Go Back  British Expats > Living & Moving Abroad > USA > The Trailer Park
Reload this Page >

British vs. American spelling

British vs. American spelling

Old Jan 13th 2021, 1:26 am
  #61  
Turning into a PA gal!
 
lizzyq's Avatar
 
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: State College PA, finally!
Posts: 3,563
lizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

Another difference between British and American English occurred to me as younger son and I drove from PA to NM this last weekend, in the UK we refer to the River Thames, River Mersey, River Irwell etc., and they are all rivers whatever size even down as far as the River Piddle, whereas in the US it is the Ohio River, Mississippi River, Kishacoquillas Creek, Whetstone Run and so on. Any ideas why the different word order?
lizzyq is offline  
Old Jan 13th 2021, 4:56 am
  #62  
BE Forum Addict
 
tom169's Avatar
 
Joined: Mar 2015
Location: NC, USA (ex Yorkshire)
Posts: 4,375
tom169 has a reputation beyond reputetom169 has a reputation beyond reputetom169 has a reputation beyond reputetom169 has a reputation beyond reputetom169 has a reputation beyond reputetom169 has a reputation beyond reputetom169 has a reputation beyond reputetom169 has a reputation beyond reputetom169 has a reputation beyond reputetom169 has a reputation beyond reputetom169 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

Originally Posted by lizzyq
Another difference between British and American English occurred to me as younger son and I drove from PA to NM this last weekend, in the UK we refer to the River Thames, River Mersey, River Irwell etc., and they are all rivers whatever size even down as far as the River Piddle, whereas in the US it is the Ohio River, Mississippi River, Kishacoquillas Creek, Whetstone Run and so on. Any ideas why the different word order?
Interesting observation. No clue as to why. Americans do like to be the opposite though.
tom169 is offline  
Old Jan 13th 2021, 6:00 am
  #63  
Crazy Cat Lady
 
moneypenny20's Avatar
 
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
moneypenny20 has a reputation beyond reputemoneypenny20 has a reputation beyond reputemoneypenny20 has a reputation beyond reputemoneypenny20 has a reputation beyond reputemoneypenny20 has a reputation beyond reputemoneypenny20 has a reputation beyond reputemoneypenny20 has a reputation beyond reputemoneypenny20 has a reputation beyond reputemoneypenny20 has a reputation beyond reputemoneypenny20 has a reputation beyond reputemoneypenny20 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

Originally Posted by lizzyq
Another difference between British and American English occurred to me as younger son and I drove from PA to NM this last weekend, in the UK we refer to the River Thames, River Mersey, River Irwell etc., and they are all rivers whatever size even down as far as the River Piddle, whereas in the US it is the Ohio River, Mississippi River, Kishacoquillas Creek, Whetstone Run and so on. Any ideas why the different word order?
It's the same in Australia. Name then river, creek etc.
moneypenny20 is offline  
Old Jan 13th 2021, 7:25 am
  #64  
Account Closed
 
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
scrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat091 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

My part of Canada is like the US when it comes to rivers, creeks etc.

Fraser River, Columbia River, Thompson River to name a few.

At least in BC, can't say if its the same back east.
scrubbedexpat091 is offline  
Old Jan 14th 2021, 11:15 pm
  #65  
Forum Regular
 
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 211
HDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

Originally Posted by tom169
Interesting observation. No clue as to why. Americans do like to be the opposite though.
Good blog post on the subject here. It seems usages like "the Thames River" were in occasional use in England in the 16th/17th centuries.

https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/05/rivers.html
HDWill is offline  
Old Jan 15th 2021, 12:56 am
  #66  
Turning into a PA gal!
 
lizzyq's Avatar
 
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: State College PA, finally!
Posts: 3,563
lizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond reputelizzyq has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

Originally Posted by HDWill
Good blog post on the subject here. It seems usages like "the Thames River" were in occasional use in England in the 16th/17th centuries.

https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/05/rivers.html
Thank you for searching that out.
lizzyq is offline  
Old Jan 15th 2021, 3:19 am
  #67  
BE Enthusiast
 
sid nv's Avatar
 
Joined: Apr 2019
Location: Northern Nevada
Posts: 519
sid nv has a reputation beyond reputesid nv has a reputation beyond reputesid nv has a reputation beyond reputesid nv has a reputation beyond reputesid nv has a reputation beyond reputesid nv has a reputation beyond reputesid nv has a reputation beyond reputesid nv has a reputation beyond reputesid nv has a reputation beyond reputesid nv has a reputation beyond reputesid nv has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

This naming convention for bodies of water is not entirely consistent. We have Lake Tahoe (formerly Lake Bigler), Lake Mead, Mud Lake, Alkali Lake. A search for this lake naming inconsistency turns up this learned article:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...1111/fwb.12795
I read here that nimnologists are puzzled. Nimnologist is an ology that I have never heard of before, so back to the search engine for another descent into the rabbit hole. The things one learns here.

sid nv is offline  
Old Jan 18th 2021, 3:47 am
  #68  
Forum Regular
 
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 211
HDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond reputeHDWill has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

Though Americans might be likely to say 'the River Jordan', owing to the enduring influence of the King James Bible.
HDWill is offline  
Old Jan 18th 2021, 4:57 pm
  #69  
BE Commentator
 
S Folinsky's Avatar
 
Joined: Feb 2010
Location: Los Angeles, California
Posts: 8,403
S Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

Originally Posted by sid nv
This naming convention for bodies of water is not entirely consistent. We have Lake Tahoe (formerly Lake Bigler), Lake Mead, Mud Lake, Alkali Lake. A search for this lake naming inconsistency turns up this learned article:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...1111/fwb.12795
I read here that nimnologists are puzzled. Nimnologist is an ology that I have never heard of before, so back to the search engine for another descent into the rabbit hole. The things one learns here.
Elder daughter lives in Western New York. So, there is Lake Ontario but the nearby Finger Lakes are Lake xxxx.

It seems that it is size related so the Great Lakes, Lake Mead, Lake Shasta, Lake Tahoe etc. I wonder about Crater Lake.

On the rivers, I note that Romance languages put river first, e.g. Rio Grande. Note the Saint Lawrence River aka Fleuve St Laurent. I wonder if the English use of River xxxx is based upon Norman French. When rivers were named in North America and Australia, xxx River is the use.
S Folinsky is offline  
Old Jan 28th 2021, 4:03 pm
  #70  
Heading for Poppyland
Thread Starter
 
robin1234's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: North Norfolk and northern New York State
Posts: 14,453
robin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaig...texas-governor

"It's something I'm gonna think about," O'Rourke told Buzz Adams

The article then transcribes (quotes) several sentences from O’Rourke’s statement. All is in standard spelling, with standard punctuation etc. So, why is “I’m going to” rendered as “I’m gonna”?

I know it was common in former times to attempt to render speech phonetically, for instance, Mark Twain and Charles Dickens sometimes did it. But that’s often now seen as patronizing or racist. So why do we so often see “gonna” in print? I don’t feel that gonna sounds so different from going to, that it needs to be rendered phonetically.

robin1234 is online now  
Old Jan 28th 2021, 4:14 pm
  #71  
Concierge
 
Rete's Avatar
 
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 46,358
Rete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond reputeRete has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

Does this help?

In Scottish dialect, ganna, gaunna recorded from 1806. Going to - Casually pronounced form : I'm gonna veg out tonight (1913+) - (Dictionary.com)

Why are expressions like “gonna”, “wanna” and “shoulda ...

Lots of Scots settled in the south. I know the word is used in the Bronx a lot.
Rete is offline  
Old Jan 28th 2021, 4:45 pm
  #72  
Heading for Poppyland
Thread Starter
 
robin1234's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: North Norfolk and northern New York State
Posts: 14,453
robin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

Originally Posted by Rete
Does this help?

In Scottish dialect, ganna, gaunna recorded from 1806. Going to - Casually pronounced form : I'm gonna veg out tonight (1913+) - (Dictionary.com)

Why are expressions like “gonna”, “wanna” and “shoulda ...

Lots of Scots settled in the south. I know the word is used in the Bronx a lot.
Well, I don’t think “gonna” is specifically Scottish, or American. English people say it just as much.

That wasn’t my point though. Why do news media now routinely render “going to” as “gonna?” Most other things people say, transcribed by news media, are rendered in standard spelling. (See my Beto O’Rourke example.)
robin1234 is online now  
Old Jan 28th 2021, 4:53 pm
  #73  
He/him
 
kimilseung's Avatar
 
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: WA
Posts: 18,803
kimilseung has a reputation beyond reputekimilseung has a reputation beyond reputekimilseung has a reputation beyond reputekimilseung has a reputation beyond reputekimilseung has a reputation beyond reputekimilseung has a reputation beyond reputekimilseung has a reputation beyond reputekimilseung has a reputation beyond reputekimilseung has a reputation beyond reputekimilseung has a reputation beyond reputekimilseung has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

Originally Posted by robin1234
Well, I don’t think “gonna” is specifically Scottish, or American. English people say it just as much.

That wasn’t my point though. Why do news media now routinely render “going to” as “gonna?” Most other things people say, transcribed by news media, are rendered in standard spelling. (See my Beto O’Rourke example.)
I met an Australian who thought the use of "me" for "my" in spoken English, was a misunderstanding of grammar rather than a dialect pronunciation or accent.
kimilseung is offline  
Old Jan 28th 2021, 5:09 pm
  #74  
Heading for Poppyland
Thread Starter
 
robin1234's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: North Norfolk and northern New York State
Posts: 14,453
robin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

Here’s another archaic, or non-standard, usage that I think of as British (rather than American.)

”Et” as past participle of eat, instead of the standard English “eaten.”

For instance, I would say “I’ve et my lunch” in an informal setting, while in more polite, or formal, settings, I would make sure to say “I’ve eaten my lunch.”

This page https://english.stackexchange.com/qu...-of-eat/246413

indicates that this usage is both British and American. And it is standard in older writers (eg Shakespeare and Boswell) which confirms my assumption that it is archaic.
robin1234 is online now  
Old Jan 29th 2021, 12:56 pm
  #75  
 
Lion in Winter's Avatar
 
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: East Seaxe
Posts: 72,369
Lion in Winter has a reputation beyond reputeLion in Winter has a reputation beyond reputeLion in Winter has a reputation beyond reputeLion in Winter has a reputation beyond reputeLion in Winter has a reputation beyond reputeLion in Winter has a reputation beyond reputeLion in Winter has a reputation beyond reputeLion in Winter has a reputation beyond reputeLion in Winter has a reputation beyond reputeLion in Winter has a reputation beyond reputeLion in Winter has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: British vs. American spelling

Originally Posted by robin1234
Here’s another archaic, or non-standard, usage that I think of as British (rather than American.)

”Et” as past participle of eat, instead of the standard English “eaten.”

For instance, I would say “I’ve et my lunch” in an informal setting, while in more polite, or formal, settings, I would make sure to say “I’ve eaten my lunch.”

This page https://english.stackexchange.com/qu...-of-eat/246413

indicates that this usage is both British and American. And it is standard in older writers (eg Shakespeare and Boswell) which confirms my assumption that it is archaic.

I struggle with this one when I try to work out if I'm being British or American.

"I et my lunch at 12 noon" - indicating a thing that happened in the past. Is this the passe simple/historique (sorry, French A level, not sure about the English grammar of it) equivalent? And is "I ate my lunch" the American way of saying it, or just a different English way of saying it?
Lion in Winter is offline  

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.