napria Posted July 5 #151 Share Posted July 5 4 minutes ago, snaefell said: Yes we are countries divided by the same language! Over the years we have spent a lot of time in the USA & getting used to different names & phrases is always a challenge,it happens within the UK sometimes with life threatening consequences,some years ago when unmanned level crossings(where railway lines cross roads) were guarded by lights & signs saying DO NOT CROSS WHILE LIGHTS ARE FLASHING saw a number of incidents in the Yorksire area until somebody realised that in Yorkshire the word while was taken as meaning until by some! Yikes! I knew a lot of the alternate words in the previous posts, but never heard that “while” means “until”. That’s a pretty important distinction! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TouchstoneFeste Posted July 6 #152 Share Posted July 6 7 hours ago, *Miss G* said: The use of different words for the same thing is funny too. (Re: @TouchstoneFeste’s comment on draught vs fountain.) It gets more complicated. In my part of the U.S. the generic term for "carbonated soft drink" is "pop". (I had to backtrack and replace it with "soda" in my post above.) I'm told, although I haven't experienced it myself, that "coke" does that job in the southeast (so you have to describe what kind of coke you want). "Soda" seems to be the preferred term in the northeast, so I cause confusion when I order an unflavored carbonated water in NYC. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudhen Posted July 6 #153 Share Posted July 6 Yup, soda is a general term for any carbonated drink here in the northeast but unflavored carbonated water is called seltzer for the most part. Of course if you’re an old timer (like me!),it could be called a “2 cent plain”! And then there’s that wonderful treat called an egg cream! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winifred 22 Posted July 6 #154 Share Posted July 6 4 hours ago, TouchstoneFeste said: It gets more complicated. In my part of the U.S. the generic term for "carbonated soft drink" is "pop". (I had to backtrack and replace it with "soda" in my post above.) I'm told, although I haven't experienced it myself, that "coke" does that job in the southeast (so you have to describe what kind of coke you want). "Soda" seems to be the preferred term in the northeast, so I cause confusion when I order an unflavored carbonated water in NYC. Growing up in U K in I can remember referring to a fizzy drink as pop. In fact a popular manufacturer no longer around, branded their drinks as Panda Pops. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Pushpit Posted July 6 #155 Share Posted July 6 2 hours ago, Winifred 22 said: Growing up in U K in I can remember referring to a fizzy drink as pop. In fact a popular manufacturer no longer around, branded their drinks as Panda Pops. In the North East of England, pop remains any fizzy drink, and widely so, young and old use that term. That's for all the dialects, Geordie, Northumbria, Mackem and Northern, a rare word shared in all of them. It can also be used as a euphemism - e.g. champagne or Alcopops. The latter was and is somewhat marketed for NE England. Some USA words are actually "correct" in a way that modern English has forgotten. So many Brits roll their eyes when an American says "gotten", as in "we had gotten enough food". However in my area of Northumbria it remains the correct past participle of "get" and so is widely used including by me. And as I like to point out, Shakespeare (Merry Wives of Windsor). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare *Miss G* Posted July 6 Author #156 Share Posted July 6 In Canada, and in some areas of the US, carbonated beverages are called “pop”. It gets confusing for me when “lemonade” is used in place of “pop” for clear fizzy drinks in the UK. In NA, lemonade is actually lemonade! 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clewgarnet Posted July 6 #157 Share Posted July 6 The thing that really got me for years is that, in USA, "quite good" means "very good." For years, Americans would tell me something I'd done was, "quite good," and I'd be a little hurt and offended. In UK, "quite good" means, "well, it's not entirely terrible, but it's close." 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Kordy Posted July 6 #158 Share Posted July 6 2 minutes ago, Clewgarnet said: In UK, "quite good" means, "well, it's not entirely terrible, but it's close." Really? I was watching a British guy do wine tasting and he tried this one wine, smiled and said "Mmm, that's quite good, actually"... it seemed like his favourite glass. I think "quite good" is more about the context, intonation, body language and other things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted July 6 #159 Share Posted July 6 5 minutes ago, Kordy said: Really? I was watching a British guy do wine tasting and he tried this one wine, smiled and said "Mmm, that's quite good, actually"... it seemed like his favourite glass. I think "quite good" is more about the context, intonation, body language and other things. I think ‘quite good, actually’ means not nearly as bad as I expected, but not really very good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Kordy Posted July 6 #160 Share Posted July 6 (edited) 26 minutes ago, exlondoner said: I think ‘quite good, actually’ means not nearly as bad as I expected, but not really very good. Interesting - you live and learn. Today I learned what "quite good" actually means in British English. And you're right, living in the US, "quite good" means (approximately) "pretty good". Edited July 6 by Kordy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted July 6 #161 Share Posted July 6 2 minutes ago, Kordy said: Interesting - you live and learn. Today I learned what "quite good" actually means in British English. And you're right, living in the US, "quite good" means (approximately) "very good". Hmm. In my book, 'quite good actually' means surprisingly, very good! British understatement and all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare *Miss G* Posted July 6 Author #162 Share Posted July 6 20 minutes ago, Victoria2 said: Hmm. In my book, 'quite good actually' means surprisingly, very good! British understatement and all that. Yes, that’s what it means to me, too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted July 6 #163 Share Posted July 6 1 hour ago, Victoria2 said: Hmm. In my book, 'quite good actually' means surprisingly, very good! British understatement and all that. No, I’d say ‘pretty good’ for that. In the 1980s, when it enjoyed a brief vogue because of its cheapness, I might have said ‘quite good, actually’ to describe a Bulgarian red which was less rough than most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted July 6 #164 Share Posted July 6 22 minutes ago, exlondoner said: No, I’d say ‘pretty good’ for that. In the 1980s, when it enjoyed a brief vogue because of its cheapness, I might have said ‘quite good, actually’ to describe a Bulgarian red which was less rough than most. Ah but my quite good is an understatement. Pretty good would be a fact! 🙂 A Bulgarian red which was less rough would get an 'Ugh' from me and that would also be an understatement but this time for, for 'yuck'! 😄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Windsurfboy Posted July 6 #165 Share Posted July 6 (edited) 19 hours ago, napria said: Yikes! I knew a lot of the alternate words in the previous posts, but never heard that “while” means “until”. That’s a pretty important distinction! Who ever wrote the "do not cross while the lights are flashing" , to be grammatically correct should have been "whilst the lights are flashing". In this context while does not mean until , it means as it is happening. So can you wait while I go and get it, is same as can you wait as I go and get it. However the latter ( using as) just doesn't sound right. I'm sure have it wrong but to me Calculus was much easier than English . Edited July 6 by Windsurfboy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted July 6 #166 Share Posted July 6 1 minute ago, Windsurfboy said: Who ever wrote the "do not cross while lights are flashing" , to be grammatically correct should have been "whilst lights are flashing" Calculus much easier than English I’m not sure whilst is very comprehensible at all, or not as different from while. And you couldn’t use when either, as it can been the same as after, as in, ‘When the train arrives at Waterloo, we’ll have to catch the Bakerloo Line. And it is not grammar so much as usage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare *Miss G* Posted July 6 Author #167 Share Posted July 6 37 minutes ago, Victoria2 said: Don't you just love language. You say pot holders. we say oven gloves You say cookie, we say biscuit You say biscuit we say scone and don't get me started on rubbers!!!! 😀 I thought I’d better respond to this, here, lest we shut down that poor man’s thread. 😂 We say oven mitts! And, speaking of mitts, we say “tuque” for winter hat! Dare I ask everyone’s pronunciation of “scone”? We always say sconn, where the vowel is short. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted July 6 #168 Share Posted July 6 9 minutes ago, *Miss G* said: I thought I’d better respond to this, here, lest we shut down that poor man’s thread. 😂 We say oven mitts! And, speaking of mitts, we say “tuque” for winter hat! Dare I ask everyone’s pronunciation of “scone”? We always say sconn, where the vowel is short. Nope. Magic e makes the proceeding vowel sound 'o' say its name, as in toe . and jam goes on first!!! 😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted July 6 #169 Share Posted July 6 4 minutes ago, Victoria2 said: Nope. Magic e makes the proceeding vowel sound 'o' say its name, as in toe . and jam goes on first!!! 😄 Sorry, V2, you know we are as one on many things, but not on these, though I agree the pronunciation is illogical. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare *Miss G* Posted July 6 Author #170 Share Posted July 6 4 minutes ago, Victoria2 said: Nope. Magic e makes the proceeding vowel sound 'o' say its name, as in toe . and jam goes on first!!! 😄 But the double-consonant rule would make the a in “jam” a long vowel! Do you put jame or jamm on first? 🙃 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted July 6 #171 Share Posted July 6 1 minute ago, *Miss G* said: But the double-consonant rule would make the a in “jam” a long vowel! Do you put jame or jamm on first? 🙃 No, not with monosyllables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare *Miss G* Posted July 6 Author #172 Share Posted July 6 12 minutes ago, Victoria2 said: Nope. Magic e makes the proceeding vowel sound 'o' say its name, as in toe . and jam goes on first!!! 😄 But the double-consonant rule would make the a in “jam” a long vowel! Do you put jame or jamm on first? 🙃 (Also, the cream goes on first.) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Host Hattie Posted July 6 #173 Share Posted July 6 And I thought dress code threads were bad 🤦♀️ 1 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted July 6 #174 Share Posted July 6 10 minutes ago, *Miss G* said: But the double-consonant rule would make the a in “jam” a long vowel! Do you put jame or jamm on first? 🙃 (Also, the cream goes on first.) Jam is a single cvc word. It requires the double consonant when certain suffixes are added such as ed or ing making it a cvccvc for jammed and cvccvcc for jamming. At no time is the vowel lengthened into its name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted July 6 #175 Share Posted July 6 28 minutes ago, exlondoner said: Sorry, V2, you know we are as one on many things, but not on these, though I agree the pronunciation is illogical. OK I had this debate this morning on my volunteer stint in a charity coffee shop. Two couples almost came to light-hearted blows over scon or scone!! Luckily, no cream involved so the jam went on top of the butter! 😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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