Author Topic: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)  (Read 28132 times)

Offline B.D.F.

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #100 on: March 14, 2018, 03:00:59 PM »
Math. It is always 'math' in the US, while it seems to be 'maths' in the UK.

Brian
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Offline mikeyw64

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #101 on: March 15, 2018, 03:43:24 AM »
That's because its an abbreviated version of "mathematics"


you wouldn't say  "Let's do the mathematic" you would say "Let's do the mathematics" , the former doesn't make sense.

 But I do agree that "Let's do the math" makes as much sense as "Let's do the maths"  and actually the former is starting to become more commonplace & acceptable.


Math. It is always 'math' in the US, while it seems to be 'maths' in the UK.

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Offline mikeyw64

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #102 on: March 15, 2018, 11:47:17 PM »
Pharmacist vs Chemist

Tricky one that.


Yes if I was going to go and collect something from a high street outlet I would probably say "I'm just nipping to the chemists"


However once I get there I would collect my prescription from the pharmacist being the person who works in the chemists that makes up the prescription. They can also issue basic medical advice.

Then again if I was attending hospital as an outpatient I might have to go to the "pharmacy" to pick up a prescription before leaving as inside a hospital they're not known as "chemists"


BTW I presume drugstore/pharmacist is the same sort of thing
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Offline Rhino

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #103 on: March 20, 2018, 01:31:55 PM »

BTW I presume drugstore/pharmacist is the same sort of thing

A drugstore or pharmacy is the place where a pharmacist works.

Offline B.D.F.

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #104 on: March 20, 2018, 01:35:46 PM »
Was watching a British documentary and tripped over an expression brand- new to me: the number 1,400,000 was expressed by the Brit. narrator as "fourteen hundred, thousand". Really caught me by surprise as I have never heard that before and would never express a number that way; I would say 1.4 million or one- million, four hundred thousand, as would all Americans at least to the best of my knowledge.

Again, the words are the same and make perfect sense, it is just the presentation that is different.

Brian
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Offline Rhino

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #105 on: March 20, 2018, 02:04:10 PM »
In the movie "Inglorious Bastards", one of the spies was found out when he used the index finger and middle finger to express the number 2. Apparently in Europe, the thumb and index finger is more commonly used. What is common in the UK?

Offline mikeyw64

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #106 on: March 20, 2018, 02:24:29 PM »
In the movie "Inglorious Bastards", one of the spies was found out when he used the index finger and middle finger to express the number 2. Apparently in Europe, the thumb and index finger is more commonly used. What is common in the UK?

Index and middle finger
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Offline B.D.F.

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #107 on: March 20, 2018, 02:48:35 PM »
I think it was 'three', and the difference was using or not- using the thumb. The guy gives himself away by signalling three not using his thumb; he signals three with his first three fingers, while a German would use his thumb and first two fingers. Which is all well and fine but I am an American and also use my thumb when indicating "drei". For 'one' and 'two', I use fingers. For 'three', I use two fingers and thumb. For four, I use all four fingers and no thumb. There is only one way I know of to signal five with one hand (and your pants up).

What is interesting in Germany is that people wear their wedding rings on their right hands, as do Orthodox Christians, at least commonly. Germans wear their wedding bands on their left hands to signal engagement but move it to the right hand once actually married. But that seems to be a German rather than European custom and I believe they wear wedding rings on the left hand in the UK as we do in the US.

Brian

In the movie "Inglorious Bastards", one of the spies was found out when he used the index finger and middle finger to express the number 2. Apparently in Europe, the thumb and index finger is more commonly used. What is common in the UK?
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Offline mikeyw64

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #108 on: March 20, 2018, 03:15:59 PM »
If asked to indicate 3 I would hold up three fingers as in a boy scout salute.

On the other hand if I was counting up to three whilst displaying I would probably start with my thumb for 1.



Oh and yes, wedding ring traditionally on left, which you guys adopted from us ;)

Which we in turn get from the Romans :D
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Offline Conniesaki

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #109 on: March 20, 2018, 03:29:22 PM »
Was watching a British documentary and tripped over an expression brand- new to me: the number 1,400,000 was expressed by the Brit. narrator as "fourteen hundred, thousand". Really caught me by surprise as I have never heard that before and would never express a number that way; I would say 1.4 million or one- million, four hundred thousand, as would all Americans at least to the best of my knowledge.

Again, the words are the same and make perfect sense, it is just the presentation that is different.

Brian

"one-million four hundred thousand" = 5 words = 8 syllables = 33 letters including spaces

"fourteen hundred thousand" = 3 words = 6 syllables = 25 letters including spaces

"1.4 million" = 2 words = 5 syllables = 11 alphanumeric characters including spaces

"1,400,000" = 1 "word" = ? syllables = 9 alphanumeric characters including spaces

If the situation allows for solely numbers, "1,400,000" requires the fewest words and alphanumeric characters, so it saves time, ink, electricity and probably other resources, so I vote that it should be the default. I would pronounce it economically as "one point four million". Nice ... and concise  8)

If the number must consist of all letters/words, then "fourteen hundred thousand" is more economical than "one-million four hundred thousand" for the same reasons.

Offline B.D.F.

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #110 on: March 20, 2018, 03:42:53 PM »
Yeah on the wedding ring thing and I have to say, it is quite off- putting to a Colonist to see a woman wearing a gold band on the right hand and nothing on the left hand. ?? ?? ?? Just a bit of kultur shock though.

Brian

If asked to indicate 3 I would hold up three fingers as in a boy scout salute.

On the other hand if I was counting up to three whilst displaying I would probably start with my thumb for 1.



Oh and yes, wedding ring traditionally on left, which you guys adopted from us ;)

Which we in turn get from the Romans :D
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Offline B.D.F.

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #111 on: March 20, 2018, 03:46:33 PM »
I am not addressing the correctness or incorrectness of either method, merely pointing out that there is a different and it was a bit surprising.

Sort of like the first time one hears "Take him to hospital" from anyone older than four years of age. :-) Or "Good value for money". Both of them need a 'a' or a 'the' in there somewhere to make a sentence..... in the US.

:-)

If someone told me I won a lottery, and it was in the amount of fourteen- hundred thousand dollars, I would tilt my head to the side like a dog who does not understand the statement.

Brian

"one-million four hundred thousand" = 5 words = 8 syllables = 33 letters including spaces

"fourteen hundred thousand" = 3 words = 6 syllables = 25 letters including spaces

"1.4 million" = 2 words = 5 syllables = 11 alphanumeric characters including spaces

"1,400,000" = 1 "word" = ? syllables = 9 alphanumeric characters including spaces

If the situation allows for solely numbers, "1,400,000" requires the fewest words and alphanumeric characters, so it saves time, ink, electricity and probably other resources, so I vote that it should be the default. I would pronounce it economically as "one point four million". Nice ... and concise  8)

If the number must consist of all letters/words, then "fourteen hundred thousand" is more economical than "one-million four hundred thousand" for the same reasons.
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Offline mikeyw64

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #112 on: March 20, 2018, 04:01:08 PM »
Fourteen hundred thousand makes no sense to me and can't say it's commonplace.

Most people would say one point four million
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Offline maxtog

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #113 on: March 20, 2018, 04:53:08 PM »
If asked to indicate 3 I would hold up three fingers as in a boy scout salute.

On the other hand if I was counting up to three whilst displaying I would probably start with my thumb for 1.

The problem with counting up, starting with the thumb, is that the thumb is needed to hold down the ring and pinky fingers when you get to four.  Just a limitation of the hand for most humans.  This is why it is most logical to count starting with the index finger, then go through the other three fingers, and finally the thumb.

Anatomy wins, hands-down :)
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Offline maxtog

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #114 on: March 20, 2018, 04:56:48 PM »
Fourteen hundred thousand makes no sense to me and can't say it's commonplace.

Most people would say one point four million

Yep.

Except Europe seems to like to use commas instead of decimal points (1,4 not 1.4) and vice-versa... which makes no sense to me at all... so they would have to say "one comma four million"?

$1.400.000,65   bizarre
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Offline mikeyw64

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #115 on: March 20, 2018, 11:57:17 PM »
Yep.

Except Europe seems to like to use commas instead of decimal points (1,4 not 1.4) and vice-versa... which makes no sense to me at all... so they would have to say "one comma four million"?

$1.400.000,65   bizarre

Cant speak for Europe but I (along with most Brits I know) would use $1,400,000.65
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Offline mikeyw64

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #116 on: March 21, 2018, 12:01:16 AM »
The problem with counting up, starting with the thumb, is that the thumb is needed to hold down the ring and pinky fingers when you get to four.  Just a limitation of the hand for most humans.  This is why it is most logical to count starting with the index finger, then go through the other three fingers, and finally the thumb.

Anatomy wins, hands-down :)



I can count up quite easily on either hand starting with my thumb :)
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Offline maxtog

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Re: Differences between English and English (UK vs. US)
« Reply #117 on: March 21, 2018, 01:42:50 AM »
I can count up quite easily on either hand starting with my thumb :)

You are wired differently...
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Offline mikeyw64

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