Re: [OT] British vs. American English (was Re: Wow, Evolution left me with eggs in my face)
On Sat, 1 Oct 2011 20:09:16 -0400 (EDT)
Stephen Powell <zlinuxman@wowway.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:22:31 -0400 (EDT), Lisi wrote:
> > On Saturday 01 October 2011 23:23:10 Liam O'Toole wrote:
> >> On 2011-10-01, Ralf Mardorf <ralf.mardorf@alice-dsl.net> wrote:
> >>> Sorry, I was pissed.
> >>
> >> In the British or the American sense? It's hard to tell.
> >
> > I didn't know that the American sense existed.
>
> And I didn't know that the British sense existed.
>
> Amazing, isn't it? Two cultures divided by a common language.
>
> A sign seen at a restaurant in England says, "Football coaches
> not admitted unless booked in advance". What does that mean?
> An American who sees that sign scratches his head and thinks,
> "What do these people have against Joe Paterno?" He doesn't
> realize that "football coach" means "soccer bus". Even when we
> use the same words, they mean different things. In England,
> "tea" means a full meal. An American thinks that "tea" must
> be the British equivalent of a coffee break, except that they
> drink tea instead of coffee.
>
> By the way "really mad" to an American means "really angry",
> not "really crazy", just in case you didn't know.
>
This issue gets revisited on this list from time to time.
It's all rather simple really!
English is a language and 'American English' is a dialect.
Dialects, from time to time, have a way of becoming possessed of
delusions of grandeur and, believing that there is an opportunity for
world domination, create initiatives such as making it the default for
Operating System installations and ongoing processing.
The truly learned, educated and experienced sit back in their
observations and smile fondly at this adolescent symptomology,
understanding that the personalities involved will, in time, return
to their roots once the first signs of identity crisis set in.
Be assured that we will be waiting patiently for that occasion and will
welcome the prodigal's return with open arms and the requisite
re-education process.
Regards,
Weaver.
--
"In a world without walls and fences,
what need have we for Windows or Gates?"
-Anon.
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