LANGUAGE
DIFFERENCES
I have recently received some more interesting
differences in the language we use, this time between Australia, USA and U.K. and
even India and beyond.
Ann, June
and Pat Isaacs have confirmed that Christmas Crackers are called "bon-bons"
in Australia, although the term "crackers" is sometimes used.
Niklas from
Mozambique
I'm a Swede living in Mozambique. Every eight
weeks we travel the 90 km's
to South Africa to "chill out" for a couple of days. Things are
different there; even the
English language differs a lot from the one we Europeans know.
A barbeque, for example, is a "Braai",
wherever you go!
Another word you always encounter as a
tourist is the "Robot", meaning a traffic light.
They say: turn to the "right at the
robot" (and not: turn to the "lite at the lite", as in
Hong-Kong ;-)
Renny J. Thomas has
sent in two new phrases with differing meanings -
1. Here in India, we use the word 'Freak Out' (its kind of
slang) when we want to say that we are going to have a party or a bash. In the US, I
believe 'Freak Out' means doing drugs, losing your control and kind
of things. They just use the term 'Party' as in 'We plan to party tonight'. In India, people would say -
'We are going to freak out to night'. Not sure what it would mean in UK. I
got to know this during one of my conversations with our client (from the US).
In the U.K. "freak
out" means to go slightly crazy, wild or to have a strong emotional experience.
2. The second one - 'Madam'. In India,
this is used to address a lady with respect. But in the US, I believe it has a very
different meaning. In the US, I believe a Madam is someone who runs a business of ............ (ill repute)They use ma'am if I am
right. Addressing a lady as 'Madam' in the US can get you into deep
trouble if I am correct.
In the U.K. we may use the term
"Madam" when addressing a letter to an unknown lady and, occasionally sales
staff in a shop may say "madam" but this is becoming more unusual in today's
disrespectful society. The term "a madam" is used for a woman in charge of
prostitutes.
While it's
true that Americans use the noun "madam" to refer to a female
keeper of a house of ill repute, the word still has currency in other
situations. As a term of direct address, "Madam" is still
sometimes used as a polite, but firm, means of commanding attention in a
difficult encounter, as in: "Madam, would you please remove your
hands from my throat!" In correspondence, the term is still used
salutations, though sometimes spelled with a final "e":
"Dear Sir or Madame".
Richard
A. Swanson
Australians label food "beautiful"
whereas in America this word is only used to describe an object like a person or a place.
"Arvo" is used in Australia meaning
"Afternoon", American's just say "Afternoon".
Australians call the soda 7up
"lemonade" and they don't use the term "soda".
I think I am right in saying that in the U.K. 7up is called just that.
Lemonade is mainly used for a colourless, sweet carbonated drink although it is also
sometimes used for a fizzy lemon flavoured drink (like bitter lemon). Soda is a
colourless, carbonated drink originally made from Bicarbonate of Soda, which is used to
mix with spirits such as "whisky & soda". This is the drink used in
"soda syphons" - which I suppose is fairly obvious.
The above were sent in
by Laura Blackwell who is an American living in Australia.
Gavin
Smith has kindly
elaborated on the above -
Lemonade
in the UK is always fizzy lemon drink, just like orangeade is always
orange flavour, cherryade is cherry, limeade is lime etc (none of these
drinks usually contain fruit though)! It can either be colourless or
cloudy yellow (called ‘traditional lemonade’, which does usually have
some real lemon in it). 7Up is just a lemonade brand, like Schweppes.
Similar to Fanta and Tango both making Orangeade. So to UK ears, Americans
would be right to call it 7Up and Australians would be right to call it
Lemonade. In the UK we use either.
We
also don’t buy coke brands; if I asked for coke I could get a Coca-Cola,
a Pepsi, a Virgin Cola or anything else - unless I specified. I guess
Americans refer to brands instead of products, just like ‘a Xerox’
instead of a photocopier and ‘a Hoover’ instead of a vacuum cleaner.
Soda
water in the UK is just the carbonated tap water that I use as a mixer in
bars. It’d be confusing if someone asked me for a glass of Soda in the
UK; it just means ‘fizzy’, it doesn’t state which type of fizzy
drink you want. You can ask me for a ‘vodka, lime and soda’ though,
and you’d be fine.
Carbonated
mineral water isn’t ever Soda though; it’s called ‘sparkling’
mineral water. Non-carbonated is called ‘still’ mineral water.
"Homely" means ugly to
Americans whereas it means cosy, unpretentious, unsophisticated, or unassuming in the U.K.
Contributed by Frances.
"Homely"
in America does not mean ugly, simply very plain, like a woman who is
not pretty, but not necessarily ugly, she would be called homely.
Anon
The following have all been contributed
by Anne who, I am sure you will agree, has a way with words:-
- In Australia,
"pissed" means drunk. In America, it means very angry.
This is an interesting one as in
the U.K. "pissed" means drunk and "pissed off" means angry.
"Aubergine" is the word
everyone but America uses for a type of large vegetable with purple skin. Americans call it
"eggplant". I have no idea why.
Both
"aubergine" and "eggplant" are used in New Zealand and
Australia. In my experience, eggplant is more
common. Amanda
In Australia, a "napkin" is a
women's sanitary product. In America, it's a piece of paper or cloth you use to wipe
your face and hands when you eat. Ask for a "napkin" at an Australian
restaurant... heheheheh.
In Australia, a "nappie" is
what you put on your baby's bottom to catch the poo. In America, it's called a
"diaper".
In Australia, "barbie" is
what you put beef, shrimp and chicken on to grill it outside. In America, it's an
anatomically incorrect female doll that comes in a pink box.
In England and Australia, a
"flat" is a place people live with one or two bedrooms. In America, this is
called an apartment.
In Australia, the roads are called
"bitumen". Americans have no idea what this is. It confuses them. The American
term is "asphalt". This confuses Australians.
Yet again I have
been brought to task over the above entries. Aymie from Australia
disagrees with some of the above definitions as follows:-
Firstly,
Australians both say 'pissed' to mean angry or drunk, depending on
context, we also say 'pissed off' for angry.
We say
'eggplant' not Aubergeine, I've never met someone to call it that.
A
napkin is a piece of paper used to clean hands or face, not some
woman's sanitary product, we call those 'pads' or 'tampons', so
dancing around the words there. :) Very, very rarely it may be called
a 'sanitary napkin,' but so rarely its never said but the meaning
would be understood, if that makes sense.
We do
know the difference between a barbie and a Barbie doll. It is called a
barbie or BBQ, and the doll is called a Barbie. It all comes down to
context.
We use
the word 'apartments' more often than flats, although you might say 'a
block of flats.
We use
both the words asphalt and bitumen, depending on which ever you like
to say more I suppose. We do NOT get confused when Americans say
asphalt.
I hope
that has cleared a little up, I do love to look at your website, it is
very interesting, but I do not like to see these lies
In
America while a 'pharmacy' may be used to describe your chemists, we usually
just refer to it as a drug store.
Anon
In Australia, the drugs you
buy off the shelf at the chemist's for a sniffle are likely to contain codeine,
while the isopropyl alcohol is kept behind the counter in tiny, tiny brown glass bottles.
In America, codeine is kept in locked controlled areas and dispensed by prescription only,
while the isopropyl alcohol is sold off the shelf in big plastic bottles for 99 cents.
Americans chew cinnamon gum, eat
red-hots and fireballs (cinnamon candies) and have cinnamon-scented candles. Australians
only sell cinnamon in bottles in the grocery store.
Australians put beetroot on burgers, in
salads and as a decoration in fancy meals. Americans barely know what it is.
In America, Woolworth's is a clothing
store. In Australia, it is affectionately known as "Woolie's" and sells food.
The spun sugar "treat" is Candy Floss in
Britain, Cotton Candy in America and Fairy Floss in Australia.
Malcolm has
written to say -
"Arriving in
Australia some 30 years ago, we were casually informed by a neighbour that
his wife was 'in bed with a wog'.
Coming from the UK, we wondered
why he treated this affair so lightly. Only later did we learn that she just
had a touch of 'flu.
'Wog' in Strine is an infection
(ie, a UK 'bug') - to us it was a highly abusive and politically incorrect
term for a foreigner (usually of Arab or Asian origin).
[Incidentally, Durex tape was
very much still in use in 1980 and somtimes caused me amusement or
embarrassment in the office.]"
More examples of language differences
can be seen on the following pages:-
A: B: C: D:
Know of any more examples - then please send
them in - june@hintsandthings.co.uk
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