Misc > Anything goes...

The English Language

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Becster:
...I've noticed (obviously) that despite the fact North Americans and British speak English (...well...save for all the Welsh and other languages mixed about) we speak quite different languages...

I mean, just the differences in words, like:

Candy and Sweets

Trunk and Boot

Pants and Trousers

Panties and Underwear

Potato Chips and Crisps

Fries and Chips

...See what I mean? I wonder how these came about...o_O

(I think Candy sounds better than Sweets though.)

Jeannette:
Ah, linguistics. I'm a linguistics major, therefore things like this fascinate me. Languages evolve almost exactly like species of animals develop, from my understanding.

One of my favorite British English things is using 'row' and pronouncing it 'rau.' That is how you pronounce it, right?

Becster:
Huh, how do you pronounce it then? As in rohw?

...I use 'rohw' for 'rowing a boat' and 'rau' for 'a domestic row' or something...o_O

Jeannette:

--- Quote from: Becster on February 25 2006, 04:47 am ---Huh, how do you pronounce it then? As in rohw?

...I use 'rohw' for 'rowing a boat' and 'rau' for 'a domestic row' or something...o_O

--- End quote ---
We use 'rohw' for 'rowing a boat' as well. But we don't use 'row' for a fight. That's strictly a British thing.

Becster:
Oh, I see.

It's a bit like something I read in a book once (one of those funny Georgia Nicholson books...'Knocked out by my Nunga-Nungas' and such...) is that 'fag' is a word only used to (...cruelly, in my opinion. >_< Let people love who they want!) describe a gay person...whereas in Britain it's also used as a word for 'cigarette'.

...I still wonder about Roundabouts and...is it rotaries? Hmmm.

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