The Website for People Who Love Britain - Anglophiles
We're in the middle of a publicity blitz for our new book Anglotopia's Dictionary of British English: British Slang from A to Zed and we were invited to be interview on the excellent Podcast Transatlantically Speaking. James Van Leer is a British Expat living in southern California and his fun podcast talks about the interesting cultural … [Read more...]
We've been working on it for months and hinting at it on our social media feeds and today is the day we're ready to release Anglotopia's Dictionary of British English: Brit Slang from A to Zed! We're really excited about this new book as we've had a lot of interest in it. Our new British Slang Dictionary features over 1,000 words of British … [Read more...]
Miranda is the new queen of comedy on BBC. Do a Google search “BBC Miranda” and you’ll see who rules. Written and performed by the multi-talented comedian, Miranda Hart, the series is laugh out loud funny. Miranda finds being a grownup, love, friendship, walking and even keeping her clothes from flying off difficult. Situations, especially … [Read more...]
I recently had the pleasure of reading the e-book The Oddball English by Annie Harrison. The book is a no-holds-barred and cheeky explanation of British society and culture, covering such topics as national obsessions, things that perplex foreigners about the English, the English class system, and English slang. As an American myself, I … [Read more...]
I love movies! Movies often remind us of the special events in our own lives. What woman hasn’t dreamt of a magnificent marriage proposal with a cinematic ending? Remember that oh-so romantic and highly memorable scene in When Harry Met Sally as Harry professes his love, the band begins to play "Auld Lang Syne", and Harry remarks: "What does … [Read more...]
In everyone's favorite Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens writes, "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." We each celebrate and honor Christmas in our own way and with our own traditions. Brits celebrate Christmas with traditions like Mumming, Morris Dancing, and Pantos. I’d never heard of any … [Read more...]
So when I decided to tackle this subject for Anglotopia, my research uncovered that there are a multitude of opinions on which American actors do the worst British accents. Some commentators think Renee Zellweger’s Bridget Jones is like nails on a chalkboard, while others loathe Don Cheadle’s Basher Carr from Oceans 11-13. However, there … [Read more...]
Last year, we had our own British Christmas complete with crackers, wassail, and Christmas pudding. I was so excited! I schemed, planned, and surfed the net for the just the right combo of food and fun. But alas, the wassail was ho-hum, no one was interested in the games after too much turkey and pumpkin pie, and no matter how much brandy I threw … [Read more...]
The game is afoot! Alice in Wonderland is being translated into Jèrriais, and the first Latin translation of The Hobbit has been translated into Latin. Now, there is an effort to translate the classic mystery hero Sherlock Holmes into Welsh. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective Sherlock Holmes has been translated into 76 languages, … [Read more...]
The name librarian conjures up an image of a woman with her hair in a bun, glasses, and that finger shushing action. I plead guilty to wearing glasses, but I never wear my hair in a bun unless I forget to wash it. As far as shushing action goes, I leonline payday loanave that to stereotypical archetypes like the Librarian Action … [Read more...]
Jane Austen said, "My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company." You are "well-informed people" and I'm sure you have a "great deal of conversation". Jane herself would probably call you "good company", but conversation lacks the elegance it once … [Read more...]
One of England’s most beloved authors is Charles Dickens, and he is a personal favorite of mine. His stories are sad, inspirational, and timeless. He was influential in changing society by raising awareness of the poverty and social ills plaguing 19th century England. We love his descriptions of “orphaned and starving children, misers, … [Read more...]
I love England: the celebration of tea, fresh-baked scones with clotted cream, rural thatched cottages, crunchy fish and chips, those lovely hand pies called Cornish pasties, a warm and friendly pub on every corner, and our shared language. So, it never occurred to me I would experience word confusion when we visited England a few years ago. I … [Read more...]
A Victorian costermonger (also known as coster) was a street hawker of fruit, vegetables, and other goods like fish. They spoke in a loud singsong voice or chant to catch their customer’s attention and spent most of their lives on the street. The often-corrupt, sometimes obscene tough breed of market trader spoke a variety of the cockney dialect … [Read more...]
Want to learn How to speak and write elegantly? It's easy when you follow this playfully proper and immensely practical guide to "U" (Upperclass) English. You can pick it up now from the BBC America Shop for just $11.98! Check out the The National Trust Her Ladyship's Guide to the Queen's English The National Trust Her … [Read more...]
We may never hear words like Yokker or Roodadoo ever again. Bobby Hogg, age 86, was the last native speaker fluent in the Cromarty Fisherfolk dialect, after his brother Gordon died last year. The dialect has a lilting sing song quality and is full of descriptive language: "Am fair sconfished wi hayreen; gie’s fur brakwast lashins o am and … [Read more...]
The study of words fascinates me. I find language intriguing, especially the English language as it is used in Britain and America. Words evolve, move in and out of culture, and illustrate our history. Earlier, I explained that words like candy and diaper, once uniquely British, fell out of style in Britain and became everyday language in America. … [Read more...]
“There is little that irks British defenders of the English language more than Americanisms, which they see creeping insidiously into newspaper columns and everyday conversation. But bit by bit British English is invading America too.” BBC News Magazine 26 Sept 2012 Some of these words are Briticisms. The magazine recently published a … [Read more...]
Watch your language lasses and laddies, or it could cost you. Language, a form of free expression is under attack. The issue is offensive language in the public square, in sports, and in social media, to name a few. Offensive language includes swear words, profanity, hard language, inappropriate phrases and expression. The Oxford Dictionary further … [Read more...]
Readers enter a story through plot or character, but it’s the language I find fascinating. What would Britain be without lorries (trucks), boots (car trunks), jumpers (sweaters) and larders (pantries)? Language sets the tone. One of our new favorite shows is Life on Mars. The year 1973 comes to life in the sets, clothes, and cars. The unique … [Read more...]
We can all breathe a sigh of relief: it turns out texting does not actually ruin a child's ability to understand and use proper grammar--at least according to one study done by researchers at Coventry University. Researchers looked at whether or not there was a link "between making grammatical errors when texting and standard grammatical … [Read more...]
Jèrriais, the native language of Jersey, Channel Islands, is making a resurgence in schools and literature, and is now a language option on Facebook. Also called Jersey French, Jèrriais is a form of the Norman language, increasingly being replaced with English. As the population ages, fewer and fewer residents speak the language; only about 3% of … [Read more...]
A hat tip to progress in the English language! The Collins Online Dictionary added eighty-six new words after inviting word spotters to contribute words they felt were representative of today’s culture. The Collins Online Dictionary, launched last year from Glasgow, opened its suggestion process to readers to make the process more inclusive … [Read more...]
The Paralympic Games have just ended, and The Guardian's Mind Your Language blog has taken a look at the television coverage. Gary Nunn writes positively about Channel 4's humor and originality in programming, and the "serious desire from major media outlets" covering the Paralympics in Britain to "use appropriate and respectful language". Armed … [Read more...]
Mastering a new language can be a difficult project, but some learners have found a trick to make it a bit easier: watching lots of British comedies. The Otago Daily Times (yes, it's a New Zealand paper, but stay with me here...) gives us the story of Izumi Uchida, a Japanese writer, translator, and freelance film coordinator who went to New … [Read more...]
It's a proven scientific fact that insults are 100x better when they're spoken with a British accent. One of our favorite facets of British English are the beautiful insults that are possible with the proper turn of phrase. So, in a bid a further cultural understanding, we've decided to put together a list of the most beautiful British … [Read more...]
We've come across a fun British English/EU English Translation chart. Basically what the British say and what they really mean. It's hilarious. Hat tip to Anglophenia for the discovery. … [Read more...]
Love this video on language with Stephen Fry. From the description: Using the wonderful words of acclaimed writer, actor and allround know it all (I mean that in the best of ways) Stephen Fry I have created this kinetic typography animation. If you like what you hear you can download the rest of the audio file from Mr. Fry's … [Read more...]
There is just something about the British accent that sounds suave and intelligent, and this is very advantageous in the business world where so much depends on first impressions. If you come across as polite, intelligent and witty during a business interview, you will be more likely to finalise the deal. There is no guarantee that a British accent … [Read more...]
A young musician who had to memorize Hamlet's Soliloquy put it to song to help her remember it. The result is rather good! Check it out below: … [Read more...]
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Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas in 2007 in a closet in Chicago. Anglotopia is for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia is now our full time jobs and we spend our time working on the site and planning our yearly trips to Britain. Join us as we explore Britain and everything it has to offer!
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