Words/things I learned watching BBAU from the US

[Illabeth]

I like you implied assertion that because it is said in the UK then it must be part of the English language. The truth of the matter is that what constitutes the English language is determined in the US - simply on the numbers. The UK and Australia speak similar dialects of English.

Actually what constitutes the English language is the combination of all dialects of English spoken. American, Australian, Canadian, and 'British' English are all different dialects of English, if it's spoken in one then it is part of the English Language. What constitutes perceived 'correct' English differs according to location and dialect.

 

[Hekate]

Hmmm...I don't think so. Heck in a country as large as the US certain regions don't have the some phrases and slang that are in common use in another. So why the hell anybody would use a foreign country thousands of miles away as the barometer of what constitutes 'English' is beyond me. Not sure what superiority/inferiority complex that is based on but not every other shares such a dodgy outlook.

Which foreign country are you talking about and "thousands of miles" from where? Irrespective of how you view it in Australia internationally English is what the US says it is and this has been the case for some 100 years. And the UK and Australia speak dialect of that US defined English.

 

[l.a.r.a]

Which foreign country are you talking about and "thousands of miles" from where? Irrespective of how you view it in Australia internationally English is what the US says it is and this has been the case for some 100 years. And the UK and Australia speak dialect of that US defined English.

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now the most widely used language in the world.[4] It is spoken as a first language by the majority populations of several sovereign states, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and a number of Caribbean nations.English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now the most widely used language in the world.[4] It is spoken as a first language by the majority populations of several sovereign states, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and a number of Caribbean nations.


American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States.


The use of English in the United States is a result of English colonization. The first wave of English-speaking settlers arrived in North America during the 17th century,

 

[kroosin]

My computer is set to UK English not US. The US is not the source of or the centre of the English language.

 

[l.a.r.a]

My computer is set to UK English not US. The US is not the source of or the centre of the English language.

So is mine. I don't regard US English the true English language.

 

[Badlands]

I like you implied assertion that because it is said in the UK then it must be part of the English language. The truth of the matter is that what constitutes the English language is determined in the US - simply on the numbers. The UK and Australia speak similar dialects of English.

I can't agree with this. US English may have the most people speaking it, but that doesn't make it any more real or authentic than any other form of English.

 

[ludwar]

Ludwar,
Thanks for the link to the linguistics website. I especially enjoyed being able to click on the different regions in Australia and actually hear the difference in how they say the same words. Fascinating. One question...there was one part of the country (north central) that wasn't represented. Do you know why? Surly there are people there!

I noticed that too.

North Central Australia is the northern territory. There could be a few reasons it wasn't represented
Maybe the website was only looking at states of australia and not the territories as the northern territory is not a state.
Another reason could be that the population is not large enough up there to recognise linguistic differences
Another thing could be that I think there is a large indigenous population up there. I'm not well informed about this so excuse my ignorance, however there would be differences in accent depending on tribes that they have derived from so there may not be one set accent for that region, but this one is just based on pure speculation.

 

[Connoisseur]

Which foreign country are you talking about and "thousands of miles" from where? Irrespective of how you view it in Australia internationally English is what the US says it is and this has been the case for some 100 years. And the UK and Australia speak dialect of that US defined English.

Foreign is a matter of perspective, from Australia's perspective the States is a foreign country. You're in a forum about Big Brother Australia after all. And you're asking a question that you appear to know the answer to, not sure what you're point is or what you're getting at.

Although the States has the the greatest influence on pop culture worldwide via Hollywood due it's sheer economic size and power, it doesn't mean that everything that originates from there is or must be absorbed in every place where English is spoken. With that attitude you won't get far in England, Canada or any other place where English is spoken.

 

[Consuela]

I like you implied assertion that because it is said in the UK then it must be part of the English language. The truth of the matter is that what constitutes the English language is determined in the US - simply on the numbers. The UK and Australia speak similar dialects of English.

Well this comment is a bit left of field. Don't really know why you're trying to rewrite history but each their own I guess.

If we're talking on the numbers:

US: ~300 million
Commonwealth: ~2.2 billion

Most people in the Commonwealth would follow and know British English.

 

[Nang72]

If Hekate was arguing popular culture - then the US dominates. If he/she is arguing recognition of English language words - see the Oxford Dictionary - from the UK. In Australia, we follow the British conventions - e.g. You will never see Shopping Center advertised here - it's shopping centre. We use -ise for organise - not organise. Don't assume we look to the US. There's a saying down here "speak the Queen's English!" But don't get us started on the Queen. That's a whole different thread.

 

[watermellie]

In the UK slang for a vagina is 'giney' and a gynecologist is a "giney dr."

Adorbs!

 

[kxk]

Well this comment is a bit left of field. Don't really know why you're trying to rewrite history but each their own I guess.

If we're talking on the numbers:

US: ~300 million
Commonwealth: ~2.2 billion

Most people in the Commonwealth would follow and know British English.

Yeah the idea that Commonwealth countries wouldn't follow the old mother country is crazy. what a weird concept that US English is dominant.

I think you can take it as official that the official international English language is that used by the United Nations & the majority in the English speaking world, and that is as it is spoken in England and the Oxford Dictionary is the bible.

The six official languages of the United Nations, used in intergovernmental meetings and documents, are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.[2] The Secretariat uses two working languages, English and French. Four of the official languages are the national languages of the permanent members of the Security Council (the United Kingdom and the United States share English as a de facto official language); Spanish and Arabic are the languages of the two largest blocs of official languages outside of the permanent members (Spanish being official in 20 countries, Arabic in 26). Five of the official languages were chosen when the UN was founded; Arabic was added in 1973.

The United Nations Editorial Manual states that the standard for English language documents is British usage and Oxford spelling,

and the Chinese writing standard is Simplified Chinese. This replaced Traditional Chinese in 1971 when the UN representation of China was changed from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China (see China and the United Nations for details).

 

[Badlands]

I'd like to point out that Hekate apparently lives in Brazil, and is not an American who thinks the world revolves around the US (and yes, there are a lot of those here!).

Sure, American English is pretty universally understood due to movies and TV shows being shown throughout the world (and American phrases and slang are quickly picked up elsewhere), but that sure doesn't make it official in any capacity.

BTW, Canada uses a mixture of British and American English.

 

[Hekate]

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now the most widely used language in the world.[4] It is spoken as a first language by the majority populations of several sovereign states, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and a number of Caribbean nations.English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now the most widely used language in the world.[4] It is spoken as a first language by the majority populations of several sovereign states, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and a number of Caribbean nations.


American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States.


The use of English in the United States is a result of English colonization. The first wave of English-speaking settlers arrived in North America during the 17th century,

That may be. But most of the changes in the lexicon over that last 100, or more, year has been driven by the US. These are words that most would consider as now part of the English language. For instance, kindergarten, delicatessen, patio, veranda, chutzpah, hotel and so on. The list goes on forever. These words have originally come from Spanish, German, Yiddish and so on. And this process continues.

I was responding to the notion that the center of gravity of the English language was located in the UK. But it has not been there for over 100 years.

In addition, since WWII, it is the US that has standardized English around the world and made it the lingua franca for commerce and travelers. The UK can keep up or fall behind as it wishes. A similar dynamic exists for Spanish and Portuguese.

 

[Hekate]

Well this comment is a bit left of field. Don't really know why you're trying to rewrite history but each their own I guess.

If we're talking on the numbers:

US: ~300 million
Commonwealth: ~2.2 billion

Most people in the Commonwealth would follow and know British English.

Tell me when you say 'Commonwealth' do you mean 'British Commonwealth'? If so, I get around the world and I've not heard of it for many years. I think that it became defunct in the 1950s.

As for the number of people speaking various languages it is in the order:

Mandarin
Spanish
Hindi
English
.
.

English is most certainly the most spoken language in the world.

 

[Chump]

That may be. But most of the changes in the lexicon over that last 100, or more, year has been driven by the US. These are words that most would consider as now part of the English language. For instance, kindergarten, delicatessen, patio, veranda, chutzpah, hotel and so on. The list goes on forever. These words have originally come from Spanish, German, Yiddish and so on. And this process continues.

I was responding to the notion that the center of gravity of the English language was located in the UK. But it has not been there for over 100 years.

In addition, since WWII, it is the US that has standardized English around the world and made it the lingua franca for commerce and travelers. The UK can keep up or fall behind as it wishes. A similar dynamic exists for Spanish and Portuguese.

Errrrr no. I grew up (during the last 100years) being taught UK English as did everyone in my school and country and neighbouring country and as did all those who learn English in Europe etc etc etc .......... I would agree that changes in the lexicon 'used in the US' have probably been driven by the US

 

[Chump]

posted by psykologist
What does "pressed" mean




or what jade is to ed...sweaty desperation
Jade is pressed to "get at" Ed...wants his love desperately

It means putting pressure on. I could be pressed for information which means people are putting pressure on me to get info or goss. I could be pressed to get at Ed (quick vomit) which means I an really keen to get at him and putting pressure on myself. I can be pressed for time which means I'm running late and don't have much time. ..I'm under pressure. ...

 

[yukikodancer]

I've tried Vegemite & it was along the lines of the Japanese dish natto, something you probably had to grow up with eating to enjoy.

I grew up eating vegemite and still love it, to the point that I had it shipped over when I was living in Japan. Natto is something that I absolutely could not eat. It was the only Japanese food that I ever tried but could not face again. I love Japanese food, but will never, ever try natto again. It is nasty.

 

[Chump]

I grew up eating vegemite and still love it, to the point that I had it shipped over when I was living in Japan. Natto is something that I absolutely could not eat. It was the only Japanese food that I ever tried but could not face again. I love Japanese food, but will never, ever try natto again. It is nasty.

Well I'm curious to try it now tho. I don't mind vegemite. Took me a long while to like it and I still prefer Marmite but it's OK on Vogel or sourdough bread with a cup of tea in the morning

 

[yukikodancer]

Well I'm curious to try it now tho. I don't mind vegemite. Took me a long while to like it and I still prefer Marmite but it's OK on Vogel or sourdough bread with a cup of tea in the morning

Gotta be honest, talking about it again, makes me wonder if maybe I should try it again. Not sure if you can get it in Australia though. Never heard of Natto before or since living in Japan. We have incorporated most other Japanese things in our lives, sushi is almost a staple here now, but I have never heard of a restaurant serving Natto.