Texandie

All of this aside, most people find my English husband's accent quite charming and he
likes that people like to hear him talk. (He doesn't sound ANYTHING like Hugh
Grant....he's from Chesterfield...so he has a very heavy accent.) A problem arrises
because we ALL speak to fast! Most Americans talk too fast for him to understand, and
sometimes, he talks to fast for me! To make matters worse, he is from a "region" for
lack of a better word, and he and his friends have their own version of the English
language! Of course, he doesn't speak it to me, but when I read his chats with his
buddies on the computer....Man-o-man, they may as well be speaking an alien language!
See if any of you can decipher this: Gerrit darn thee neck! LOL Just like we
Americans have our own "slang" which can vary from place to place.

To those of you insulted by people who take an interest in your accent, lighten up
and have a sense of humor! I always ask a person where they are from when I hear an
accent....I think it's neat to hear how people talk from different places. And I
DON'T think they are from another planet or that they are any less "American" then I
am...I am just curious to know more about them....besides, I am sure at some point
and time, we might end up in YOUR country (I lived in Finland and met VERY few
English speakers!) and then WE will be the ones looked at like we are from Mars!

Lighten up!]

Cheers! Andria

Lisa Simmonds

See if any of you can decipher this: Gerrit darn thee neck! LOL
    :
    :
    :

Umm.... "Get it down the neck"?

Jeezzzzzzz....

that was my lame attempt. but now ya got me curious as to what it means!!

Telman.8

"Lisa Simmonds" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > : See if any of you can decipher this: Gerrit darn thee neck! LOL
    >
    > Umm.... "Get it down the neck"?
    >
    > Jeezzzzzzz....
    >
    > that was my lame attempt. but now ya got me curious as to what it means!!

You are right. Not at all lame. It means, "Drink it!"

Of all the people who might emigrate from England (and, by definition, speak
English?) I wonder how any other English-speaking society (America, Australia, South
Africa, etc.) gets along with Cockney - the London rhyming slang. "He ain't gonna be
climbing the apples and pears no more 'cos he's brown bread. Won't be missed - he was
a right tea leaf." ("He isn't going to be climbing any more stairs now because he is
dead. He won't be missed - he was a thief.") Not so much a language as a code. In the
area of London where it is used, it becomes even more incomprehensible because they
don't use the full rhyming phrase. A fairly standard example (now almost in general
current usage - or at least widely understood if not actually used) in England is the
word "titfer" (or "titfa"), as in "Where's me titfer?". The full phrase is
"tit-for-tat" and means hat. "Where's my hat?" There are many others which would be
widely recognised.

Telman

Wilf Lunn

    > "He ain't gonna be climbing the apples and pears no more 'cos he's brown bread.
    > Won't be missed - he was a right tea leaf."

Have you seen the current Austin powers movie? So far 3 different people have asked
me if I understood the bit where they speak "real english".

Patrick

"Have you seen the current Austin powers movie? So far 3 different people have asked
me if I understood the bit where they speak "real english"."

My wife who is american found it easier to listen than to read the subtitles because the subtitles weren't a good translation! she has lived here for 7 years.

If you think cock-er-nee is bad try glasgow rhyming slang, can anyone work out what "corn beef" is in glasgow rhyming slang!

Cp

I laughed so much at the fag and the rubber post....I was on the phone with Clive's
dad once and he told me "Okay bye She I'm going get me a drink and find me a fag."
Right away I heard Clive laughing and said " Dad tell her a
cig." It was really shocking at first because that was before I had even met
cih. But, Clive came on the phone still laughing and explained to me that his dad was
going find him a Cig....lol...And about the rubber....it was a bit akward for my
older daughter when she heard it for the first time at school. She had a big
blush going when she returned home to tell me about how her day went.

--
Cheers, Sheila (U.S.C.) Clive (U.K.C.) Wilf Lunn <Wilf@eureka> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > > I get comments 'of amazement at how well English is spoken'.
    >
    > exchange from a friend of mine in Ohio
    >
    > USC: where are you from brit: England USC: really? What language do you
    > speak there.
    >
    > >> I am also happy to slant my accent so that it helps americans understand
    > >> (pronouncing tomatoe for example).
    >
    > I do that too. Just remember NEVER to attempt words like "dude" or
"hella".
    > And to be wary with the phrase "wearing just his vest and pants".
    >
    > Now if only I could manage to switch back when I call the UK...
    >

Betastar

On Thu, 01 Aug 2002 03:20:10 GMT, "Paul" <[email protected]> wrote:

    >For example, if you fall on the sidewalk, you sue the local government for the crack
    >in the sidewalk or whatever reason you fabricate. And this is passed on the everyone
    >else (in taxes)

Reinhard's phrase for this phenonemon is:

"Bridge Ices Before Road"

(Yes, I agree it's common sense, and the signs are ridiculous...)

Betastar

Betastar

On 1 Aug 2002 15:21:26 GMT, NC Penguin <[email protected]> wrote:

    >Another thing, throw in the fact that Americans themselves speak with regional
    >accents (e.g. Southern, Boston, LA, Brooklyn), i.e. they do not speak with the
    >mid-West accent heard in the news, tv ad voiceovers, no wonder they're struggling.

I've been in NC for what, 6 years? And I *STILL* have problems understanding some of
the people in shops and such here. Often Reinhard and I will stop in a restaurant
(not a fancy one, more of a diner type) and the waitress will come up and say
something to us, and I know from his blank look that he hasn't understood a word
(where I got about 1 in 3....)

It's horrible.

I thought most Brits learn to speak Oxbridge-type english, like all Germans and
Austrians learn High German in school.... it may be a struggle to speak it rather
than in the "natural" accent, but it might also make it easier to be understood.

And don't forget the Beatles have Manchester accents.... so it's not just Oxbridge
we're exposed to. Also, the movie "Mary Poppins" has Dick Van Dyke attempting all
sorts of Brit-regional dialects.

Betastar

Chris Moorehead

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
    > "Lisa Simmonds" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > : See if any of you can decipher this: Gerrit darn thee neck! LOL
    > >
    > > Umm.... "Get it down the neck"?
    > >
    > > Jeezzzzzzz....
    > >
    > > that was my lame attempt. but now ya got me curious as to what it means!!
    >
    > You are right. Not at all lame. It means, "Drink it!"
    >
    > Of all the people who might emigrate from England (and, by definition, speak
    > English?) I wonder how any other English-speaking society (America, Australia,
    > South Africa, etc.) gets along with Cockney - the London rhyming slang. "He ain't
    > gonna be climbing the apples and pears no more 'cos he's brown bread. Won't be
    > missed - he was a right tea leaf." ("He isn't going to be climbing any more stairs
    > now because he is dead. He won't be missed - he was a thief.") Not so much a
    > language as a code. In the area of London where it is used, it becomes even more
    > incomprehensible because they don't use the full rhyming phrase. A fairly standard
    > example (now almost in general current usage - or at least widely understood if not
    > actually used) in England is the word "titfer" (or "titfa"), as in "Where's me
    > titfer?". The full phrase is "tit-for-tat" and means hat. "Where's my hat?" There
    > are many others which would be widely recognised.

I believe that Australians are also fond of rhyming slang, which is logical given
that many of the original, ahem, "settlers" were Cockneys. Australians also have a
plethora of colourful expressions for the acts of urinating (my favourite: "I gotta
go shake hands with my wife's best friend") & throwing up. They do have their
priorities straight Down Under...

Chris

--
CHRISTOPHER J. MOOREHEAD Durham, NC [email protected]

"A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers." ~ Henry Louis
Mencken (1880-1956)

Donna Maindraul

    > Have you seen the current Austin powers movie? So far 3 different people have asked
    > me if I understood the bit where they speak "real english".

We always turn on the English subtitles on British movies so that we can understand
what they're saying. Sometimes we rewind and turn on the French subtitles so we can
understand what they meant.

-Donna

Chris Moorehead

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
    >
    > > Have you seen the current Austin powers movie? So far 3 different people have
    > > asked me if I understood the bit where they speak "real english".
    >
    > We always turn on the English subtitles on British movies so that we can understand
    > what they're saying. Sometimes we rewind and turn on the French subtitles so we can
    > understand what they meant.
    >
    > -Donna

It took my wife & me about six hours to get through "Trainspotting", as we were
rewinding continuously in an attempt to understand the dialogue (particularly that of
Robert Carlyle's character).

One of my wife's former classmates is a Swiss francophone who told me that when
Quebec films are screened in Geneva, they run with (continental) French subtitles.
Otherwise, no one would understand a word.

Chris

--
CHRISTOPHER J. MOOREHEAD Durham,NC [email protected]

"Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so." ~ Bertrand Russell
(1872-1970)

Possumrex

I really love to work out a little frustration on this web page even though I cannot
understand half the swear words because they are in some form of British English. You
Brits check it out:

http://hahabonk.com/swearotron/

Well, ya'll be good now y'hear?

Lisa Simmonds

I believe that Australians are also fond of rhyming slang, which is
    : logical given that many of the original, ahem, "settlers" were Cockneys.
    : Australians also have a plethora of colourful expressions for the acts of urinating
    : (my favourite: "I gotta go shake hands with my wife's best friend") & throwing up.
    : They do have their priorities straight Down Under...
    :
    : Chris

Why of course we do!!

They funny thing is, after three months spending in america, people couldn't
understand me, we went to the outback steakhouse, and i was like a freak show..
people kept hearing my voice..

I went to an auction up in ohio, and people kept talking to me just to hear my
accent. and they didn't understand a word I was saying at times either.
    

I was stopped at one gas station by a guy that kept talking to me, and telling me how
much he wanted to see australia.. i got alot of people telling me to enjoy my trip
and come again soon

-- Lisa (aussie and proud of it - I think)

L D Jones

Betastar wrote:
    >
[ ... ]
    > And don't forget the Beatles have Manchester accents.... so it's not

I think you misspelled Liverpool

    > just Oxbridge we're exposed to. Also, the movie "Mary Poppins" has Dick Van Dyke
    > attempting all sorts of Brit-regional dialects.

And doing it horribly too. In my experience of the UK most "Brits" are not taught any
particular type of English (accent) but I met people who consciously changed their
own accents to make themselves "sound better."

janesays

"Betastar" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > I thought most Brits learn to speak Oxbridge-type english, like all Germans and
    > Austrians learn High German in school.... it may be a struggle to speak it rather
    > than in the "natural" accent, but it might also make it easier to be understood.

that was the case in the 30's, 40's and 50's it was school policy to teach children
what they called Standard English, and suppress any regional accent and dialect; but
policy changed and now its encouraged, they still teach you proper English but you no
longer get punished for using regional words. The UK for such a small country has a
very rich array of different dialect you can go a matter of a couple of miles and the
people talk differently.

    > And don't forget the Beatles have Manchester accents.... so it's not just Oxbridge
    > we're exposed to. Also, the movie "Mary Poppins" has Dick Van Dyke attempting all
    > sorts of Brit-regional dialects.

Dick Van Dyke should of been shot for that mockney accent, then perhaps we wouldn't
be getting re runs of Diagnosis Murder every afternoon )