Divided by a common language

Well as one who is married to one of our delightful colonial cousins I can understand fully, but that little article hardly scratched the surface. After 22 years I'm (almost) bi-lingual but I still have some difficulty with the subleties when the extra factor of gender is added in.
 
Robin said:
Well as one who is married to one of our delightful colonial cousins I can understand fully, but that little article hardly scratched the surface. After 22 years I'm (almost) bi-lingual but I still have some difficulty with the subleties when the extra factor of gender is added in.
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OK, here's a serious question to which I haven't been able to find an answer.

Our american friends pronounce "buoy" as boo-ey. Fine, no problem. But how to they pronounce "buoyancy"?
 
orbister said:
OK, here's a serious question to which I haven't been able to find an answer.

Our american friends pronounce "buoy" as boo-ey. Fine, no problem. But how to they pronounce "buoyancy"?
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I just asked and it came out same as us, 'ish.

The guys in the big yellow pointy hard hats and carrying axes that arrived on the 'firetruck' when we had a minor incident in an 'apartment' over there were wetting themselves when I said I was sorry we had needed to call the fire 'brigade'.
 
In the early eighties when I smoked, I was in a bar in Chicago talking to the female bartender. I said; "I'm dying for a fag, have you got any?" Immediately realising my gaff I choked on my beer and started to laugh and she said; "Yeah I heard that quaint little term you guys got!" :o

She then went on to make me a signet ring out of a Dollar bill, wih the head as the centre piece and it's really tough. Nice girl..
 
Mike Harding did a sketch on this very subject…ish.

I wish someone could find it and post a link, as I think it was one of his very best.:D
 
Told someone in a bar in New York State that I was leaving, but would be back in a "fortnight". Cue general hilarity, people falling off barstools etc.
 
Been there, done that a few years back crewing with an American circumnavigating family for a few months.

Me, a Brit who'd lived in Australia for 10 years, SWMBO a Zimbabwean who'd aslo lived in Aus for 10 years (but still thinks Harare is spelt S-a-l-i-s-b-u-r-y and calls traffic lights "Robots") and this mix of old and new monied Boston family.

Wow, while we all spoke English, did we get confused sometimes.
 
Most American pispronunciations (with due acknowledgement to Mr R Barker) are well known, but I never knew about boo-eys before. I knew an Englishman (married to an American) who called them that, and I thought it was just his own personal little foible. I didn't realise the foible belonged to a whole continent.
 
You may be aware that the American pronunciation boo-ey is much closer to the origin of the word, which is Dutch, boei. So while I have heard American English described as a random collection of deviations from (British) English, in this case they may be quite right.
 
trapezeartist said:
Most American pispronunciations (with due acknowledgement to Mr R Barker) are well known, but I never knew about boo-eys before.
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I met in in Crimson Tide: Gene Hackman (captain) and Denzil Washington (executive officer) spend much of the film arguing about whether to send the radio boo-ey up from their submarine to detect final orders before unleashing nuclear destruction on the world.

Good film, by the way.
 
Bing in Robin's situation for 20 yrs, I have seen most of this. Interesting about the Dutch buoy connection. Helps being a non-smoker, so some of the traps are avoided. Not suprisingly, the Cousin in the article got a few bits wrong as 'English'. Repetative sauces: The Piri Piri sauce is African (pili pili) via Portugal and the Big girls blouse is ozzy
A
 
alahol2 said:
Quick divergence, but it's been bugging me for years. What is it that Americans drink out of jam jars? I frequently see it on US type sitcoms and the like. And why jam jars?
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My gosh you people are uneducated! Firstly they don't have 'jam' it is 'jelly' or 'preserves' so no jam jars. I think the stuff they are drinking is iced tea, which I personally find revolting. Afficionados can even make it in a jar left out in the sun I believe but since I can't stand the stuff I haven't really followed it too closely.

'Biscuits' BTW are more like light scones than rolls and are tasty. Mostly a breakfast thing they are served with sausage patties, eggs (minimum 2 of course), bacon and some kind of potato like 'home fries' or 'hash browns'. Now the sausage patties are made from a mix of pork, pork hams and herbs (I really love Jimmy Dean's sage sausage) but 'links' are also available, like small chipolatas with taste. Biscuits and gravy is another mix, but the gravy isn't like OXO mum's or Bisto it is a sort of grey sludge, by which you may rightly assume I don't like it. SWMBO likes to put Schmuckers Jelly on her biscuits, not with gravy of course, that would be 'gross' or 'totally gross' Oh and peanut butter and jelly too sometimes. Weird tastes they have because she doesn't like peanut butter and Marmite though which is delightful.
 
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Robin said:
My gosh you people are uneducated! Firstly they don't have 'jam' it is 'jelly' or 'preserves' so no jam jars. I think the stuff they are drinking is iced tea, which I personally find revolting. Afficionados can even make it in a jar left out in the sun I believe but since I can't stand the stuff I haven't really followed it too closely.

'Biscuits' BTW are more like light scones than rolls and are tasty. Mostly a breakfast thing they are served with sausage patties, eggs (minimum 2 of course), bacon and some kind of potato like 'home fries' or 'hash browns'. Now the sausage patties are made from a mix of pork, pork hams and herbs (I really love Jimmy Dean's sage sausage) but 'links' are also available, like small chipolatas with taste. Biscuits and gravy is another mix, but the gravy isn't like OXO mum's or Bisto it is a sort of grey sludge, by which you may rightly assume I don't like it. SWMBO likes to put Schmuckers Jelly on her biscuits, not with gravy of course, that would be 'gross' or 'totally gross' Oh and peanut butter and jelly too sometimes. Weird tastes they have because she doesn't like peanut butter and Marmite though which is delightful.
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Some words, names or phrases, such as jam and not jelly, are deeply engrained in English. Others are not and America being the dominant force, (especially with Microsoft), are changing the English language. OK English is a mish mash anyway and has always evolved. But I have a problem with simple misuse such as "More then this" or "I should of known". Even English people that have gone to the States to work, wind up doing it. And texting?? There's a whole generation that will grow up not understanding how it should be writ! :)
 
orbister said:
OK, here's a serious question to which I haven't been able to find an answer.

Our american friends pronounce "buoy" as boo-ey. Fine, no problem. But how to they pronounce "buoyancy"?
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Jeez! How else would you pronounce "buoy", than "boo -- ee"? Someone please enlighten me, before I commit this ghastly faux pas, and offend someone! By the way, you guys seem to be always putting them out backwards around -- didn't anyone tell you "red right returning"?


"Buoyancy" -- "boy -- uns -- ee", accent on the first syllable.
 
Dockhead said:
Jeez! How else would you pronounce "buoy", than "boo -- ee"? Someone please enlighten me, before I commit this ghastly faux pas, and offend someone! By the way, you guys seem to be always putting them out backwards around -- didn't anyone tell you "red right returning"?


"Buoyancy" -- "boy -- uns -- ee", accent on the first syllable.
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Now look here old boy, buoy is pronounced BOY!

Now you should understand we are vey POSH over here. Port Out Starboard Home.
 
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