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Words/things I learned watching BBAU from the US

Badlands said:
Agreed. I've never heard anyone refer to a hamburger as a sandwich. A lot of things are regional, though. For example, the US is split between "soda" and "pop," while in parts of Texas, all soda is referred to as "coke" (where this bizarre conversation could take place: "I'll have a coke." "What kind?" "Pepsi.").
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True! Where I live it's generally referred to as coke, which I'll never understand...
 
Poona said:
So strange to think they're the first time you've heard those words. Things like sook and whinge I pretty much thought as a part of the English language, and not exclusive to Australia.

Pash, bogan, footy are also quite common in Australia but I can see how they may not be known elsewhere.
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No, sook and whinge are not part of American English or English English. Neither are pash, bogan, or footy. I had to look up rissole in the Australian slang dictionary. It sounds so strange when they announce who has how many points or the percentages after the vote...they say "on". We would say "Jade has 6 points, not Jade is on 6 points." I heard a new one today - furfy. Don't know what it means. Also saw one post where housemates were not picked off, but "pegged off."
 
American biscuits are not like scones except that you can pick them up. Scones are dense, heavy, and can have fruit in them. Biscuits are made from flour, salt, baking powder, and very cold butter cut in small pieces. You put these in a bowl and mix them quickly with your fingers, trying to get a thick cornmeal consistency before the butter gets too soft. Then on a floured surface, you roll the dough out to about 1/4" depth and cut circles...can do it with a glass whose edge has been dipped in flour, or a biscuit cutter, etc. Biscuits are placed on a baking sheet with either sides touching or an inch apart. They are baked until they rise and are golden brown. Unless you handle the dough too much, they come out flaky and light. Delish with butter. Many add jam or jelly too.

Dumplings can mean two different things. The kind I make are similar to biscuits in that they are light and fluffy. Yes, I add them to soups or stews by dropping them by tablespoonsful onto the top of the bubbling stew and putting the lid back on for 7-8 minutes or until done in the middle, not sticky. In other parts of the country, the dough is rolled out like biscuits and cut into flat strips.

Kyra Sedegwick's accent drive us crazy too. She thinks she has a south Georgia accent but it is awful. She is obviously a northerner who needs to work with a voice coach.

Accents from New Zealand are easy...they put such heavy emphasis on the letter E. A bedroom (b-eh-d-room) sounds like a place we would go to do arts and crafts...a bead room (b-eee-d-room.)

My best friend is from York, England. People in America thinks she has such a posh (English word not American...we would say fancy) accent. She just laughs because in England, people from Yorkshire are "common" (another English word...we would say low-class or uneducated) because of their bad accents. In America southern accents can hurt a person's chances in business. Northerners consider southerners dim-witted. We think they have a stick up their butts.
 
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San Antonio said:
American biscuits are not like scones except that you can pick them up. Scones are dense, heavy, and can have fruit in them. Biscuits are made from flour, salt, baking powder, and very cold butter cut in small pieces. You put these in a bowl and mix them quickly with your fingers, trying to get a thick cornmeal consistency before the butter gets too soft. Then on a floured surface, you roll the dough out to about 1/4" depth and cut circles...can do it with a glass whose edge has been dipped in flour, or a biscuit cutter, etc. Biscuits are placed on a baking sheet with either sides touching or an inch apart. They are baked until they rise and are golden brown. Unless you handle the dough too much, they come out flaky and light. Delish with butter. Many add jam or jelly too.

Dumplings can mean two different things. The kind I make are similar to biscuits in that they are light and fluffy. Yes, I add them to soups or stews by dropping by tablespoons onto the top of the bubbling stew and putting the lid back on. In other parts of the country, the dough is rolled out like biscuits and cut into flat strips.

Kyra Sedegwick's accent drive us crazy too. She thinks she has a south Georgia accent but it is awful. She is obviously a northerner who needs to work with a voice coach.

Accents from New Zealand are easy...they put such heavy emphasis on the letter E. A bedroom (b-eh-d-room) sounds like a place we would go to do arts and crafts...a bead room (b-eee-d-room.)

My best friend is from York, England. People in America thinks she has such a posh (English word not American...we would say fancy) accent. She just laughs because in England, people from Yorkshire are "common" (another English word...we would say low-class or uneducated) because of their bad accents. In America southern accents can hurt a person's chances in business. Northerners consider southerners dim-witted. We think they have a stick up their butts.
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Highly disagree & find that a fairly offensive assumption. Only George W. Bush, but that's more due to content rather than accent. There are Northern accents that people associate with being uneducated as well, like a thick Boston or New Jersey accent. It's not a North vs. South thing.
 
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A jumper in the US is something little girls wear...it's a sleeveless dress worn over a blouse. What UK and Au call a jumper, we call a sweater.
 
LovelyCoconuts said:
Highly disagree & find that a fairly offensive assumption. Only George W. Bush, but that's more due to content rather than accent. There are Northern accents that people associate with being uneducated as well, like a thick Boston or New Jersey accent. It's not a North vs. South thing.
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Hey, I live in New Jersey and I don't believe I have an accent...nor are my friends & family uneducated. Very few people sound like Snooki, usually those living closer to New York....which is where Snooki is from.
 
You have lived a sheltered life if you've never heard northerners disapprove of southerners. It's very common. My daughter is a linguist and has made a career out of working with grad students to reduce their accents in order to succeed in business.

We southerners find strong northern accents amusing but can sound too formal and pompous. (Like the Doctor from Boston on MASH...stick up butt!) Not all northern accents are amusing though...nothing sounds as bad to my ear than a Long Island, NY accent. Do they HAVE to be so loud as well?
 
LovelyCoconuts said:
We have a bit of crossover with UK culture & ours. UK 'The Office' is quite popular here as well. We get a lot of their movies, music & celebrities. Difference is probably where British humor here is more of an acquired taste. What are Australian shows like? I wish we would get more available (or have BBAU more easily available.) Is our shows/culture really everywhere over there? I noticed a few of the HMs wearing USA or NYC on their clothing and found that a little odd. I'd love to visit. Seems beautiful.
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Doctor Who and the Tardis!! Yes....
 
San Antonio said:
You have lived a sheltered life if you've never heard northerners disapprove of southerners. It's very common. My daughter is a linguist and has made a career out of working with grad students to reduce their accents in order to succeed in business.

We southerners find strong northern accents amusing but can sound too formal and pompous. (Like the Doctor from Boston on MASH...stick up butt!) Not all northern accents are amusing though...nothing sounds as bad to my ear than a Long Island, NY accent. Do they HAVE to be so loud as well?
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My dad is Texan, mom is from Wisconsin. Not sheltered, been to just about every state and have spent a significant amount of time in Louisiana. I think it's a shame you seem to judge people on their dialect. Everywhere in the country gets speech training to reduce accents and regional slang, again, it's not just a Southern thing.
 
NJCathie said:
Hey, I live in New Jersey and I don't believe I have an accent...nor are my friends & family uneducated. Very few people sound like Snooki, usually those living closer to New York....which is where Snooki is from.
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It does depend on the region. My friend from Cambridge, MA has no accent, but I grew up closer to the city and have a thick Boston accent. Similarly, not all people in MN have the 'Fargo' accent. Only point being was Northerners don't consider Southerners dim witted based on accent, as many regional accents have positive & negative connotations. Also was saying those connotations are rarely representative of the actual people and a terrible thing to judge people on.
 
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Luke789 said:
This thread has got me thinking an international Big Brother would be interesting.
3 or 4 housemates from 5 or 6 countries.
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I agree and have said it before, but the broadcasting would be a nightmare. As it is we have to keep switching between youtube posters to watch BBAU before they are shutdown. With technology nowadays, I don't get why things are still regional and not global.

Yes I know I can download some software that will allow me to watch it directly, but I don't like doing that to my computer.
 
LovelyCoconuts said:
It does depend on the region. My friend from Cambridge, MA has no accent, but I grew up closer to the city and have a thick Boston accent. Similarly, not all people in MN have the 'Fargo' accent. Only point being was Northerners don't consider Southerners dim witted based on accent, as many regional accents have positive & negative connotations. Also was saying those connotations are rarely representative of the actual people and a terrible thing to judge people on.
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I love when people say this. I have a riend from Brihgton in England, who is convinced he has no accent. It is so provincial, to think that he is 'normal' and everyone else strange. It seems to be an American and English trait.

I find that Australian accent has more to do with family and philosophy than location. Some places, like Queensland have something distinctive, like their drawl and aye/ at the end. Mostly though, it seems proud Aussies, proud of their Aussiness go ocker. Cultural cringe types go a bit fake English, like an ABC newsreader of old, and then there is the middle one. From the house, Tim, Boogs and Caleb are ocker, Mads hints at the British one, most are the middle, and god knows what Ed speaks.
 
Winterbourne said:
I love when people say this. I have a riend from Brihgton in England, who is convinced he has no accent. It is so provincial, to think that he is 'normal' and everyone else strange. It seems to be an American and English trait.

I find that Australian accent has more to do with family and philosophy than location. Some places, like Queensland have something distinctive, like their drawl and aye/ at the end. Mostly though, it seems proud Aussies, proud of their Aussiness go ocker. Cultural cringe types go a bit fake English, like an ABC newsreader of old, and then there is the middle one. From the house, Tim, Boogs and Caleb are ocker, Mads hints at the British one, most are the middle, and god knows what Ed speaks.
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Lol, I meant no clear regional accent. What is ocker & why is it called that?
 
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