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American English vs. British English.

sbwertz

Full Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2013
Posts
301
Location
Phoenix, AZ, USA
First Name
Sharon
I have quite a few British friends, so I can avoid many of the pitfalls of posting on a British forum. But if I make a mistake, please correct me.

A funny story...years ago I was managing a restaurant in a large shopping mall in Phoenix. At the time, it was the largest indoor mall west of the Mississippi river, and a big tourist attraction. A tour bus of British tourists stopped at the mall, and a small group of them found their way into my small restaurant. I made it a point to greet them and welcome them to Arizona. One of them asked me where another store was in the mall and I told her to go down to the lift and up to the first floor. She looked at me in amazement, and blurted out "You speak English!" (In America we would have said "go down the elevator and go up the the second floor). I don't know what she thought most of us spoke, but it obviously WASN'T English!
 

sbwertz

Full Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2013
Posts
301
Location
Phoenix, AZ, USA
First Name
Sharon
One of the funniest ten minutes I ever spent was in a Taxi between a guy from New Jersey and one from Georgia (US not Russia). They were trying to carry on a conversation, and neither one could understand the other. We have some very strange regional accents here, too.:funny:
 

Jimjam66

Chief Battonager
Registered
Joined
Jan 27, 2013
Posts
3,775
Location
Basingstoke, Hampshire
Oh, and a colleague of mine brought his mother over from NYC to visit Paris. (Her first time abroad.) After wandering through CDG for a bit she said in amazement: "Even the CHILDREN speak French!" True story ...

:nooidea:
 

Bluefoxy

Full Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2013
Posts
173
Location
London
UK isn't A country - it's 4 countries: England, Scotland, Sheep shaggers (Wales) & Ireland - & none of us speak the same English :funny::funny::funny:

Let's be correct about this Young Steven you mean Northern Ireland. Wouldn't want to upset the good people of Eire would we now :nonono:

Ray
 

Penpal

Grand Master
Joined
May 26, 2013
Posts
25,340
Location
Canberra AUSTRALIA
First Name
Peter
I am fascinated by this conversation re peoples conceptions of others but confess freely in the 65 members of my wife and I our kids, theirs and theirs we have confusion enough. Interesting how all my ancestors back to the 1500,s ie were free settlers from England, Ireland, Name family Scotland, France to Germany. Spent some time in the previous countries as well as many more as a visitor embarrassed many been embarrassed by so many, thankful for my family and everyone I have met for the great experiences. In Manhattan New York sitting in a Pizza place next to two totally disreputeables one selling the other a weapon and lived nearby he was trying to convince the other his weapon of choice was a rifle cause he liked the look of surprise as his victims went down from a distance, I decided then and there if I was addressed by either of them I would fein complete deafness. Glad to finish that meal I can tell you. Australians for whatever reason have great acceptance wherever I have been not hard to understand why because we are all related distantly. Viva La Differance.

Kind regards Peter.
 
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