A Trolley in a Grocery Store? Americans Would Reckon That's Crazy 20 August 2008 MUSIC: !

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AA: I'm A&i Arditti 'ith Rosanne Skir(le) This 'eek on W*R+MAST,R: 'e talk a(out a -e' o- the di--erences (et'een American ,n.lish and %ritish ,n.lish) RS: A-ter all/ some di--erences can lead to em(arrassment/ others to "lain old con-usion) AA: 0or instance/ Americans "ut (a(ies to slee" in a cri() The %ritish call the same kind o- (ed a cot) RS: AA: In America a cot is a -limsy/ -old1u" (ed made o- can&as) *h/ you mean 'hat the %ritish call a cam" (ed)

RS: In %ritain/ "u(lic school is 'hat Americans 'ould call "ri&ate school/ 'here you "ay to ha&e your children .o) 2o' let's say you ha&e to .o 11 or you're lookin. -or the toilet) !ere/ it's not "olite to ask 'here the toilet is) Say (athroom or restroom 'hen s"eakin. to an American) AA: 3oinin. us no' -rom 2e' 4ork is the author o- a handy little (ook called S"eak American: A Sur&i&al Guide to the 5an.ua.e and Culture o- the USA) +ileri %orunda 3ohnston li&ed in ,n.land/ so she kno's 'hat it's like -rom (oth sides) +I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: A lot o- the .rammar is sli.htly di--erent/ so you 'ould ha&e thin.s in %ritish ,n.lish that "erha"s you 'ouldn't 'ant an American child to learn (ecause it mi.ht sound sli.htly incorrect) 5ike you 'ouldn't say 'I ha&en't .ot any more)' 4ou 'ould rather an American kid 'ould learn to say 'I don't ha&e any more)' AA: 5et's say a s"eaker o- %ritish ,n.lish ste"s o-- a "lane in the States) 3ust to catch a (us or train into to'n -rom the air"ort re6uires a di--erent &oca(ulary) +I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: In ,n.land you 'ould catch a 'coach' 'hereas here you take the '(us/' or i- you're takin. the "u(lic trans"ortation you 'ould take the 'su('ay in America rather than the 'tu(e' or the 'under.round' as you 'ould in ,n.land) AA: Also/ 'hat the %ritish call lorries 'e Americans call trucks)

RS: 2o' let's say the 'eather is cold and 'et/ and our tra&eler didn't "ack the ri.ht clothes) +ileri 3ohnston "ointed out some %ritish terms that mi.ht con-use an American clerk) +I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: 5ike/ -or e7am"le/ '8um"er/' 'hich in ,n.land is the most common thin. to call a s'eater) RS: !ere it's a dress)

+I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: And a 8um"er here is a dress/ yes) AA: And then here 'e ha&e '(oots' and '.aloshes' and there))) +I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: They ha&e ''ellies/' yes) RS: They ha&e 'hat? +I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: Wellies) AA: !ere 'e talk a(out '(oots/' (ut/ a.ain/ a '(oot' is in %ritish ,n.lish the trunk o- a car) !ere it's a hea&y shoe that you 'ear 'hen you're .oin. throu.h "uddles) +I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: 4ou use the 'ord '(oot' in %ritish ,n.lish as 'ell9 you kno'/ -or re.ular (oots or co'(oy (oots or ridin. (oots or anythin. like that) %ut 8ust the ru((er (oots are called ''ellies)' RS: And the di--erences don't sto" there)

+I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: :ants' is the &ery (i. sort o- trou(le s"ot/ (ecause '"ants' here are 6uite 11 you kno'/ the common thin. to call the thin.s you "ut on your 11 the lon. thin.s you "ut on your le.s/ 'hereas '"ants' in ,n.land is al'ays re-errin. to under'ear) RS: So here that 'ould (e 'under"ants)' +I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: Under"ants/ or under'ear or (o7ers or 'hate&er) RS: So i- you say/ 'do you ha&e a "air o- "ants to 'ear to the "arty/' that 'ould (e "retty ina""ro"riate to say in ,n.land unless you 'ere -ore'arned) +I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: And o&er there they say 'trousers/' 'hich is not a 'ord that is com"letely unkno'n in American ,n.lish/ (ut it's not the most common one) RS: Alon. these lines/ it seemed to us that a lot o- the terms used in %ritish ,n.lish are older -orms o- the 'ords used (y Americans 11 -or instance/ it mi.ht sound odd -or an American to say s"ectacles instead o- .lasses) +I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: That's o-ten the case) 4ou kno'/ you ha&e 's"ectacles/' you ha&e 'trousers)' They tend to (e sort o- thin.s that mi.ht (e more common in re.ional &arieties o- American ,n.lish) 4ou kno'/ like in ,n.land/ it's 6uite common to say 'reckon/' 'hich in American ,n.lish is 6uite unusual/ or you mi.ht here it in the South "erha"s or in more old1-ashioned conte7ts) AA: 5ike/ 'I reckon I'll .o in 'hen the sun .ets too hot)' +I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: 4eah/ and "eo"le in ,n.land say it sort o- 6uite seriously/ 'ithout meanin. it to (e -unny or ironic or anythin. like that) RS: Same 'ith some other terms that mi.ht strike Americans as -unny)

+I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: 4ou kno'/ i- you .o sho""in./ -or e7am"le/ you don't really 'ant to take a 'trolley' 'hich is 'hat Americans ride around in on the street/ like say in San 0rancisco) !ere you 'ould rather use a 'sho""in. cart' 'hen you .o to do your .roceries) AA: And it's not 8ust 'ords that set American and %ritish s"eakers a"art) +I5,RI 3*!2ST*2: S"eakers o- %ritish ,n.lish ha&e to (e &ery conscious o- the -act that %ritish accents are 6uite incom"rehensi(le to Americans at times) I kno' -rom e7"erience 11 my hus(and/ 'ho's %ritish/ has a horri(le time orderin. 'ater in restaurants) 2o(ody understands him 'hen he asks -or ''a'1tuh)' So he's tried to modi-y it and say ''a'1da/ In the U)S)/ a sho""in. cart9 in %ritain/ a can I ha&e some 'a'1da "lease)' trolley AA: +ileri %orunda 3ohnston/ author o- S"eak American: A Sur&i&al Guide to the 5an.ua.e and Culture o- the USA) RS: That's W*R+MAST,R -or this 'eek) Send your lan.ua.e 6uestions to ;*A Wordmaster/ Washin.ton +)C)/ t'o1zero1t'o1three1se&en USA or 'ord<&oane's)com) With A&i Arditti/ I'm Rosanne Skir(le) MUSIC: American ,n.lish $Wa7 U=