobile' I am inclined to think 'cell' is the more readily understandable term.
I appreciate this is a tad boring but which is it?

[goeastyoung(ish)man!]

I think cell phone is confined mainly to N America. But as the American accent is in favor, the English learners are more likely to learn that term as opposed to mobile. The hit Chinese movie "Cell Phone" attests to that. I am American but my first cell phone was a "mobile", or really a "movil", since I was in Spain. In China, like you, I used both terms and heard both terms. Now back in the states, I still say mobile, then correct myself. But its like flat/apartment: most people understand either term.

[Yu]

Actually, I first learned "ketai (denwa)" because I was living in Japan and cellphones had not become as popular in America yet. I was still using a car phone, so I was suprised to see so many people in Japan using cell phones.
I have also heard the expression "handy phone".

I don't really fell there is a difference between cell phone and mobile phone. Cell phone is more common to me, but I don't have trouble to understand either one, and I don't think there would be confusion if students used either one, so let them decide.

[lily]

Weird. When we first got here and started talking about cell phones, our Chinese TA's had no idea what we were talking about. I pointed to one, and they said "Ahh, MOBILE phone". So, we've been using that with them ever since. But when my bf and I are talking, it's still always cell phone, cos that's what we use in NZ.

[ContemporaryDog]

The Chinese do seem to favour American English.

However, the text book we use at my school is English english. Most of the other teachers are North americans though.

[ContemporaryDog]

I got caught out when I went to Blue Sky Cafe in Wuhan the first time. The menu offered a choice of french fries and chips. I ordered a plate of chips assuming the place was catering to brits and yanks, thinking it would be nice big fat British style chips. I got a plate of sodding crisps back, and to add insult to injury it was one of those wierd Chinese flavours...

[brsmith15]

I believe there's a technical difference and it has to do with how the signal is handled. A "cell" phone can only receive/transmit if it can communicate with a land-based tower. The tower has a limited range and thus it's a "cell" because it has a certain useful radius of operation. When these phones first appeared in the US -- and that country was rather late in adopting the technology -- it wasn't uncommon to be driving in your car and "outrun" the signal. You then had to wait until you came into proper range with the next cell. A mobile phone is the more generic term referring to portability, like the US Army's ancient "walkie-talkie" which was a mobile radio. Many phones today use geocentric satellites so if you have 3 of these babies up in orbit at 35,000 km. you can communicate anywhere on the planet.

So..........a cell phone is a mobile phone but a mobile phone may or may not be a cell phone. Clear?

Today's lesson from Dr. Science for minds who need to know.

[NateM]

Most of my students refer them as mobiles, but with the introduction of my American English, I'm slowly corrupting them and bringing them over to the dark side.