How do Americans feel about UK spelling?

[Joebill]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

But now checking I see it's a common US/Canadian pronunciation. It should still spelled "solder" though.

Just another weird pronunciation difference. "Herb" always catches me by surprise too. Now if Americans dropped all their aitches I could understand it, but they seem only to drop it when pronouncing "herb". In the UK, in general, the 'h' isn't silent.

My sister, in a store, said "Its 'Erb Herb !"

embaressing.

[Sparrow]

Someone told me today they had a US spell checker that corrected 'flourescent' to 'fluorescent'.
I didn't know about that difference before.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Someone told me today they had a US spell checker that corrected 'flourescent' to 'fluorescent'.
I didn't know about that difference before.

But flourescent is simply incorrect everywhere (I think). It's certainly not a British spelling as far as I know. It comes from the same root as fluorine.

[crich70]

They had that problem when I was in college too. One day in an area for people to mingle I heard some teachers bemoaning the fact that reading comprehension was so bad among their students. I asked if that wasn't something they were supposed to learn in grade school. And the teacher who had led the topic said, "that's my point."
This was back in the early 1990's so it's not just the current students who have this problem. Kinda sad really.

Originally Posted by Joebill

Probably due to the rise in illiteracy here. Race has nothing to do with it.

I have seen more people, who say they graduated from high school, and have some university classes, have problems reading high school level material. Some really bad grammar issues.

I was considered an average reader, grammar usage, and speller, in hgh school. These days I have people tell me i am talking above their education level.

I basically talk on a high school level.

Hmm... I am old enough that if a student flunked, they were held back a grade. I flunked the 7th grade, but managed a C overall score level upon graduation.

[crich70]

And of course there is the saying of "sod off" which has nothing to do with sod itself I don't think. Just like the confusion of rubber vs. rubber earlier in the topic. lol. English is a very diverse language in what words can mean depending on the context.

Originally Posted by Fbone

It doesnt help that there is a sod, sodding, sodded and sodden. And what would you call someone who lays down sod for a living?

[crich70]

Then there is Russell Crowe who was born in New Zealand and grew up in australia. He doesn't seem to have much accent though. Probably through voice training I imagine.

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

I wouldn' know about that I have no frame of reference. But I didn't think other than Gwyneth Paltrow and what's her name that did Bridgett Jones, there was all that much going in the other direction.

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by crich70

Then there is Russell Crowe who was born in New Zealand and grew up in australia. He doesn't seem to have much accent though. Probably through voice training I imagine.

G'day crich,
When you say he "doesn't have much of an accent" ... do you mean that to you he sounds like he has an American accent? (I'm smiling because, of course, that's an accent too!)

But I can't agree with you. I think in movies like "Gladiator" and "Robin Hood" he very clearly retains his Aussie accent. Maybe not as strong as, say, Hugh Jackman in "Australia", but that was bunged on anyway - still, Crowe's accent is fairly pervasive.

[M T McGuire]

Originally Posted by mjhudston

I cannot write in American , so I write in English.

That's me, I have enough trouble spelling English without trying to write in a foreign language ;-) To be honest, I see my writing like Dr Who, it is what it is and if some Americans get it I'll be over the moon.

Cheers

M T M

[M T McGuire]

Originally Posted by crich70

And of course there is the saying of "sod off" which has nothing to do with sod itself I don't think. Just like the confusion of rubber vs. rubber earlier in the topic. lol. English is a very diverse language in what words can mean depending on the context.

Sod! Phnark, you have no idea how many pictures I took of sod farms in Canada, then again, we eat something called faggots which, I gather, causes much hilarity in both Canada and the US.

Cheers

MTM

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

Yes I know that Laurie's accent isn't New Jersey, but is consistent with educated Americans almost everywhere, which is what he plays in the show.

Wait a sec ... Was I just insulted?

[MrPLD]

Aaah, mixed word hilarity happens to many of us cross-continental travellers. Here in Australia a "thong" is something you wear on your feet... aka "flipflops" in other countries. Of course, when I went to South African and asked rather loudly in a department store where their "thongs" were "for my feet" they couldn't help but look at me in a perverted-weirdo way.

[mjhudston]

Originally Posted by MrPLD

Aaah, mixed word hilarity happens to many of us cross-continental travellers. Here in Australia a "thong" is something you wear on your feet... aka "flipflops" in other countries. Of course, when I went to South African and asked rather loudly in a department store where their "thongs" were "for my feet" they couldn't help but look at me in a perverted-weirdo way.

you wear tight skimpy revealing under garments on your feet?

[GraceKrispy]

Originally Posted by MrPLD

Aaah, mixed word hilarity happens to many of us cross-continental travellers. Here in Australia a "thong" is something you wear on your feet... aka "flipflops" in other countries. Of course, when I went to South African and asked rather loudly in a department store where their "thongs" were "for my feet" they couldn't help but look at me in a perverted-weirdo way.

When I was growing up in Chicago (and since we're speaking about accents, you must pronounce it "shi-KEAH (to rhyme with yeah- couldn't think of another way to write that!)-go), we called them thongs too. I think my sister still does. Here in Hawai'i, we call them "slippers" (not to be confused with house slippers, but don't know a lot of people with those). You can always spot the tourists at Walmart, asking where the "flip-flops" are!

It's really amazing, over the course of a lifetimes, how much additional regional vocabulary you can learn from other countries as well as many other places closer to your own home.

[MrPLD]

Originally Posted by mjhudston

you wear tight skimpy revealing under garments on your feet?

They make me feel feminine.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by crich70

And of course there is the saying of "sod off" which has nothing to do with sod itself I don't think.

It does, but not that meaning of the word. It's the same meaning as in "sodomy", of course.