To my UK friends: don't lump all us americans together.

[DisturbiaWolf13]

Any English accented form of the English language is by definition more English than a non English accented version. That doesn't make it better in any way, it's just more English.

You didn't say more English, though - you said proper, which to me sounded the same as 'better'. Anyway, it can be argued that British English is 'more English', you're right - just don't confuse the two. It's more English as in it's spoken in England; that doesn't mean it's more English as in it's closer to the 'pure' version of the language or any such nonsense.

Well honestly i think it is closer to a 'purer' English language if it's spoken in any sort of English accent. Because its more English...and it's the English language.

 

[Camembert]

Well honestly i think it is closer to a 'purer' English language if it's spoken in any sort of English accent. Because its more English...and it's the English language.

No, that's incorrect. The idea of a pure English is laughable to begin with, and I cannot understand what the accent has to do with anything. Some English dialects actually deviate more from your so called 'pure' English (which I am taking to mean Standard English) than American accents anyway, so what you are saying makes no sense.

 

[DisturbiaWolf13]

Sorry, double post.

 

[DisturbiaWolf13]

Well honestly i think it is closer to a 'purer' English language if it's spoken in any sort of English accent. Because its more English...and it's the English language.

No, that's incorrect. The idea of a pure English is laughable to begin with, and I cannot understand what the accent has to do with anything. Some English dialects actually deviate more from your so called 'pure' English (which I am taking to mean Standard English) than American accents anyway, so what you are saying makes no sense.

Yes many regional accents deviate from the well spoken southern English accent (The Queen's English) but by the fact that they are English variations of the English language they are closer to pure English than English spoken in a foreign accent. Of course the Queen's English is pure English. Variations on that are not (Westcountry, Birmingham, New York, Cuban etc.)

 

[painfull2006]

Oh hey! fancy that!

Watching the Masters (Golf)

The two American presenters both put on what they think is an English accent and suggest our 2 leading (that's right beating the Americans) players have a cup of tea together

Am I insulted? Hardly

 

[the idiot computer]

On a side note i hate it when Engaland is specifically called the UK but Scotland and Wales get their names right.

Also there is alot of bias in your post i detect.

 

[Layzor]

I see what you mean but "innit" isn't actually a word, it is just how common people pronounce "isn't it".

My point is that instead of colonising North America, allowing (forcing) the American language to amalgamate with our own, we instead erradicated them and established something of a sequel to Britain. A sequel that branched away and inevitably became "not English" and therefore has no influence on what can be established as the "English Language".





Please don't take this as some kind of "I hate America" thing. I love America, in my opinion it is far better than my homeland with regards to anything but the arts and language.

So suck my aluminum cock.

 

[DoctorWhat]

Well, I've never really stereotyped Americans (apart from some good natured ribbing), so I guess I'm exempt. However, you can't deny that Americans do it to. The amount of shit I got in America for being Irish, every single person thought it was funny to mention wife-beating. I don't exactly know why, but for some reason, everyone I met in America who I didn't know seemed to be under the impression that all Irish were brain-dead, bigoted drunks, and treated me as such. This wasn't in the middle of nowhere either, this was in Seattle. So, Americans can't be completely absolved.

Still, it's basic human nature. If there's a country, thousands of miles away from you, unless you're very interested, you aren't going to know much about their country except for a few basic archetypes. When this becomes a problem, is when you start treating people differently because of it.

You know, I' only remembering it now, but you're absolutely right. I've only been to the USA once, with my family. I was ten. We went on all sorts of tours, and most of the guides tried to be real "buddy-buddy" with us. And I was asked, every single time if I'd like a Guinness. They didn't even ask me jokingly... One of them even asked my brother, whos four at the time... Those tour guides were turbo-whopper-thickos.

 

[TheGreatCoolEnergy]

*Sigh* it's not just the Brits that steoretype you. Try:
-Canada
-Mexico
-France
-Russia
-China
-Every other fucking country that has existed since America began

Every country gets stereotyped; Canadians are pacifists, French are cowards, Iraqi's are suicidal bombers.

Learn to deal with stereotypes, and they won't bother you as much.

 

[Obrien Xp]

Just to throw my 2 cents in here, I'm also sick of people grouping Canadians in with Americans. I know not everybody does this but I can't stand it when it happens. We're very different.

Technically, Canadians are Americans. At least in the same sense that the British are European (not that many British believe that).

See that is speaking in a continental sense. I'm speaking in a national sense, there is no country Europe only a European Union, there is a North American Union but it has only been mentioned and considered, its not an entity as of yet. If Canadians are not American or to say in the words of the Arrogant Worms "United Statsian" because we are not part of their country. We are part of the continent North America that the United States of America derives its name from.

 

[TheHoboHunter]

Well, Im Irish, born in Manchester, lived in ireland for 10 years and I have an American accent. Care to explain that?

Globalization?

 

[Silva]

I can spell it just fine to my satisfaction. It's slang. The spelling isn't canonised.

I'm not going to argue about how spell strewth/streuth, but even slang is standardised. So no excuse

"Streuth" is a shortening of "God's truth". Since "streuth" is closer to the true phrase than "strewth", it makes no bloody sense to spell it the latter way.

I can spell it just fine to my satisfaction. It's slang. The spelling isn't canonised.

My great-grandfather didn't die twice at Gallipoli just so you could take liberties with the spelling of strewth.

I'll "take liberties with it" however much I damn please. Especially when it makes sense to on the basis of etymology.

By the way, die twice? Hah. Hahaha.

 

[Sightless Wisdom]

Well I live in Canada, which gets annoying because the rest of the world seems to think the U.S and Canada have exactly the same culture. We're barely similar in some places and completely different in others...

 

[Rawker]

I agree with you about being typecasted. I do realize there are those inbred southern retards and new york flavor douches, but we're not all like that. I've gotten hate from Canadians, both french and english speaking, Indoesians, Hispanics, and Brits on Xbox live for me being American. Hate the majority, not the minority.

 

[Camembert]

I can spell it just fine to my satisfaction. It's slang. The spelling isn't canonised.

I'm not going to argue about how spell strewth/streuth, but even slang is standardised. So no excuse

"Streuth" is a shortening of "God's truth". Since "streuth" is closer to the true phrase than "strewth", it makes no bloody sense to spell it the latter way.

I can spell it just fine to my satisfaction. It's slang. The spelling isn't canonised.

My great-grandfather didn't die twice at Gallipoli just so you could take liberties with the spelling of strewth.

I'll "take liberties with it" however much I damn please. Especially when it makes sense to on the basis of etymology.

By the way, die twice? Hah. Hahaha.

Ha, are you really taking things this seriously? I don't know about the other guy (although it seems pretty clear to me that he was joking) but my own words were tongue in cheek. Seriously, no need to get the 'ump here.

And regarding the spelling of 'strewth' - it actually makes no sense 'on the basis of etymology' to spell it either of the two ways really (it would clearly have to be 'struth'), so obviously logic doesn't come into it (as with a great many spellings in English). It also does not change the fact that the correct spelling is 'strewth'. I don't think there's anything wrong with spelling it the other, non-standardised way, but don't try and argue with the dictionary.

 

[Silva]

I don't think there's anything wrong with spelling it the other, non-standardised way, but don't try and argue with the dictionary.

Oh I will if I want to. That is my right.

Besides, I could probably go through your posts and point out a misspelling or typo somewhere, and justly find it no less offensive than a slang term that isn't even isolated to use in Australia.

But that wouldn't be fair, would it? That would be just publicly humiliating you. Irony.

 

[Camembert]

Oh I will if I want to. That is my right.

It is your right, but it is also my right to tell you in return that you are speaking nonsense.

Besides, I could probably go through your posts and point out a misspelling or typo somewhere, and justly find it no less offensive than a slang term that isn't even isolated to use in Australia.

I invite you to try and find a spelling error in one of my posts. I very much doubt you will succeed.

But that wouldn't be fair, would it? That would be just publicly humiliating you. Irony.

I didn't point out your error - I even said you're welcome to spell it how you like; I only said that once some else corrects your error you should either tell them to be quiet and stop being pedantic, or accept that you have made the error and move on. Just don't try to argue that you're not wrong, because you clearly are. I couldn't care less whether people spell things correctly, as long as they acknowledge that there is a correct spelling.

And kindly grow a sense of humour, no one meant to offend you in the first place.

 

[tim98042]

Its a neighbourly thing too, the English rib on Scots/welsh and Irish, the Yanks (ho ho, generalisation!) rib the Canadians and in France its a legal requirement to take the piss out of the Belgiums.

Oh aye, there's not a day when I don't take the piss out of the English. Mostly while talking to my English friends.

Then they call me a potato farmer, and we all laugh. I think once you know the person well enough, it's alright.

Yeah i completely agree, i think though whenever you go or speak to somebody from another country they are always going to have an stereotypical idea of that person, myself i have always tried to refrain from that, but some people especially when i play certain games or meet certain people seem to reaffirm the stereotypes i hear about. but personally i like to meet new people and i always treat them they way i would like to be treated with respect.

 

[xXGeckoXx]

I believe that adults in America are more diverse but I notice a significant ignorance in some of the younger population. I think Americans are raised in an "America, fuck yeah" way which drives me crazy to no end because I think America does awful things (and I am not talking about Iraq or Afghanistan) and has awful policies (and no I am not talking about health care). Then they grow up and they learn and they pay taxes and become more sensible (with the exception of the southerners stereotype fitting people). Because being age 14 in the UK I interact mostly with 14-15 year old Americans in a high end international school and I am constantly shocked by some of the ignorance they sprout. I know that American was against Vietnam even when it was happening. But some of the "fuck yeah" in the 14 year old's makes them excuse it (and I believe the Korean war was the right thing to do) in ignorance.

 

[Silva]

It is your right, but it is also my right to tell you in return that you are speaking nonsense.

One is fine within the social norms of basic manners. The other is not. Yours is the latter.

I invite you to try and find a spelling error in one of my posts. I very much doubt you will succeed.

I could've said that same thing before that one mistake. It happens to the best of us, even when we proof read. I even checked my spelling of streuth before making that post on Google, but apparently search engines are fail when it comes to recommending slang spelling. It's funny that it has never failed me before. Oh well.

I didn't point out your error - I even said you're welcome to spell it how you like; I only said that once some else corrects your error you should either tell them to be quiet and stop being pedantic, or accept that you have made the error and move on. Just don't try to argue that you're not wrong, because you clearly are. I couldn't care less whether people spell things correctly, as long as they acknowledge that there is a correct spelling.

Go ahead and be happy with your correctness. I'm glad that it makes you feel like a generally upper class citizen. Since I was doing an impression anyway, spelling came second to accent in my writing. Like dialogue. But I wouldn't know anything about spelling or artistic license - I'm just a holder of a Writing Major and the son of two English teachers. Please sir, would you review my understanding of English for me? I seem to have been learning German by mistake.

And kindly grow a sense of humour, no one meant to offend you in the first place.

I'm not offended. You might wish I was, troll, but I'm afraid not. Instead I've been amused and horrified with the speed at which I was corrected by the elitists on this forum on such an obscure, underused bit of slang.