Can British people pretend to speak like Americans?

It's true--American kitchens normally work on the open floor plan. But the decor is colder and more clinical. Many American kitchens are just too freaking large. Sometimes you have to take six steps to get to the fridge. I have to admit I prefer British kitchens, which are more compact and almost always decorated in some warm color (yellow or orange).

It's true about the washing machines, too. Most of us have top-loaders, but front-loaders are gaining in popularity. I much prefer the toploaders; you can add garments at any old time during the wash, and no stooping to get the garments out.

I have to say that the space constraints in your houses is very effective; the English countryside is truly beautiful.

One other thing: "An American thinks 200 years is a long time, while an Englishman thinks 200 miles is a long way." (The oldest house we have in my city was built in 1865)

This is off the topic just a tad, but did you know that, in the film Titanic, the American version of Nearer My God To Thee is played? Yes, completely different tunes to that hymn are heard across the Atlantic.

A lot of Englishman must have been bewildered when they heard that tune in that scene.

I have a very open kitchen, dining, living room area. I love it. The kitchen is small, but it has great counter space. The sink is horrible, and I don't have a dish washer. Tell me if anyone from any country has ever seen this before: when we bought this house from an old man, it had a combination washing machine-stove-oven. The dish washer was on the bottom, the stove was literally the top of the dish washer and the oven was cantilevered on top and was approximately the size of a microwave. Now, I guess that is space sufficient (maybe you English should try it?), but I hated that thing. Luckily, it broke really quickly as it dated back sometime to the invention of electricity. Just curious- has anyone ever seen anything like that before? Nobody I know has.

>>I have to say that the space constraints in your houses is very effective; the English countryside is truly beautiful.<<

At least here in Wisconsin, houses are large by European standards, but even with suburban sprawl most of Wisconsin is still very rural. However, Wisconsin has a far smaller population density than the UK, having a population density slightly lower than that of South Africa (and for the sake of comparison, a population roughly that of Denmark and a land area roughly that of Uruguay).

why is that Americans like buying houses?
As a single person, I don't need a house.
A nice apartment would do...

In California, apartments are not very popular, because of the lack of high buildings...houses are preferred since they are more earthquake-resistant.

I guess it would be a whole lot easier to get lost in Wisconsin than in it ever would be in the UK - I mean, properly and seriously get lost out in all those wide open spaces without any maps or satnavs, compasses or whatever.

You could "go astray" here in the more remote parts of the UK but not for long as wherever you are you're never far from other people or a vehicle of some kind. Even in the wilder parts of the UK you can most likely see habitations and distant road traffic in the near to far distance. There's no such thing as a totally deserted road anywhere in the UK and that's for sure - sooner or later a vehicle will come along, even on the most unclassified of roads up in the Scottish Highlands.

So Wisconsin, like most other US States, has lots of lovely open spaces of unspoilt countryside, and as with most things in America, by UK/European standards, everything seems "bigger" in scale, everything from weather extremes (always more dramatic that Britain's tame, much more benign but often irritating climate) down to the size of their houses, which can be large without any limits due to space constraints.

I reckon that the word "local" in the American sense of neighbourhood covers a much wider area than it does here in the UK....maybe some town 50/100 miles or more away over there is still "local". Here "local" means the immediate vicinity of a town or a small district for the most part - anything over 20 miles or so is another locality altogether...and even the accent may be different. Compared with the USA, here in the UK everything is much smaller in scale, but maybe there is more variety of dialects and accents and "regional differences" packed into a small area (comparatively speaking) here in the UK.

Nothing can be done about space - a tight little island it'll always be - but with a net increase in population every year (more people coming in - immigrants - than there are leaving - professional and retired UK citizens seeking less crowded, less stressful lives in sunnier climes away from a UK rising rate of youth crime and social disorder and wishy washy Government ineptitude in handling it) then space will become even more precious.

Mid 2006 stats:

Wisconsin: Area: 145,439 sq km Pop: Less than 6 million
40 people per sq km

United Kingdom: Area; 244,022 sq km Pop: 60.6 million
249 people per sq km

Suddenly Wisconsin sounds like a very desirable prospect.........but I'd probably fancy California come the winter. :-) After awhile though I think I'd miss Europe and it's even more varied differences. It's nice to get on a plane in English speaking Edinburgh and 90 minutes later land in Dutch speaking Amsterdam, although practically everyone speaks English there, even the kids.

I think you hit the nail on the head Damian, having done a fair bit of travelling (I went backpacking twice - still intend to do a bit more as it goes) I'd have to agree, I could never leave Europe. It is, in my opinion, the best place in the world to experience various cultures, architecture, languages, history and food. The scenery is as stunning as anywhere on earth, the worlds most beautiful cities are here and the overall quality of life is as good as that in the US or Oz (the French would say their way of life is best!!). Where in the world can go get on an aeroplane and within an hour be in at least 6 different countries?? It's the bollocks. Amsterdam is one of my personal fave's, and it is only 40 mins by plane! Wicked city!!

<<Lol, well your date format definitely wins. dd/mm/yy makes a lot more sense than our mm/dd/yy format.>>

E.H. – yes we win one!!!!. I agree, I think when writing the date like this, 2/9/07, it makes much better sense but in Britain we are as likely to say “September the 2nd” as we are “the 2nd of September”. So I can understand the logic in what the Americans have done with their date format. I am not 100% but I think September the 2nd is actually the more traditional British way of writing dates and I think 2nd September is more ‘European’. I don't really undertsand why we are so inconsistent with how we say our dates here. Admittedly I did use to think that people who said September the 2nd may have been 'Americanised' but I realise I am well wrong there - just looking at much old British literature will prove this.

<<One other thing: "An American thinks 200 years is a long time, while an Englishman thinks 200 miles is a long way." (The oldest house we have in my city was built in 1865)>>

Jasper, that is so very true mate!! A mere 20 minute drive from my house lies a fully intact Anglo Saxon church built around 600 or 700 AD. I still can’t grasp that I am looking at something built possibly 1,400 years ago - it’s mind boggling. And yep, 200 miles is a blooming long drive!! 200 miles and I can be in Paris (or Brussels or Amsterdam or…..).

Yes, the countryside here is stunning, it really really is. If you want to sample England or indeed Britain at its cultural and scenic best then you have to get out into the country towns and villages. Have you visited Britain by any chance??

Actually, I was impressed by the scenery in the US and I can’t think of a country, big or small, that contains such a variety of landscapes within its borders – beautiful place. It’s odd, because when I went travelling the place that appeals (and sold) to the backpacker the most is Australia but in my opinion I got it all wrong. Instead of spending most my time there, I wish I had spent more time in America. Oz was just too samey for me, it was an adventure, and the remoteness of everything is unbelievable (I really can see how people can go missing) but there was not much to see at all and it got a bit boring. Considering they are basically the same size, the US packs in a hell of a lot more natural beauty (which for me was the main reason I visited each country to be honest).

<<Yes, the countryside here is stunning, it really really is. If you want to sample England or indeed Britain at its cultural and scenic best then you have to get out into the country towns and villages. Have you visited Britain by any chance?? >>

Unfortunately, no. :-( Can't afford pricey Europe at this juncture.

But I've been interested in the UK for many years. I think, being of English extraction, it might be in my blood.

Back to the ground floor/1st floor debate: What would an Englishman call a one-story ranch dwelling? Here, if you have a ten-story (or one-story) building, that means there are ten stories sitting on the ground.

PubLunch: A church built in 700 AD? That boggles my mind; it just won't compute!

About the 200 mile thing? In the American West, in some places, you can drive 200 miles without seeing a single person or dwelling!! I took an early-morning drive from Reno to Las Vegas and experienced this.

Damian- I hope you go to Southern California for that winter because you sure wouldn't like it here in the north. The thing about a Californian winter is that when it rains, it pours. People from out of state are always amazed by how hard it rains, by the fact that the rain sounds like hail on the roof, or that it rains at all

We get about 50 inches of rain a year in my area and it doesn't rain for six to seven months out of the year. We don't get summer storms, so you can imagine how it comes down in the winter. A fine Scottish fellow like yourself probably wouldn't mind all that rain, but for most people new to the area it can be pretty depressing. Especially since it doesn't let up for about four months straight.

<<Tell me if anyone from any country has ever seen this before: when we bought this house from an old man, it had a combination washing machine-stove-oven. The dish washer was on the bottom, the stove was literally the top of the dish washer and the oven was cantilevered on top and was approximately the size of a microwave. Now, I guess that is space sufficient (maybe you English should try it?), but I hated that thing. Luckily, it broke really quickly as it dated back sometime to the invention of electricity. Just curious- has anyone ever seen anything like that before? Nobody I know has. >>

Dear god, Rene. Was that contraption even legal? I can see a codes officer whipping out his citation pad with an unholy gleam in his squinty little eyes....

I saw a lot of old stuff in Europe. Even Roman old. Didn't really impress itself on me. I guess because I was an art major in college and had to study so much architecture (not a favorite subject with me), and it all looked just like the pictures in the textbooks.... Don't get me wrong; it's pretty and all.

You get kind of a strange time juxtaposition here, where Indians have lived for thousands of years, but at a much simpler technological level. You see petroglyphs on rocks along a trail and they look downright prehistoric. They're not -- they're only a few hundred years old. On the other hand, you see Acoma Sky City, a pueblo that has been continuously inhabited for some ridiculous amount of time -- Coronado visited it in 1540, and there are pickup trucks parked outside of it today -- and damn if it doesn't look like most of the modern architecture around here -- I don't think it would have any trouble getting past an architectural planning committee!

I'm American and I am able to speak a British Accent near perfectly, it's really not that hard. Canadian Accent is easier to speak, haha

Oops, that last "guest" was moi, of course.

Jasper:

<<Unfortunately, no. :-( Can't afford pricey Europe at this juncture.
But I've been interested in the UK for many years. I think, being of English extraction, it might be in my blood. >>

Yeah, for the Americans it really must be pricey - I wish I could say it was the same for us !!!!

Mate, if there is anything you want to know about Britain just ask, and if you do make it over here I would be only too happy to give you some seriously recommended recommendations.

<<PubLunch: A church built in 700 AD? That boggles my mind; it just won't compute! >>

Yes, it was built in 657 AD to be exact; it is not really an impressive structure, but its isolated setting and its age more than makes up for it.

<<About the 200 mile thing? In the American West, in some places, you can drive 200 miles without seeing a single person or dwelling!! I took an early-morning drive from Reno to Las Vegas and experienced this. >>

Blimey - you have no idea how much that thought scares me. I mean, to be that far away from people must be thrilling, but a bit un-nerving all the same. I experienced the same sort of thing in Australia but I was on a coach with many other people. I can only imagine what that would feel like if you were on your own - I don't think that compute's either!!! That must have been one hell of a drive though. You can get reasonable feeling of isolation in parts of England, Wales and Scotland, but you literally would have to put on the wellies and trudge out into the national parks. I can't think of one road here that you could possibly go a few mins without seeing another car. The US must be a magnificent place to drive around.

Oh, while we were on the subject of UK and US differences. I remember when I was in the states and going into a pub (with my ID!!!!) and ordering a "lager" and well, I might as well have speaking Martian!!! It never occurred to me that you lot never use that word or knew what it meant and only use the word “beer”. It’s sort of funny, because asking for a beer is a bit like going into a butchers and asking for meat!! Beer has many styles such as Bitter, Ale, Stout, Lager etc etc. (Budweiser is a lager – yes it is horrible!!!). I tried explaining but alas to no avail. But then I suppose American drinkers seemed to drink mainly Lager anyway so, erm, it does not really matter!!

<<Beer has many styles such as Bitter, Ale, Stout, Lager etc etc.>>

We know that. But typically only a beer snob would be able to tell you the differences! Walk into a microbrewery and they will bore you to tears with that sort of trivia (can you tell I don't like beer?). The rest of us just ask for the brand we happen to like.

If I have to drink beer, only a Corona will do, heavily disguised with lime, of course. Around here, people like to salt their beer -- weird. Doesn't taste that bad, though. Of course, they also salt watermelon and jalapenos and put chile powder on fruit. (!!!) And they put sour cream, lemon juice, and grated cheese on corn (which is actually quite tasty!).


<<<<About the 200 mile thing? In the American West, in some places, you can drive 200 miles without seeing a single person or dwelling!! I took an early-morning drive from Reno to Las Vegas and experienced this. >>

Blimey - you have no idea how much that thought scares me. I mean, to be that far away from people must be thrilling, but a bit un-nerving all the same. I experienced the same sort of thing in Australia but I was on a coach with many other people. I can only imagine what that would feel like if you were on your own - I don't think that compute's either!!! >>

Try driving in those places with the realization that your cell phone -- oops, MOBILE -- won't work for most of that drive, because there is no reception in many remote or mountainous areas!

<<Mate, if there is anything you want to know about Britain just ask, and if you do make it over here I would be only too happy to give you some seriously recommended recommendations.>>

Thank you; that was very kind of you to offer.

The thing I'd be most concerned about is the differences in etiquette; while most of our etiquette customs are the same, the pub scene--and the whole attitude about drinking--is vastly different. I'd be lost in a pub.

Perhaps you've noticed that in the UK, pubs are often family affairs to which one can bring his children; by contrast, in the US, bars are places where one goes to get laid or to get plastered--a far less wholesome experience.

I've got the curse of Indian blood; one pint of English beer would make me woozy, while two would send me to the hospital.

On one Englishman's website, this difference in attitude is profiled. It's mentioned that, often, English bosses will take their crews out for a pint. This wouldn't happen in a 1000 years in the US. Moreover, in most workplaces, liquor on the breath is grounds for instant dismissal. By contrast, on one Poirot, I saw Inspector Japp drinking a pint of ale ON THE JOB. Wow.

I guess I obsess on this matter a lot because I wouldn't want to offend the locals, but I think I need an English etiquette book to learn UK customs.

Most of our other customs are the same, e.g., both cultures frown deeply on "dropping in" unexpectedly to a friend's house, or bringing an uninvited guest to a party. That's seen as the worst kind of bad manners, but Asian (and some Latino) immigrants break this rule all the time, causing rupture of relations.