Plants and Planks - lost in translation
Jun 21st 2005, 6:07 am
#1
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Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Durham>Yorks>Lancaster >Duxbury MA
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Plants and Planks - lost in translation
I remember my first trip to the diy shop (aka hardware store) was a disaster. I asked for some batteries for my torch .... it took me a complete description of a "torch" before the assistant kindly informed me I wanted some "batteries" (emphasis on the ER) for my "flashlight".
My inquiry about plasterboard was equally useless ... I might as well have been speaking a foreign language.
The garden center was even more perplexing - a simple Clematis no longer had a soft A but a short hard ah as in Clem-ah-tis. (And no-one has any idea what a Latin name is for a plant).
As I travelled around the US I began to realize that what I understood to be "American" was, in some cases, just a Boston dialect because I'd ask for something in my best "American" and get a puzzled look ... only to be advised by the clerk, looking at me with a pitying smile, that the correct pronunciation was the exact one I had given up in order to be understood in Boston! (Route is a perfect example - pronounced rout (as in out) up here and route almost everywhere else!)
What anecdotes do you have relating to getting lost in translation or in getting to grips with the language of our lost colony?
My inquiry about plasterboard was equally useless ... I might as well have been speaking a foreign language.
The garden center was even more perplexing - a simple Clematis no longer had a soft A but a short hard ah as in Clem-ah-tis. (And no-one has any idea what a Latin name is for a plant).
As I travelled around the US I began to realize that what I understood to be "American" was, in some cases, just a Boston dialect because I'd ask for something in my best "American" and get a puzzled look ... only to be advised by the clerk, looking at me with a pitying smile, that the correct pronunciation was the exact one I had given up in order to be understood in Boston! (Route is a perfect example - pronounced rout (as in out) up here and route almost everywhere else!)
What anecdotes do you have relating to getting lost in translation or in getting to grips with the language of our lost colony?
Jun 21st 2005, 10:54 am
#2
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Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Richmond Hill, GA USA
Posts: 38,860
Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
Originally Posted by Nigel
I remember my first trip to the diy shop (aka hardware store) was a disaster. I asked for some batteries for my torch .... it took me a complete description of a "torch" before the assistant kindly informed me I wanted some "batteries" (emphasis on the ER) for my "flashlight".
My inquiry about plasterboard was equally useless ... I might as well have been speaking a foreign language.
The garden center was even more perplexing - a simple Clematis no longer had a soft A but a short hard ah as in Clem-ah-tis. (And no-one has any idea what a Latin name is for a plant).
As I travelled around the US I began to realize that what I understood to be "American" was, in some cases, just a Boston dialect because I'd ask for something in my best "American" and get a puzzled look ... only to be advised by the clerk, looking at me with a pitying smile, that the correct pronunciation was the exact one I had given up in order to be understood in Boston! (Route is a perfect example - pronounced rout (as in out) up here and route almost everywhere else!)
What anecdotes do you have relating to getting lost in translation or in getting to grips with the language of our lost colony?
My inquiry about plasterboard was equally useless ... I might as well have been speaking a foreign language.
The garden center was even more perplexing - a simple Clematis no longer had a soft A but a short hard ah as in Clem-ah-tis. (And no-one has any idea what a Latin name is for a plant).
As I travelled around the US I began to realize that what I understood to be "American" was, in some cases, just a Boston dialect because I'd ask for something in my best "American" and get a puzzled look ... only to be advised by the clerk, looking at me with a pitying smile, that the correct pronunciation was the exact one I had given up in order to be understood in Boston! (Route is a perfect example - pronounced rout (as in out) up here and route almost everywhere else!)
What anecdotes do you have relating to getting lost in translation or in getting to grips with the language of our lost colony?
I grew up (in New England) saying root for route, however when I moved to the Midwest, everyone said rout for route. Also I say wash, they'd say warsh. My pronunciation of roof as is spelled with two os is more like rough as pronunced in Ohio.
It's not always accurate to generalize our pronunciations as all American-it's regional. I suspect there is some of that in the UK?
Jun 21st 2005, 11:34 am
#3
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Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
My friend was talking about how lovely the leelacks were in her new garden. When I went to her new house I realised she was talking about lilac trees.
A couple of years ago I went to Walmart to get my daughter the old Tarzan DVD. I couldn't find it so I asked an assistant did they have it. She spent ages and ages looking through all the DVDs and kept mumbling to herself. In the end she said she had never heard of it and would ask her supervisor. The supervisor was Mexican and as soon as I asked for Tarzan she apologised and said they were out of stock. The assistant then started laughing and admitted she didn't have a clue which DVD I had asked for and told me it was pronounced TaRRR...zan.
A couple of years ago I went to Walmart to get my daughter the old Tarzan DVD. I couldn't find it so I asked an assistant did they have it. She spent ages and ages looking through all the DVDs and kept mumbling to herself. In the end she said she had never heard of it and would ask her supervisor. The supervisor was Mexican and as soon as I asked for Tarzan she apologised and said they were out of stock. The assistant then started laughing and admitted she didn't have a clue which DVD I had asked for and told me it was pronounced TaRRR...zan.
Jun 21st 2005, 11:40 am
#4
Sursum corda
Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Richmond Hill, GA USA
Posts: 38,860
Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
Originally Posted by mandpete
My friend was talking about how lovely the leelacks were in her new garden. When I went to her new house I realised she was talking about lilac trees.
A couple of years ago I went to Walmart to get my daughter the old Tarzan DVD. I couldn't find it so I asked an assistant did they have it. She spent ages and ages looking through all the DVDs and kept mumbling to herself. In the end she said she had never heard of it and would ask her supervisor. The supervisor was Mexican and as soon as I asked for Tarzan she apologised and said they were out of stock. The assistant then started laughing and admitted she didn't have a clue which DVD I had asked for and told me it was pronounced TaRRR...zan.
A couple of years ago I went to Walmart to get my daughter the old Tarzan DVD. I couldn't find it so I asked an assistant did they have it. She spent ages and ages looking through all the DVDs and kept mumbling to herself. In the end she said she had never heard of it and would ask her supervisor. The supervisor was Mexican and as soon as I asked for Tarzan she apologised and said they were out of stock. The assistant then started laughing and admitted she didn't have a clue which DVD I had asked for and told me it was pronounced TaRRR...zan.
I get ribbing from my husband over the lilac thing- I say lielack.
Jun 21st 2005, 11:45 am
#5
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Joined: Oct 2004
Location: CA
Posts: 110
Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
Originally Posted by Nigel
Route is a perfect example - pronounced rout (as in out) up here and route almost everywhere else!)
What anecdotes do you have relating to getting lost in translation or in getting to grips with the language of our lost colony?
What anecdotes do you have relating to getting lost in translation or in getting to grips with the language of our lost colony?
(And thats only because the words rhyme!)
Jun 21st 2005, 12:02 pm
#6
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,848
Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
We have a satellite navigation system in our car and you can choose to have a male voice or a female voice to give the directions.
The male pronounces route as in 'route' (which is the BBC pronounciation).
The female says it as 'rout' (and she sounds bossy as well). It makes me cringe.
BTW: the navigation system is brilliant....no way will my husband stop and ask someone for directions if he's lost and if I'm in the car makes me do it. We no longer have this problem.....although the system doesn't seem to recognise short cuts and always tries to take us on some convoluted route if we're on our way home.
PS> I can normally guess if someone is Canadian or not when they say the word 'about'. It sounds like 'a boot'. I think it is charming, but then again I do like Canadians.
The male pronounces route as in 'route' (which is the BBC pronounciation).
The female says it as 'rout' (and she sounds bossy as well). It makes me cringe.
BTW: the navigation system is brilliant....no way will my husband stop and ask someone for directions if he's lost and if I'm in the car makes me do it. We no longer have this problem.....although the system doesn't seem to recognise short cuts and always tries to take us on some convoluted route if we're on our way home.
PS> I can normally guess if someone is Canadian or not when they say the word 'about'. It sounds like 'a boot'. I think it is charming, but then again I do like Canadians.
Last edited by Englishmum; Jun 21st 2005 at 12:04 pm.
Jun 21st 2005, 12:28 pm
#7
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Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Richmond Hill, GA USA
Posts: 38,860
Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
Originally Posted by Englishmum
We have a satellite navigation system in our car and you can choose to have a male voice or a female voice to give the directions.
The male pronounces route as in 'route' (which is the BBC pronounciation).
The female says it as 'rout' (and she sounds bossy as well). It makes me cringe.
BTW: the navigation system is brilliant....no way will my husband stop and ask someone for directions if he's lost and if I'm in the car makes me do it. We no longer have this problem.....although the system doesn't seem to recognise short cuts and always tries to take us on some convoluted route if we're on our way home.
PS> I can normally guess if someone is Canadian or not when they say the word 'about'. It sounds like 'a boot'. I think it is charming, but then again I do like Canadians.
The male pronounces route as in 'route' (which is the BBC pronounciation).
The female says it as 'rout' (and she sounds bossy as well). It makes me cringe.
BTW: the navigation system is brilliant....no way will my husband stop and ask someone for directions if he's lost and if I'm in the car makes me do it. We no longer have this problem.....although the system doesn't seem to recognise short cuts and always tries to take us on some convoluted route if we're on our way home.
PS> I can normally guess if someone is Canadian or not when they say the word 'about'. It sounds like 'a boot'. I think it is charming, but then again I do like Canadians.
Tidal Virginians have a similar-Canadian sounding pronounciation on some words.
Jun 21st 2005, 12:30 pm
#8
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: East Seaxe
Posts: 72,524
Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
Originally Posted by cindyabs
Tidal Virginians
Jun 21st 2005, 12:58 pm
#9
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Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,170
Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
You get some right crackers up in the northern counties...it's a whole new language I swear... it's like an art form in dragging out some of the words...
Jun 21st 2005, 2:06 pm
#10
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Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Richmond Hill, GA USA
Posts: 38,860
Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
Originally Posted by Bob
You get some right crackers up in the northern counties...it's a whole new language I swear... it's like an art form in dragging out some of the words...
Jun 21st 2005, 2:09 pm
#11
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Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Richmond Hill, GA USA
Posts: 38,860
Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
Originally Posted by Lion in Winter
They wash up on the beach?
Depends on what kind of hurricane season they're having actually.
It should've read Tidewater-apologies to my Virginia friends.
Jun 21st 2005, 2:10 pm
#12
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 30,102
Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
My first attempt at buying Polyfilla was a laugh!!!!!!
'You know the white stuff you plug up holes with'
'Spackle....never heard of it'
'You know the white stuff you plug up holes with'
'Spackle....never heard of it'
Originally Posted by Nigel
I remember my first trip to the diy shop (aka hardware store) was a disaster. I asked for some batteries for my torch .... it took me a complete description of a "torch" before the assistant kindly informed me I wanted some "batteries" (emphasis on the ER) for my "flashlight".
My inquiry about plasterboard was equally useless ... I might as well have been speaking a foreign language.
The garden center was even more perplexing - a simple Clematis no longer had a soft A but a short hard ah as in Clem-ah-tis. (And no-one has any idea what a Latin name is for a plant).
As I travelled around the US I began to realize that what I understood to be "American" was, in some cases, just a Boston dialect because I'd ask for something in my best "American" and get a puzzled look ... only to be advised by the clerk, looking at me with a pitying smile, that the correct pronunciation was the exact one I had given up in order to be understood in Boston! (Route is a perfect example - pronounced rout (as in out) up here and route almost everywhere else!)
What anecdotes do you have relating to getting lost in translation or in getting to grips with the language of our lost colony?
My inquiry about plasterboard was equally useless ... I might as well have been speaking a foreign language.
The garden center was even more perplexing - a simple Clematis no longer had a soft A but a short hard ah as in Clem-ah-tis. (And no-one has any idea what a Latin name is for a plant).
As I travelled around the US I began to realize that what I understood to be "American" was, in some cases, just a Boston dialect because I'd ask for something in my best "American" and get a puzzled look ... only to be advised by the clerk, looking at me with a pitying smile, that the correct pronunciation was the exact one I had given up in order to be understood in Boston! (Route is a perfect example - pronounced rout (as in out) up here and route almost everywhere else!)
What anecdotes do you have relating to getting lost in translation or in getting to grips with the language of our lost colony?
Jun 22nd 2005, 4:57 am
#13
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Location: Durham>Yorks>Lancaster >Duxbury MA
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Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
Originally Posted by gruffbrown
'You know the white stuff you plug up holes with'
Jun 22nd 2005, 5:03 am
#14
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Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
Originally Posted by Englishmum
the navigation system is brilliant....no way will my husband stop and ask someone for directions if he's lost and if I'm in the car makes me do it. We no longer have this problem.....although the system doesn't seem to recognise short cuts and always tries to take us on some convoluted route if we're on our way home.
Originally Posted by Englishmum
PS> I can normally guess if someone is Canadian or not when they say the word 'about'. It sounds like 'a boot'. I think it is charming, but then again I do like Canadians.
Jun 22nd 2005, 5:06 am
#15
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Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Durham>Yorks>Lancaster >Duxbury MA
Posts: 49
Re: Plants and Planks - lost in translation
Originally Posted by Bob
You get some right crackers up in the northern counties...it's a whole new language I swear... it's like an art form in dragging out some of the words...