I'm tired of people taking the P about Americans

[utepoot]

America is a great country. Yes, it has its flaws but most of that is down to the government, not the people. I happen to be from the USA, I have emigrated to the UK, which I dearly love and embrace all the UK's customs, slang and differences. It peeves me when people say that America "spells words incorrectly". No, we don't. American English is different than British English. There are many, many terms that are different: ie. boot=trunk, bonnet=hood and so on, so why is the American way wrong? It's just a different variation. People who think the "American way" is wrong must also think that all of the EU's way is wrong too, because they all speak a different language! And for that matter, the whole world that doesn't conform to the British way must be wrong too? Why pick on "The Americans"

[pastafreak]

I met my ex-a Brit-when he'd been living in the States for about a year. He'd gone there to do a Phd-and one of his responsibilities was to teach. One of his earliest language boo boos was to refer to an erasure (for the blackboard) as a 'rubber'....
Then there was his first Thanksgiving,where on being offered Squash-he asked "Squashed what?"....now I am surprised he never asked "what flavour-orange or blackcurrant?"
I don't know how long utepoot has been here-but she will certainly gather lots of similar experiences. Mine came courtesy of my new in-laws...who thoroughly enjoyed taking the mick of their new 'yank' family member.

[rockyracoon]

Lol pasta, I bet the class was in fits of laughing over the rubber.

[ChuckFickens]

It caused some strange looks when some American friends of mine found out that if you wanted to get a cigarette from somebody in England the phrase "can I bum a fag" is perfectly valid :)

[The Builder]

A friend of mine got in a cab to take him from JFK to Manhattan........ said to the driver ......... " you know what? I'm dying for a fag" ...........
Oh dear :o(

[lumination]

gah i love america, i work in the travel industry and im in the America selling team so i love the place! its so huge and varies so much from place to place. the people there are fantastic and full of life, hell when you come off the roller coaster ride at orlando for example they clap! no one does that in england everyone is always so flippin sad. The cowboys in Texas, the business men in new york, the wanna be actresses/actors in LA to the bright buzzing people of Vegas. America rules!

[rockyracoon]

Excellent, I love the differences the same language has.

[lumination]

p.s just from what i found when i was travelling around is more people are proud to be from america then proud to be british

[EDDIE51]

We regard Yanks as cousins, I find very little animosity towards them.
A lot less than towards French or Germans in my experience.
Mind you I did spend 3 years as a 'Token Brit' working for Aramco in Saudi Arabia, just 3 brits in my dept and 65 yanks, mainly from Texas. I had to get used to the language diffrences. I must be one of the only brits to know what a ' Texas Aggie Muster ' is.

[jno]

don't worry about it. Some British people get very chippy about anyone who is better off than they are. They are also very annoyed about being "dragged" into American wars, though their elected leaders do it voluntarily (and are re-elected).

I've been to the USA about 30 times and am going again next month. I love it.

Don't like your gun laws, though.

[Old_Geezer]

Is this a sense of humour failure, or the early signs of paranoia ? Tsk, Americans eh.

[VHG]

>>>It peeves me when people say that America "spells words incorrectly"

The spelling of many American words is actually based on how the words were spelt in England in the period that the first English settlers went over to the USA.

In Shakespeare's time words had many different spellings depending on where you lived in the country (due to the lack of books and the fact many people could not read or write).

The words in the UK continued to change and evolve into their current spellings, whereas the words in America stayed as their original "English" spellings.

So it is WE in the UK who have changed the spellings, not the Americans.

[DTCwordfan]

My last one that had the Americans rolling in the aisles was in our morning coffee shop.

A woman walked in, looking like that she had had a good night out.....

My comment was "She looks like that she has been pulled through a hedgerow backwards."

They had never heard of that expression.

There was something early on with my kid's school and I commented, "I am going to go and see the Headmistress" - which instigated the response, "Well which red light district are you going for?"

Though Headmaster/mistress is used in Catholic schools over there - should have been principal.

[DTCwordfan]

The French have the same thing with Quebec (lesser extent Switzerland and Belgium).

Examples counting - soixante, soixante-dix, quatre-vingt, quatre-vingt-dix in France.

Soixante, Septant, Octant, Nonant, in Quebec and Switzerland, Belgium as well but perversely they keep the quatre-vingt. This is the old French.

Northern France around Lille, the way we English are taught and Belgium, Quebec, a factory is "une usine". The French tend to use l'atelier" which is literally "workshop" but covers substantial factories....... One should note the huge differences between Northern England, the South and Scotland. I grew up with "beck, mere and kirk"

[pastafreak]

I do hope ute comes back to this thread...it's turned out to be quite a positive one-with a lot of really funny examples of our differences. I for one have never felt any animosity in the 20+years I've been in the UK....and I take a heck of a lot of ribbing from my co-workers....which I thoroughly enjoy!

[4getmenot]

i like americans and i like british, but which ones best? Only one way to find out........ Lol

[cathfromsaron]

i love my 'real' american friends and enjoyed many fab holidays there!

i know we are 'two nations divided by a common language' and just get on with it!

cath x

[NOX]

As individuals I generally like Americans- almost without exception of the ones I have met. As a nation it's beautiful and diverse. My only issues come with it politically and socially in that, imho as a European, it doesn't care for it's poor adequately, endorses captial punishment in many states and does tend to consider itself the World Police. Couple that with our own naff leaders who are prepared to trial blindly after it into any self righteous wear it desires to start, and it overall has a negative impact on the way some people view it.
I reiterate I like Americans as individuals and would love to have visisted America ( they won't let me in bc of my criminal record) and I don't care how they spell anything, but those are the reasons I think America comes in for a bit of stick from some folks.

[pastafreak]

NOX...it comes in for a bit of stick from its citizens for all the same reasons. I may one day move back there-but the political madness puts me off.

[daffy654]

I've been told by many Americans in the past that I have spelt words such and 'neighbour' and 'colour' wrong, I have also been told my way of writing the date is wrong by some.
It isn't just the British who think our way is the correct way.

[bednobs]

i don't know why utepoot. My husband is exactly the way you describe - very anti american, always taking the Fosters out of the accent etc. I would describe him as rascist (towards americans) it hurts me a lot because my sister has lived in the usa longer than she lived in england and my nephew is american :( i have given up correcting him because it takes a lot of energy and its wasted