Hello from an American!

[AngieBelle]

Hi everyone! I just thought I'd pop in for a visit over here. I am a WDW CM, and I just wanted to tell you that I love meeting all the British families who travel to Florida. I've met some super nice people- and I love hearing the British accents.

I work at the Bibbidi Bobbido Boutique, so I get to talk to kids a lot. I learned some new words that are different in the UK- like fringe, what you all call the shorter hair that hangs down in front of your face- we call that bangs. I also didn't know you didn't have kindergarten or call years in school "grades" until I asked a girl what grade she was in and got a blank look!

I always ask the families if they've had any mix-ups because of different words in British vs American English. My favorite is the word "chips" because what we call chips, you call crisps, and what you call chips, we call french fries! Most families I've spoken to had at least one instance of asking for chips and getting crisps!

One of my co-workers told me she went to high school in England and that her classmates were facinated by her American accent and kept trying to immitate it. I find that too funny because here in America, we always try to imitate British accents. My sister and I have had entire conversations in the car in pretend British accents.

I really want to see the UK some day- I like the idea of going to another country in which the population speaks the same language I do! I didn't study abroad while in college- chose to do the WDW college program instead. I'm wishing now that I had another chance.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Hey

I love the word bangs for fringe. I used to think bangs meant side burns lol.

 

[Dimplenose]

Hello.

The first time I visited America I was asked what the time was and when I answered "Twenty five past nine" I wasn't understood.

I find the differences in language very interesting.

We "visit friends" you "visit with friends".
We "go out of the door" you "go out the door" (I had a lot of trouble reading a Bernstein Bears book to DS when he was small)

and lots more.

 

[Cyrano]

Hello AngieBelle. We will need to listen out for the differences when we are in WDW

 

[PoppyAnna]

Hi AngieBelle
You are more than welcome over here on the UK community DIS.
I took my DD to BBB at DTD last year and was asked about her bangs - took me a while to work out what you gals meant!
Its lovely to hear that you love meeting the Brits, we love visiting the US and meeting you guys.

Happy Christmas to you

 

[Danauk]

Hi AngieBelle,
I have to admit I hadn't got a clue what bangs were until you just said!!
One thing that always gets me when I visit the USA is when people ask for biscuits and gravy. To us biscuits are cookies and what you call biscuits to us are more like savoury scones. I also have to remember that you call jelly jello and to ask for the rest room instead of asking where the toilet or loo is!! With the school year groups thing our year groups are a year out to yours so our year 6 is your 5th grade.

I always find it funny when I visit America and people ask me to just talk to them as they like my voice!! I never know what to say!!

 

[AngieBelle]

Hi AngieBelle,
I have to admit I hadn't got a clue what bangs were until you just said!!
One thing that always gets me when I visit the USA is when people ask for biscuits and gravy. To us biscuits are cookies and what you call biscuits to us are more like savoury scones. I also have to remember that you call jelly jello and to ask for the rest room instead of asking where the toilet or loo is!! With the school year groups thing our year groups are a year out to yours so our year 6 is your 5th grade.

I always find it funny when I visit America and people ask me to just talk to them as they like my voice!! I never know what to say!!

hehe, well a lot of it depends on where in America you are! In some parts of America, they call it the toilet the washroom. I think it's most commonly called the bathroom- that's what I'd say. But people should know what you mean if you say toilet or loo.

One British woman told me that in the UK you say trousers, not pants and that pants means underwear! Goodness, all I could think of was that gives a whole new meaning to the movie title The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants!

I've heard of the different meanings for biscuits...we call dog treats biscuits as well as breadrolls. I'm sure curious as to how we ended up with all these different words.

I know the first Harry Potter book has a different title in the UK. We call it The Sorceror's Stone and you call it The Philosopher's Stone. I know that you call a sweater a jumper while here a jumper is a dress that goes over a blouse or t-shirt.

I like to read a lot, and I've read books that take place in the UK. It's fun to find different words and ways of saying things. Usually, I can figure out what is meant, but sometimes I'm just "huh?" I read the Nurse Matilda books on which the movie Nanny McFee was based, and they kept mentioning a food called treacle. I wasn't sure what that was...I think it's syrup. It's mentioned in the stage verson of Mary Poppins as well.

 

[fizz13]

Hi Angiebelle, nice to meet you
Treacle is a lot like syrup except is thicker and stickier, sort of gloopy. My kids have picked up a lot of americanisms, such as they say diaper instead of nappy, I take out the garbage here instead of rubbish, they are slowly being converted through many happy trips to WDW and the Disney Channel

The most obvious one that sticks out as a smoker is i know i must never ask for a "***" instead of cigarette but here it is common slang to deem them that nasty word. then we have spellings like colour instead of color, mummy instead of mommy, that one can cause problems with spellcheck on the computer if we dont change it to uk english

coming up with loads now, like petrol = gas, pavement =sidewalk, boot( of car)= trunk

so many, but it is interesting how these differences ever came about.
hope to see more of you around and have a great week x

 

[Pinky166]

Hi Angiebelle

Welcome to the UK section, it's lovely to hear from you.

What you call sneakers we call trainers. Another one that makes me laugh is what you call a "fanny pack" is known to us a "bum bag". (It is hard to explain on a child friendly site but "fanny" in England is a slang word for a ladies body part.)

Happy holidays to you.

 

[Beep]

Hi Angiebelle

Welcome to the UK section, it's lovely to hear from you.

What you call sneakers we call trainers. Another one that makes me laugh is what you call a "fanny pack" is known to us a "bum bag". (It is hard to explain on a child friendly site but "fanny" in England is a slang word for a ladies body part.)

Happy holidays to you.

Oh, that reminds me of one the funniest things I ever heard. I was standing in a line for something (as usual at WDW lol) and heard a child crying. The mother asked what was wrong and the father replied that he had smacked her on the, well, he didn't use the word bum. It was the first time I had been to the US and didn't know what it meant out there - I spat my diet coke everywhere and nearly choked. So funny!!

Lifts = elevators
Hood = bonnet
Pinky = little finger. Means a little 'something else' in Birmingham UK
Biscuits and gravy took me ages. I worked out what it was by ordering it to see what I got!

One of the greatest inventions IMHO from the States is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Another is pancakes, bacon and maple syrup. Mmmmm...

 

[mandymouse]

Hi there Angiebelle, and welcome to the UK Community, it's great to have you here

 

[Dimplenose]

It's interesting to see a word in one of the posts above about cigarrettes has been blanked out even though it is not remotely offensive to the UK DISsers but the American word for Bum Bag had been left in and we find it shocking. (I was stunned the first time I heard an American mother use the F***y word to her small daughter!!)

 

[wils]

Just wanted to jump in and say Hi!

We had a lovely time at the BBB in November when DD was transformed into Tink!

I always enjoy the conversations we have at WDW especially with the American (DD always asks as we walk away 'Mummy do we know them?!')

I can't think of any other words that we use differently to you (great list guys) but like Claire my kids have some americanisms in their vocabulary.

Happy Holidays

 

[Goofyish]

Merry Christmas Angie

Make sure you try and make Sunday chat - we haven't seen you there for a while

 

[Chilly]

So thats what bangs means! Merry Christmas!

 

[Booknut]

Hi AngieBelle, welcome!

I'm originally from Canada and when I first moved here 12 years ago I actually bought an American/English dictionary It had over 3000 words in it, incredible! I think i'm mostly proficient now in 'English'.

I am very much looking forward to taking my baby girl to BBB one day

 

[AngieBelle]

See- I told you that you all are so nice! You've all been very welcoming to me. I was a bit hesitant to post here since I'm not the target audience for this board, but I don't think I needed to worry.

Now I'm wishing even more that I could go visit the UK. A couple years ago, I did a Birthright Israel program which provides free trips to Israel for young Jewish people in North America- it was amazing. I wish other countries had free trip programs too. I did find out that many countries have homestay programs in which you get to stay with a host family for a couple weeks- I think that sounds really neat.

My family went on a vacation to France when I was 14. We stayed at a bed and breakfast run by a nice British couple. I remember we had dinner with them, and it was very long- lots of courses. I had an Aladdin book with me and I was showing it to the wife. I mentioned that the tiger was Rajah. Well, the name Rajah sounds a lot like saying Rodger with a British accent, and Rodger happened to be her husband's name! lol.

I first learned about the different words in British vs American English in a children's dictionary I got for my 8th birthday. There was an article in the back that talked about a couple of different words...petrol for gasoline, lorry for truck, lift for elevator. I think it said that the words that are different are all things that were invented or discovered after the creation of the United States.

I wonder where the word bangs comes from anyway...fringe really makes more sense! lol. Now I make sure to say fringe if I'm asking a little girl from the UK if she wants her bangs down or gelled back!

 

[natalielongstaff]

You will find us a friendly group here, hope you enjoy it x x

 

[Danauk]

Hi Angiebelle

Welcome to the UK section, it's lovely to hear from you.

What you call sneakers we call trainers. Another one that makes me laugh is what you call a "fanny pack" is known to us a "bum bag". (It is hard to explain on a child friendly site but "fanny" in England is a slang word for a ladies body part.)

Happy holidays to you.

I know what you mean about the fanny pack thing. I mean I know I am 32 years old but every time I see that written down I laugh! My DH and our friends always point the signs out for them in shops when we are in America as they know I hate saying it!!

One other things I found different when my American friend came to stay with us was she didn't know what triffel was, she called it a pudding cup. Also the other thing I found out when we went to WDW for Christmas is that you can not buy Christmas crackers in the supermarkets or stores. Also my American friend had no clue what Boxing day was when I asked her what she was doing on it.

 

[florida sun]

Hi Angie, Welcome, lovely to have you here