Ask UK

1264 readers

1 users here now

Community for asking and answering any question related to the life, the people or anything related to the UK.

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

tom@feddit.uk

Have you replaced any British words with their American versions? (feddit.uk)

submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by Oneeightnine@feddit.uk to c/askuk@feddit.uk

112 comments fedilink hide all child comments

For example, switching out the word 'boot' for 'trunk', or ditching the word 'rubbish' for 'garbage'.

This is something I've noticed my 6 year old does pretty regularly. We went through a stage where 'sweets' became 'candy', 'holiday' became 'vacation' and 'courgette' became 'zucchini'.

That last one didn't happen but if you're still reading you've got my respect, or as the Americans might say '...mad props'.

(page 2) 50 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] ChillNigz@feddit.uk 4 points 10 months ago (10 children)

I don't speak Bastardized English

load more comments (10 replies)

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Please correct your child. Next thing you know he'll be defending the second ammendment and voting for trump

[–] Oneeightnine@feddit.uk 2 points 10 months ago

Don't worry. If she's anything like her Father she'll be more interested in Eugene Debs than Donald Trump.

[–] yeah@feddit.uk 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

"Are you in a rental?" That turns up so much that I'm struggling with the proper way. Do you rent? Are you a tenant? Do you have a landlord?

[–] RGB3x3@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

"Do you rent?" is usually the way people say it in the US.

[–] S3mI@sh.itjust.works 3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I’m American. I couldn’t come up with trunk so I called it a boot. Thanks to all those episodes of Top Gear I’m sure. Bonus is that my wife and I watch enough Dr. Who so that she knew what I was referring to.

load more comments (2 replies)

[–] VanHalbgott@lemmus.org 3 points 10 months ago

I noticed in Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Gromit cares for a vegetable in his garden that they either call a ‘marrow’ in British English or ‘melon’ in the localized American export of the film.

“How’s that marrow/melon of yours coming on?” -Wallace

[–] VirtualOdour@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago

I use loads of americanisms and their spelling for words like color, the way I see it most the world is using English so least we can do is meet them 0 001% of the way on cresting a global odious language

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I’m in Australia now and it’s zucchini and eggplant here, though in general words are much more like British English. No idea what’s going on with the pronunciation of “cache” here though - I work in tech and it’s mental how they say that. Like, Brits and Yanks are in full agreement about that word.

[–] Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I'm Australian and it's always been zucchini and eggplant.

I don't know what's wrong with the way we say cache though. How do you pronounce it?

[–] Brewchin@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

It's supposed to be pronounced as "cash" or "kaysh". Americans often pronounce it as cachet (ie. "ka-SHAY"), which is a different word with a different meaning. Needless homophone that introduces confusion.

I'm guessing that's been picked up by Australia in recent years, but not when I still lived there.

[–] GlendatheGayWitch@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

I'm American and I've only ever heard it pronounced like "cash", whether that's someone speaking or in tv/movies.

It's not a very popular word and most of the times I've heard it is on the topic of geocaching.

[–] Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone 2 points 10 months ago

Yeah I'm a cash person along with everyone I know.

I have heard cashay though.

But I prounce sachet as satchet-et so I'm all over the show.

load more comments