Differences between American English and british English

Damian in London SW15   Wed Sep 26, 2007 2:48 pm GMT
"Awesome" is not used by us Brits in any big way at all - sometimes but not all that much really, and cruelly it can be done in a bit of a piss-taking way at the expense of an American or Americans, when it is exaggeratedly voiced something like "AAAAHHH-some!" :-) Dude isn't widely used really. The British equivalent "mate" is universal over here, mostly male to male. It's much more common for a female to address a guy as "mate" than the other way round, and it seems to be used that way quite a lot down here in London I've found - I can't say I like it much at all when it comes out of a female mouth! There are several aspects of London speech I don'tcare too much for either - in fact, I reckon I'm a wee bit tired of it now and this is one of the reasons I shall be glad to get back to Edinburgh next month. The other bugbear is the bloody expense of living in London - thank God for oyster cards just for starters! Without it, the minimum fare for a single journey on the tube is £4.00, even if it's just to the next station on the line, and I have to travel from Putney Bridge to Canary Wharf and back again each day along with about 500 zillion trillion other people. Apart from that London is ace!
Rene   Wed Sep 26, 2007 3:40 pm GMT
If 'mate' sounds weird coming out of a woman's mouth, 'dude' would probably freak you out.

'at the expense of an American or Americans, when it is exaggeratedly voiced something like "AAAAHHH-some!"'

Yeah, we do that to. One day at school we were making fun of English people and New Zealanders for no particular reason and some guy decided to do a surfer dude Englishman. He keeping saying stuff like, "That dude is bloody rightous mate." And he kept it up all day. He got kicked out of class eventually.

Here's another one for thongs Pub Lunch- butt floss. Pretty grody isn't it?
Pub Lunch   Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:07 pm GMT
<<Here's another one for thongs Pub Lunch- butt floss. Pretty grody isn't it? >>

Ha ha - I like it Rene, it sounds spot on to me young lady. So we've got hungry bums and butt floss!!!!

When I was in Australia the Aussies used to call 'flip flops' 'thongs'!! I'm sure they still do, so the question remains - what do they call thongs in Oz?????

<<grody>>

Eh???

<<There are several aspects of London speech I don'tcare too much for either >>

Oi Damian - what do mean geeezaaaaa???? I want examples Sonny Jim!!!!
Jasper   Wed Sep 26, 2007 6:33 pm GMT
"awesome"? Oh, how I hate that word! It's like fingernails on a chalkboard.

I'd rather see an old man in Speedos than hear somebody use the word "awesome".
Rene   Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:27 pm GMT
Grody means disgusting. Californian slang. I can't help myself. The older generation in America call flip flops thongs and every time they do it, they get a giggle from all of the thirty and younger crowd. I guess they call a thong a g-string, so it doesn't sound weird to them.
Damian in London SW15   Thu Sep 27, 2007 6:41 am GMT
***<<There are several aspects of London speech I don't care too much for either >>

Oi Damian - what do mean geeezaaaaa???? I want examples Sonny Jim!!!! ***

Oi Pub Lunch, geeezaaaa mite! - you've just gorn and given an example! Honestly, no offence intended about London-speak - from what I can gather it more or less extends to your part of Sarf Essex as well - that's roit, innit mite? :-) I've met several geezaaa types from dahn Sarf Essex way at work - you knaw wo' oi mean, mite? Ilford, Grays, and even aht to Sarfend..... Why do so many of you keep on saying "you know what I mean?" - it sort of implies that I may be a wee bit thick or sumfing. Sorry - something. I'm beginning to sound like you lot now - I really need to go back home soon! A London-tainted Edinburgh accent would sound a bit weird. :-)

As I say, no offence is intended in any way at all - London is a great city and I love its diversity as well as being one mega fun place. Ziggy, from BB, was on TalkSport radio last night and he speaks in a North London accent apparently (from somewhere up Edgware way I think) quite a contrast from the self styled South London It Girl Charley (from Lewisham) who I think mixes it with her form of Ghetto-speak, which in some parts of London is almost a separate Language in itself.

Cheers!
Uriel   Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:00 pm GMT
<<Yeah, we do that to. One day at school we were making fun of English people and New Zealanders for no particular reason and some guy decided to do a surfer dude Englishman. He keeping saying stuff like, "That dude is bloody rightous mate." And he kept it up all day. He got kicked out of class eventually. >>

I think a UK-Mississippi switched-at-birth exchange program is in order -- I think a Brit named Bubba and a good ol' boy named Nigel would be just priceless.

I think grody was sort of a permutation of gross, if that helps you, PL.