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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
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Lucy--
non-sports fan that I am, I had to call for verification,
but I was right: the professional basketball team, which
puts balls through HOOPS, of PHILadelphia, Pennsylvania,
is named the Seventy-SIXERS. Philadelphia is considered
to be the seat of the Amercian Revolution, in 1776.
Yes, a williwaw is a violent wind gust or storm.
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Jo - I knew it was there somewhere! Try this site: http://pages.prodigy.com/NY/NYC/britspk/main.html>>I'm also interested in the separate development of the English language in Australia, Asia and the Carribean. << That's a whole new topic! I have learned that the English as spoken here in New Zealand seems to rely on abbreviations - a colleague today referred to the "Rellies" who came to visit: he was referring to his relatives. Children under 4 years old attend a "Kindy" (kindergarten), and the person who delivers snail mail is the "Postie". That last is pretty good, though, as it is completely gender-unspecific. I wonder what the end result will be?
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The only differences (bar some very obscure words) between US and UK (ugh! , include Ireland in that) is the letter 'u' for such words as colour/color arbour/arbour and the 'shun' words such as connection/connexion. 'Bumming around' is aterm used this side of the pond (as is 'bum' for someone who does little with their life) but 'bum' does predominantly stand for a posterior/derriere/behind/backside/lower back. No wonder we want to shorten it!!
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If you've heard the accent you will know why! He/she would be equally unintelligible in both the US and Oz. I have great respect for the Yorkies but they have an extremely accented English. Ah woodent say daat ah knew nowt boot wut ahwaz taw kinbout cos ahv huerd th'acksent and its pleen boo'ful. Greet cricket too.
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David, I’m sure you’ll be delighted to know that ‘rellies’, ‘kindys’ and ‘posties’ are all well and thriving in Aussie (at least, in the ‘Tassie’ part of it – we refer to the rest of the country as ‘the mainland’).
And after we’ve watched the weekend ‘footie’ (Australian Rules – ‘carn’ the Bombers!), we might have a ‘snag’ or two on the ‘barbie’, and catch something on the ‘telly’ (which, I suspect, is now an international abbreviation for ‘culture’) [grin]
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>>we refer to the rest of the country as ‘the mainland’<<
...and I have heard the whole country referred to as "that little island off the West Coast of New Zealand!" {grin}
So perhaps this section of the thread should be renamed "Antipodean English"??
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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David 108
Thanks for the site - it just goes to prove that there is very few new ideas - someone's nearly always been there first.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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I suppose Kiwi's and Aussies just like to rhyme. I posted ages ago about Scottish "pinkies" and I've certainly heard "posties" mentioned here. Most of the others are pretty universal, I suspect.
There was some discussion a while ago that UK children (Rubrick, should I be including Eire here, how about the BBC cop-out "These Islands" as the only thing that can describe us in a historical sense) were changing the way they spoke - finishing each sentence with an "up" beat, as though everything were a question. It was put down to watching too much "Neighbours".
I wonder whether its part of a general (not necessarily conscious) trend, to sound more informal and friendly by using lots of diminutives, telly, barbie, rellies ....
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>>finishing each sentence with an "up" beat, as though everything were a question<<
That is very noticeable in "these islands" (New Zealand). Not only amongst younger people, but across the generations. This in a country that has more historical links to the British Isles than to the New World.
I also notice it happening in South Africa - particularly amongst people for whom English is a second language, when they are speaking English. And include in that the tendency to use American pronounciations.
Should we lament the ubiquitious telly?
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