After a year with PriusChat...

I came to USA to study about 7 yrs ago, from Sri Lanka. It took me a while to understand "american english". I am still learning new slang words...

 

Oxo I enjoyed reading your post. It reminded me of my uncle in France who I visited when I was very young in the 60's. He was an English teacher in High School, and his class was unique in that he taught the "American" version of English instead of the"King's English". He was very interested in all our slang sayings. It was so funny watching him call his mother in law "an Old Bag" while we were there. But hey I always tought "The boot" was something you put on your feet in winter, not the truck of a car LOL..

 

Top of the day Oxo

Are you tellin' me that slang expressions are absent in the UK? We've enjoyed numerous visits to your island kingdom and find "The Queen's English" also has its unique expressions not to be found in grammer texts.

I must agree that some of the "American English" slang expressions are crude (just like some folks are crude) and I refrain from their use. I found the UK slang expressions generally more sophisticated.

Thanks for your post, my British cousin..!!

 

I too enjoyed reading your post, Oxo. I'm glad you are a member here, and in fact, i wish you would add some of the British slang, so we might become familiar with the "slang" terms used in the UK as well. I also have visited your grand country, the country of my ancestors, and find the UK and its citizens completely intriguing, but I could never get used to driving on the left side of the road!!

thanks for your post.

 

"Dude" is not derogatory. It's been around for years and has never been negative. "Sucks" used to be considered profane but is now so common most folks have forgotten the origin. Our health care system is indeed problematical for those not covered. On the other hand, folks from other countries who have free care often come here for treatment....it's complicated.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Sep 23 2006, 08:02 AM) [snapback]323856[/snapback]</div>

Oxo,

"Dude" is a complicated and multifaceted word. The typical use would be equivalent to "Bloke" (or "Cove" in an earlier age) in the UK vernacular. However, it can also be used as an exclamation of sorts as in "Dude! The Newcastle Side just smashed Wigan yet again!".

For more on the subject check out Dude on Wikipedia.

"Rocks" is derived from "Rock 'n Roll" not from the motion. If you like a particular band you might say that they "Rock" and you would get the idea across even if they were a string quartet not Jimi Hendrix. Naturally the expression has carried over and can be applied to pretty much anything now.

It's definitely not as confusing as "Bad", which during the 80's meant good. I don't think anyones really using that one anymore, I havn't heard it in an age.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Michgal007 @ Sep 23 2006, 09:30 AM) [snapback]323861[/snapback]</div>

I was born here & I'm still learning! And it's not just slang.

English is such an evolving language as a wonderful Chicago Tribune article from January 8, 2000 (TRUE TO THEIR WORDS OF PREFIXES, SUFFIXES AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN) shows. Each year we adopt or create new words which are fascinating because they reflect our culture. Here's a quote from the beginning of that article:

"In 1905, people were in love with a brand-new word: "Jellybean."
In 1951, there was "rock and roll." In 1962, "car pool." In 1963, "Duh."
In 1972, "Watergate." In 1981, "wannabe." In 1984, "yuppie."
In 1994, "go postal." In 1995, "World Wide Web." And in 1996, "soccer moms."

Tony, the American Dialect Society (http://www.americandialect.org/index.php/amerdial/categories/C178/) notes that "truthiness" is the 2005 "word of the year" & "meet-up" (local special interest meeting organized through a web site) was voted among the most likely to succeed in 2004. It's a fascinating site for word afficionados.

Meanwhile, if anyone really wants to be up on his/her slang, try working in a high school!

 

Oxo
I had to stand in Que to read your post. I loved it but I had to mind the gaps.

Well I must go and get some banngers and mash.

Bob's you uncle.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Sep 23 2006, 12:53 PM) [snapback]323968[/snapback]</div>

I guess your dad wasn't a fan of D.H. Lawrence.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Sep 23 2006, 02:20 PM) [snapback]323976[/snapback]</div>

Fascinating.

Does anyone have an English equivalent?

 

Awesome post, Oxo
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Sep 23 2006, 07:02 AM) [snapback]323856[/snapback]</div>

Rocks comes from when Rock music was pop music in the US; first music rocked (because it was Rock), then bands rocked, then anyone rocked. "Santana rocks man!" Of course now it's all rap, so I guess we may find that "Betty krunks dude" could have the same meaning someday.

My friends and I often say, "That sucks nice person," which I think spells out why the short version "sucks" means "bad."

My friends and I have always used the word "dude" as a neutral word for any male. It's the same as "guy" and maybe the same as your "bloke." The word technically comes from ranches - there were Dude Ranches, referring to the animal crap on the ground, but then inferred it meant the men attending to those animals, and ultimately in a positive way. Hey - America loves a poop joke.

Newer words out here are:
"Mad" which means "very."
"Hot" which has a ton of meanings based on context - it could mean an attractive girl ("that girl's mad hot"), it could mean someone bringing a gun unexpectedly ("hey watch it I think those boys rolled in hot"), and it could just mean cool/good ("Oh that's mad hot!" referring to anything - a good poker play, a new car, a cool sports replay).
"Sick" can have the same meaning as that last meaning of hot, though it tends to reflect skill ("That guy is sick at dribbling," or simply, "Alstott is sick dude, sick.") - it infers that for someone to be that good at something, there must be something wrong with them.
"Wicked" also means "very" but only in the Northeast and to some degree in California.

And in some parts of Pennsylvania, people have dismissed the need for the words "to be" from grammar:
Pennsylvania: "Smell this. I think it needs washed."
Anywhere else in the US: "Smell this. I think it needs to be washed."

 

I'm just thankful I don't smoke. I don't think I could bring myself to ask for "a pack of fags." Not that there's anything wrong with it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Starfall @ Sep 23 2006, 05:13 PM) [snapback]324068[/snapback]</div>

There used to be a good Britspeak page but I think it's gone. I did find these though:
http://englishclub.8m.com/usuk1.htm
http://englishclub.8m.com/ukus1.htm

To the OP, I used to work w/a bunch of British folks in my previous group at work including a guy in the office next to mine. The British terms I heard out of him, some coworkers and sometimes on TV always amused me such as bloke, bollocks, lorry, motor way, central reservation, boot and bonnet. Some other funny ones to (me) were the definitions of pants vs. trousers and fag.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Sep 23 2006, 10:31 PM) [snapback]324154[/snapback]</div>

I wonder if the OP meant to ask for the British equivalent of that site (i.e. a Brit's guide to speaking Yank).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Michgal007 @ Sep 23 2006, 10:30 AM) [snapback]323861[/snapback]</div>

I have a friend who came to the USA from India to study. Filling out forms before a placement test, he asked a young lady next to him if she had a rubber he could use; in his case a rubber being something you use to erase mistakes. In her case, being from the USA, a rubber is a condom - not at all the same thing. :lol:

Tom