Job Discussion Forums

[Lynn]

Whenever I watch English TV or movies, I always notice the characters saying, "Brilliant!" In the United States, I rarely hear that word. When I do, it usually refers to intelligence. I personally love the word, but just can't say it naturally.

However, lately I've taken on the word, "Stupendous!" I get quite the positive reaction. "Wow! Was it really that good?" "Yes, it was."

I feel as an American, we use the same words, "pretty good, awesome, and alright"

Do you ever try to use different words when speaking with native English speakers?

[ls650]

I don't know about taking on new vocab, but it's been pointed out to me that one particularly Canadian expression is to (over)use the word 'brutal' to describe anything negative.

[Jizzo T. Clown]

I actually say "Right!" a lot these days (picked it up in China from the Brits I was working with).

I also never used to say "Cheers" unless I was toasting someone.

At least I got out of the habit of saying "Well-done" all the time!

[memorabilis]

I do this all the time. Flat, kitchen paper, rubbish, it eases communication between the two cultures. Also, I feel that as a Canadian, I am fairly adept and making these cultural and dialectal translations.

[Guy Courchesne]

[lozwich]

I accidentally called my underwear "pants" this morning, and I must admit to using "bollocks" rather regularly instead of my usual Australian oaths.

[sigmoid]

Yes, I've picked up a few words from British/Australian colleagues
but not 'flat'.

I'm always tempted to say 'your flat what?'

'Dodgy' is a particularly useful word.

and yeah, 'cheers' I use, but I try to avoid the 'mate' thing.

'Bog' is another good one.


Anyway, there are some others, but they've become so natural that I can't think of them now. I'll be back.

[Super Frank]

put an ayrton in your sky rocket, get your best china or your trouble and strife, go down the frog to the rubadubdub, down a couple of uri's and see your little boat light up, what.

I love the way you "accidentally" called your keks "pants", and the generally usage of english slipping into peoples vocab. I can't get my head round "awesome" sounds too bill and teds to me.

Does "sweet" to everyone come from "sweet as a nut" as was said in england a few years back?

[denise]

Maybe I have been influenced too much by Bill and Ted, but nearly every third word I say is "awesome."

I like dodgy also. And bloody.

And what about invented words? An exchange student at my uni in Japan (there`s another one--shortening "university" to uni) coined "craptastic," which has got to be the most... uh, awesome word ever spoken! I love it! But I suppose coinage of new words kinda strays from the topic of the thread.

d

[Jizzo T. Clown]

I forgot about these:

I asked my brother if they had any discos in his city and he didn't know what I was talking about...

It feels more comfortable to say "Shop" instead of "Store." But I still won't call crackers biscuits or biscuits scones.

After coming back from Japan I kept using the word "hobbies" in daily conversation, but it didn't take long to break that habit.

Since English is the lingua franca of our day, we global citizens will probably speak the most bastardized form of it. So keep an eye on your speech, don't get caught between an intersection and a crossroads, stay off the pavement and on the sidewalks, go AA instead of Dutch, and Bob's your uncle.

[Perpetual Traveller]

Oh most definitely, but not because I try! I refer to myself as a linguistic mongrel. I grew up in Australia with English parents so was already linguistically confused. Then I lived and worked there and in Ireland, then the States and finally in German and French speaking countries. The end result being that no one can ever figure out where I am from and some interesting vocab.

From England: Bollocks, chockers (as in chock a block, this may be Aussie too, I can't remember), brilliant, numpty and I'm sure many others but I particularly like those. Special mention for grand and bold (as in cheeky) from Ireland.

From America: Gotten (and I really hate it am trying to train it out), good job (too much working with kids), awesome, totally and again quite a few others that don't spring straight to mind.

From German: Gesundheit (well who doesn't use that one every now and then) and Fois (think this might be purely swiss german, it's like tsk tsk or an expression of shock or surprise).

From French: Some lovely swear words and d'accord or d'ac (for ok) also some appalling Frenglish such as peut haps (peut etre in french = perhaps in english).

Speaking of coining words, my proudest is conspicious, a hybrid of conspicuous and suspicious.

PT

[lozwich]

[Glenski]

Have a kid of your own, and you will realize what words you say most often, and how you say them.

My 2-year-old is repeating things like "yeah" when I'd like him to say "yes", "I don't know", "no way", and "good job". I find many Japanese students learn the phrase "good job" easily enough, so it must be fairly common.

As for consciously using other words to replace certain words, no, I don't do that much, only to simplify certain things to my students, but not to fellow foreigners. It doesn't serve any purpose, to me.

[some waygug-in]

I can remember working with a Brit way back when...we were going over the various reasons why the school/boss we worked for were bottom-feeders. When to my amazement, he said that my supervisor was "nothing but a pratt". As though that should be the greatest insult in the world.

To this day, I have no idea what a 'pratt' is or whether or not one should feel insulted to be called one.

[Sweetsee]

My favorite is "Ooh la-la!"

Students love it, too.