Why do Americans call petrol 'gas'

Originally posted by showintail
Lmbo! Why do you call it "petrol"?
Gas is short for gasoline? Other than that I have no clue

Because my mom called it gas?

Hey you speak our language.We can call it what we want.You follow...OK

reply to post by Akragon


So they can differentiate between 4x4s and "Lorries", Where as Americans call both trucks.

Sir Humphry Davy (the discoverer) made a bit of a mess of naming this new element, at first spelling it Alumium (this was in 1807) then changing it to Aluminum, and finally settling on Aluminium in 1812. His classically educated scientific colleagues preferred Aluminium right from the start, because it had more of a classical ring, and chimed harmoniously with many other elements whose names ended in –ium, like Potassium, Sodium, and Magnesium, all of which had been named by Davy.

There, that answers the Alumin(i)um issue....lol

As to the Cigarette vs. Fag conundrum...

Fag = stick
Faggot = bundle of sticks
Cigarette (looks like a) stick
Pack of Cigarettes is a bundle of stick-like objects. So, Fag (UK) actually is more akin to Smokes (US) rather than cigarette as it's probably a slang term or "nickname". And, hopefully not against the T&C's, but it may possibly be where the derogatory use of the term Fag or Faggot for homosexual male came from (etymologically that is, it may have evolved from the same root) but that's just conjecture and speculation.

Originally posted by 46ACE

Originally posted by WorstCaseScenario
From what I can remember, us Brits call trucks 'Lorries' because a Lorry is short for 'loading trolley', which is what they used back in the day when horse power actually referred to the animal pulling the thing.

We also call the thing kids get karted around in by various names; pushchair, buggy, pram (perambulator).

Chips are large chunky fried potatoes often eaten with battered fried fish - fish 'n' chips, while fries over here refer mainly to french fries the likes of which can be consumed at McDonalds.

Crisps are what Americans refer to as Chips for some reason, I prefer to call them crisps as it is also a fair description of their texture.
What was weird for me, when I was in the States, was a 'meal' (I use the term as loosely as possible here) I ate at KFC. It came with mash potato instead of fries! I love mash but not that pastey grey stuff I had in KFC in Manhattan. YUCK!

One of my favourite differences in pronunciation is the word Oregano, in the UK we put more emphasis on the 'A' after the G. We pronounce it as 'Ah'. When I hear an american person say it it sounds a little funny.

Americans definitely have it wrong with the word 'Aluminium'.....it is not, I repeat NOT Aloo-min-um.

That's "rich" it is indeed: "Aluminum"

Aluminum at Chemical Elements.com
Basic Information | Atomic Structure | Isotopes | Related Links | Citing This Page

Basic Information

Name: Aluminum
Symbol: Al
Atomic Number: 13
Atomic Mass: 26.981539 amu
Melting Point: 660.37 °C (933.52 K, 1220.666 °F)
Boiling Point: 2467.0 °C (2740.15 K, 4472.6 °F)
Number of Protons/Electrons: 13
Number of Neutrons: 14
Classification: Other Metals
Crystal Structure: Cubic

I don'tknow what the hell "aluminium" is...

Guess that's the same family as "unobtainium"????

www.chemicalelements.com...

Originally posted by WorstCaseScenario
Look closely, it features TWO of the letter I. American people completely disregard this second I for some reason, not the case in other similar words like plutonium which is really weird!
Aluminium is the only one you refuse to read correctly.

But don't stop, I like the fact that we have different dialects and ways of pronouncing things. We have some seriously broad accents in parts of the UK. I even have trouble understanding some fellow brits, especially the further north you go..

edit on 23-5-2011 by 46ACE because: (no reason given)

edit on 23-5-2011 by 46ACE because: (no reason given)

Lol, we like to leave out letters, and make up words

We also have "ebonics"--- "say Cuz, I jus hooked tha slab up wit sum dubs, candy paint, you kno how we do in tha dirty south!"

another thought, question... Those old black and white silent films, why is the spelling all jacked up? When did the spellings change?

reply to post by WorstCaseScenario


Hey the rest of the world is on the chip side pal!, the man who invented them called them chips not crisps. No hostility just playing

reply to post by pyrodude


But you call a hatchet an atchet

reply to post by 4Starlight2Decay0


well, I dont, a hatchet is a hatchet. I do call a window a winda, fairly typical in the southern US to drop the ow. The other way the south jacks up window is winder, I never got that one. and all sodas are coke not pop or soda pop.

I've always wondered why Americans say vehicle in a such a weird way.

what?

we are this far in the thread already, and nobody has mentioned the difference between american 'fanny', and the english 'fanny'

Does this clear anything up?

Word Origin & History lorry "A truck, a long, flat wagon," 1838, British railroad word, probably from verb lurry "to pull, tug," of uncertain origin. Meaning "large motor vehicle for carrying goods" is first attested 1911.

Word Origin: Latin alumen: alum, an astringent and dyeing mordant Note on Naming: Sir Humphry Davy proposed the name aluminum for the metal, however, the name aluminium was adopted to conform with the "ium" ending of most elements. This spelling is in use in most countries. Aluminium was also the spelling in the U.S. until 1925, when the American Chemical Society officially decided to use the name aluminum instead.

Originally posted by Onet Wosix
what?

we are this far in the thread already, and nobody has mentioned the difference between american 'fanny', and the english 'fanny'

It also means "funny" to a cockney!

Example, "You fanny cant"

Originally posted by BrianDamage

Originally posted by Onet Wosix
what?

we are this far in the thread already, and nobody has mentioned the difference between american 'fanny', and the english 'fanny'

It also means "funny" to a cockney!

Example, "You fanny cant"

haha

when Brian Cant was on TV it always used to give us lolz as kids

we used to call each other Brian Cant , in a cockney accent of course

Originally posted by Onet Wosix

Originally posted by BrianDamage

Originally posted by Onet Wosix
what?

we are this far in the thread already, and nobody has mentioned the difference between american 'fanny', and the english 'fanny'

It also means "funny" to a cockney!

Example, "You fanny cant"

haha

when Brian Cant was on TV it always used to give us lolz as kids

I quite agree, and he lived up to his name in my opinion. (bit creepy).

What about the pronunciation of "laboratory." The English say "Lah-BORE-ah-try" and in the US it's "LAB-ra-tor-y" Seems to me each group is skipping a letter, just a different one.

Originally posted by BrianDamage
Does this clear anything up?

Word Origin & History lorry "A truck, a long, flat wagon," 1838, British railroad word, probably from verb lurry "to pull, tug," of uncertain origin. Meaning "large motor vehicle for carrying goods" is first attested 1911.

Word Origin: Latin alumen: alum, an astringent and dyeing mordant Note on Naming: Sir Humphry Davy proposed the name aluminum for the metal, however, the name aluminium was adopted to conform with the "ium" ending of most elements. This spelling is in use in most countries. Aluminium was also the spelling in the U.S. until 1925, when the American Chemical Society officially decided to use the name aluminum instead.

Thanks... thought i had lost my marbles there a bit...

I like discussions like this.

My 2 pound sterlings: Soda is fizzy water, add in some flavouring and then you get something different.
Coke, Sprite, 7up, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper and so on.
We have a brand of drinks called Panda Pops (cheap, more aimed at kids).

But we don't just generalize that every fizzy drink is called Pop or Soda.


Also Colour > Color.

Originally posted by Chukkles
But we don't just generalize that every fizzy drink is called Pop or Soda.

Pop OR Soda? The difference will categorize you instantly. I once saw a linguistic map of this, but don't remember the details. It's Soda in the South, Pop in the Northwest. Hmm, deserves its own thread.

reply to post by 46ACE


HAHA indeed! I had no idea that the reason you say it wrong, is because you spell it wrong too!!

It shall no longer wind me up now that I know you have good reason to say aloo-min-um. In fact, since the rules around language are open to interpretation, I might start calling it aluminum too, but it will never catch on over here, not with the British mentality!

Well done to whoever that member was that cleared up the Alumin(i)um thing.

reply to post by showintail


HAHA cool. We too have the Ebonics! Slightly different though and I have the feeling that our version is an offspring of the original Ebonics dialect, as it mimics alot of the pronunciation/words. No doubt TV/Film has a lot to do with that, and more over, Hip Hop.
Infact this I have on a Dj Yoda album and its called delta ebonics and is pretty cool, makes me laugh everytime


Also being a street artist/grafitti writer by profession (no i'm not Banksy and neither do I know him), I know exactly what your sentence describes,I painted for many years with a crew over here known as GFS = Get F@~*ing Scrubbing.

Which is what I suggest you now do, you vandal you.