How do Americans feel about UK spelling?

[mjhudston]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Because GB is the official two-letter abbreviation for "The United Kingdom of Great Briatin and Northern Ireland"?

If Northern Ireland decided to leave the UK and join Ireland, I would not suddenly find myself living in "Great Britain". I'd then be in "The United Kingdom of Great Britain".

Only if the Scots decided to go their own way would I no longer be living in the UK. Then I'd probably be living in "The Kingdom of England and Wales". Until and unless the Welsh wanted independence too...

What!! does that mean the Americans are right about something to do with this fair country? OMG I am in a state of shock.

Looks like I'm wrong again!

[mjhudston]

oh and a bit of evidence as to why I think I'm right.

http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Great_Britain

and an extract from wikipedia

Use of the term Great Britain
"Great Britain" refers to the majority of the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" (UK). It refers to the largest island only, or to England, Scotland and Wales as a unit (though these three countries also include many smaller islands). It does not include Northern Ireland.[29]

[basilsands]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

If Northern Ireland decided to leave the UK and join Ireland, I would not suddenly find myself living in "Great Britain". I'd then be in "The United Kingdom of Great Britain".

Only if the Scots decided to go their own way would I no longer be living in the UK. Then I'd probably be living in "The Kingdom of England and Wales". Until and unless the Welsh wanted independence too...

But if the UK were suddenly invaded by an alien race who looked human but wore coloured macintoshes to distinguish between the sexes and got intoxicated on curdled milk and found a particular Welsh singer so sexy they renamed his home country after him and for whom the word "Scot" was a very vulgar term not to be spoken within the hearing of women and children and thereby designated the northern folks by other means it would probably be called "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Tom Jonesistan and The Hairy Kilt Wearing Men Who Throw Logs and Might Pummel You if You Speak With a British Accent"

Of course these aliens, who become known as "The Pink and Yellow Macintosh People" (acronym PYMPs) would not be particularly well liked. And their practice of eating 10 day old salmon on saltines with their curdled milk-tinis frequently gets them pummelled by Scots.

[bran]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

English spelling doesn't bother me. Even English slang and common words that have different meanings don't faze me too much. The way they often pronounce words often can drive me bonkers. How many Rs are in "idea?" Yet many (if not most) English put one on the end (American New Englanders are just as bad). Listening to the damn yankees on "This Old House" makes me want to strangle them because of the extra Rs they tack on after Ws. Yeesh.

If you guys want to make Brits at least raise their eyebrows, tell them you are going to wear pants held up with suspenders to the store.

If you want to make american raise their eybrows you should as them for a fag

[mjhudston]

Originally Posted by bran

If you want to make american raise their eybrows you should as them for a fag

As a gay british smoker, you can imagine the look on some of my american friends faces when a fellow brit comes up to me and asks if they can bum a fag!

It's one of the few things that makes me smile every time.

[basilsands]

Originally Posted by mjhudston

As a gay british smoker, you can imagine the look on some of my american friends faces when a fellow brit comes up to me and asks if they can bum a fag!
It's one of the few things that makes me smile every time.

Funny how that works. We say something we think mundane and someone is shocked beyond belief at our rudeness.
Mispronunciations work the same way. While not precisely related to this topic, after 22 years married to a Korean woman I am still struggling with my wife's native language. Recently at our church, a Korean Presbyterian church in Alaska, I was in the kitchen and asked a cluster of ladies (all quite attractive I might add) to give me some chopsticks (Chutgorak). Except the word that came out of my lips was Chutgochi. It has a very different meaning. Imagine the looks on the faces of half a dozen attractive Korean Presbyterian Deaconesses when I asked them "Could you please give me your nipples?"

...OK...back to UK v US spelling.

[crich70]

Careful that you don't give them ideas.

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Because GB is the official two-letter abbreviation for "The United Kingdom of Great Briatin and Northern Ireland"?

If Northern Ireland decided to leave the UK and join Ireland, I would not suddenly find myself living in "Great Britain". I'd then be in "The United Kingdom of Great Britain".

Only if the Scots decided to go their own way would I no longer be living in the UK. Then I'd probably be living in "The Kingdom of England and Wales". Until and unless the Welsh wanted independence too...

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by bran

If you want to make american raise their eybrows you should as them for a fag

Or be a burly 6'5" bloke and tell them you're going to put a jumper on.

[bran]

Originally Posted by mjhudston

As a gay british smoker, you can imagine the look on some of my american friends faces when a fellow brit comes up to me and asks if they can bum a fag!

It's one of the few things that makes me smile every time.

Yes, that I can imagine. I was really surprised when I learned that 'fag' meant gay and not cigarette.

OTOH, you might think about about a 1920's American asking a more modern (60's / 70's) American if he's ever been picked up by 'the fuzz', and the answer being: 'No, but I bet it really hurts'.

Bran

[bran]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

Or be a burly 6'5" bloke and tell them you're going to put a jumper on.

Oh yes.

Bran

[basilsands]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

Or be a burly 6'5" bloke and tell them you're going to put a jumper on.

Right...Now I am envisioning a big bearded Scot dressed as a Tele-Tubby. My eyes hurt....where's the Lysol?

[mjhudston]

Originally Posted by basilsands

Right...Now I am envisioning a big bearded Scot dressed as a Tele-Tubby. My eyes hurt....where's the Lysol?

erm what's lysol?

[bran]

Originally Posted by basilsands

...OK...back to UK v US spelling.

My preference it to read in the original 'version'. I have not read any of the Harry Potter books but, I would be really put off, if her 'English' was changed for 'American' tastes.

If I saw colour instead of color, I would know 'fag' means cigarette and not 'gay'. What I mean is, the spelling can give you hints regarding idiomatic use of english in the book.

Bran

[basilsands]

Originally Posted by mjhudston

erm what's lysol?

Disinfectant cleanser..very powerful....:

The name Lysol comes from a combination of the words "lysosome" and "solvent".
The active ingredient in many of the Lysol products is benzalkonium chloride.[1] This ingredient is highly toxic to fish (LC50 = 280 μg ai/L), very highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates (LC50 = 5.9 μg ai/L), moderately toxic to birds (LD50 = 136 mg/kg-bw), and slightly toxic ("safe") to mammals (LD50 = 430 mg/kg-bw).[2]

Read more here...

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by mjhudston

As a gay british smoker, you can imagine the look on some of my american friends faces when a fellow brit comes up to me and asks if they can bum a fag!

It's one of the few things that makes me smile every time.

I'm a lesbian. I used to work in a convenience store. I had an Irish born customer (who is also a friend) come up to me one time and said she really needed a fag and when I replied, "Here I am, honey," it dawned her what she had said and turned red as a beet. That was when I cracked up. When she saw me laughing, she cracked up. Everyone else in line thought we were a few bricks shy of a load. I probably should have told her it would at least cost her dinner and a movie.