BrE / AmE vocabulary and grammar perception

We all know British English and American English are different enough. But how is either variety perceived by the speakers of the other? (if we don't include pronunciation)

If you are an American, imagine you hear/read these:

I found a ten-dollar note at the pub last night. (note/bill, pub?)
You have to turn it anticlockwise. (anticlockwise/counterclockwise)
I've got sick and tired of this. (got/gotten)
He fell and hit the edge of the pavement. (pavement/sidewalk)
Do you fancy some aubergines? (fancy? aubergine/eggplant)
Excuse me, do you have some nappies? (nappy/diaper)
Is there a lift here? (lift/elevator)
I just don't care, full stop. (full stop/period)
Do you believe in Father Christmas? (Father Christmas/Santa Claus)
Can I borrow a spanner? (spanner/wrench)

If you are British, imagine you hear/read the same examples I gave above, but replace the British word with the American alternative given in parentheses.

What's your reaction? Would you understand? Would you feel puzzled for a moment?

<<I found a ten-dollar note at the pub last night. (note/bill, pub?)>>


Wouldn't notice.


<<You have to turn it anticlockwise. (anticlockwise/counterclockwise)>>

Wouldn't notice.


<<I've got sick and tired of this. (got/gotten)>>


Wouldn't notice.


<<He fell and hit the edge of the pavement. (pavement/sidewalk)>>

Wouldn't notice.


<<Do you fancy some aubergines? (fancy? aubergine/eggplant)>>

What the hell is an aubergine?


<<Excuse me, do you have some nappies? (nappy/diaper)>>

Wouldn't notice.


<<Is there a lift here? (lift/elevator)>>


Would notice, but not be surprised.


<<I just don't care, full stop. (full stop/period)>>

Would notice, but not be surprised.


<<Do you believe in Father Christmas? (Father Christmas/Santa Claus)>

Wouldn't notice.


<<Can I borrow a spanner? (spanner/wrench)>>

Wouldn't notice.

Except for aubergine (I have heard the word before, but I didn't know it was the same as an eggplant. I just thought "aubergine - that's some kind of plant, edible I think, not sure what it looks like though"), I didn't even know those were supposed to be the "British variants". I just thought they were synonyms, lesser used sure, but still normal synonyms. I didn't automatically associate them with Britain.

The only two that wouldn't sound odd/wrong to me are the Father Christmas and the lift sentences. The rest would give me pause, even though I would know what they were saying after a second or two.

I'd understand them all but, obviously, all would mark the speaker as using BrE - except got/gotten, here in the Southern US that would probably escape my notice if uttered in an American accent.

I found a ten-dollar bill at the pub last night.
You have to turn it counterclockwise.
*I've gotten sick and tired of this.
He fell and hit the edge of the sidewalk.
*Do you fancy some eggplant?
*Excuse me, do you have some diapers?
Is there an elevator here?
I just don't care, period.
Do you believe in Santa Claus?
Can I borrow a wrench?

Accent aside, only the asterisked items would make me think I was listening to a speaker of AmE.

None of them would sound odd or wrong.

So you would find some Americans using 'nappy', 'pavement (to mean sidewalk) and 'lift' then?

<<So you would find some Americans using 'nappy', 'pavement (to mean sidewalk) and 'lift' then? >>

nappy: No.
pavement: In some places, yes.
lift: No.

I didn't say that. I said that elevator and sidewalk wouldn't necessarily make me think I was listening to an AmE speaker.

Diaper would, though.

Because I patrol sites like these and have a general interest in language differences between the Americans (of which I am one) and British, I am personally already familiar with most of these difference in vocabulary and grammar. However, I will go through them individually and evaluate both how well I would understand them, and how well I expect most Americans would understand them.

Firstly, it should be noted that an individual using the British expressions would presumably have a British accent, which would no doubt be taken into account by the listener when reacting to what has been said.

"I found a ten-dollar note at the pub last night."

I think most Americans would understand this perfectly well. Almost all are familiar with the term "pub", and could easily discern the meaning of "note" in this context.

"You have to turn it anticlockwise."

It would sound a bit odd to most Americans, but the meaning would be perfectly understood.

"I've got sick and tired of this."

I think most Americans would identify this as incorrect grammar, but the meaning would be understood, and no one speaks using perfect grammar anyway.

"He fell and hit the edge of the pavement."

I think most Americans would assume the subject fell on the side of the road, but not necessarily understand that the edge being referred to is the curb.

"Do you fancy some aubergines?"

I don't think most Americans would have any idea what an aubergine is. I've seen the term before and know it's meaning, but I think I too would be confused hearing it aloud. While most Americans would not typically use the word "fancy" this way, all would be familiar with such usage.

"Excuse me, do you have some nappies?"

I don't think most Americans would know what a "nappy" is. They'd probably think it was something related to sleep.

"Is there a lift here?"

Given the appropriate context (e.g. in a building) I think most Americans would understand what is meant fine.

"I just don't care, full stop."

Spoken aloud like this, I don't think that most Americans would grasp the visual image of what we would call a "period".

"Do you believe in Father Christmas?"

I think most Americans would know exactly who is meant. It would just sound old fashioned. The same goes for "St. Nicholas".

"Can I borrow a spanner?"

This is the first I've heard of this term, and I expect the same is true of most Americans.

Here in Edinburgh there is an American Consulate, and in addition to this we have an American family living in our neighbourhood....it is connected with this Consulate apparently, and everybody knows the family is American as there is a towering flag pole in their front garden (sorry...I mean yard) from which the flag of the United States of America flutters like crazy in the Scottish breezes.

So I have some interpretors on hand should I ever get in a wee bit of a pickle when attempting to converse with any of the Americans visiting this city, which they most certainly do in pretty large numbers, especially in the summer.

Don't be silly now -of course I'd understand what the Americans were saying to me should they ever use any of those expressions, but I'd be just a wee bit gobsmacked if any of them asked me whether I had any diapers in my possession. I mean, do I look as if I go around carrying those things? My sister is expecting a baby in July but even so nappies/diapers are just not my thing.

Turning the tables round with me asking them for nappies they'd probably think I was planning to set out the table for dinner.

Surely Americans are familiar with the expression "to throw a spanner in the works"? This means of course upsetting the apple cart, either intentionally or unintentionally causing disruption or disarray in some situation.

Spanner is a bit of a misnomer really - I mean, it doesn't actually span anything does it? It merely unscrews a nut or a bolt. I reckon wrench is a more suitable word for it really.

What really puzzles me in Americanspeak is this, and we've been here before with this issue......

"I couldn't care less about this matter" (Brit)

"I could care less about this matter" (US)

To my British mind that seems as if the Americans actually COULD care less about it, but there you go...I suppose they know what they're talking about...like going to the hospital instead of to hospital.

It'll soon be time for bed for me but no way would I say "I'm not off to the bed now!" - unless of course it was to some specific bed, but that just sounds weird.

Anyway, before I do go to bed I will visit the bathroom, turn on the water tap set to cold and brush my teeth, then set it to hot and have a quick facial wash - we don't have any faucets in this house.

From a BE speaker:

I found a ten-dollar note at the pub last night. (note/bill, pub?)

- I'd find the American version more natural in this context: 10 Dollar bill, 10 pound note

You have to turn it anticlockwise. (anticlockwise/counterclockwise)

-Counterclockwise would be unusual but perfectly understandable and not really stand out as "American"

I've got sick and tired of this. (got/gotten)

-I use "gotten" personally, and that's the usual form in this *part* of Britain, though the other version is understood, obviously.

He fell and hit the edge of the pavement. (pavement/sidewalk)

-You're not likely to hear sidewalk, though everybody would understand

Do you fancy some aubergines? (fancy? aubergine/eggplant)

-Have heard of eggplants, wasn't sure exactly what they were

Excuse me, do you have some nappies? (nappy/diaper)

-as with "sidewalk"

Is there a lift here? (lift/elevator)

-as with "counterclockwise"

I just don't care, full stop. (full stop/period)

-In *this* context I'd see them as about equivalent, possibly even referring the American form, but "full stop" works better for the actual puctuation symbol.

Do you believe in Father Christmas? (Father Christmas/Santa Claus)

-In my experience, "Santa Claus" is used more than the supposedly British "Father Christmas"

Can I borrow a spanner? (spanner/wrench)

-"wrench" suggests an adjustable spanner (monkey wrench)

I wonder why non-native speakers tend to be so much more obsessed with the differences between AE and BE than native speakers? I have heard non-native speakers say things like "Americans don't say this" or "British don't say that, it's American." There is actually quite a bit of overlap. Americans for example do say things like "pavement", "holiday" and "full stop". For example, Americans understand "pavement" to be the material that "sidewalks" and roads are made of. Americans also say "holiday" but differentiate it from "vacation". "Holidays" are days such as Christamas and New Years Day, whereas "vacation" is typically time off which is granted by a school or employer. It's also not unusual to hear Americans explain to children that they are to come to a "full stop" when coming to a "period" at the end of a sentence.

I am sure that many Americanisms are annoying to a lot of BE speakers, but this goes both ways. Many Briticisms such as "nappy" "full stop" and "dummy", sound like childish neologisms to most Americans who prefer to call these things "diapers" "periods" and "pacifiers" instead.

<<For example, Americans understand "pavement" to be the material that "sidewalks" and roads are made of. Americans also say "holiday" but differentiate it from "vacation".>>

While I agree with the general point being made about overlap, I would have to disagree in this one instance. When I hear "pavement" I think of a road, or more specifically, the asphalt it's paved with. Locally, pavement is essentially synonymous with asphalt. As it's typically made of concrete, I would never think of a sidewalk as pavement. Still, I have heard that in parts of America the traditional vocabulary matches that of the British.

I think most confusion occurs when both the Americans and British use the same word to mean different things, and less so when each has a different word for the same thing.

<<"I couldn't care less about this matter" (Brit)

"I could care less about this matter" (US) >>

I've never thought of this as a difference between dialects so much as a case of one being right and the other wrong. I always say, "I couldn't care less..." for the reasons mentioned. However, if you're going to tell me that the other is never used in Britain, then I guess it is something of an Americanism, because I certainly hear people say, "I could care less..." all the time.

<<Surely Americans are familiar with the expression "to throw a spanner in the works"? >>

Well, yes. Just substitute "wrench" for "spanner". Our version even has mild alliteration.

Where I'm from we couldn't care less.