Перейти к содержимому

Рекомендуемые сообщения

Хотя требования обучать британскому английскому в наших школах нет уже с конца 1980-х годов, интерес к тому, какому же варианту языка учить, не утихает. Насколько важны и велики различия между британским и американским английским? Они заключаются только в произношении и горстке слов или разница больше и может привести к серьезным непониманиям?

Вот интересная статья, в которой британец рассказывает, с какими сложностями ему приходится сталкиваться из-за языка в США и какие слова говорить, а какие стараться не использовать:

"The linguistic confusion of a Brit in America

When you’re a Brit living in the United States, as I am, sooner or later – and it’s usually sooner, even if you’re trying hard to fit in – you’ll end up using a word or phrase that your interlocutor just doesn’t understand. Everyone knows the obvious pitfalls, and they’re constant causes of amusement or starters of conversation, so they’re also easy to remember – elevator instead of lift, sidewalk instead of pavement, fall instead of autumn, restroom or bathroom instead of loo… And even if you do slip up on these, most Americans find them easily ‘translatable’ since the differences are well known. Diverging pronunciations, too, such as those used for schedule or controversy, don’t necessarily stop you getting your point across. But I’ve come to realise that occasionally, my American listeners have simply never heard some of the words I’m using and have no idea what I’m talking about – rather thrilling, really, in such an interconnected age, to find some last bastions of linguistic bafflement. Let me take you through a – perhaps slightly more than averagely – confusing day for this Brit in the US to show you what I mean.

A day in the life of a Brit abroad

First of all, I’ll wake up in my flat, and, if it’s a bit nippy out, I might put on a jumper. Although for Americans, the noun flat chiefly means a flat tyre – as in, “I have a flat” – many are aware that it’s the British term for an apartment.  However, I have confused several US friends when declaring the need for a jumper, or an intention to go out and buy one – because over here, such a garment seems to mean a kind of gym slip or smock, chiefly for little girls, in which one would not be seen dead after the age of about five. What I should say, it turns out, is a sweater. As for feeling nippy, Americans might instead say it was a little chilly instead. Incidentally, on the subject of clothing, I have had moments of hilarity over the confusion between the US and British meanings of suspenders – on both sides of the Atlantic they’re used for holding up pants, but whereas in America that means men’s trousers – making them what Brits might in fact call braces – back home, they’re a little racier and involve ladies’ stockings…

On the way out of my flat, I may well look to see if I have any post – while my neighbours – a word I’ll spell complete with its British ‘u’ – will be checking to see if they have any mail.  And upon heading out, I’ll be sure to use a brolly if it’s raining – another term that’s flummoxed colleagues before now, who need to be told it means an umbrella.

Stalling over stationery

Once in my office, I may well be met with a barrage of confusion when it comes to asking for or borrowing stationery. ‘Could you lend me a biro?’ may fall on deaf ears, since nobody here knows what one of those might be, and I’ll have to remember to say ballpoint. Seemingly simple objects such asPritt Stick, Sellotape, and Tippex have little meaning for my American co-workers (as they seem to be referred to here) since those brands aren’t recognised– I’ll need to say glue stick, Scotch tape, andwhiteout or liquid paper respectively. As for asking to borrow someone’s rubber – well, let’s just say it’s less embarrassing for everyone if I remember to say eraser instead.

On the subject of brand names, if I cut my finger while using any of this exciting new stationery, I’ll need to remember to ask for a Band Aid – not the British term, a plaster, which in the US means simply the soft stuff you put on walls.

Making arrangements

In the meantime, as part of my work as a journalist, I’m likely to need to ring a few people up – or rather, call them up – to sk-edule, not sh-edule, some interviews. That may well involve asking for my interviewee’s Christian name and surname, a request which is usually met with bafflement until I remember to say first name and last name instead.

When it then comes to arranging a time for our appointment, I might well check to see if they are free at half past two– then have to correct myself to say 2.30, since it’s not a phrasing that many people seem to understand, especially if it’s a snatched phone conversation.  In addition, the twenty four hour clock isn’t at all widely used here either, so rather than telling a contact that my train would arrive at 13.40, I’ll need to say 1.40pm. As for asking to meet in a fortnight’s time, that could also prove a potential stumbling block – better to say two weeks, which has proved more comprehensible! And if interviewing someone who may be willing to show you some of their work, it’s best not to ask to have a butchers or have a gander – both odd and perhaps slightly sinister sounding phrases that nobody here will understand…

Food for thought

After work if I’m feeling a little peckish – though I’ll have to explain that means hungry – I may head out to eat, and there the menu becomes something of a reverse minefield. What are cilantro and arugula? (Coriander and rocket, respectively.) What about zucchini, eggplant, and garbanzo beans? (Courgette,aubergine, and chickpeas, of course.) Or a po boy or a sub? (both long ‘submarine’ style sandwiches, the former often stuffed with fried oysters or prawns – sorry, shrimp…)

And why are all the main courses labelled as entrees when they come in the middle of the meal? As for ordering a lemonade, what is served under that name in the US – a cloudy, yellow drink whose manufacture most probably involved real lemons at some point – is far superior to what we call lemonade in Britain, but what here would be termed soda. Interestingly, OxfordDictionaries.com picks up on that, giving the British definition as a ‘sweet, colourless carbonated drink containing lemon flavouring’. Appetizing, eh? They should put that on the bottles.

Meanwhile, there’s no point ordering a cider here and expecting to get in any way tipsy, since it simply means one particular kind of unfiltered, unfermented apple juice. If I want the alcoholic kind, I’ll have to remember to ask for hard cider – and if I get pissed, explain to US friends that this doesn’t mean I’m angry, merely inebriated. When it comes to dessert, it’s worth remembering that for Americans,pudding is a very specific kind of custardy, creamy dish, not a general catch-all term for the sweet course, or afters (another term not used here) as it is for Brits.

At the end of the day…

Having finished all my eating and drinking, I’ll head home – and if I’m driving, be careful not to have a prang – known here as a fender bender – or, if there’s something sharp in the..."

Поделиться сообщением


Ссылка на сообщение
Поделиться на других сайтах

Еще интересная статья:

There are many opportunities for linguistic confusion between Brits and Americans—slang, Southern slang and pronunciations can all cause blank looks, but there’s a whole category of words poised to confuse, of which we’re often not aware.

Chat up
In the U.K., this verb means “to hit on” or “talk flirtatiously” with someone. In the U.S. however, it is used quite frequently to mean having a light, casual conversation or talking positively about something in order to persuade others to like it or approve of it. Imagine my confusion when a friend once said she would “chat me up,” meaning that she would say nice things about me.

Dear
I once lost an earring at a party and was searching for it with no luck. “Oh no,” said my host, “Was it dear?” Given that this can mean “expensive” in the U.K., it struck me as a fairly odd question in the circumstances, until my husband translated, “She means did you really like it? Was it treasured?”

Favor
When my eldest was a baby, someone asked whether she favored my husband or me. My rambling answer was “Well, she spends more time with me so she’s probably more attached to me right now, but I wouldn’t say she necessarily prefers me.” Doubtless the other person was thinking, “What is this idiot Brit talking about?” since “favor” in this situation meant “to bear a physical resemblance.” Facepalm.

Knock up
To my mother’s eternal embarrassment, on her first visit here, she turned to my brand new American husband and asked if he wouldn’t mind knocking her up in the morning. Fortunately he had lived in London and knew she meant, “Please knock on my door to wake me up,” rather than er, well…

To nurse
It wouldn’t be at all out of place in the U.K. for a mother to hand her baby over to a friend or relative with the words “Would you mind nursing Charlie for a second?” The British meaning, vis à vis babies, is to hold and cuddle them rather than to breastfeed them. (I’m just glad I learned that one before I had children!)

Pissed
When my husband first landed in London he was taken to lunch by a rather hung-over colleague. “We all got a bit pissed last night,” he explained. “And then what happened?” my husband asked. “Well, nothing, we just got pissed,” came the reply. And so it went on; not sure if they ever realized that “pissed” in the U.S means “annoyed” or “angry,” while in the U.K. it means “inebriated.”

Quite
The misuse of this word can really convey the wrong meaning. If a Brit describes something as quite good, it means s/he thought it was “just OK.” When an American uses the word, it’s usually signifies the opposite – the speaker was really pleased or impressed with something. Brits should probably use “so-so” or “meh” to indicate being underwhelmed.

Smart
It always brought a smile to Americans’ faces when my oldest son used to protest at wearing a smart (collared) shirt. Calling someone smart in the U.K. can mean intelligent or quick-witted but is just as likely to mean well-dressed. Interestingly though, there’s a Smart Car on both sides of the Pond.

Snap

Here’s one word that, when used in the British way, completely falls flat in the U.S. Brits grew up with a matching card game called “Snap” so it’s used when we say something at the same time, have a similar experience or walk into a party wearing the same outfit. In the U.S., it can replace “wow” (especially when said as “Oh snap!”) and expresses anything from surprise or dismay, to annoyance and exhilaration.

To visit
My first confusing experience with this word was when my grandmother-in-law (a Texas lady through and through) asked me to visit with her. Had she not patted the empty seat next to her, I would have picked up my coat and waited at the car, assuming we were going out somewhere. In the U.K. you visit people, castles and seaside resorts, but the act of sitting and chatting is not included in the meaning. In the U.S., if someone says “we visited for a few minutes,” it means they chatted. There’s a much fuller discussion of this verb here.

Поделиться сообщением


Ссылка на сообщение
Поделиться на других сайтах

Создайте аккаунт или войдите в него для комментирования

Вы должны быть пользователем, чтобы оставить комментарий

Создать аккаунт

Зарегистрируйтесь для получения аккаунта. Это просто!

Зарегистрировать аккаунт

Войти

Уже зарегистрированы? Войдите здесь.

Войти сейчас

×