Differences between American & British English

David Bosch   Sunday, May 11, 2003, 03:16 GMT
obstacles, boundaries, bumps, however you want to call them.

I'm not saying that the apocalipsis occurs when you say a wrong word, just that it interrupts fluid or 'perfect' communication, just that, yes you can correct a mistake if you remember the correct word for it.

You do not care about those differences, but I think they're an interesting part of the english; hwo every country express differently but equally at the same time, I mean qith the same language but different 'versions' of it.
Ryan   Monday, May 12, 2003, 04:45 GMT
I was curious if there is any difference between the American use of 'are' and the British use of 'are'

For example: "The paper are ready to be shipped"

Is this a correct sentence in Britain because in the United States, people see that use as ackward.
KT   Monday, May 12, 2003, 05:37 GMT
It does sound awkward.
Do British people really use "are" after the singular word "paper"?

Discussion about "is" and "are" under another thread:
http://www.antimoon.com/forum/2004/2317.htm
Clark   Monday, May 12, 2003, 06:09 GMT
Ryan, you are refering to "collective nouns" (CN). "paper" is not one of them. Essentially, CN's are nouns that in the singular form, denote something plural. The most common ones are family, group, and a sports team (ie. "Newcastle FC").

I do not know the exact usage, but I think if you are talking about a group of students, you can say "the group are." The same goes for the rest of the nouns. As for sports teams, the use of the CN is the same as the "group are" example. There are x amount of players on a certain club, so one uses the plural form of a verb after the CN.
uk   Wednesday, May 14, 2003, 18:27 GMT
United Kingdom has different accents their isn't one accent, there is so many accents, as i am from south London so i have the south london accent. But if u go to east london they have a completley different accent which is called cockney.
Also north london has a completly different accent.
for example north londenners say water as wa-er
Cricket   Thursday, May 15, 2003, 06:49 GMT
The differences in British and American english are obvious to me in particular when I refer to American medical text books whilst studying and encounter the word epinephrine for adrenaline (and norepinephrine for noradrenaline) and when words like haemoglobin and oestrogen are spelt as hemoglobin and estrogren. My lecturers are always making jokes about how Americans are the only ones to change words that are in use in every other country.
KT   Thursday, May 15, 2003, 07:24 GMT
When I first started studying in the States, I found it weird to spell "Aluminium" as "Aluminum" and "sulphur" as "sulfur"
Simon   Thursday, May 15, 2003, 07:29 GMT
I thought all Americans pronounced Data as Datta instead of Dayta like me. But in fact, some of them pronounce it Dayta.

In America they spell "occupation" as "liberation" and "browbeating" as "democracy".

Sorry, couldn't help myself.
MunchkinLad   Thursday, May 15, 2003, 07:58 GMT
"There's water in tea but no tea in water. Not even in America".

Actually there was after the Boston Tea Party...

I pronouce data as 'da:t..'
Simon   Thursday, May 15, 2003, 08:03 GMT
Good reply. I'm impressed.
mjd   Thursday, May 15, 2003, 08:57 GMT
Oooh...that was a low blow Simon and I disagree...but whatever. I pronounce "data" as "day-ta."
Simon   Thursday, May 15, 2003, 09:24 GMT
I'm in the Low Countries, what do you expect?

I'd just read a very right-wing editorial in the New York Times. Many of the attitudes currently coming out of America disturb me and puzzle me. Beyond the smelly French of brainless idiots, there are ideas such as an international legal order being based on rewarding your friends (that has always been a sad truth - it should never be the aim of a so-called democracy) and constant repetition of concepts like New Europe (that's a myth), plus the idea that to oppose the actions of the Bush Administration is to be anti-American (you said it was about WMD before the war, you don't find them, therefore the war is illegitimate, "the ends justify the means" puts you on the same level as Hitler). Anyway, I get tired of banging my head against a brick wall and there are more important concerns in my life. I just feel sad to live in a world where the light of democracy has become a little dimmer. But at least there are no more terrorist attacks.
Cricket   Thursday, May 15, 2003, 11:46 GMT
I pronounce data as "dar-ta", although I hear many people pronounce it as "day-ta".
Simon   Thursday, May 15, 2003, 12:03 GMT
Why do you pronounce it that way? Do you know Latin and find "dar-ta" closer to the Latin pronunciation?
Marlon Brando   Thursday, May 15, 2003, 12:22 GMT
Simon,
have you received my card.