Video: Learn to Speak Like An American

[Paul K]

I don't use either phrase Paul, but that's because I'm a caring person.


Yes, I'll admit I'm not perfect in my use of the English language. But you ought to see how well I use it on a cue ball!



.....
<wanders off muddling>
Now let's see, what was that my friend told me about speaking proper English? It's all in the pronunciation of the vowels.

a e i o u...
again
a e i o u
again

AE, I O U -

Hey Joe, I know that you are an all-round good egg. And my favourite author on non military or aviation subjects is Bill Bryson, an native of Des Moines who lives over here and is probably the funniest writer alive. Not only that, but he is president of this organization;

http://www.cpre.org.uk/

He's achieved a great deal, particularly in regard of the South Downs national park.

Appropriately enough, the book of his that sits above my computer on the shelf is this one..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Troublesome-Wor ... 0141001356

[FlyTexas]

I hope this thread veers off towards Railway Catering: Then and Now.

I wasn't aware that you are interested in American railroads Paul. But since you brought it up ....I vividly remember a delicious breakfast of pancakes, sausage, eggs, and orange juice I had back in the mid 70's while rolling through the plains of Oklahoma. The waiter asked that we write our selections on a little paper form instead of verbally giving our order. I asked the waiter why? He said that it is a tradition on the railroad. I can only assume that railroad waiters back in the day didn't always know how to write...which takes us back to Joe's comment about America not given access to the English language.

Brian (speaker of English since 1962)

[Tomliner]

Anyone noticed how many young folk omit the letter 'T' in the middle of words such as letter,better,litre etc? This is certainly widespread in the UK and makes the speaker sound like an uneducated moron,but maybe it's cool. EricT

[Airspeed]

Last time I tried to speak like an American, I was trying to sound authentic playing cowboys and indians in 1954. Haven't had much use for it since.

While we're talking language, I often find myself screaming for sub-titles on TV shows. It's not just the mumbling, or the British accents; they're doing it in Australia too these days.
Everything has to be layered with mood music, so in episode 8, you get: "The reason I killed all those innocent people then married you was tha/ dah-diddle-dah, so, I hope that you understand, and still love me."

Oh poo! I think I just became a grumpy old man!

[sketchy74]

After living here in the USA for almost 5 years now I am only just getting to grips with the way we are split by the same language! I now keep a group of photos of the chronically bad spelling of my name in Starbucks, its easy... FRASER... Fra-ser, but I some of my favourites have been Fraisen, Frazyer, and a personal best Frashier... and people insist on adding letters to the way it is said.

But the "D" for "T" substitution is a classic and never ceases to amaze me on how we (the Wife and I) are mis-understood here, and we live in Los Angeles ... not deepest Alabama or somewhere devoid of international transfers.

This conversation reminds me of the first minute or so of this Eddie Izzard sketch talking about the differences of our two languages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IzDbNFDdP4 (be warned for the easily offended Eddie is wearing a considerable amount of make up in this clip!)

I especially love the comment about how Americans leave out the letter "H" on the word "Herb", that for some reason really gets my wife wound up over here, but she was less than impressed when I pointed out that it was rich coming from a girl who was born and grew up in 'Emel 'Emptstead in 'Ertfordshire....

[airboatr]

Years ago I played the lead roll in Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol".
I could put a little bit of it up on youtube, so you can take pop shots at my interpretation of a British accent.



...or Not!

[nigelb]

Last time I tried to speak like an American, I was trying to sound authentic playing cowboys and indians in 1954. Haven't had much use for it since.

For me it was 1957, when Davy Crocket was a big hit in the UK. Running around in my coonskin hat, I tried very hard to assimilate and American accent, while sarching for bears and Indians. I have since been corrupted by living in the Colonies, so my accent is now a mixed bag. It throws a lot of people off and they ask if I am from Boston. No, I tell them, just to be perverse ......Bosnia!

Nigel²

[Garry Russell]

For me it was 1957, when Davy Crocket was a big hit in the UK. Running around in my coonskin hat, I tried very hard to assimilate and American accent, while sarching for bears and Indians.

In this day and age of hundreds of pounds being spent on kids for fancy entertainment machinery so they can posy on FaceBook that they're continually bored...it great to think back to those time swhen all we needed was a hat and imagination.

Sometime we didn't even have the hat but we were still who ever we wanted to be.

AND WE WERE NOT BORED!!!

I doubt if they heard that with their music blaring

[FlyTexas]

Ahhh, the childhood game of Cowboys and Indians. *sigh* My friend Jeff (who lived up the street) and I spent many a happy afternoon fighting the redskins. Jeff's sister, a real cutie...and not wanting to miss out on the fun, became our fort "nurse". It's amazing how many arrow wounds I received after Jeff's sister became the fort "nurse".

Brian

[airboatr]

Hi Paul,

I read what I could of the book online.

Thank you for bringing that to my attention.

Joe