English Usage US vs. UK

[Walter Ego]

Please reference this thread.

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=111270

Apparently I'm supposed to use British usage when I reference the screening of film in the UK. Is this a load of bollocks or what?


Originally Posted by Architect
We have these things called "cinemas" in the UK, not "movie theatres/ers". Theatres are where plays and musicals are shown. It not my language, murder it if you want.........

Me:

'It' is my language, too. In American usage, a 'theatrical' showing for a film means it's playing in a cinema or movie theater for a general paying audience. A film festival showing, however, would not usually be considered a theatrical showing so I was wrong on that score.

http://forums.randi.org/showpost.php?p=3615282&postcount=7

[fuelair]

With no offense to our British friends, I would say USians should use USian terms and Britons/UK should be free to use British/UK terms (French, French terms, etc.) -- in any area under discussion. For one thing, that helps those who do not know each others to learn each others.

[athon]

Please reference this thread.

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=111270

Apparently I'm supposed to use British usage when I reference the screening of film in the UK. Is this a load of bollocks or what?

It depends on who you are talking to and whether you're introducing confusion or not. If you say 'I went to the theatre the other night' to a Brit, you'd probably need to clarify you mean the movies or risk giving the wrong impression. In international arenas here, if you understand that the terms can be confused it might pay in the future to be specific if you can.

Hell, the US is renown for demanding language aimed at them to be specific for their understanding. Here in Australia we import US novels without them being changed. Books produced here which then find a US market are edited and words are changed.

Athon

[Magenta]

Please reference this thread.

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=111270

Apparently I'm supposed to use British usage when I reference the screening of film in the UK. Is this a load of bollocks or what?


I'd suggest you cultivate a thick skin and ignore tedious nitpicking. :)

[leonAzul]

With no offense to our British friends, I would say USians should use USian terms and Britons/UK should be free to use British/UK terms (French, French terms, etc.) -- in any area under discussion. For one thing, that helps those who do not know each others to learn each others.

Yes.

I can't count the number of times in my travels that I have asked people to repeat what they have said in English in their native language in order to fully grasp what they intended.

[Walter Ego]

It depends on who you are talking to and whether you're introducing confusion or not. If you say 'I went to the theatre the other night' to a Brit, you'd probably need to clarify you mean the movies or risk giving the wrong impression. In international arenas here, if you understand that the terms can be confused it might pay in the future to be specific if you can.

Well, I was talking about a film being 'screened theatrically' which is standard American usage for a cinema showing.

Hell, the US is renown for demanding language aimed at them to be specific for their understanding. Here in Australia we import US novels without them being changed. Books produced here which then find a US market are edited and words are changed.

I haven't read any Aussie novels lately but I do enjoy P.D. James and the American editions are unchanged for US publication. I didn't have any language comprehension problems while reading them.

[Jeff Corey]

Yes.

I can't count the number of times in my travels that I have asked people to repeat what they have said in English in their native language in order to fully grasp what they intended.
I had that happen in Florida, too.

[Jeff Corey]

It depends on who you are talking to and whether you're introducing confusion or not. If you say 'I went to the theatre the other night' to a Brit, you'd probably need to clarify you mean the movies or risk giving the wrong impression. In international arenas here, if you understand that the terms can be confused it might pay in the future to be specific if you can.

Hell, the US is renown for demanding language aimed at them to be specific for their understanding. Here in Australia we import US novels without them being changed. Books produced here which then find a US market are edited and words are changed.

Athon

Could you give us an example of that, please?

[Giraffe107]

I can't think of books off-hand but one example is the movie 'The Castle'. 'Tertiary education' was changed to 'college education', some of the legal terms were changed (from memory barrister/solicitor to lawyer) and things like that.

[athon]

Well, I was talking about a film being 'screened theatrically' which is standard American usage for a cinema showing.

I'm aware, as Australia has a rather strong mix of American and British usage of terms. We're a bastard race ;). Obviously it goes both ways - in international forums, people have to be aware that some terms will vary. We all have to forgive one another's cultural backgrounds. But I feel that if you know it could potentially mislead some people to not quite understand, then it's only helpful to adapt your language a little.

I haven't read any Aussie novels lately but I do enjoy P.D. James and the American editions are unchanged for US publication. I didn't have any language comprehension problems while reading them.

I read an American copy of one of Nick Earls' (Brisbane author) books, and it was pretty thoroughly butchered. I got to chat with him about it once, and he was upset that we often get books which containing references to things like 'Oreos' (which weren't available here until a few years ago) while his American editor said he couldn't use the term 'Tim Tam' as Americans wouldn't get the reference.

I'm sure a lot of foreign books are destributed directly from the country of origin, however in my experience with American publishing, which also has the force of a lucrative US market behind them, tends to require culturalisation of a script before they'll market it to an American audience.

Athon

[Jeff Corey]

I thank my Public T V for all the English vocabulary I obtained. Like, "In hospital" "On holiday, "Roundabout", "Car park", "Ballox" and "Innit?". Then there was Viz.

[athon]

Could you give us an example of that, please?

Giraffe gave a great example of a movie where it occured, and I suggested one book (Nick Earls 'Forty Eight Shades of Brown' was the novel, I think). I know of a couple of others by second-hand discussions, such as Bryce Courtney's books, but I haven't read any of his stuff so can't vouch for it personally.

Athon

[Blue Mountain]

Could you give us an example of that, please?

I can't speak for Australian novels, but in the United States the first Harry Potter book is known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, while in the rest of the world the title is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

[leonAzul]

I had that happen in Florida, too.

That is just too real *lmao*

[brodski]

I didn't weigh in on that thread as I didn't want to de-rail it further, but even though in the UK we don't tend to call cinemas theaters, it is not unusual to talk about a film having a "theatrical release", with references to "theatrical trailers" and the like.

Your meaning was clear, and your usage was only incorrect is as much as the film in discussion has a one off screening in a film festival, and not a full theatrical release.

[Morrigan]

Architect was just being a pedantic jerk, no need to fuss about it. :) And that's coming from someone who generally prefers UK English to American English. (I'm French Canadian so I can use whichever English I want. :D)

I wonder though, if the screening had been in France, should you have been required to write the French term, according to him? Silliness. :newlol

[monoman]

We also call it "The Pictures" in the UK, as in "We're going to the Pictures".
However, unlike Americans, we never call a film a Picture.

[Big Les]

I didn't weigh in on that thread as I didn't want to de-rail it further, but even though in the UK we don't tend to call cinemas theaters, it is not unusual to talk about a film having a "theatrical release", with references to "theatrical trailers" and the like.

Your meaning was clear, and your usage was only incorrect is as much as the film in discussion has a one off screening in a film festival, and not a full theatrical release.

Exactly. Any film buff ought to be very familiar with the term.

I can only think someone must have weed in Archi's cornflakes that morning.

[Tricky]

I was driving from my flat to the petrol station to clean my windscreen when I heard a noise from the gearbox. I went to raise the bonnet, when I saw that my tyre was flat, so I had to pull the spare out of the boot.

[Architect]

Architect was just being a pedantic jerk, no need to fuss about it. :) And that's coming from someone who generally prefers UK English to American English. (I'm French Canadian so I can use whichever English I want. :D)

I wonder though, if the screening had been in France, should you have been required to write the French term, according to him? Silliness. :newlol


Gee, taa. And to think I resist making comments about horse French......

:rolleyes:

[Architect]

Please reference this thread.

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=111270

Apparently I'm supposed to use British usage when I reference the screening of film in the UK. Is this a load of bollocks or what?

Ach, quit whining.

This site has a lot of nationalities and lot of different standards of English. That's taken as read. It's not like I complain when you all refer to elevators or sidewalks. I've never once made any comments about the spelling of skeptic, color, or defense. I convert measurements into imperial in lieu of metric where it helps technical discussions. The only time I've queried "college" is when I need to be sure that they're not talking about what the UK would call secondary school, as opposed to university. These are used correctly, in context, and it would be madness to object.

You were posting a story about the UK, likely to be of interest only to Brits, and used an American term which was incorrect. I also have pointed out on previous occasion that there is no such paper as The Times of London, corrected the idiots that think there's someone called the Queen of England, or - and quite a few North American posters here are guilty of this - don't understand the difference between England and Britain/the United Kingdom.

I'm damned sure there would be raised eyebrows if UK posters started referring to the American "Parliament" or started calling your senior lawyers "QCs" and so on.

[Architect]

I was driving from my flat to the petrol station to clean my windscreen when I heard a noise from the gearbox. I went to raise the bonnet, when I saw that my tyre was flat, so I had to get the spare out of the boot.

Close, but no prize! ;)

What would you use instead of "gearbox"? Or do you mean the clutch?

[Nero]

I was driving from my flat to the petrol station to clean my windscreen when I heard a noise from the gearbox. I went to raise the bonnet, when I saw that my tyre was flat, so I had to pull the spare out of the boot.

I was driving from my apartment to the gas station to clean my windshield when I heard a noise from the ????????. I went to raise* the hood, when I saw that my tire was flat, so I had to pull the spare out of the trunk.

*Here in the UK we would usually open the bonnet not raise it.

[monoman]

Close, but no prize! ;)

What would you use instead of "gearbox"? Or do you mean the clutch?

I think it's transmission.

[Thinking in CT]

Regarding the "Theatre/Cinema" issue.

In the USA, from the early days of the movies to mid 20th century, films actually were commonly shown in theaters (note Webster's revised spelling) along with live musical stage shows. Every city had many such venues. The last of the breed is the venerable Radio City Music Hall in New York which still packs them in for its combined Film/Stage show productions. Hence the term "theater" accurately described where one might go to see a movie in the US.

also;

Regarding British "misusage" of an American word:

Aluminum - a metallic element first isolated, described and named by an American scientist, is pronounced AL-YOU-MIN-EE-UM by the Brits who just decided it needed an extra syllable!

and;
Most strangely:

The British expression to "take someone off" and the US "to put someone on" mean the same thing!!

[Nero]

The British expression to "take someone off" and the US "to put someone on" mean the same thing!!

Can you contextualise, give me a couple of sentences?

[Architect]

Regarding British "misusage" of an American word:

Aluminum - a metallic element first isolated, described and named by an American scientist, is pronounced AL-YOU-MIN-EE-UM by the Brits who just decided it needed an extra syllable!


However, IIRC, it was also called Aluminium in the US for a while and there was quite a debate about its spelling.

The British expression to "take someone off" and the US "to put someone on" mean the same thing!!

Sorry, you've lost me there.

[Architect]

I think it's transmission.

Naw, isn't the transmission the bit that takes the power from the gearbox?

[Morrigan]

Ach, quit whining.

This site has a lot of nationalities and lot of different standards of English. That's taken as read. It's not like I complain when you all refer to elevators or sidewalks. I've never once made any comments about the spelling of skeptic, color, or defense. I convert measurements into imperial in lieu of metric where it helps technical discussions. The only time I've queried "college" is when I need to be sure that they're not talking about what the UK would call secondary school, as opposed to university. These are used correctly, in context, and it would be madness to object.

His usage was also correct.


You were posting a story about the UK, likely to be of interest only to Brits, and used an American term which was incorrect.
By your logic, if I post a news story that occurs in the UK, I should write "I'm really sceptical about this" or "that lift didn't work correctly" or else I'm being "incorrect"? His usage was correct in American English, and I really don't see what the location of the topic had to do with what usage should be more "correct". The comparison with an American Parliament is faulty, since such a thing doesn't even exist.

And then there's the fact that other Brits chimed in to say he was being perfectly clear, so you're pretty much alone in your pedantry here. ;)

[monoman]

Naw, isn't the transmission the bit that takes the power from the gearbox?

Yaa! I've just checked on Wikipedia and it looks like i'm correct.

The simplest transmissions, often called gearboxes...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_%28mechanics%29 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_%28mechanics%29)

[tkingdoll]

Regarding British "misusage" of an American word:

Aluminum - a metallic element first isolated, described and named by an American scientist, is pronounced AL-YOU-MIN-EE-UM by the Brits who just decided it needed an extra syllable!



Really? Who was that then? My understand of the history differs to yours, it seems.

Besides, Aluminium is by far the most sensible spelling for the word given its location in the periodic table. And was actually the way Americans spelled it until Charles Martin Hall changed the spelling for an advert. If it's him you're referring to, he certainly was not the first to isolate, describe or name it, by some distance, and his patents all used the 'ium' spelling.

So, you have it backwards. An American 'decided' it needed one fewer syllable and the rest of the world took no notice.

[Nero]

From Wikipedia (so caution maybe needed):

Nomenclature history

The earliest citation given in the Oxford English Dictionary for any word used as a name for this element is alumium, which Humphry Davy employed in 1808 for the metal he was trying to isolate electrolytically from the mineral alumina. The citation is from his journal Philosophical Transactions: "Had I been so fortunate as..to have procured the metallic substances I was in search of, I should have proposed for them the names of silicium, alumium, zirconium, and glucium."[22]

By 1812, Davy had settled on aluminum, which, as other sources note,[citation needed] matches its Latin root. He wrote in the journal Chemical Philosophy: "As yet Aluminum has not been obtained in a perfectly free state."[23] But the same year, an anonymous contributor to the Quarterly Review, a British political-literary journal, objected to aluminum and proposed the name aluminium, "for so we shall take the liberty of writing the word, in preference to aluminum, which has a less classical sound."[24]

The -ium suffix had the advantage of conforming to the precedent set in other newly discovered elements of the time: potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, and strontium (all of which Davy had isolated himself). Nevertheless, -um spellings for elements were not unknown at the time, as for example platinum, known to Europeans since the sixteenth century, molybdenum, discovered in 1778, and tantalum, discovered in 1802.

Americans adopted -ium to fit the standard form of the periodic table of elements, for most of the nineteenth century, with aluminium appearing in Webster's Dictionary of 1828. In 1892, however, Charles Martin Hall used the -um spelling in an advertising handbill for his new electrolytic method of producing the metal, despite his constant use of the -ium spelling in all the patents[20] he filed between 1886 and 1903.[25] It has consequently been suggested that the spelling reflects an easier to pronounce word with one fewer syllable, or that the spelling on the flier was a mistake. Hall's domination of production of the metal ensured that the spelling aluminum became the standard in North America; the Webster Unabridged Dictionary of 1913, though, continued to use the -ium version.

In 1926, the American Chemical Society officially decided to use aluminum in its publications; American dictionaries typically label the spelling aluminium as a British variant.

[Thinking in CT]

OK here goes:

A grasshopper walks into a bar:

Bartender - "Hey, we have a drink named after you!"

Grasshopper - "You mean you have a drink named 'Al'?

Bartender - "Hey, don't put me on!"

A grasshopper walks into a pub -

Publican - "Ya know the Yanks 'ave a drink named after you."

Grasshopper - "You mean they 'ave a drink named 'Alfie'?

Publican - "Now c'mon, don't take me off!!"

[Big Les]

Yaa! I've just checked on Wikipedia and it looks like i'm correct.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_%28mechanics%29 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_%28mechanics%29)

I thought it was the gearbox and clutch taken together.

[Nero]

OK here goes:

A grasshopper walks into a bar:

Bartender - "Hey, we have a drink named after you!"

Grasshopper - "You mean you have a drink named 'Al'?

Bartender - "Hey, don't put me on!"

A grasshopper walks into a pub -

Publican - "Ya know the Yanks 'ave a drink named after you."

Grasshopper - "You mean they 'ave a drink named 'Alfie'?

Publican - "Now c'mon, don't take me off!!"

Sorry, I think you may be on thin ice here, I certainly don't recognise that usage.

[ravdin]

I remember being very confused once in a pub in Scotland when someone asked me if I was "pissed". I didn't think I looked particularly annoyed at the moment....

[Thinking in CT]

I bow before your clearly, more detailed scholarship on this issue. My memory as to my source on Aluminum is a 45 years ago reading of a World Book Encyclopedia article on Hall (of Oberlin College, Ohio) touted in that worthy publication as the "discoverer" of Al.

[grayman]

England and America are two countries separated by a common language.
George Bernard Shaw (http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/897.html)
Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)

[Loss Leader]

I think there's been a little bit of confusion in this thread. Let's just begin by defining some basic terms. I think we can all agree that, whatever language they may speak in England, it is most definitely not english.

I personally think it sounds a little like english (sometimes German can sound a little like english). Sometimes it's easy to become confused for a moment and think you're actually hearing english. But, you're not. "I've up and knackered my lorry, wot," is not english. It can't even be translated into english. It expresses concepts that english-speakers do not have the social foundation to grasp.

There is no sense arguing with the British on this issue because no matter how sensibly we lay out our arguments, let's face it, we're not going to understand their answer.

[Wildy]

I remember being very confused once in a pub in Scotland when someone asked me if I was "pissed". I didn't think I looked particularly annoyed at the moment....

You know, pissed people piss me off.

Then again I had to think a bit when listening to the song Piano Man, because he uses 'stoned' in a rather uncommon context.

Why don't we all use Australian English and leave it at that. Then the pedantic Poms won't have to worry about the spelling, and the Yanks will be able to keep some of their crazy uses of words, and we can all go back to laughing at the (mostly) seppos on the CT forum.

[Wildy]

"I've up and knackered my lorry, wot," is not english. It can't even be translated into english. It expresses concepts that english-speakers do not have the social foundation to grasp.

Really? I would have thought that it would translate rather nicely into "My truck is [expletive starting with 'f']".

[Morrigan]

"I've up and knackered my lorry, wot," is not english.

As opposed to "ah didn't cotton to thaw way that sumbitch looked at mah dawter", or "fo shizzle, dawg's up in da hood, bro, fo sho!", right? :)

[Architect]

His usage was also correct.
By your logic, if I post a news story that occurs in the UK, I should write "I'm really sceptical about this" or "that lift didn't work correctly" or else I'm being "incorrect"?

No-one corrected American english spellings or grammar.

The comparison with an American Parliament is faulty, since such a thing doesn't even exist.


Senate and Congress together with the presidency, as your legislative body, correspond to the Parliament in the UK and Commonwealth countries. Bear in mind, for example, that the Wesmisnter system has an upper and lower house and the cabinet (led by the PM) are the key decision makers.

Therefore if I apply your logic, I can call your government a parliament. But you immediately claim it to be wrong. Point proven.

;)

[DmKrispin]

I was driving from my flat to the petrol station to clean my windscreen when I heard a noise from the gearbox. I went to raise the bonnet, when I saw that my tyre was flat, so I had to pull the spare out of the boot.

Were you lucky enough to have your spanner and your torch with you?

[Architect]

Were you lucky enough to have your spanner and your torch with you?

Well, it would have been a wrench if he'd had to leave them behind......

[Loss Leader]

If there were any justice in the world, sometime during the 1920's, the British should have realized that their primacy was permanently over and quietly and gracefully faded entirely away.

Having them still here is kind of like having Al Gore hanging around the White House. It's embarrassing for everybody.

[Architect]

True, but the French are just as bad as us and it'll happen to the US at some future point too - just like all the other historic superpowers.

You're just the young whipersnappers, that's all......

[dudalb]

England and America are two countries separated by a common language.
George Bernard Shaw (http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/897.html)
Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)

Henry Higgins would have loved this thread.

[Big Les]

No-one corrected American english spellings or grammar.

"Lift" isn't a variant in spelling or grammar, it's an alternate word in use in UK English but not US English. So the analogy holds. In fact more so, since loads of people in the UK are perfectly well aware that a theatrical screening means "in a cinema".

So he was right both in terms of his own culture, and in terms of being understood in an international context.

He shouldn't be expected to find out what a cinema is to make his point, any more than you should stop using "outwith", which is a purely Scottish word. And yes, I was guilty of pointing that out to you a while back, in a pointless nitpicky derail. Which is exactly what you did in the referenced thread, with respect.

[ImaginalDisc]

No-one corrected American english spellings or grammar.



Senate and Congress together with the presidency, as your legislative body, correspond to the Parliament in the UK and Commonwealth countries. Bear in mind, for example, that the Wesmisnter system has an upper and lower house and the cabinet (led by the PM) are the key decision makers.

Therefore if I apply your logic, I can call your government a parliament. But you immediately claim it to be wrong. Point proven.

;)

I'm not sure whether you're unclear on the profound differences between our Federal government and yours, or if you're trying to make a rhetorical point that fails. An American theater and a British cinema are fundamentally far more similar than a President and a Prime minister.

[Architect]

With respect, I disagree. What you're saying is that it is acceptable to use an American term which is incorrect in the context of a UK story, which would primarily be of interest to Brits. If he had made a comment about, for example, a London "elementary school" then it would be exactly the same, notwithstanding the fact that most of us have an idea that this is probably broadly equivalent to a UK primary school.

To go back to the point about the US parliament, hiding behind the federal nature of the American is unhelpful, notwithstanding the rather obvious point that the UK operates on a broadly federalist basis in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. We call the German Bundestag a parliament, for example, despite a federal system operation there too. Yet I have one poster above suddenly handwaving and saying "no,no, you can't say we have a parliament, it's all tooootally different".

I'm not disagreeing that I was being pernickety, but find the OP's indignation terribly amusing under the circumstances.

[Tricky]

Were you lucky enough to have your spanner and your torch with you?
Bugger all, I'd left them in the shed.

[Tricky]

Henry Higgins would have loved this thread...
...if he hadn't been fictional.

[Wildy]

Is it just me or does the term "whinging Pom" come to mind here?

[zooterkin]

With respect, I disagree. What you're saying is that it is acceptable to use an American term which is incorrect in the context of a UK story, which would primarily be of interest to Brits.

Yes, but in this case he wasn't using a purely American term. There is a difference between 'showing theatrically' and 'in a theatre/theater'. As already noted, 'theatrical release' is commonly used in the UK, and 'showing theatrically' is an extension of that.

[Darat]

...snip...

He shouldn't be expected to find out what a cinema is to make his point, any more than you should stop using "outwith", which is a purely Scottish word.

...snip...

To carry on with the pedantic theme - outwith is NOT a "purely Scottish word" - it may well be a word in some Scottish dialects but it is also a word in some English (northern) dialects as well.

[Architect]

To be honest no, the only instances of "theatrical release" I'm immediately familiar with in the the UK are occasional voiceovers in American trailers. Perhaps you can give me some examples of some home-grown material?

[Damien Evans]

Is it just me or does the term "whinging Pom" come to mind here?

It would if he wasn't scottish.

[zooterkin]

To be honest no, the only instances of "theatrical release" I'm immediately familiar with in the the UK are occasional voiceovers in American covers. Perhaps you can give me some examples of some home-grown material?

Plenty of examples if you put the phrase 'theatrical release' into google, and search only in the UK.

How about this one:
143 Election for sections 134 to 140 not to apply

(1) A person carrying on a trade which consists of or includes the exploitation of original master versions of films may elect for sections 134 to 140 not to apply in relation to expenditure if—

(a) the person incurs expenditure on the production or acquisition of an original master version of a film,

(b) the original master version is a certified master version,

(c) its value is expected to be realisable over a period of not less than two years, and

(d) the film is genuinely intended for theatrical release.

From the Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005 (http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts2005/ukpga_20050005_en_8).

Is use in law good enough?

[Architect]

To carry on with the pedantic theme - outwith is NOT a "purely Scottish word" - it may well be a word in some Scottish dialects but it is also a word in some English (northern) dialects as well.

It may be worth remembering that Scots preserves some English words no longer is wide usage in the south, such as "aye".

[Architect]

It would if he wasn't scottish.


:D

[Architect]

Plenty of examples if you put the phrase 'theatrical release' into google, and search only in the UK.

How about this one:


From the Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005 (http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts2005/ukpga_20050005_en_8).

Is use in law good enough?

Scots law still occasionaly refers to yetts in lieu of gates or doors, so no.

[Darat]

Whilst you may be correct your example doesn't support your argument since "aye" is used throughout the UK (it's a word I still regularly use).

[zooterkin]

Scots law still occasionaly refers to yetts in lieu of gates or doors, so no.

So you're saying that 'yett' is an American word and shouldn't be used in Scotland?

ETA: ... or even when talking about Scotland?

[Darat]

Scots law still occasionaly refers to yetts in lieu of gates or doors, so no.

Watch something like Film 2008 and you will hear the term being used or perhaps something from British Arts Council will convince you: http://www.britishcouncil.org/arts-film-documentaries-renaissance.htm

[Darat]

Thought "poms" referred to British people?

[Architect]

So you're saying that 'yett' is an American word and shouldn't be used in Scotland?

ETA: ... or even when talking about Scotland?

No, I'm saying that yett is a very unusual term and it would be wrong to suggest that its inclusion in Scots law was in itself evidence of widespread usage or, indeed, common understanding. Hence finding a reference in English law to a theatrical release was not in itself conclusive.

[Architect]

Whilst you may be correct your example doesn't support your argument since "aye" is used throughout the UK (it's a word I still regularly use).

And the Navy. But in terms of common usage, it's really the old Lancaster line.

[Darat]

And the Navy. But in terms of common usage, it's really the old Lancaster line.

Well my English is a bastard mixture of a few dialects and a Lancashire one is one of those (and it even retains "thee" and "thou"). Out of curiosity any links to this "old Lancaster line" for aye? I'm genuinely interested in British dialects.

[Architect]

Apparently I should start reading the Guardian (aye, right....)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/sep/03/comment.pressandpublishing

[Darat]

Do you not mean "aye reet"? :)

[Architect]

Well my English is a bastard mixture of a few dialects and a Lancashire one is one of those (and it even retains "thee" and "thou"). Out of curiosity any links to this "old Lancaster line" for aye? I'm genuinely interested in British dialects.

Oh it's nothing that analytical, it's just that once you hit Lancaster you find an increasing number of "Scots" words, especially in the building field. I suspect that farming will be similar, for obvious reason. And no Yan Ta Thethera comments.

[volatile]

I thank my Public T V for all the English vocabulary I obtained. Like, "In hospital" "On holiday, "Roundabout", "Car park", "Ballox" and "Innit?". Then there was Viz.

What's the alternative to "in hospital"?

[Lothian]

Whilst you may be correct your example doesn't support your argument since "aye" is used throughout the UK (it's a word I still regularly use).I once had a sty in my aye.

[Lothian]

What's the alternative to "in hospital"?"Out of hospital."

[zooterkin]

No, I'm saying that yett is a very unusual term and it would be wrong to suggest that its inclusion in Scots law was in itself evidence of widespread usage or, indeed, common understanding. Hence finding a reference in English law to a theatrical release was not in itself conclusive.

Right, and as I said, there were plenty of other examples. "Theatrical release" is not an ancient, obscure term, it is a modern one. Its use in a recent Act of Parliament can, I believe, be taken to indicate that it is a meaningful term in UK English.

I have no problem with teasing our less enlightened English-speaking colleagues, nor with correcting some of the more egregious examples of, for example, mistaking the US for the world, but I think your sensitivity filter is set a little low, and you're in danger of turning into EJArmstrong at times.

[Wildy]

It would if he wasn't scottish.

Which would make it far worse because he is a Scot.

Thought "poms" referred to British people?

Even though the demonym for people from the UK is 'British'?

Does anyone know if there is a different word for 'Scot' in Australian?

[Damien Evans]

Which would make it far worse because he is a Scot.



Even though the demonym for people from the UK is 'British'?

Does anyone know if there is a different word for 'Scot' in Australian?

Yes, it is: speak properly you thick bastard, no one south of Glasgow can understand you!:D

More seriously, I don't think I've ever heard a Scot being called anything other that a Scot, or for the slightly more stupid members of society here, an Irishman, or, for the total morons, an American.

[Morrigan]

No-one corrected American english spellings or grammar.
See Big Les's reply.


Senate and Congress together with the presidency, as your legislative body, correspond to the Parliament in the UK and Commonwealth countries. Bear in mind, for example, that the Wesmisnter system has an upper and lower house and the cabinet (led by the PM) are the key decision makers.

Therefore if I apply your logic, I can call your government a parliament. But you immediately claim it to be wrong. Point proven.

;)

Um, wrong on all accounts. One, I would not claim it to be wrong, since my government IS a parliament: I am Canadian, not American. Two, parliament is a term to designate a very specific type of government (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/parliament), such as the one in Canada and in the UK. The American government is quite distinct, and not parliamentary.
On the other hand, "theatrical release" is just the American way to say "released in cinemas", just as "elevator" is the American way to say "lift". They are equivalent. But a parliament is not the "UK equivalent" of the American government, anymore than the Saudi monarchy is the "Saudi equivalent" to the British parliament.
And thirdly, every other UK poster here understood his meaning, so that's why you're just being pedantic again. :p

[Architect]

I once had a sty in my aye.

I aye had a stye in my eye, but surgery fixed it and it's aye clear now.

[Architect]

Yes, it is: speak properly you thick bastard, no one south of Glasgow can understand you!:D


Glasgow is some considerable distance north of the border. "No-one south of Carlisle" would be the more accurate rendering.

Anyway, we remember the Paul Hogan show. Don't get started on difficult accents! :p

[Architect]

On the other hand, "theatrical release" is just the American way to say "released in cinemas", just as "elevator" is the American way to say "lift". They are equivalent. But a parliament is not the "UK equivalent" of the American government, anymore than the Saudi monarchy is the "Saudi equivalent" to the British parliament.

Item 3 of your link defines parliament as

a legislative body in any of various other countries

Congress and Senate are, within that context, a parliament just as the Bundestag is. There is, however, clearly a difference between parliament and the government, at least in the UK and other Commonwealth countries. How does the US press describe the Bundestag, just as a matter of interest?

And thirdly, every other UK poster here understood his meaning, so that's why you're just being pedantic again. :p

Indeed, but that's also what some eejit who's name I forget said when I pointed out that it was wholly incorrect, and indeed insulting, to point out that one could not use the terms "England" and "Britain" interchangeably. And it's one of the reason's Queen Lizzie doesn't use the "II" in Scotland....

[Architect]

As an aside, I'm correcting a draft report where an English consultant consistently refers to entrance passages in lieu of closes, the normal Scottish term and the one used in the building regulations (amongst other things). The term entrance passage is udnerstandable, but incorrect in context, and would raise an eyebrow or two amongst most readers.

[Modified]

What's the alternative to "in hospital"?

In the hospital. Also, here you go to college when you go to a university.

[Lothian]

As an aside, I'm correcting a draft report where an English consultant consistently refers to entrance passages in lieu of closes, the normal Scottish term and the one used in the building regulations (amongst other things). The term entrance passage is udnerstandable, but incorrect in context, and would raise an eyebrow or two amongst most readers.Reminds me of when I had piles. The doctor gave me these two capsules and told me to put them in my back passage. We don't have a back passage so I left them in the hall. All the good they did I may as well have shoved them up my arse.

[volatile]

In the hospital. Also, here you go to college when you go to a university.

That's weird. If you told someone in my town that you were "in the hospital", the response would be "Which one?", followed by "Who are you visiting?", the assumption being that whilst you happened to be in the hospital building, you weren't actually there to receive treatment.

Ditto with "going to a university". It implies you're just going there to visit, not to study or enrol as a student.

[dogguy]

Well my English is a bastard mixture of a few dialects and a Lancashire one is one of those (and it even retains "thee" and "thou"). Out of curiosity any links to this "old Lancaster line" for aye? I'm genuinely interested in British dialects.

Nothing to add on the "old Lancaster line" but I wanted to say that my grandfather used "aye" for his entire life. I never heard him say yes. He was a Devon boy - quite a way from Lancaster (and Scotland).

[Modified]

That's weird. If you told someone in my town that you were "in the hospital", the response would be "Which one?", followed by "Who are you visiting?", the assumption being that whilst you happened to be in the hospital building, you weren't actually there to receive treatment.

What about "at the beach" or "at the store"? Here those can mean "doing beach things at an unspecified beach" and "shopping at an unspecified store (but only one)". And if your car is "in the shop" it can mean it is "being repaired at an unspecified repair shop".

Ditto with "going to a university". It implies you're just going there to visit, not to study or enrol as a student.The thing here is that you go "to college", even if you're studying at a university and not yet enrolled in any particular college within that university (generally you can be "undeclared" for the first two years). If you're at a community college, you might claim you're going "to college", but everyone else would probably say you're going "to community college".

[Architect]

In the hospital. Also, here you go to college when you go to a university.


The use of "the" would be acceptable here too, likewise for jail and so on, and the frequency of use is due to regional variatons IIRC.

[Modified]

The use of "the" would be acceptable here too, likewise for jail and so on, and the frequency of use is due to regional variatons IIRC.

Do you mean that "go to the jail" could mean "be jailed"? Here it would have to be "go to jail".

[Dave_46]

To carry on with the pedantic theme - outwith is NOT a "purely Scottish word" - it may well be a word in some Scottish dialects but it is also a word in some English (northern) dialects as well.

One dialect usage that sounds very strange to my southern English ears is the Yorkshire "while", which I have heard used to have the meaning until.

Dave

[Dave_46]

I have wondered for a while whether it is time for Americans to recognise that it is their language and start calling it American, rather than English. It may have started out as English, but it appears to have been diverging for some time.

Dave

[Nogbad]

I don't mind most of the US variants although it seems to me that changes like theatre to theater suggest a subtle change in pronunciation also.

Yetts is an old word and in the East of Scotland is in place names like Yetts O Muckhart. Most castles had an iron yett.

The one that I find most peculiar is Math as an abbreviation of the plural Mathematics. Would one abbreviate automobiles to auto rather than autos?

However, diversity is the spice of life.

[Architect]

I think that one of the interesting things is that they don't recognise that many of their phrases are Americanisms unlike, say, Canadians or Antipodeans or Brits who tend to recognise their own national variants a lot more.

(says the man from North Uist)

[mattdick]

Then again I had to think a bit when listening to the song Piano Man, because he uses 'stoned' in a rather uncommon context.

That might be regional/old-fashioned but still American English. My father, who is very American, uses the expression "stoned" when he's talking about getting drunk on alcohol.

[mattdick]

I think that one of the interesting things is that they don't recognise that many of their phrases are Americanisms unlike, say, Canadians or Antipodeans or Brits who tend to recognise their own national variants a lot more.

It's possible that Americans don't encounter non-domestic English speakers as much as Canadians, Brits, Aussies or Kiwis do.

[wahrheit]

Can't you guys just get along? Accept the fact that the British Empire contaminated half the globe with their funny language and get over it. :D

[brodski]

Do you mean that "go to the jail" could mean "be jailed"? Here it would have to be "go to jail".

No, he clearly meant gaol. :p

[Architect]

In Scotland it will still be considered acceptable,if unusual, to say "he got the gaol/jail". Well, actually "He goat the jail", but you know what I mean.


That might be regional/old-fashioned but still American English. My father, who is very American, uses the expression "stoned" when he's talking about getting drunk on alcohol.


I have very occasionally heard it used that way in the UK, although not since the mid 1980s or so.

[zooterkin]

I think that one of the interesting things is that they don't recognise that many of their phrases are Americanisms unlike, say, Canadians or Antipodeans or Brits who tend to recognise their own national variants a lot more.


A lot of things regarded as Americanisms are things that have survived in America and died out in the UK, as opposed to being new coinages.

[Architect]

That in itself is not unusual. Several "Scots" words are, in fact, survivors rather than dialectal differences. Likewise one finds a similar scenario in Australian and South African English. For ease of reference it is more convenient to label these as, for example, Americanisms or Scots or whatever.

[Darat]

You can't even make such a distinction since there are variations within Scottish dialects and an incredible variation within English (region) dialects (and of course Welsh and so on).

What is most often claimed to be "proper" English i.e. "Standard English" is in fact only a dialect and one that is spoken by no more that 15% of the UK population and of those half will speak it with a "regional" accent. At best you can make a claim about general English usage in the UK by referring to "mainstream dialect English" which is the non-standard English most people in the country use day-to-day which will be a mixture of regional dialect words and constructions that have gained widespread acceptance.

(It's why the "grammar people" don't have leg to stand on as there really is nothing that is officially correct in English.)

[Architect]

Well yes and no. TV has tended to flatten dialectal differences quite significantly, likewise centralised education curricula/curriculums, however there are quite clearly still some major regional/national differences within the UK. One might suggest a north-south spectrum, rather than a distinct cut-off point, however there are quite clearly language constructs that are considered the norm in Scotland at national level and are largely isolated there, supported by the education and media. This in turn is represented in legislation and supporting documents - the Scottish Building Regulations, for example, support a range of largely non-technical terms which would be a mystery to anyone south of about Carlisle, possibly Lancaster. Likewise farmers everywhere tend to enjoy a very specific vocabularly, and so on.

Of course people do their PhD on this kind of thing and here we are breenging in......we must be doited or something.

[jimbob]

My mother was a kiwi, and I spent the first few years of my life in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

My speech was a mixture of Yorkshire grammar, with (ETA: Obsolescent) Kiwi vocab:

"Hast thou eaten ma tucker?"

[Damien Evans]

Glasgow is some considerable distance north of the border. "No-one south of Carlisle" would be the more accurate rendering.

Anyway, we remember the Paul Hogan show. Don't get started on difficult accents! :p

Yeah, but not many people actually speak like that. I can, but it's not my normal accent.

[Damien Evans]

My mother was a kiwi, and I spent the first few years of my life in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

My speech was a mixture of Yorkshire grammar, with (ETA: Obsolescent) Kiwi vocab:

"Hast thou eaten ma tucker?"

nah mate, but i'll fix you up some more grub in a jiffy.

[Don At Work]

So, is Guy Ritchie pulling our legs in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels"?

Scene: Nudie bar. Barry has just hired two burglars to grab some shotguns for him. They insult each other behind their backs on the way out.

Barrry the baptist: "Northern monkeys"

Kenny the burglar: "Southern Fairies"

with "appropriate" accents. :)

[Lensman]

Wellayemun.

(Wenglish slang ;) )

I'll be there now in a minute!

The missis is baad in bed under the doctor.

(Wenglish phrases)

There's lots more.

Wenglish (http://www.talktidy.com/)

[jimbob]

So, is Guy Ritchie pulling our legs in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels"?

Scene: Nudie bar. Barry has just hired two burglars to grab some shotguns for him. They insult each other behind their backs on the way out.

Barrry the baptist: "Northern monkeys"

Kenny the burglar: "Southern Fairies"

with "appropriate" accents. :)

They sound frightfullywell spoken burglars dont'cherknow...

Not like the usual riffraff.

Effing and blindin all over the place

But I guess you suspected knew that.

[Flashman]

....it's an alternate word in use in UK English but not US English.....


hhhhhh

[Furi]

ey ey cairm down yous lot,

look I doan go arand kerektin yous septics of usin zeds when yous should be usin esses now does I, or missin out of de yew in colour, or callin budweiser or coors beer, or makin fun of yous aussies cause of their constan interrogativ statements and calling fosters or xxxx beer

nose I doan, an if I once te be usin words like aye and tpub and troad or tstreet then as long as yous doan get arsey wiv my mix of shedloads of axxints then I wonts tek tpiss out of yours, you know whaddimean der like.

now as for de sweaty socks, I carn unnerstan a blind werd most of de time

[NoZed Avenger]

Mods: Is it too late to change this topice to "English Usage US vs. Antique and Incorrect" ?

[UnrepentantSinner]

The one that I find most peculiar is Math as an abbreviation of the plural Mathematics. Would one abbreviate automobiles to auto rather than autos?

I had never encountered "Maths" until I started using the Internet and while I have no etymological explanation, Math reads/sounds to me like the study of mathematics, while Maths sounds like the study of multiple math derived subjects like algebra, geometry, analysis, etc.

- also wanted to add

If an American says he's trying to burn a fag with a torch, it doesn't mean he's trying to light a cigarette with a flashlight. It means he's committing a hate crime.

[NoZed Avenger]

If an American says he's trying to burn a fag with a torch, it doesn't mean he's trying to light a cigarette with a flashlight. It means he's committing a hate crime.


In our defense, that sentence hardly ever comes up.

Once, maybe twice a year. Tops.

[Furi]

I read this just after I had nipped outside, as I had the urge to go suck on a fag, it left a strange warm feeling in my mouth which I can still taste now.

[Modified]

I had never encountered "Maths" until I started using the Internet and while I have no etymological explanation, Math reads/sounds to me like the study of mathematics, while Maths sounds like the study of multiple math derived subjects like algebra, geometry, analysis, etc.

You can't really blame it on the generalness of Mathematics though, since Differential Equations is fairly specific, but abbreviated Diffy-Q rather than Diffy-Qs.

[Professor Yaffle]

Ah divvent knaa what yees lot are gannin on aboot. I cannit understand a word coz y's divvent taak proppa like what us lot dee.

[UnrepentantSinner]

In our defense...

Always the lawyer... sheesh.

I read this just after I had nipped outside, as I had the urge to go suck on a fag, it left a strange warm feeling in my mouth which I can still taste now.

A single superfluous "l" would have made this joke an order of magnitude more gay than it would sound to Americans.

You can't really blame it on the generalness of Mathematics though, since Differential Equations is fairly specific, but abbreviated Diffy-Q rather than Diffy-Qs.

:D but getting back to the point about myself not having any etymological justifications for math v. maths, I did some digging and wondered for a moment if the Latin mathmatica might explain the difference until I remembered the title of Newton's book.

--------------------
For any of you who are interested in this subject Robert McNeil did a show for PBS on how the English language has evolved in the U.K., America and (IIRC) Canada. It's not a scholarly study of etymology by any means, but it is a fascinating journalistic investigation.

------------------- part 2.
I was going to post this in another thread but never got around to it and this one seems like an appropriate surrogate. PeterB gave a fantastic presentation at TAM 2 and I happened to be sitting between Patricio and Chaos, both of whom (I suspect) had learned English from American speaking teachers and I found myself "translating" some of his verbiage and intonation into American English which they were more easily able to digest. Both of them will demure, but they have an excellent command of English.

This anecdote is IIRC and I should PM them if they aren't aware of this thread and ask if my memory is faulty or correct. :)

[PenguinWarrior]

Wellayemun.

(Wenglish slang ;) )

I'll be there now in a minute!

The missis is baad in bed under the doctor.

(Wenglish phrases)

There's lots more.

Wenglish (http://www.talktidy.com/)

Huh, I didn't realise half of that was confined to Wales. Do people really not say "Mind out" or "Out of puff", elsewhere? On the other hand, I was convinced that "Bwci-Bo" was a word my grandmother had just made up (she pronounces it "Boogy-bo"), so that's news, too.

[hgc]

I can't speak for Australian novels, but in the United States the first Harry Potter book is known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, while in the rest of the world the title is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.


This was not due to language differences. "Philosopher's stone" is a historical term, used in alchemy, which means exactly what Rowling described it to be in the book. It's no less so in American than in British, and no less known to American children than to British children before reading that book (i.e. pretty much not at all). The American publisher, Scholastic, chose to change the name because they were afraid that children would be uninterested in a book with the word "philosopher" in the title. So they changed the title and content to use the meaningless term that replaced the original. Idiots.

[hgc]

It's a good idea for Americans to be told before going to Britain that "fanny" doesn't mean there what it means here.

[drkitten]

It's a good idea for Americans to be told before going to Britain that "fanny" doesn't mean there what it means here.

That causes fewer problems than you would think. "Pants," on the other hand, cause no end of embarassments.

[Wildy]

That causes fewer problems than you would think. "Pants," on the other hand, cause no end of embarassments.

Heh. That's nothing. Us Aussies could confuse all you foreigners just by talking about thongs.

[jimbob]

They can sometimes smell rank Wildy.

[Wildy]

Especially if you have smelly feet.

[OnlyTellsTruths]

Locational issues can have small ranges as well as broad. The UK vs US usage is comparable to rural vs inner city differences all around the word.

Normal semantics and philological discussion aside, this usually reminds me of being used to features of older versions of some software utility or game (say your online browser) and not wanting to update to the newest version......

Likewise the location difference has much in common with generational differences (Those darn kids and their acronyms!). Remember, if it happens too fast for the average person to adapt it approaches "newspeak".

[jimbob]

What else could you have been thinking about, Wildy?

...

[wahrheit]

Especially if you have smelly feet.

G4ILykmiPPg

[Metullus]

It's a good idea for Americans to be told before going to Britain that "fanny" doesn't mean there what it means here.Hmmm. One wonders what comes to mind when a USAian reports her "fanny pack" missing in Bristol?

[wahrheit]

:rolleyes:

[Lensman]

Also, the phrase "chasing a piece of tail" would not mean the same over here.

[Wildy]

What else could you have been thinking about, Wildy?

...

Sorry, I forget that foreigners don't get parts of Australian humour.

[jimbob]

That's the trouble with British (and colonial) humour, both people can be playing it so straight that they mightn't be sure whether t'other actually spots the position of toungue within the cheek don't ask which one.

It usually works in speech, but text is harder...

[ush]

:rolleyes:What's that sign about exactly? It looks like someone's made a big mistake. :boggled:

[wahrheit]

What's that sign about exactly? It looks like someone's made a big mistake. :boggled:

Allegedly, the picture shows a protester in Texas who does not want anymore Mexican (or whatever) immigrants. A sign asking for English to become the official language of the United States is stupid in itself, and even more stupid with wrong spelling.

[Lensman]

More Wenglish:
"That Sioni, (he's) a bit twpped if you ask me." = "That Johnny, (he's) a bit daft if you ask me."

"You know my Angharad - she's just a dwt." = "You know my Angharad - she's very small." (I don't know what the English translation of Angharad would be - if there is one.)

There's a word that we use a lot that can mean 3 different things, depending on context, the word "cwtch". This is the nearest spelling that I can work out on this - I've never actually seen the word written down/printed. The pronunciation would be more difficult to describe, it's not cooch or cutch, but somewhere between them.

1. "Give us a cwtch." = "Give me a cuddle/hug.": "Cwtch up." = "Cuddle up."
2. "Get and cwtch." = "Go and hide." (normally said to the dog when it does something wrong, it means it's in disgrace - this actually works for my family pets, the dog knows it's done something bad & you can tell by it's hang-dog manner that it knows this).
3. "Put it in the cwtch." = "Put it (whatever 'it' is) in the space under the stairs." This can be the dogs sleeping space too, so 2 & 3 could equal the same thing.

[dudalb]

It's a good idea for Americans to be told before going to Britain that "fanny" doesn't mean there what it means here.

The word "BUM" has also caused unintentional embarassament. Let's just say that in US it means a tramp,a hobo someone who is constanly and by their own choice constanly broke and unemployed (and not really interested in getting a new job ),but in the UK it means a part of the human anatomy...........

[Wildy]

The word "BUM" has also caused unintentional embarassament. Let's just say that in US it means a tramp,a hobo someone who is constanly and by their own choice constanly broke and unemployed (and not really interested in getting a new job ),but in the UK it means a part of the human anatomy...........

So the phrase "Show us yer bum ya bum" wouldn't make any sense in US or UK English?

[Furi]

So the phrase "Show us yer bum ya bum" wouldn't make any sense in US or UK English?

Just as much as "Get off yerarse, yerarse."

[hgc]

The word "BUM" has also caused unintentional embarassament. Let's just say that in US it means a tramp,a hobo someone who is constanly and by their own choice constanly broke and unemployed (and not really interested in getting a new job ),but in the UK it means a part of the human anatomy...........


On the "fanny" issue, Brits, is this word a problem when it comes to proper nouns? What kind of offense is occassioned with the pronunciation of the name of the Ziegfeld star portrayed by Barbra Steisand in Funny Girl, or of the mention of the author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe?

[Darat]

It's often used as a name to raise a laugh, the same way as say the name "Dick" is, but "Fanny" used to be quite a common name in the UK (usually as a pet-name for a woman called Frances or even Florance apparently).

[zooterkin]

It's often used as a name to raise a laugh, the same way as say the name "Dick" is, but "Fanny" used to be quite a common name in the UK (usually as a pet-name for a woman called Frances or even Florance apparently).

Indeed, as in the phrase "sweet Fanny Adams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Adams)". At the all-boy grammar school I went to (many years ago), female teachers were referred to, among the boys, as 'Fanny', e.g. "Fanny Smith"; I don't know the origin of this (i.e. whether it was the obvious one or something else), or whether it was common at other schools.

[Giraffe107]

Of course, sweet F.A. means something different now.

[Fiona]

It can cause some problems from uk english to american english also. On another board I once caused quite a lengthy silence by using the phrase, of another poster, "She could get a piece at anybody's door".

[Professor Yaffle]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTxD49qBDvs

[TX50]

Scots law still occasionaly refers to yetts in lieu of gates or doors, so no.

Maybe because "gate" in Scots actually means "road".

[TX50]

We also call it "The Pictures" in the UK, as in "We're going to the Pictures".
However, unlike Americans, we never call a film a Picture.

In some parts of Britain we do. A film is usually called "a picture" in
N.E. Scotland, for example. A cinema is also called "a picture house"
(pronounced something like "a piksher hoose")

[negativ]

The use of "roger" as a verb never fails to make me giggle. There's a local law firm aptly called "Roger & Dunham" (read: Done 'Em). I no longer try to explain to people why their TV commercials tend to make me snicker.

[wahrheit]

The use of "roger" as a verb never fails to make me giggle. There's a local law firm aptly called "Roger & Dunham" (read: Done 'Em). I no longer try to explain to people why their TV commercials tend to make me snicker.

Before you can roger someone, you need clearance, Clarence. And a vector, Victor. Oveur (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3rBW94EPyc).