nxylas

I am a Brit who is hoping to move to the States and I wanted to ask those who have already made that move how long it took them to instinctively use American spellings, date format etc. without having to think about it. Considering that I have have only recently stopped writing "2002" on cheques (sorry, checks) I am wondering how long it will take me to adjust to writing dates differently from the way I have done it all my life.

darrenb

Good Question!

I am also soon to be moving to the US. Is it protocol for English people to write using US grammar and spelling.

D

ukemigrant

There's no easy answer to this - it's down to how adaptible you are personally. I have been here 8 weeks now, but wrote the date correctly from day one.........and I use a spellchecker so you can't go far wrong there.

Sam.

Englishmum

Ha ha ha!

I've been here since the Summer of 2000 and still have to stop myself writing D/M/Y on forms and cheques. In fact, I usually write the Month in longhand, eg. March 2nd 2003 on everything....as we have an offshore Lloyds TSB current account and frequently write cheques in Pounds Sterling too (although I recently sent a cheque to my sister in England and wrote it in dollars!).

I've adapted to writing some things in American English, but still find it weird to write something like 'traveling' rather then 'travelling'....and color rather than colour. Also you don't 'tick' a box here on forms, you 'check' the box.

Oddly enough, the Immigration landing cards eg. I-94 do have to be written in D/M/Y format, I guess because just about everywhere else in the world it's written this way.

nathan barley

Heh, until the last few months, I would convert any dollar amount into pounds in my head before buying. Now, it never crosses my mind, I have made the switch to US currency.

I use the American style of spelling no problems, but sometimes I revert back to the UK style when talking to friends from there. I refuse to spell Aluminium : A l u m i n u m however.

In the same way, I subconciously say American style words too, and I think I'm slightly losing my accent, as my mom has a hard time understanding me sometimes, Im gaining a NY twang. When Im stressed, or whatever, I break out the upper crust Brit accent and wording though.

I still get occasionally caught out with the date, but I've only been here 8 months.

somersetfolks

Ive been here nearly 2 years. it took me about 8 months to stop converting pounds/dollars in my head - now when i go back to the Uk i do it the other way unconciously! At christmas my dad yelled at me in a restuarant when i asked for the check!
but i finally relented and say tomatoe purely so i dont get laughed at, but i still slip all the time - "jumper, bugger. bloody hell" are the usual suspects! But i also refuse to say aluminum or whoever its spelt!
You really just slip into it without noticing after a while, but then its kind of wierd when you go home and tescos isnt open 24/7 and you have to take out a mortgage to fill the car up with "gas".
I figure as long as i can get my supply of pg tips and cadburys then i can adjust to anything without too much problem!
One thing i get all the time is "which part of Austraila? new Zealand/ South Africa are you from"! I have to chuckle at that as i have the strongest sommerset accent - all that zider!

southcoast

I have lived in the States for just over 3 years...I got used to the date thing/driving on the left and spellings pretty quickly, however I still have a UK mastercard so when I call them, its actually harder to convert back to the english d/m/y.

I am from Dorset and I tend to use ALOT of slang words, so I have had to slow down doing that, as my american friends and co-workers do not understand a word I say.

There are so many sayings that are different, in a resturant if I say "I would like a glass of water please"...they look at you like your a freak...you have to say "I like a WARDER"...

Luckily when I call home...people say that I haven't lost my deep Dorset.."Yer...whats on muck"....accent.
I sort of refuse to lose my accent, and work hard at calling things
by the British names etc....maybe I am hard headed, but I am a individual and PROUD to be a Brit.

frrussre

I have been in New York City since mid 80's, I'm still adjusting. Especially with my birth date, writting it no problem but ask me to verify on the phone for security, whoops!!!

Most important, do learn the local terms, even if it annoys the relatives back home.
"Why are you trying to speak like an American, why are you calling it garbage, its rubbish". Why because I live in USA, & thats what they call it.

I just came back from UK last weekend, I only got corrected by relatives a couple of times, It's a miracle.
Reg. Frank R.

mrsm

I have been here for 18 years and a part from writing the date US fashion, I haven't changed a lot else, I still use British spellings e.g. cheque. I still use British words for things like Jumper and definitely swear like a Brit. My USC husband uses British words instead of US too.

David IAnson

Hey guys,



my wife lived with me in the NE England for 2 years and says haway, bairns, bloody, bugger etc. She even comments on the weather every day and calls soccer - football. Me I still drive sometimes on the British side of the road. I get mistaken for German, Scandinavian, Scottish and even French, hardly ever English. Have the Yanks never seen Auf Wiedersen Pet or The Likely Lads!

nathan barley

I just realised recently that I still call petrol petrol.
I was outside the apartment one day, and I could smell it in the air (probably because the refinery on Staten Island had just blown up), and I thought to myself "I can smell petrol...wait...that'd be gas....but wait..."

So, if your cooker (stove) gas supply is leaking, what would an American say? Obviously not "I can smell gas!!".

Oh the confusion!

My wife thinks it's adorable when I call a sweater a jumper, she loves my little British mannerisms. My mother in law looks at me strange however :P

David IAnson

Yeah my wife thinks its cute when I say jumper. When my in-laws smell gas its usually aimed at me after I have eaten some Mexican food. I get confused by the size of beer measurements. Whats 16 oz, I thought it was a weight. How many oz are there in a pint or litre?

Pulaski

It depends on whether you want to emigrate permanently and fit in, or forever be seen as a slightly weird British expat that everyone (American) expects to return home to the UK one day.

For what it's worth I have tried to Americanize my vocabulary as much as possible, but some words don't come easily, like asking for the "check" when I want the bill in a restaurant.

doctor scrumpy

Is there one available ? I noticed that the colonials do not speak English, but American. That and the fact that despite wearing an England top, I kept on being callled Australian coz of my accent..Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

darrenb

I have decided on my own strategy when in the US.

I will speak in the same way as I do now. If I am not understood I will repeat myself once. If things are still not clear at that point I will just adopt an entirely American accent complete vocab, intenations the lot. Im working on something quite generic that wont tie me to one particular part of the US.

The question presents itself: When I switch from the English accent (which is currently a very moderate, slightly educated home counties accent) Will people think Im an American taking the piss trying to order a buger at the drive-through (thru - i know) in a pompous english voice? Or will I just get a slap?