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Cool for Brits to speak American - How about the reverse? - Page 3

post #31 of 113
7/13/10 at 1:24am
I've always wanted to walk around asking "'ave you seen our 'ouse?"
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post #32 of 113
7/13/10 at 1:44am
This is how we roll on the West Coast

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post #33 of 113
7/13/10 at 9:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwilkinson View Post
In case you were wondering, M@t definitely sounds Australian. Very very Australian.
ya think?

Mostly people find my accent non-descript...guessing Australian and occasionally southern British at a stretch. It is very rounded out, since I have lived like two thirds of my adult life out of the country.

Anyhow, ok, cool...I still sound Australian. This is a good thing. Kinda.
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post #34 of 113
7/13/10 at 9:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by closetmess View Post
Speak for yourself. I shudder every time someone says that. I even found it in my lexicon a few years back and had to undergo Clockwork Orange style "learning" to rid myself of it.

You like it the Ludivico Method?
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post #35 of 113
7/13/10 at 9:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arrogant Bastard View Post
"Cunt" as a casual swear word, which has been popular in the UK for many years, has recently become more popular in the US. For the longest time it was extraordinarily taboo here. It was tantamount to the n-word and other racial slurs in terms of the most vicious words available in the American lexicon.

These days, unless the word is directed at a woman, it's become pretty widespread. I don't know whether to credit the UK with that influence, but I do imagine it has something to do with all the Guy Ritchie films and whatnot that brought UK swear words over here.

i love "cunt"
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post #36 of 113
7/13/10 at 9:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cimabue View Post
"At the end of the day."

"shuttered" for shut.

"cheers"

"bloody"

"shite"

ending a declarative sentence with "yeah?"

"wank/wanker"

"bollocks"

"snarky"

"smarmy"

These are strong gainers Stateside.

I'm sure there are more, "for fuck's sake".

Not where I live.
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post #37 of 113
7/13/10 at 12:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tagutcow View Post
I actually use "summat" and "Bob's your uncle" in written and spoken language respectively. I also use little syntactical quirks like "the gift that was given me". I don't use them because they're British, I use them because I like them.

Sounds like someone is trying to hide their uniball.
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post #38 of 113
7/13/10 at 12:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Casey View Post
No, but it seems like girls love British accents in general.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kwilkinson View Post
The only person in America who actually tries to look or sound British is Jetblast. I think that answers your question.

Didn't Madonna (and Gwenyth?) start speaking w/ British accents?

* I may adopt words/phrase (but not spellings!), but refuse to do the accent
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post #39 of 113
7/13/10 at 12:57pm
People who are into soccer sometimes call it a "pitch" around here and refer to the footwear as "boots."
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post #40 of 113
7/13/10 at 1:02pm
I use the word dodgy to describe dodgy places. I took it from the Brits I work with and like it far more than "sketchy".

And I say zebra with a short E simply because I have heard Bear Grylls say zebra countless times more than any American. And it's the least I can do after watching him eat a random zebra (short E) carcus he found on some adventure. He didn't wince at the dodgy situation.
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post #41 of 113
7/13/10 at 1:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by romafan View Post
Didn't Madonna (and Gwenyth?) start speaking w/ British accents?

* I may adopt words/phrase (but not spellings!), but refuse to do the accent

I know Madonna did - MrsG and I made fun of her for it.

Accents are a funny thing. MrsG's parents are both born-and-raised Brits who moved over here when they were in their 40s. They'd also spent the 15 years prior to that in South Africa. So they've been away from England for about 35 years, and they still sound very British to me. However, when they talk to friends from back home the friends tell them they've picked up American, and lost their British, accents.

That's not to say Madonna has done the same, given she hasn't been out of the States for 35 years, but the idea that people who are long-term expats can develop a sort of "in between" accent is interesting to me.
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post #42 of 113
7/13/10 at 1:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by odoreater View Post
People who are into soccer sometimes call it a "pitch" around here and refer to the footwear as "boots."

"Did you enjoy the match?"

+1 It is hard to talk about soccer (football!) using American terms (soccer cleats!) w/o sounding like a boob...
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post #43 of 113
7/13/10 at 1:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrG View Post
I know Madonna did - MrsG and I made fun of her for it.

Accents are a funny thing. MrsG's parents are both born-and-raised Brits who moved over here when they were in their 40s. They'd also spent the 15 years prior to that in South Africa. So they've been away from England for about 35 years, and they still sound very British to me. However, when they talk to friends from back home the friends tell them they've picked up American, and lost their British, accents.

That's not to say Madonna has done the same, given she hasn't been out of the States for 35 years, but the idea that people who are long-term expats can develop a sort of "in between" accent is interesting to me.

"in between" to the ears of the original country (i.e. England), yes, this can be. They will still sound very British to an American...
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post #44 of 113
7/13/10 at 1:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arrogant Bastard View Post
"Cunt" as a casual swear word, which has been popular in the UK for many years, has recently become more popular in the US. For the longest time it was extraordinarily taboo here. It was tantamount to the n-word and other racial slurs in terms of the most vicious words available in the American lexicon.

These days, unless the word is directed at a woman, it's become pretty widespread. I don't know whether to credit the UK with that influence, but I do imagine it has something to do with all the Guy Ritchie films and whatnot that brought UK swear words over here.

You should consider using "Cunt" as your nom de plume for those romance novels.


- B
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post #45 of 113
7/13/10 at 1:25pm
Quote:
I actually use "summat" and "Bob's your uncle" in written and spoken language respectively. I also use little syntactical quirks like "the gift that was given me". I don't use them because they're British, I use them because I like them.
Thats not a syntactical quirk, its just incorrect. Its also not in the slightest bit British. Even the most ill-educated Englishman would say "the gift I was given" or "The gift that was given to me" You just can't say "given me". Its not right.
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