Job Discussion Forums

[steki47]

[artemisia]

I sometimes highlight different words (holiday/ vacation) or the spelling of words (labour/ labor). I certainly don't 'correct' students for correct usage of BE or AE. I once corrected an indignant student who informed me he'd spelt colour/color the American way and there was nothing wrong with that. I agreed with him and showed him the two ways of spelling it. (He'd spelt it "coulor").

I've never heard of "knock me up" being used in a context other than salacious. That's a new one for me!

[sheikh radlinrol]

A famous American golfer (Johnny Miller) was commentating on a tournament and said that ��If I�d done that my old man would have kicked my fanny�� Very confusing for British golfers, both male and female.

[wangdaning]

[posh]

There was an American back in early 1990s Czechoslovakia who would get seriously angry about British spelling, eg. theatre, colour, etc. "It is NOT correct!" he would shout at anybody prepared to listen. Then he'd get back to his favourite subject of "WE won the cold war!" He didn't have any friends.

[jpvanderwerf2001]

I find it interesting that the author of the article uses most of the space railing on the shortcomings of American English and then, in the conclusion, writes: Britain is a very distinct country from the US. Not better, not worse, different. And long live that difference.
Wouldn't that same idea hold for American and British English? If a person is understood, what's the difference?

P.S. I don't know whether using "epic" as an adjective for everything under the sun is an Americanism or not; if it is then as a Yank I'm truly sorry.

[joesfiddle]

Cool I like American and British but I'm Irish myself!

[artemisia]

"Make no mistake". I don't know if that counts as an 'Americanism' but I loathe it mainly because I associate it with George W. Bush who used it constantly, and because it's a heavy handed warning.

[artemisia]

As this thread's gone quiet, I might as well throw in one I like: shoot the breeze. I like the expression and the (non) activity. (Originally heard as "shoot the $hit").

[helmsman]

For a lot of non-Americans African-American slang is irresistible: This thread is da bomb. She's bootylicious. But one that makes no sense is fly, as in, He's pretty fly for a white guy. Some personally annoying ones are 'sup?, wassup? and what up? These should be left in the ghetto. In British English, Cockey slang is, like totally awesome: When I post this I'll get back to the trouble and strife and my dustbin lid.