Anglotopia.net » English Language

British Speak Translation Chart – Infographic

jonathan — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:00:59 +0000

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.

British Speak Translation Chart – Infographic is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Video: Stephen Fry On Language

jonathan — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:00:33 +0000

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 website. stephenfry.com and then go to the audio and video section at the top of the page and look for the file entitled language. You can also find the file on iTunes by searching the name ‘Stephen Fry’s Podgrams’.

I loved this particular essay on language and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make my first kinetic typography. I hope you like it and even if you dont I would like to heard what you think in the comments section. Also I know that at points the audio does not match the text so you do not have to write that. It is because I copied the transcript off of Stephen’s website and it was not 100% exactly what he said and i did not notice until I was well underway. However these cases are few and far between.

Just incase you were wondering the programs I used to make this were all by adobe. Mostly after effects but also flash and illustrator. Flash for the changing background colour transitions and illustrator for putting the words in to the shape of ‘language’ before loading it into after effects to animate.

Stephen Fry Kinetic Typography – Language from Matthew Rogers on Vimeo.

Video: Stephen Fry On Language is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Language: Could a British Accent Improve your Business Prospects?

Guest Writer — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:05:38 +0000

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 will secure you a dream job, but it can make a good first impression.

What is a British accent?

Before I come under a comment-attack for generalising, let me say that there’s no such thing as a British accent. Great Britain comprises the four sovereignties of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Speakers from each of these countries have distinct accents, so for the purposes of this article the term “British accent” refers to a general English accent – regional differences set aside.

How the media helps

In American movies, Brits are always portrayed as gentlemanly individuals with razor-sharp wit. Take the example of Michael Cain’s role in ‘Miss Congeniality’. Cain’s character, Victor Melling, was enlisted as the only person capable of refining the crass and thoroughly American Gracie Hart, played by Sandra Bullock. In this sense, Britishness was seen as a remedy to a lack of culture.

You sound like a gentleman

Because television-shows make the British accent seem cultured, many people believe that all Britons are gentlemen. If you have a British accent, you can use this to your advantage when you are interviewed for a job. You should make a point of saying ‘thank you’ more often than necessary, so that you come across as the gentleman that media has already convinced the interviewer that you are. This may sound artificial, but it works like a charm, because it confirms what the interviewer already believes.

Anti-American sentiment

The gentleman tactic works particularly well in the States, but being British can also benefit your work prospects in other countries. Since the invasion of Iraq, anti-American sentiment has been at an all-time high. The prejudice against Americans is so severe that many backpackers from the States find it necessary to attach Canadian flag pins to their backpacks. If your accent lets an interviewer know that you aren’t American, then you’re less likely to deal with prejudice.

ESL Job Growth

In 2011, the South Korean education board updated its classroom video learning aids to include the British accent. The changes were necessary because of an increase in the number of Korean students interested in enrolling at an English language school in London. The British accent has also impacted the Korean business world, in that it has become common for companies enrolled at a business English course to request a British teacher. These developments have made it easier for Britons to find jobs in an ESL market, which previously favoured Americans.

Perceptions matter most

In the short duration of a job interview, sounding intelligent can be just as beneficial as actually being smart. The media has done a good job of making people with British accents seem more intelligent. And this is what makes the British accent a helpful tool in the business world.

Language: Could a British Accent Improve your Business Prospects? is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Friday Fun: Hamlet’s Soliloquy as a Song – Video

jonathan — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:00:48 +0000

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:

Friday Fun: Hamlet’s Soliloquy as a Song – Video is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Friday Fun: Shakespearean Insult Kit

jonathan — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:26:44 +0000

This is making the rounds on the various social networks this morning so I thought it was worth sharing.

Combine any of the three columns below to build your own Shakespearean insult and preface each one with Thou.

Source.

Friday Fun: Shakespearean Insult Kit is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Video: The History of English in 10 Minutes – Hilarious!

jonathan — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:48:05 +0000

A few months ago The Open University in Britain published some fun and informative videos about the history of the English language on YouTube. They were one minute long and posted individually.

This annoyed us as there were ten total videos.

So we took all the videos and combined them into one video, which you can watch below:

Video: The History of English in 10 Minutes – Hilarious! is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Language: Top 100 Cockney Rhyming Slang Words and Phrases

jonathan — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:00:16 +0000

Hot on the heels of our success with our Top 100 Best British Slang Phrases, we thought we’d explore the beauty of Cockney Rhyming Slang next.

Rhyming slang is believed to have originated in the mid-19th century in the East End of London, with sources suggesting some time in the 1840s. It dates from around 1840 among the predominantly Cockney population of the East End of London who are well-known for having a characteristic accent and speech patterns.

It remains a matter of speculation whether rhyming slang was a linguistic accident, a game, or a cryptolect developed intentionally to confuse non-locals. If deliberate, it may also have been used to maintain a sense of community. It is possible that it was used in the marketplace to allow vendors to talk amongst themselves in order to facilitate collusion, without customers knowing what they were saying. Another suggestion is that it may have been used by criminals (see thieves’ cant) to confuse the police.

THIS ARTICLE HAS MOVED TO LONDONTOPIA

CLICK HERE TO READ OUR TOP 100 COCKNEY RHYMING SLANG WORDS AND PHRASES.

Language: Top 100 Cockney Rhyming Slang Words and Phrases is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Top 100 Most Beautiful British Slang Words and Phrases

jonathan — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:00:02 +0000

British English is a fountain of beautiful words that we don’t normally use in America. Some are hilarious, some are rude and some are… interesting.

Here’s our list of our top 100 favorite British slang words and phrases. Oftentimes, it’s not so much the word itself that’s awesome – but the usage of it so we’ve included what the word means approximately ‘in American.’

There are some rather rude words and phrases on this list – you’ve been warned!

1. Tosser – Idiot
2. Cock-up – Screw up
3. Bloody – Damn
4. Give You A Bell – Call you
5. Blimey! – My Goodness
6. Wanker – Idiot
7. Gutted – Devastated
8. Bespoke – Custom Made
9. Chuffed – Proud
10. Fancy – Like
11. Sod Off – Piss off
12. Lost the Plot – Gone Crazy
13. Fortnight – Two Weeks
14. Sorted – Arranged
15. Hoover – Vaccum
16. Kip – Sleep or nap
17. Bee’s Knees – Awesome
18. Know Your Onions – Knowledgeable
19. Dodgy – Suspicious
20. Wonky – Not right
21. Wicked – Cool!
22. Whinge – Whine
23. Tad – Little bit
24. Tenner – £10
25. Fiver – £5
26. Skive – Lazy or avoid doing something
27. Toff – Upper Class Person
28. Punter – Customer/Prostitute’s Client
29. Scouser – Someone from Liverpool
30. Quid – £
31. Taking the Piss – Screwing around32. Pissed – Drunk
33. Loo – Toilet
34. Nicked – Stolen
35. Nutter – Crazy Person
36. Knackered – Tired
37. Gobsmacked – Amazed
38. Dog’s Bollocks – Awesome
39. Chap – Male or friend
40. Bugger – Jerk
41. Bog Roll – Toilet Paper
42. Bob’s Your Uncle – There you go!
43. Anti-Clockwise – We Say Counter Clockwise
44. C of E – Church of England
45. Pants – Panties
46. Throw a Spanner in the Works – Screw up
47. Zed – We say ZZZZZZZ
48. Absobloodylootely – YES!
49. Nosh – Food
50. One Off – One time only
51. Shambles – Mess
52. Arse-over-tit – Fall over
53. Brilliant! – Great!
54. Dog’s Dinner – Dressed Nicely
55. Up for it – Willing to have sex
56. On the Pull – Looking for sex
57. Made Redundant – Fired from a job
58. Easy Peasy – Easy
59. See a Man About a Dog – Do a deal or take a dump
60. Up the Duff – Pregnant
61. DIY – Do It Yourself home improvements
62. Chat Up – Flirt
63. Fit – Hot
64. Arse – Ass
65. Strawberry Creams – Breasts
66. Shag – Screw
67. Gentleman Sausage – Penis
68. Twigs & Berries – Genitalia
69. Fanny – Vagina
70. Bollocks – Balls
71. Ponce – Poser
72. Don’t Get Your Knickers in a Twist – Don’t Get worked up
73. The Telly – Television
74. Bangers – Sausage
75. Chips – French Fries
76. Daft Cow – Idiot
77. Do – Party
78. Uni – College/University
79. Starkers – Naked
80. Smeg – From Red Dwarf
81. Bits ‘n Bobs – Various things
82. Anorak – A person weirdly interested in something
83. Shambles – bad shape/plan gone wrong
84. I’m Off to Bedfordshire – Going to bed
85. Her Majesty’s Pleasure – To be in prison
86. Horses for Courses – Won’t work for someone else
87. John Thomas – Penis
88. Plastered – Drunk
89. Meat and Two Veg – Genitalia
90. Knob Head – Idiot/Dickhead
91. Knob – Penis
92. Chav – White trash
93. It`s monkeys outside – it is very cold
94. Stag Night – Bachelor Party
95. Ace – Cool!
96. Plonker – Idiot
97. Dobber – Penis
98. BellEnd – Penis
99. Blighty – Britain
100. Rubbish – Garbage or ‘That’s crap!’

What’s your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

Top 100 Most Beautiful British Slang Words and Phrases is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Much Ado About Shakespeare: Best Sights in England For Fans of The Bard

Claire — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:00:59 +0000

The life of William Shakespeare revolved around two main destinations: Stratford-Upon-Avon, where he lived and died; and London, where he made a name for himself as the most famous playwright of all time. Be sure to spend some time in both places to discover more about the man behind the well-loved tragedies and comedies.

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

This little Warwickshire town on the banks of the river Avon is surely most famous for its Shakespearean connections, although this charmingly picturesque town is worth visiting in its own right. It’s easy to get here, whether by car, train, or even cheap flights into Birmingham airport.

Shakespeare’s birthplace
Dedicated fans of Shakespeare should visit the playwright’s 16^th century childhood home, located on Henley Street. Managed by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the house has been restored to its original glory, and exists as a museum and shrine to William Shakespeare’s early life.

Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Back in the 1930s this venue opened on the site of the a 17^th century Shakespearean theatre which had been destroyed by a fire. The one-room theatre has a thrust stage, designed to replicate the theatre experience Shakespeare had worked with in his day. There is also a rooftop restaurant with incredible views of Stratford, perfect for a pre-theatre meal.

LONDON

Little physical evidence remains of Shakespeare’s residence in the capital, largely due to the major changes to the city through history, such as the aftermath of the Great Fire of London and the Blitz. Despite this, his legacy does live on here. Visitors on holidays to London continue to seek out the sights and attractions inspired by Shakespeare’s plays.

Shakespeare’s Globe

Shakespeare’s playing company formed the famous Globe Theatre in London in 1599, which was destroyed by fire (then rebuilt again) on the spot now known as Park Street in Southwark. About 230 metres from this site, on the south bank of the Thames, now stands a full working reconstruction, known as Shakespeare’s Globe. With authentic oak construction and featuring the only thatched roof in London, the building itself is admirable and certainly worth a tour. Fans of the Bard can also book in to watch a live performance. These, too, are recreated in the same style as Shakespeare intended, without spotlights, microphones or electrical instruments.

Performances in London

“The play’s the thing”, wrote Shakespeare in Hamlet, so if you can’t get a seat in a performance at the Globe, it’s still worth seeing a live show elsewhere. Tthere are many options in the capital. Book in advance for tickets to Hamlet showing in October at the Young Vic.

Alternatively, right now at the Wyndham Theatre, British actors David Tennant and Catherine Tate appear as Benedict and Beatrice in a rendition of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

Tate Britain (art)

Even if you don’t take in a play, it’s worth popping by the Tate Britain museum to see some great works of art inspired by Shakespeare’s plays. Sir John Everett Millais’ Opheli, depicting a scene from Hamlet; and Henri Fuseli’s Titania and Bottom from A Midsummer Nights’ Dream both hang in the Tate. You can always get the Tate-to-Tate boat service, connecting the Tate Britain to the Tate Modern … which stands next door to the Shakespeare’s Globe.

Much Ado About Shakespeare: Best Sights in England For Fans of The Bard is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Guest Post: A Brief Guide to British Accents

Guest Writer — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:00:20 +0000

The following is a guest post from Renana Harary – an Anglophile with a particular interest in Britain’s many accents. Thanks Renana!

Have you ever walked around, speaking in a fake British accent? Saying things like “Bloody hell,” or “May I have some more?” My best friend and I used to walk around speaking in our best British accents. Sure, we got some looks, but we chose to assume it was because we sounded so very authentic. We would go on for hours, staying in character wherever we went, but there was something we didn’t take into account. The reason we didn’t sound authentic was because we were mixing up a few (possibly more than a few) different dialects, using different accents for different words, which made us sound, well, stupid.

A dialect is a regionally, or socially distinct variety of a language that differs from the standard language. In the U.K., and more specifically England, that is the Received Pronunciation.

Are you sitting there thinking, “Received Pronunciation – what the hell is that?” Basically, it is what most non-Brits are used to hearing as a British accent. It’s called the Queen’s English, or BBC English, and it’s accepted as the standard. It evokes the feeling of drinking tea in a sitting room looking out at the grounds, with a steely posture and one’s pinky raised. It’s considered the clearest and most understandable of accents.
Now that I have imparted that particular tidbit of info, here’s what I was aiming to show: there is no such regional dialect. Sure, it’s clear, and sounds oh so posh, but it isn’t from any one part of Britain. There are, in fact, so many different dialects and accents throughout England and the rest of the United Kingdom that it almost seems like every city – maybe even every neighborhood – in the U.K. has its own particular accent.

The difference in the accents stems from the difference in pronunciation of, well, every letter in the alphabet, frankly. Most English accents do not pronounce the “R” unless it followed by a vowel (and only if you’re lucky), while Scottish and Irish accents do. Each different area pronounces letters and words differently, and the difference between them creates a most beautiful mosaic of accents.

There are too many to list, but here are a few ‘famous” ones.

The Cockney accent – It isn’t exactly a regional accent as much as that of the working class, but I think it may be one of the more recognized ones after the RP. We’ve all heard Eliza Doolittle and Michael Caine speak, and lest we forget, they brought us rhyming slang!

The “Brummie” – Another oft heard accent is the “Brummie,” or Birmingham. Ozzie Osbourn’s accent is probably heavier than most, but still recognizable.

Estuary English – A third, and quite recognizable, is Estuary English. A London accent, it is becoming one of the most popular forms of pronunciation in the 21st century. Katie Price (Jordan) speaks this dialect. And for those who don’t know or refuse to acknowledge her, the tenth incarnation of the Doctor spoke in Estuary English. Not David Tennant – he is, in fact Scottish.

Liverpool – And, of course, there is the Liverpudlian accent. Ah, John Lennon and Paul McCartney…

These are only a few of the many, many different accents and dialects spoken throughout the United Kingdom. Each area differs in vowel pronunciation, emphases of parts of the word and spacing of words within a sentence. More than that, the language itself has been molded differently. There is different vocabulary and different slang, colloquialisms and idioms, each distinctive to specific areas or communities, innit?

There are more than 37 separate regional dialects, and even those break down further within their area. There are so many different accents that there really isn’t one “real” British accent. While there used to be a class distinction made based on one’s accent, this is no longer the case. The Queen herself has changed the way she speaks, less RP-ish. If you listen carefully, you can catch all the lovely diversity, and after a while, maybe even place the speaker. Now when I watch BBC America or even speak to someone from the U.K., I try to see if I can spot where they come from. Nine times out of ten, I can! (OK, maybe more like four out of ten)

Guest Post: A Brief Guide to British Accents is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Massive List of Phrases That Shakespeare Created That We Still Use Today

jonathan — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:00:12 +0000

Shakespeare is without a doubt a man that had the most effect on the English language and the way that we use it today. In an effort to find out just how much he has influenced how we speak today, I thought it would be fun to put together a list of phrases that can be attributed to him and his plays. These are from multiple sources, and I’ve culled them together into one massive list.

Enjoy!

A countenance more in sorrow than in anger
A Daniel come to judgment
A dish fit for the gods
A fool’s paradise
A foregone conclusion
A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!
A ministering angel shall my sister be
A plague on both your houses
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet
A sea change
A sorry sight
A tower of strength
Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio
All corners of the world
All one to me
All that glitters is not gold / All that glisters is not gold
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players
All’s well that ends well
An eye-sore
An ill-favoured thing sir, but mine own
And shining morning face, creeping like a snail unwillingly to school
And thereby hangs a tale
As cold as any stone
As dead as a doornail
As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods
As good luck would have it
As merry as the day is long
As white as driven snow
At one fell swoop
Ay, there’s the rub
Bag and baggage
Bated breath
Beast with two backs
Beware the ides of March
Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks
Breathe one’s last
Brevity is the soul of wit
Budge an inch
Cold comfort
Come full circle
Come the three corners of the world in arms
Come what may
Comparisons are odorous
Conscience does make cowards of us all
Cowards die many times before their deaths
Crack of doom
Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war
Dash to pieces
Dead as a doornail
Death by inches
Discretion is the better part of valour
Dish fit for the gods
Dog will have its day
Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn, and cauldron bubble
Eaten me out of house and home
Elbow room
Et tu, Brute
Even at the turning of the tide
Every inch a king
Exceedingly well read
Eye of newt and toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog
Fair play
Fancy free
Fatal vision
Fie, foh, and fum, I smell the blood of a British man
Fight fire with fire
For ever and a day
Foul play
Frailty, thy name is woman
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears
Full of sound and fury
Get thee to a nunnery
Give the devil his due
Good men and true
Good night, ladies
Good riddance
Green eyed monster
Hark, hark! the lark at heaven’s gate sings
He will give the Devil his due
Heart’s content
High time
His beard was as white as snow
Hoist by your own petard
Hold a candle to
Hot-blooded
Household words
How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child
I bear a charmed life
I have not slept one wink
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips
I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
If music be the food of love, play on
In a pickle
In my heart of hearts
In my mind’s eye
In stitches
In the twinkling of an eye
Into thin air
Is this a dagger which I see before me?
It beggar’d all description
It is meat and drink to me
It smells to heaven
It was Greek to me
It’s a wise father that knows his own child
Kill … with kindness
Knock, knock! Who’s there?
Laughing-stock
Lay it on with a trowel
Lean and hungry look
Let slip the dogs of war
Lie low
Like the Dickens
Lord, what fools these mortals be!
Love is blind
Make your hair stand on end
Men’s evil manners live in brass; their virtues we write in water
Milk of human kindness
Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows
More fool you
More honoured in the breach than in the observance
More in sorrow than in anger
More sinned against than sinning
Much Ado about Nothing
Mum’s the word
Murder most foul
My own flesh and blood
My salad days
Neither a borrower nor a lender be
Night owl
No more cakes and ale?
Not a mouse stirring
Now is the winter of our discontent
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo
O, Brave new world
Off with his head
Oh, that way madness lies
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more
One fell swoop
One that loved not wisely, but too well
Out of the jaws of death
Out, damned spot!
Parting is such sweet sorrow
Play fast and loose
Pomp and Circumstance
Pound of flesh
Primrose path
Rhyme nor reason
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything
Screw your courage to the sticking place
Send him packing
Set your teeth on edge
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Sharper than a serpent’s tooth
Short and the long of It
Short shrift
Shuffle off this mortal coil
Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em
Something in the wind
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
Sorry sight
Spotless reputation
Star crossed lovers
Stiffen the sinews
Stony hearted
Stood on ceremonies
Strange bedfellows
Such stuff as dreams are made on
Sweets to the sweet
The be-all and the end-all
The better part of valour is discretion
The course of true love never did run smooth
The crack of doom
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose
The Devil incarnate
The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers
The game is afoot
The game is up
The lady doth protest too much, methinks
The naked truth
The play’s the thing
The quality of mercy is not strained
The Queen’s English
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
The smallest worm will turn, being trodden on
The working day world
The world’s mine oyster
There is a tide in the affairs of men
There’s method in my madness
Thereby hangs a tale
This is the short and the long of it
This is very midsummer madness
This precious stone set in the silver sea, this sceptered isle
This was the noblest Roman of them all
Though this be madness, yet there is method in it
Throw cold water on it
Thus far into the bowels of the land
Tis neither here nor there
To be or not to be, that is the question
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily
To make a virtue of necessity
To sleep: perchance to dream
To thine own self be true
Too much of a good thing
Truth will out
Under the greenwood tree
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown
Unkindest cut of all
Up in arms
Vanish into thin air
We are such stuff as dreams are made on
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers
We have seen better days
Wear my heart on my sleeve
What a piece of work is a man
What the dickens
What’s done is done
What’s in a name?
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet
When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions
Where the bee sucks, there suck I
While you live, tell truth and shame the Devil!
Who wooed in haste, and means to wed at leisure
Wild goose chase
Woe is me

Massive List of Phrases That Shakespeare Created That We Still Use Today is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Fun Link: 10 Words Britons Shouldn’t Say in America

jonathan — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:53:47 +0000

This is a great post from the always awesome Everywhereist on some words or phrases Britons should avoid saying while spending time in America.

Here’s an excerpt:

Diary: In the U.K., a “diary” is what we Americans would call a “calendar” or a “planner”. So, when we told a friend in the U.K that we wanted to have dinner of Thursday, and he replied, “I’m going to put it in my diary,” he was probably not deserving of all the ridicule we dished out. Because here, it’s something teenage girls write in. As in,

“Dear Diary,

Today Tom Critchlow came to town and I have never been happier. I haven’t been this excited since [insert Twilight reference].

Sincerely,

Rand”

(Not an actual excerpt from Rand’s diary, which is sealed with a heart-shaped lock that I can’t bear to pick. A man’s girlish dreams are his alone.)

Read the rest here – it’s hilarious!

Fun Link: 10 Words Britons Shouldn’t Say in America is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Amazing Dude Can Speak in 24 Different English Accents

jonathan — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:00:08 +0000

This is a pretty cool video – this British youngster can speak in 24 different English Accents – British and the rest of the world.

Be warned – his language is quite vulgar – but the video is a lot of fun.

Click to view larger version.

Amazing Dude Can Speak in 24 Different English Accents is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Did the Founding Fathers Have English Accents?

jonathan — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:30:52 +0000

I came across this on Stumbleupon and it answers a question I’ve always wondered: Did the Founding Fathers have English Accents?

The answer is more complicated that you think.

According to Nick Patrick:

Reading David McCullough’s 1776, I found myself wondering: Did Americans in 1776 have British accents? If so, when did American accents diverge from British accents?

The answer surprised me.

I’d always assumed that Americans used to have British accents, and that American accents diverged after the Revolutionary War, while British accents remained more or less the same.

Americans in 1776 did have British accents in that American accents and British accents hadn’t yet diverged. That’s not too surprising.

What’s surprising, though, is that those accents were much closer to today’s American accents than to today’s British accents. While both have changed over time, it’s actually British accents that have changed much more drastically since then.

First, let’s be clear: the terms â€œBritish accentâ€ and â€œAmerican accentâ€ are oversimplifications; there were, and still are, many constantly-evolving regional British and American accents. What many Americans think of as â€œthe British accentâ€ is the standardized Received Pronunciation, also known as â€œBBC English.â€

While most American accents are rhotic, the standard British accent is non-rhotic. (Rhotic speakers pronounce the â€˜R’ sound in the word â€œhardâ€; non-rhotic speakers do not.)

So, what happened?

In 1776, both American accents and British accents were largely rhotic.

It was around this time that non-rhotic speech took off in southern England, especially among the upper class; this â€œprestigeâ€ non-rhotic speech was standardized, and has been spreading in Britain ever since.

Most American accents, however, remained rhotic.

There are a few fascinating exceptions: New York and Boston accents became non-rhotic, perhaps because of the region’s British connections in the post-Revolutionary War era. Irish and Scottish accents are still rhotic.

Source: Nick Patrick

Did the Founding Fathers Have English Accents? is a post from: Anglotopia.net

From the Heart… of England: What’s in a name?

Anna — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:00:20 +0000

[picappgallerysingle id="74425" align="center"]Hmmm…quite a lot, actually.

I’ve read loads of articles about ‘silly’ English place names such as Lower Piddle, Pratt’s Bottom, Doddiscombsleigh, Wigtwizzle and the like. I love them, but then I was taught to love them by my wonderful father who used to make up long poems about the places we drove through on our journey to the seaside each summer. A man who would willingly make a five-mile detour just so he could add the line “then through Broughton Poggs, where the men bite dogs” to his rhyme. Silly, silly, lovely poet of a Daddy.

But many English Place names are incredibly logical; a fact that seems to have passed most of my American friends by. So I thought I’d give you a quick run-down of some of them…

Stratford-upon-Avon – okay, an easy one to start with. The river Avon flows through Stratford and the town of Stratford grew around it (or ‘upon’ it).

Brentford – A ford is a crossing-place in a river, and so Brentford is a shallow crossing place in the river Brent. There are lots of place names ending in ford. Usually the first bit refers to the name of the river the ford crosses, but occasionally it can refer to other things, such as Oxford, which is thought to refer to a ford where oxen used to cross the river – “Oxenford”.

Yarmouth – A mouth is where a river flows into the sea, so Yarmouth is the town where the river Yar flows into the sea and many other coastal towns share this nomenclature, for example Exmouth, Cockermouth and Bournemouth.

Hebden Bridge – This one is pretty straightforward; a settlement which grew around a bridge built over the River Hebden where packhorses used to cross. Edenbridge is so-named for the same reason. However, Cambridge is a little trickier! The river Cam does indeed flow through Cambridge (and yes, there is a bridge). But the river used to be called the Granta, so they actually renamed the river after the town this time!

Swindon – Anywhere called “something-don” will be on a hill, as the word “dun” in Anglo Saxon meant hill. Swindon (pronounced Swindun) was Swines Hill, where pigs were kept. Huntingdon was “Hunter’s Hill”.

Hunstanton – Places ending in “ton” or “by” were probably farms that grew over time into villages. Hunstanton is Hunstan’s farm. Colby was Koli’s farm. There are a THOUSANDS of these!

Ousden – “den” was a valley, and Ousden was “Owl’s valley”.

There are so many origins of English words, that there is no straightforward guide, really, but I’ve tried to list a few that are common to help you see why English place names are…how they are. So hopefully when you take a vacation in, say, Devon and you stay in Lynton or Lynmouth you’ll easily remember that Lynton is the village at the top of the hill and Lynmouth is the one down the hill where the river Lyn flows into the sea. Easy-peasy.

And Broughton Poggs? Originally Brocturn Pogeys, an “enclosure by the stream” belonging to the Pogeys family.

Just don’t ask me about Pratt’s Bottom, eh?

From the Heart… of England: What’s in a name? is a post from: Anglotopia.net

From the Heart… of England: Time for an English lesson

Anna — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:39 +0000

[picappgallerysingle id="168049"]I have often travelled on work trips to the States and been asked how long I am staying. Before I knew better, I used to answer “a fortnight”, which met with rather blank looks Stateside. So let me explain a few of our quirkier notions of time in Blighty…

A ‘fortnight’ is two weeks. It’s short for a ‘fourteen-night’ and, believe it or not, we used to call a week a ‘sennight’ for the same reason (seven-night). ‘Sennight’ died a death centuries ago, but ‘fortnight’ is still very common indeed.
We write (and say) dates differently. Today, according to Brits, is 20/11/2009 (the twentieth of November two thousand and nine). In America it’s 11/20/2009 (November twenty, two thousand nine). You see, you are “middle endian” and we are “little endian” (although I believe the International standard for dates is “big endian” – yyyy/mm/dd so we’re both equally wrong there!).
When asking the time in the UK, it’s normal to hear slang or shortened versions. So if the time is half past six (which for some of you in the US is a “half after six”) you may be told it’s “half six”, or simply “half past”, as we tend to assume you at least know what hour it is! And if you are in the South it will sound like “Arf parst” and if you are up North it will sound like “Aff Passt”.
In the UK you’ll never hear that it’s “a quarter ’til four” or “five after nine”. If it’s before the hour it’s always “to” and if it’s after the hour it’s always “past”. And in the UK, phrases such as “top of the hour” or “bottom of the hour” are regarded as intensely cheesy and may elicit giggles! Although we do use more modern expressions such as “four thirty-five”.
Similarly, you’ll never hear us talk about a “half hour”. It’s always “half an hour”.
You arrange to have fun “on the weekend”, but we do stuff “at the weekend” or “over the weekend”.
When arranging dates we may refer to “Thursday last” or “Thursday just gone” (last Thursday) or “a week Tuesday” (a week from next Tuesday).
You’ll also hear “in a mo” (momentarily), “half a sec” (please wait a moment), “for a bit” (for a little while), “for yonks” (for a long while) and “TTFN” (short for Ta Ta For Now which means “see you soon”).
Confusingly, “laters” (which often sounds like “Lay Uz”) doesn’t necessarily mean you will see the person later; it often means “see you around”.

And just as a foot-note; see the big clock in the piccie above? We all call it Big Ben. Even though we all know it’s not actually called Big Ben (that’s the name of the bell inside that tolls the hour). The name of the clock itself is The Great Clock on the Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament. Catchy name, huh?

Yep. now you see why we call it Big Ben. Can’t be bothered with all that malarkey. Haven’t got time!

From the Heart… of England: Time for an English lesson is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Ten tips to swear like a Brit

Anna — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:08:31 +0000

I am unfortunately aware that we have successfully exported chef Gordon Ramsay to you. My sincere apologies.

Obviously, the man can cook (and play football) – I wouldn’t want to imply that he can’t. in fact I truly admire his culinary skill. But as an ambassador for the English language, he’s not really the best, is he?

It is a somewhat depressing fact of life that language on the streets of this fair isle is deteriorating most alarmingly. And the “f” word is not the worst one I’ve come across whilst shopping in town with my impressionable toddler daughter (who can now repeat any word after just one hearing).

And yet, when I think about it, I only hear this language on the streets or on TV. My friends, family and work colleagues are all much more ‘traditional English’ swearers. So I thought it’s about time we re-introduced the art of using charmingly ‘inoffensive’ expletives to the streets of Blighty; maybe you’d like to join us?

So …

If something goes wrong and you need a handy profanity, try “oh blast it!”, “fiddlesticks”, or “bloody hell” instead of the predictable.
Mild vexation could call for “oh botheration”, “bloomin’ heck”, “bottoms”, “pants” or “chuffing heck!”.
Stupid or annoying people become ‘nitwits’ or ‘nincompoops’ instead of a**holes.
If someone says something that’s bulls**t, then why not try the quaint English terms “codswallop” or “cobblers” instead?
If you are drunk, you are “tipsy”, “sloshed”, have had “one over the eight”, are “chateau’d” or “tired and emotional”.
If you screw something up, you have made a ‘hash’ of it, or a “right pig’s ear”.
If surprised, instead of “Jesus!”, try “Bloody Nora”, “Cor blimey” or “well, blow me” (yep, we really do say this, but you’ll be reassured to know it’s a short form of ‘blow me down’, similar to ‘you could knock me down with a feather’).
If you are pi**ed, you are “narked” and if you choose to verbally vent your spleen, you are said to be “throwing a wobbly”.
If the sh*t is about to hit the fan and you are tempted to say you are f***ed, then try a posh English accent with the words “gosh, we’re in a bit of a tight spot here” or a Scottish accent and “we’re doomed…dooooomed, I tell ye”.
And if words fail you and you are tempted to flick ‘the finger’, why not try the English version and use two fingers (like a “V” for victory, but with your palm towards yourself). Preferably, this should be accompanied by the smug comment “Agincourt!” as you raise the fingers in the air.

So if Gordon Ramsay has left you believing there is only one profanity in the English language, take heart; even Shakespeare would be proud of our rich and varied selection of expletives.

Ten tips to swear like a Brit is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Dispatches From The North: Ruling the Waves – Life in Britain’s Royal Navy

Lisa — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:00:01 +0000

Alright, so the Royal Navy doesn’t exactly rule the waves these days as they have in the past. In fact, the Royal Navy currently has less than 40,000 personnel which is fewer than the number of students at my alma mater, Michigan State University. Still, the Royal Navy is the Senior Service (original branch of the British military) and a prestigious institution, and I am a proud Royal Navy wife.

My husband is a Petty Officer in the Royal Navy, which to put in terms of pretty much every other branch of the military in both the US and Britain is equivalent to a Sergeant, but the Royal Navy always insists on being different. He has served 21 years and has been involved in most of the major conflicts in the last two decades including patrolling the Irish Sea during The Troubles, a NATO deployment to Macedonia during the Kosovo conflict and most recently a deployment to the Persian Gulf searching the Straits of Hormuz for mines. He is deployed to the Persian Gulf once again, although for security reasons I can’t share much else about their current mission there. He has had a long and dedicated career, but I am new to the military life myself.

As I was planning my wedding in 2007 I got involved on the message boards on top wedding website theknot.com. I got to know a bit about military life from the woman on the military brides message board andI found that there are so many differences between the US military and British military.

Some differences have more to do with geography than protocol. For example, the “army brat” phenomenon. Children of military families in the US are moved around from one side of the country to the next every few years, never staying at one school too long and leaving their friends and its a hard life for the families. In the UK, you can easily drive from one side of the country to the other in a matter of hours so although there is housing on base, most families opt for staying in their hometown and putting down roots while the service men and women go away to work during the week. Some military families opt to move close to the base so they can have a relatively normal home life, but for the most part family housing on UK military bases is nothing like it is in the US and most families choose to remain in their hometown and away from the base.

Although this means less moving around from place to place, it also can create a bit of alienation. One of the things I really envy about military wives in the US is the communities they form. Especially during deployments they can understand each other and get together and support one another. I love that I can put down roots and build a life in one place, but it would be so nice to be surrounded by people who understand what I am going through and its something many British military wives have a hard time finding.

There is one major difference in protocol that I can identify. British military personnel do not wear their uniforms in public nearly as much as American service men and women. It is customary for members of the American military to wear their dress uniforms for formal occasions and also to wear uniforms while they are traveling. In the British armed forces, its not quite the same. Members of the British armed forces rarely wear uniforms outside of work and military functions. During The Troubles, members of the military were targeted so they were discouraged from identifying themselves as military in public. In the past this protocol was a matter of safety, but the practice has stuck even as the need for anonymity has diminished.

Another major difference is that people stay in the British Armed Forces for much longer, there is a higher concentration of “lifers” than in the US military. With a smaller population but a high position of power on the world stage, its important for Britain to keep a strong and well-trained military. In the US, for many that enlist the military is a stepping stone to higher education and a civilian career. After their initial enlistment is up the military pays for their education, and this is a big part of the US military’s marketing and recruitment process. In the UK, the armed forces are not promoted as a way to pay for college and get on-the-job training. The armed forces are promoted as a career choice and for most who enlist, the military becomes their career.

This culture of long service is perpetuated by a well-structured incentive plan. A “Full Career” in the Royal Navy is 18 years or until the 40th birthday, whichever is later. After a Full Career a member of the Royal Navy can retire and receive a full pension (which they do not pay into) which is based on their salary when they leave the Navy and how long they have served. They also have access to health care that is separate from the NHS, and also free dental care which is a service civilians have to pay for.

Military life and protocol aside, the Royal Navy’s biggest legacy is slang. “Jack Speak” is a language all its own that after centuries of development has even made its way into civilian vernacular. There are many common sayings that originated in the Royal Navy such as letting the cat out of the bag, piping hot, long shot and chewing the fat. Many of these sayings have worked their way out of Jack Speak but left an impression on the English language on both sides of the pond, and it continues to evolve and twist. The US military has a intricate system of abbreviations and acronyms but these are mostly practical and work-related. The Royal Navy on the other hand speaks a language all its own that has less to do with work and more to do with life aboard a ship. I can’t think of any profession in the world whose jargon could match the intricacy and nonsense of Jack Speak.

Along with Jack Speak, the Navy also has a ridiculous culture of nicknames. Nobody is called by their real name, and in many cases people who work on ships together and live together for years never know the real legal name of their fellow shipmates. For example, my husband’s name is Jason but he is know in the Navy as George and few people know his given name. (The name George comes from his North East accent, which is similar to the Geordie accent of Newcastle.) For most people in the Navy, they have a home life where they are called by their given name, and then they have their Navy alter ego where they go by a completely different name altogether.

I never thought that I would become a military wife, and I certainly never thought that I would marry into another country’s military. Before I became a military wife myself I always looked on this life as a very difficult and less than desirable one. Now living through it, being a military wife makes me feel like I can handle pretty much anything, and more importantly that our marriage could survive just about anything. Although this life isn’t what I expected and is often very difficult, its an adventure and I wouldn’t trade it for a normal domestic life.

Further Reading: If you are interested in the full history of the Royal Navy, check out To Rule The Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World by Arthur Herman. I read it a couple years ago and its one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read, it reads more like a novel than a text book. Its a must read for any Anglophile!

Dispatches From The North: Ruling the Waves – Life in Britain’s Royal Navy is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Dispatches from the East: How to Speak Good Briddish

Will — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:52:45 +0000

After being here for a little more than six years, I’m stuck in the very strange position of still having a strong American accent, but having picked up enough British slang and nuance that every time I go back home I invariably say one or two things that cause the good folks of Lawrence, Kansas to look at me as if I’ve grown a second head. Which I haven’t. You only get that after eight years of ex-patting.

Apart from having to remember to tip again and say ‘dollars’ and not ‘pounds’ when referring to money, there’s a linguistic paradigm shift that an ex-pat must go through–little things like remembering that the toilet is a bathroom, the taps are faucets, and asking people ‘Alright?’ is going to get you either very strange looks or a detailed account of someone’s last brush with swine flu. And while I don’t consider myself as having picked up any accent, if I’m not careful, I’ll slip something into conversation that is just too British for people to let go, and for the rest of the evening I’ll get to hear all about it.

So for those that are about to take the leap, I thought I’d help you out a little with the slang and language differences I’ve learned over the years. Here goes–

Alright?–usually pronounced ‘Aight?’ and often followed by ‘mate’, this is actually a standard greeting and does not mean you look unwell. The stand reply to this greeting is ‘Aight. You aight?’ or just ‘You aight?’ Much like ‘How you doin?’, this is less a question and more of a verbal acknowledgement that you have recoginized each other as two human beings cohabitating a nearby space. Conversation may start after that, but is not necessary.

Mate–I love this phrase, but always feel like an imposter trying to use it. Roughly the equivalent of ‘buddy’, but so much more. A mate can range from ‘best mate’, or BFF, to a guy you met in the pub once, to the plumber, to your worst enemy. It can even be used menicingly (i.e. ‘Give us your phone, mate’). You may or may not have met a friend if someone calls you ‘his mate’. In Scotland, substitute ‘pal’.

Ah, Bless!–I have to give props to Kat from London for bringing this one up, but it is a Brittish slang gem. ‘Ah, bless’ manages to be both incredibly condescending and endearing in that quintessentially British way. If you have done something that someone replies to with ‘Ah, bless’, you have probably done it wrong.

Suspenders–Not the romantic 20′s era detective staple we think of Stateside, suspenders in Britain are what ladies use to connect garters to stockings (i.e. a garter belt). DO NOT SAY TO YOUR BOSS AT WORK “NICE SUSPENDERS”, AND THEN WHEN HE LOOKS AT YOU FUNNY SAY IT LOUDER. You’ll have to trust me on this one. It didn’t end well.

Bloke–a man. Bloody good bloke–a nice man. Tosser–not a nice man.

Oxbridge–referring to either students from Oxford or Cambridge. There is no such actual place. I should know, I asked. The reply? Aw, bless.

Doing my nut in--driving me crazy. I love this, cause I’m not sure if it’s actually dirty, but it really sounds like it should be.

Sort it, Get it Sorted, Sort your life out, mate–all plays on ‘figure it out for yourself’ and/or ‘pull yourself together’. Often used by Jeremy Kyle. Jeremy Kyle is Britain’s answer to Jerry Springer, only with less fighting between guests and guests with less teeth.

Get the round in, mate–like many British requests, phrased as a statement. Means ‘go buy us all beers’. Mate is optional, and again does not necessarily require friendship to use.

Minging–If something is ‘minging’, it is nasty. Not to be confused with ‘minge’, which is a very naughty phrase indeed, referring to lady parts. Combining the two into ‘minge-ing’ is not socially acceptable. I should know. I’ve tried.

On the pull–attempting to hit on members of the opposite sex (i.e. “I’m going out tonight on the pull”). Pulling–actually succeeding in hitting on a member of the opposite sex (i.e. “I pulled last night”). Usually does not require the physical act of pulling, though may require spasmodic dancing at terrible night clubs with very expensive drinks.

Cheers–thanks! Like so many British slang phrases, can be used ironically. “Mate” follow-up optional.

I can’t be bothered–another one of my favorites, this little phrase eschews any hint of politeness and is blatantly, evilly honest. Example–”Did you go to Ian’s party last night?” “No, I couldn’t be bothered. I stayed home and washed the cat.” (fyi–washed the cat is not British slang, I just used it as an example, but it does kind of sound dirty.)

Unlucky–That’s too bad. Can be used for the most dire of circumstances. “My house just burned down, my cat died, and I won the lottery only to realize my dog had eaten the ticket!” “Unlucky, mate.” Can be followed with–

Worse things have happened at sea–show that ‘chin up’ attitude with this callous phrase that ends whining almost immediately!

Whinging–whining. I don’t know why they added the ‘g’. Just go with it.

Fit, well-fit–attractive or very attractive. The opposite can either be manky or minging. Mostly used by twelve year olds in track suits (aka chavs).

Knock you up–I’ll come to your house and knock on your door. Neither a punch out or sexual innuendo.

Innit?–added to the end of any statement to make it a question, or even just a statement. “That’s the story, innit?” or “She’s well fit, innit?” Doesn’t make a lot of sense, innit?

I’m sure I’ll think of more, but that’s a start. Enjoy your new phrases, and hopefully we’ll understand each other a little bit better when I knock you up in a fortnight to go on the piss and pull, innit?

Dispatches from the East: How to Speak Good Briddish is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Dispatches From the North: A Guide to the Northeast England Dialect

Lisa — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:30:52 +0000

There seemed to be a strong response to my discussion of language and accents last week so I decided to expound on that a bit more. When I moved here I realized that I had two choices. I could either try and most likely fail to pick up the local dialect as quickly as possible or else I could be obnoxiously (and hopefully endearingly) American and be myself in every possible situation. In the past I have met Americans who have moved to England and immediately picked up the accent and dialect and almost denying they were ever American. It is certainly their prerogative to speak and act how they would like but I have found it isn’t well accepted by the British.

I worked for an international company in Chicago that also had a main office in London. The Chicago office was the corporate headquarters so we often had gatherings of our international staff. On one such occasion new associates from around the world were brought to Chicago for an orientation session. There was a girl there visiting from the London office who came into the office with the strangest accent, and saying things like â€œI believe you call it an elevator over hereâ€ but none of us could place where she was from and what her story was.

We asked one of the British associates also visiting our office at the time where she was from. He immediately started laughing hysterically and informed us that she was born in Florida and she had lived in London for less than a year. It was clear from his reaction that he and the other British associates didn’t take too well to what can only be called an impersonation. This made an impression on me as something I wanted to avoid at all costs.

Being in a similar position myself, I can understand how this can happen. There is always pressure to conform but there is still always a choice. London is a much more cosmopolitan place than the Northeast, so up here I think the influence is even stronger since there are so few foreigners here and the accents are stronger are more varied.

I have worked some of the local dialect into my everyday language only in cases where the local term has completely replaced its proper English counterpart and it would be an issue with people understanding what I am saying. For example, here a woman’s bangs are called fringe. The word bangs has no meaning to them, imagine my embarrassment when I told my mother in law “I like your bangs” and she had no idea what I was talking about. In general, most of the local slang I simply refuse to say. These words don’t sound the same when I say them and they just don’t feel natural coming out of my mouth. Here is a very abridged dictionary of some of the local dialect that I am reluctant to adopt.

Sampling of the English Northeastern Dialect:

Bairn (bearn): a baby or young child

Bait: a packed lunch

Canny: good

Chewing: sassing or talking back

Chocker (choo-ka): crowded or busy â€œThe town was chocker last night.â€

Chuddy (choo-dee): chewing gum, the pronunciation of the â€œuâ€ vowel rhymes with the the â€œooâ€ vowel in book (if you are American)

Cuppa: a cup of tea, when asking for tea “cup” is always specified in order to avoid confusion with the evening meal. You would never ask “I’d like some tea” or a Northerner will think you are asking for food instead of a drink.

Dead: very as in â€œThat Chinese take away was dead niceâ€

Dinner: lunch or the mid-day meal

Dut (dood): woolly winter hat

Geordie (Jor-dee): a â€œTynesiderâ€ mostly from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne but can refer to anyone who lives in a town on the River Tyne. Southerners often call anyone from the North East a Geordie but this irritates the non-Tynesiders.

Git: fool, usually this is a harmless teasing word as in “Have you been on the couch all day you lazy git” If it is meant as an insult it is “get”

Lager-top: a pint of lager with a splash of lemonade. Similar to a shandy, but with less lemonade. Note: lemonade in Britain is lemon soda like Sprite, not a still drink like in the US.

Mam (mehm): mother, the Northern equivalent of mum with an indescribable vowel sound in the middle, but I have done my best to relate the pronunciation

Me: my as in “I left me coat at home so I’m freezing.”

Minging (ming-en): dirty, soiled or smelly

Nowt: nothing as in â€œI need to get some cash cause I’ve got nowt on me.â€

Our _____: A prefix when speaking about a family relation, as in â€œI called our Michael and told him about the Sunday dinner at mam’s.â€

Oway: come on as in â€œOway, we don’t want to be late.â€ When really frustrated it can be enunciated â€œOw-wayâ€ and sometimes â€œHa-wayâ€

Owt: anything as in â€œAre you doing owt for Valentine’s Day?â€

Pavement: sidewalk

Poorly (poo-lee): sick or ill

Purse: a woman’s wallet, does not refer to a handbag

Summit: something as in “You should buy yourself summit nice for the wedding.”

Tab: cigarette, this term seems to be isolated only to Hartlepool instead of the common â€œfagâ€ in the rest of England

Tarah(Tuh-rah): goodbye

Tea: dinner or the evening meal, only a meal eaten late at night is called supper

Ther: they

Us: me, peculiarly this is interchangeable as a both a singular and plural pronoun, I have also heard “we” used as a singular pronoun

Watch what you’re doin’: take care, its a friendly goodbye as in “Tarah, watch what you’re doin”

Yous: you, usually but not always referring to a group “When are yous going to the beach?”

This is a very limited list, I left out most of the things that many Americans have heard before and tried to put in things that are pretty unique to the Northeast. The accent itself is different from the British accents most Americans are familiar with. For example, words like book, look, and hook with an “oo” in the middle are pronounced the way the word “boo” is. The long o vowel is also very strong and heavily emphasized, sometimes sounding more like an “aw” sound than a long o. There are many other unique nuances to the local accent, but it is difficult to describe accents in writing.

Thanks for reading! Tarah, Watch what you’re doin!

Dispatches From the North: A Guide to the Northeast England Dialect is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Dispatches from the North: A Holiday in the Lake District

Lisa — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:00:56 +0000

I was unsure what to write about this week since there seem to be so many things going on, and none of them related to one another. Last week started with many in the construction and manufacturing trades going on strike, my father-in-law was on strike from his construction job and my brother-in-law had to cross picket lines to go to his management job at a local power plant. The uproar is over a contract at an oil refinery that would give thousands of British jobs to Italian workers. Workers across the country, and especially here in the North East want Gordon Brown to do something to secure British jobs for domestic workers and it’s a pretty hairy situation. I won’t comment further on this since I feel in some ways I am very much in the middle of this situation.

Also this week we had a short blast of wintry weather. We did not get the lovely 6 inches of snow that those Londoners got, what we got was a blast of snow and ice that was mixed with gale force winds. We got the worst of it right here on the coast where the wind was coming directly from the east so powerful it was continuously shaking my flat for nearly 24 hours straight. We didn’t get any accumulated snow because there was too much seawater being blown in and the snow wasn’t falling, it was being blown horizontally and in some cases what appeared to be upwards. I hope the Londoners enjoyed their little frosty frolics, up here we had real problems. Further inland all of the snow that flew past us was dumped on the rest of the North East.

Lastly, this week I had the privilege of taking a short trip to the Lake District, which relative to Hartlepool is clear on the other side of the country. I live in the narrowest part of the country so that is about a 2 hour drive. The Lake District is in Cumbria and it is considered by many to be the most beautiful part of England. It was home to a few notable Brits like William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter, and the whole region is littered with Wordsworth and Potter attractions and memorabilia. The Lake District is similar to the lochs in Scotland but it is much greener in my opinion. The highlands and lochs of Scotland are all shades of grey and blue and purple, but the hills or â€œfellsâ€ of the Lake District are definitively green.

I did meet a few new people while I was there are found their impression of my Widwestern homeland quite amusing. When I told them I was raised in the Detroit area they responded with associations like â€œMotownâ€ and â€œThe Motor Cityâ€ and then when I told them I spent my pre-Britain years in Chicago they all immediately cited a peculiar association. Jerry Springer. Everywhere I go people will either comment â€œI have been to the airport onceâ€ or else they mention Jerry Springer. The Chicago tourism board obviously has some work to do.

Another thing that I become increasingly aware of when I travel around this country is how ugly my Midwestern accent really is. It is difficult to like the way I sound when I meet new people with new accents. Upon first meeting me, most Brits mistake me for a Canadian which when I think about it is actually quite clever. Most Americans can’t tell the difference between an English or Australian accent or an Irish or Scottish accent and most have not even heard of a Geordie accent. It is quite impressive that Brits recognize my accent as Canadian, which in truth isn’t far off at all.

My trip to the Lake District was such a wonderful getaway and I do agree that as far as I have seen it is the most beautiful place in England. On the one day that the fog (sort of) cleared we took a beautiful cruise on Windermere, England’s largest lake. It was so peaceful and I couldn’t put my camera down for very long because every stretch of the lakeshore was magnificent. There was so much to do in the Lake District and I definitely want to go back again and explore a bit more.

Dispatches from the North: A Holiday in the Lake District is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The Coming Apostrophe Catastrophe

jonathan — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:52:38 +0000

In the odd news of the week comes an interesting tidbit from the AP newswire that says the English city of Birmingham has unilaterally decided to drop the venerable possessive apostrophe from all it’s streets signs.

Their reasoning?

Apparently, they think the apostrophe is confusing and old fashioned.

That’s a little difficult to wrap my head around, being an English major myself. I’d rather see possession explicitly stated than see it implied by it’s absence.

The Birmingham council has been dropping apostrophes from road signs since the fifties, to much protest and they’ve now finally made it official in order to end any lingering grammatical disputes.

From the AP Article:

Councilor Martin Mullaney, who heads the city’s transport scrutiny committee, said he decided to act after yet another interminable debate into whether “Kings Heath,” a Birmingham suburb, should be rewritten with an apostrophe.

“I had to make a final decision on this,” he said Friday. “We keep debating apostrophes in meetings and we have other things to do.”

Mullaney hopes to stop public campaigns to restore the apostrophe that would tell passers-by that “Kings Heath” was once owned by the monarchy.

“Apostrophes denote possessions that are no longer accurate, and are not needed,” he said. “More importantly, they confuse people. If I want to go to a restaurant, I don’t want to have an A-level (high school diploma) in English to find it.”

Read the whole article on the battle to save the apostrophe here.

The Coming Apostrophe Catastrophe is a post from: Anglotopia.net