"Damn immigrants need to learn proper english!"

[Anise]

Oh, I know one:

To bomb a test. If you bombed a test in Britain, you aced it. If you bombed a test in the US, you flunked it.

(At least according to my international business professor)

[Sola]

This thread is making me LOL. And as a hybrid Scots/English speaker, I apologise to all the "innit" haters. I use that. "Gonnae open the door, innit".

I was caught on video today and despaired when I saw the playback as I use that exact phrase. *blush*

I loved the Yorkshire dialect in the thread! That's so cool. I think in honour of Geniebelle FJ should have a day of typing EXACTLY how we speak....

If a did that, nobdi would understand owt a sey!

'Need to use the restroom' in Yorkshire would be 'Am gunna t'lav, dunt worry, al oppen t'winder!'

[JesusFightClub]

Heh. If you'd not pointed out the "wee" minute, I was going to!!

I often say "I have to pee" or just "gotta pee" or "lemme go pee, I'll be back in a minute" among informal friends and work mates.

As a child I had a neighbor who would say, when he really "had to go," "Man, I gotta piss like a racehorse" which my childhood self found awesome.

I also hear frequently "I gotta take a leak."

Among kids in the US people refer to urination as "#1" and defecation as "#2." So you might hear "Mommy I gotta go to the bathroom" "#1 or #2?"

This has led to quite some jokes at my workplace where something ends up #2 (on a list or whatever) and it happens to be something people think is full of "BS," so there will be comments about how yeah, you're not kidding that's #2. But for some reason there are a lot of poop jokes in my office...

As for SAYING it's time for #2 I might say "I need to poop" in the same places I'd say "I need to pee." But I might just say "I need to pee" to cover it all.

Silly expressions do abound, though, gotta laugh at "I need to lay some pipe..."

Also now that I see "the turtle's head..." up there I'm reminded of "my teeth are floating" for when you really, really, REALLY gotta go.

One of the reasons I love FJ is learning about language!

I like "my teeth are floating" I shall start using this :D

Amongst people I know they would normally walk away, use toilet and return. If they needed to pee they may tell you but otherwise I have heard "wee bit of a bug" from people who have to use the toilet a lot. No problem, we all get sick sometimes.

[RR88]

My brother used to say his own euphemism, "I have to go punish the toilet." I picked that up from him and use it occasionally for comic effect.

As far as languages are concerned, I applaud anyone who is able to use a second (or third, or fourth) tongue. Public usage is the only way to get good at a language. Those who act as if accented or error-filled English is somehow "bad" should be ashamed of themselves. We all have accents and idiosyncracies (and, at times, trouble with some languages), so it's best to just be polite and patient.

I agree that language acquisition depends on what languages a student already knows. Knowing Hebrew makes learning Arabic a lot easier for me than it would be if I knew, say, Spanish or Italian. In fact, I'd probably be afraid to even attempt Arabic if that were the case! When my nephew is born later this year, I hope to speak a number of languages to him.

(Also: Hello! I've been too busy to post until now; this is my first post in a few months.)

[Iamthatbean]

I teach college writing to international students, most from the PRC. I have pretty much no trouble understanding anything they say--after the first couple days of adjusting to a different accent. Maybe if you spend all day at home trolling internet forums, you don't get a chance to acclimate your own ears to accented English. There's no constitutional right to hear everyone in the U.S. talk exactly like you do.

My dd has been in ST since she was 16 months. She can voice well but has a very thick accent (it just got worse when she lost her other front tooth). People have a lot of trouble understanding her and she often gets told to learn English. Signing actually is worse as most clerks won't be patient enough to try.

[Sola]

If anyone wants to know how us Yorkshire folk talk, see this http://www.whoohoo.co.uk/yorkshire-translator.asp. Type in what you want to say, it translates it to Yorkshire, then read it out phonetically.

[dairyfreelife]

Interesting. I didn't know there was a "proper" way to speak English. I've loved going to university and working in retail. I've had the pleasure of meeting people from so many different countries and for many of them, English isn't their first language and sometimes it's difficult to understand them, but it's not easy for them to understand me either. America was built on immigration and a diverse populace. And the pop/soda thing. Where I live people usually say coke. Cola, pop, soda, coke, soft drink are all the same thing. It takes time to learn and adapt to culture, but it's just it-people adapt. I've been trying to learn Spanish. Learning another language can be difficult. The older you are, the harder it is. I think Geniebelle just needs patience and more understanding. I'm also betting she's not used to much diversity.

This is another thread to pull out the popcorn for-I'm running out of popcorn.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Spanish is another language that's used in tons of countries and so has a lot of variation, particularly in informal slang and the like. I don't speak Spanish myself but when I worked at the translation place there were a few Spanish speakers from various areas, and they were always having discussions sort of like the later part of this thread, with lots of "you say WHAT? Hahaha" mutual fun amazement going on.

[Anise]

Spanish is another language that's used in tons of countries and so has a lot of variation, particularly in informal slang and the like. I don't speak Spanish myself but when I worked at the translation place there were a few Spanish speakers from various areas, and they were always having discussions sort of like the later part of this thread, with lots of "you say WHAT? Hahaha" mutual fun amazement going on.

Most famous example:

Coger

To take in Spain

To fuck in Argentina and most of Latin America

[RR88]

Spanish is another language that's used in tons of countries and so has a lot of variation, particularly in informal slang and the like. I don't speak Spanish myself but when I worked at the translation place there were a few Spanish speakers from various areas, and they were always having discussions sort of like the later part of this thread, with lots of "you say WHAT? Hahaha" mutual fun amazement going on.

I've learned that Arabic is the same way. Yiddish, too.

[Guest Anonymous]

Again, you're assuming it's words or phrases I'm talking about and assuming I know nothing about diversity. Hmm let's see:

A doctor from India (who has more compassion than any doctor I know)

A manager from Sudan (who everyone gets along with)

Bi-racial family members & friends (who I love)

The Mexican-American family across the street (good friends)

My cousin's family from Australia

Friends and neighbors of different races, religions, etc.

My co-workers who are all of different backgrounds

Now what was it you were saying about diversity? I can't wait to see how this on will be picked apart.

[Soldevi]

You are just trying to get attention when this thread started to take another course. You are boring.

[Witsec7]

You are just trying to get attention when this thread started to take another course. You are boring.

I worked with a Finnish prof. for a couple of years, he liked it when I used hot pink glittery nail polish. :D

[RR88]

Stop offering your "diversity credentials", geniebelle. The more you utter the "But some of my best friends are _______!" line, the more insecure you seem. I don't know if I'd call you a racist (and then claim you were giving me heart palpitations), but you prove nothing when you give us examples to illustrate your ethnically diverse group of friends.

[Artemis]

Geniebelle, is there any possibility that you can answer my questions? They are quite simple and for someone who apparently puts such a lot of information about themselves online, they aren't that intrusive.

I'll repeat them so you don't have to look back:

Do you speak any language other than American English?

Have you ever tried to learn any other language?

Have you ever travelled to a country that is not the USA?

Have you ever visited, lived in or worked in a country where English is not the national language, and/or where you do not speak the national language?

[JesusFightClub]

If a did that, nobdi would understand owt a sey!

'Need to use the restroom' in Yorkshire would be 'Am gunna t'lav, dunt worry, al oppen t'winder!'

Sola, there would be an internet prize for you. That would be brilliant.

Interested in what Geniebelle wid make o owt we say. Mebbe she cannae understan it, ken?

[Artemis]

She certainly can't understand plain English JFC - or maybe I'd get a reply.

[RR88]

Artemis, what languages do you know? I wish I knew more than I do; its hard to acquire a language in a place where the native speakers usually speak decent English (i.e., Israel).

[pomology]

Artemis, what languages do you know? I wish I knew more than I do; its hard to acquire a language in a place where the native speakers usually speak decent English (i.e., Israel).

OMG, when I was in Israel every time I spoke Hebrew to somebody they would reply in English once they heard my accent. It was so annoying.

[Sola]

Sola, there would be an internet prize for you. That would be brilliant.

Interested in what Geniebelle wid make o owt we say. Mebbe she cannae understan it, ken?

nayow, shi wayn't!

[RR88]

OMG, when I was in Israel every time I spoke Hebrew to somebody they would reply in English once they heard my accent. It was so annoying.

I have been able to (for the most part) eliminate my American accent when speaking Hebrew, using an Israeli one. But many Israelis speak quickly, and when I ask them to slow down (so that I can respond to them in Hebrew), they revert to English. Sometimes I wish I were completely surrounded by Hebrew; if that happened, I'd achieve native fluency in a few months.

[Artemis]

In reply to your question :)

I speak very fluent French, some German and Spanish, and a little modern Greek. I've never been to Italy, but I know that judging by my experience with the other European languages I speak in that family, and the fact that I read Italian, I'd probably be speaking the basics inside a week (that actually happened with my modern Greek, and also with Spanish). I read French as fluently as English, in other words when I read it it goes straight in as French, I don't translate it mentally into English. When I'm in France and immersed by the language, I dream in French. I read German, Spanish and Italian a lot more fluently that I speak them. My degree subjects were Latin and Ancient Greek, which of course you don't do an oral in, but which have helped me with the related European languages.

My fluency and versatility with the ones I know less well varies - if I haven't been to the country for a while, I am poorer at it. Immersed in the country, language and culture, it's like a switch flicks really fast, and my brain makes sense of it. My sister is a far more skilled linguist than I - she speaks fluent French, German, Russian, Portuguese, some Spanish and Italian, and enough Khmer and Malayalam to get by. My mother speaks French and German. Her brother, my uncle, speaks French, German and Spanish fluently, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch and Russian moderately.

I sometimes wonder if there is an inherited ability or ease of comprehension of some sort. But I am definitely not the star linguist in my family. I do feel lucky though, and I love reading and speaking other languages.

ETfix typo

[RR88]

In reply to your question :)

I speak very fluent French, some German and Spanish, and a little modern Greek. I've never been to Italy, but I know that judging by my experience with the other European languages I speak in that family, and the fact that I read Italian, I'd probably be speaking the basics inside a week (that actually happened with my modern Greek, and also with Spanish). I read French as fluently as English, in other words when I read it it goes straight in as French, I don't translate it mentally into English. When I'm in France and immersed by the language, I dream in French. I read German, Spanish and Italian a lot more fluently that I speak them. My degree subjects were Latin and Ancient Greek, which of course you don't do an oral in, but which have helped me with the related European languages.

My fluency and versatility with the ones I know less well varies - if I haven't been to the country for a while, I am poorer at it. Immersed in the country, language and culture, it's like a switch flicks really fast, and my brain makes sense of it. My sister is a far more skilled linguist than I - she speaks fluent French, German, Russian, Portuguese, some Spanish and Italian, and enough Khmer and Malayalam to get by. My mother speaks French and German. Her brother, my uncle, speaks French, German and Spanish fluently, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch and Russian moderately.

I sometimes wonder if there is an inherited ability or ease of coprehension of some sort. But I am definitely not the star linguist in my family. I do feel lucky though, and I love reading and speaking other languages.

I envy you! Some people are just good with languages, and knowing related ones helps a great deal. As I wrote earlier, I wouldn't have even tried to learn Arabic if I hadn't already known a Semitic language. I imagine knowing one Romance langugae makes it easier to grasp another.

[freejoytoo]

My ex was Brazilian and could switch in and out of English, Portuguese and Spanish without even thinking about it. It was depressing. I can speak a handful of French, Spanish and German.

[dairyfreelife]

Sola, there would be an internet prize for you. That would be brilliant.

Interested in what Geniebelle wid make o owt we say. Mebbe she cannae understan it, ken?

*Smirks* I like that idea-everyone speaking just how they talk or the most common dialect where they live phonetically. I don't keer to have people hare use thar phonetic dialect. Woulda be my-tee fun. Law a mercy eye reckon miss geniebelle ought ta git herself out of har thar holler an' learn harself bout othar folk. She'n keeps pooching up her nonsense. She ain't pooshin' any buttons of mine'n like she'n wants ta thank. Eye hope how soon we can git answers from har to Artemis's questions.

Appalachian/Southern West Virginia dialect.