A Brit’s take on American English

Posted by Vicki Hollett on July 17, 2010

As part of American English month, we return to Philadephia, where blogger and EFL teacher & author Vicki Hollett discusses the hazards of a Brit speaking ‘merican. Thank you to Vicki for another great guest post!

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The US is a hazardous place for Brits. Since moving to Philadelphia, I’ve inadvertently commented on my hostess’s homely (=ugly) home; I’ve offended my gay neighbours by mentioning their fairy (=holiday) lights and I’ve even described the deceased at a funeral as having a wicked (=nasty – but not in Boston, where I might have been understood) sense of humour.

But there are lots of mistakes I’ve avoided. I’ve understood that batteries don’t go flat here (they die instead) and at the hardware store I’ve learnt how to ask for rawl plugs (=anchors) to put in the plasterboard (=sheet rock) along with some polyfilla (=spackle). I can now dress myself in trousers (=pants) with turn ups (=cuffs) and a jumper (=sweater – take it from me, ’merican jumpers are not a fashion item you’d ever want to wear). So I like to think I’ve had a lot of successes here. When I’ve written something wrongly, I’ve avoided asking my co-workers to lend me a rubber (=contraceptive). And when I’ve forgotten my alarm clock, I’ve never asked my travelling companions to knock me up (=get me pregnant) in the morning.

But whenever I open my mouth here, I’m conscious that it’s always a bit of an experiment. People think we speak the same language and they reason I know what I’m saying, but I don’t. The lexical differences are fun, but they’re actually small fry. Learning how to structure my thoughts ’merican-style is the biggest challenge for me.

The different styles of politeness are tricky. Putting it crudely, I come from a culture where politeness is mostly about not getting in anyone’s way, but in the US it’s more about awarding esteem. I have to remember to show approval, warmth and friendliness, and that’s tough for a Brit. If you think about it, the stereotypical Brit is aloof, standoffish and reserved. Our customs dictate we should leave people alone so they can go about their business without us getting in their way. Meanwhile the stereotype of the American is friendly and garrulous – someone who gives you a run-down of their entire life history within five minutes of meeting them. It’s just not polite to hold back, so I’ve had to learn to show more solidarity, share and be open.

It’s not that one form of politeness is good or bad, but they are different. Have you had any similar experiences with British/American differences? If so, please do share. And in my best British, I do hope I haven’t gone on too long and reading this hasn’t been a bother. And in my best ’merican, y’all come back sometime and set awhile, ye hear?

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Comments (21)

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Roel Thijssen, ThijssenTranslations. ThijssenTranslations said: A Brit’s take on American English http://bit.ly/aqTRGL [...]

Posted by Tweets that mention A Brit’s take on American English | Macmillan -- Topsy.com on 17th July, 2010
[...] A Brit’s take on American English [...]

Posted by Englischlinks der Woche (KW29) - Englisch lernen on 18th July, 2010
[...] The different styles of politeness are tricky. Putting it crudely, I come from a culture where politeness is mostly about not getting in anyone’s way, but in the US it’s more about awarding esteem. I have to remember to show approval, warmth and friendliness, and that’s tough for a Brit. If you think about it, the stereotypical Brit is aloof, standoffish and reserved. Our customs dictate we should leave people alone so they can go about their business without us getting in their way. Meanwhile the stereotype of the American is friendly and garrulous – someone who gives you a run-down of their entire life history within five minutes of meeting them. It’s just not polite to hold back, so I’ve had to learn to show more solidarity, share and be open. (Source: Macmillan Dictionary Blog) [...]

Posted by Listen & Learn » Blog Archive » American English – a British take on 18th July, 2010
I wish I’d known you when I was another Brit struggling to make herself understood in Philly! I was there for two years and I never quite got to the point when I relaxed in a conversation, confident that I was understanding and being understood without fear of putting my foot in it.

Posted by Ros on 19th July, 2010
It seems it’s almost more difficult to feel at ease in conversation in the USA because you apparently speak the same language and so assumptions about your meaning and understanding are made. At least when conversing in a foreign language you partly expect to be misunderstood! and generally any successful, embarrassment-free communication is always a plus point!

Posted by Paddy on 20th July, 2010
That would explain why most of the Americans I follow on Twitter keep retweeting each other and saying things like “Awesome post!” and gushing about where and what they’re eating or doing…
Some of the Canadians seem confused, the Aussies don’t seem bothered, or they say exactly what they think, and my British friends seem to spend a lot of time lurking because they don’t want to interrupt…
Just joking, of course, wouldn’t want to offend anyone, and by the way, if it’s not too rude, isn’t the plural of “y’all” “all y’all”?

Posted by Colin Graham on 20th July, 2010
I laughed reading this text as being a non-native speaker of English, I learned to speak British English and in a trip to the US I got myself into ackward situations like these. I went shopping for a wireless “router” /u:/ but the shop assistant corrected me saying what I wanted was a “router” /au/.

For me, those differences are what make the language so lively and interesting to study and to teach, making students aware of those differences make them functional in every situation.

Posted by Beatriz Meneguetti on 20th July, 2010
Oh wow! I wish I’d known you too Ros. We could have cried on each others shoulders. Do tell me if you’re ever coming back.

Posted by Vicki Hollett on 21st July, 2010
I think you’re absolutely right, Paddy. And actually I think it has implications for my very advanced students. In work settings I think they sometimes tend to get cast in the role of ‘translator’ for a group, and nobody really understands the depth of the challenges they face. Sometimes there’s merit to be had with speaking an imperfect form of English. Ha!

But when all this has been said, there are also plusses to being ‘British’ when I am teaching classes in the US. Knowing I’m another ‘outsider’, I think my students might be more more candid when cultural differences arise.

Posted by Vicki Hollett on 21st July, 2010
It’s interesting to read all those differences and now I know that my English is very American nt British.

Posted by AllaSobirova on 21st July, 2010
Thank you for giving me a good chuckle, Colin! Loved that image of the Brits lurking around on Twitter not wanting to interrupt!

Posted by Vicki Hollett on 22nd July, 2010
Oh, and I forgot to say Colin, in South Philly, there’s an equivalent to ‘all ya’ll’. It’s “yous” – as in “What are yous guys up to”.

Posted by Vicki Hollett on 22nd July, 2010
[...] 2. Macmillan have allowed be to describe my key struggles with ‘merican (in their wonderful ‘merican English month) here. [...]

Posted by Guest posts | Learning to speak 'merican on 23rd July, 2010
What does “a wicked sense of humo(u)r” mean in British English? To me it just means a sharp, keen, generally mischievous sense of humor. I would be surprised if any adult didn’t understand that in the US–it’s pretty different from saying someone is a wicked person. (It doesn’t mean the same thing as Boston “wicked,” which seems to serve either as an intensifier or yet another synonym for “cool,” but I don’t speak any East Coast dialects.)

At any rate, while I love giving compliments, I don’t really like forced interaction all that much, so maybe I should move. Heh.

Posted by Clarissa at Talk to the Clouds on 24th July, 2010
I am curious to know which words the British “translate” for Americans and which ones they leave alone. For instance, do you still say “whilst” or has it become “while”? Can you bring yourself to say “candy” instead of “sweets”? Do you still put the i in “Aluminium”? Are there any words that you just won’t say?

I am a native Californian who lived in North Carolina for 6 years and never could call a shopping cart a “buggy.” I just couldn’t do it.

Love the comments above. The stories are great!

Posted by Ruth on 24th July, 2010
Hi Clarissa, great to see you here!
I was trying to describe something really good when I used that word ‘wicked’. In informal(ish) Brit-speak ‘cool’, ‘brill’, ‘great’, ‘ace’, and maybe even ’sound’, or ’sweet’ could have worked for me as well.
The guy was very funny and always had us in stitches. Sharp and keen? Hmmm… yes but only in the sense that he was on target – he had a very gentle sense of fun. Mischievous – oh yes. Absolutely!
What I didn’t mean to convey was ’sarcastic’, but unfortunately the guy officiating at the funeral understood it that way. He later said something like ‘And although he had a sarcastic sense of humour, he was much loved.’ We were all very surprised and it took me a while to realise I must have been responsible.
From your blog, it seems like you might be planning a move. Wishing you very happy travels if that’s the case and hope you have a wicked time!

Posted by Vicki Hollett on 24th July, 2010
Welcome Ruth, and what an interesting question! Are ther any words I won’t say?

Well, in mission critical situations when I need to be sure I’m understood, I don’t think there’s anything I won’t say. Heck, I’ll even have a stab at an American accent when I find I’m talking to voice recognition software on the phone. But around the house I’m lazy about translating and my husband has come to understand that leftovers will be wrapped in cling film rather than ceran wrap, or thrown in the dustbin rather than the trash can. He eats toMAYtoes and I eat toMAHtoes, and I tend to still eat puddings rather than desserts. ‘Whilst’ is alive and well in my vocabulary (along with amongst) and ‘aluminium’ still has that extra ‘i’ for me, though they might disappear in official correspondence. I have heard myself talking about candy to kids though. That might not involve too much of a mental leap for me. English chocolate is very different to American chocolate in my mind, so they almost merit different names.

My husband has just pointed out that I still occasionally try to get into the wrong side of the car – so maybe I’m just a slow learner.

Posted by Vicki Hollett on 26th July, 2010
Vicki, thank you so much for your response–it is invaluable! I got up the nerve to ask a man in the bookstore the other day whether he still said “whilst” and all I got was an embarrassed “I dunno.” Strangely though, he didn’t even seem to recognize the word in my American accent until I had repeated it. I walked away, red in the face.

Posted by Ruth on 26th July, 2010
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Posted by Kender I Wordle? « Hos Mommer on 27th July, 2010
Interesting article. I had the opposite experience years ago as an American encountering British overseas. I learned quickly what the loo is, and that trucks are called lorries and run on petrol, not gas(oline). These are pretty well known differences. But it was a surprise to hear vacuum cleaners called hoovers (which is a brand name in the US) and dish detergent called ‘washing-up liquid’. Yeah, the language is the same, but the idioms can differ radically.

Posted by Henrik on 20th August, 2010
Dear Vicki,
I feel thrilled to start writing. I have been using your textbook Business Objectives for almost 15 years so it feels like writing to the Queen.

I have a rather funny experience from last year. In one group of about 20 adult students we have used the older version of the book, which is British English and the newer version which is International (which means American English). If you ask why we did such a funny thing it was because we just got into the particular moment where the old and new versions were still sold and as the book is quite expensive I did not want to force my students into buying a new copy and throwing the old one away…
The truth is that the Americanized version of the book is simpler and the recordings are more understandable. I am sorry to admit that as I am in favour of British culture and English as well.
Nice greetings from Prague
Vladimir

Posted by Vladimir on 1st September, 2010