Do they teach American language in Primary schools nowadays?

[Alex321]

The labels we give colours evolved.
In ancient times, there were very few colours and one label could be stuck to what we today would call several colours. Homer, for instance, said the sea was wine-dark. What we would later call yellow and blue were referred to as one colour. I can't remember the order but it went something like: everything is "brown", then "brown and red", then "brown, red and black", etc. This phenomenon occurred in nearly all languages.

And you also have varieties which are given names and treated as colours within one overarching colour name. So crimson, burgundy, scarlet are all varieties of red, for instance.

 

[DaveReading]

In Shakepeare's time, blood was considered to be golden.

 

[tyred]

I work for an American company. I've had to teach myself how to write in American!

 

[figbat]

When I go to a foreign country I will try to speak as much of their language as I can. For many this is limited to “hello” and “thank you”, for a couple I can get further than that. In America I also make the effort to speak the local language, so will use American terms where I know them (for example trunk/boot, sidewalk/pavement, pavement/Tarmac and so on).

 

[AndyRM]

Guys.
What is the informal, colloquial alternative way to address a mixed gender group of people?

Y'all

 

[bobzmyunkle]

In America I also make the effort to speak the local language, so will use American terms where I know them (for example trunk/boot, sidewalk/pavement, pavement/Tarmac and so on).

In the States (or any other country) it's reasonable and probably more effective to communicate in their language.
We can still object (strongly and no doubt pointlessly) to the import of these terms into English English.

 

[figbat]

In the States (or any other country) it's reasonable and probably more effective to communicate in their language.
We can still object (strongly and no doubt pointlessly) to the import of these terms into English English.

Agreed. I am constantly berating my teenage kids for using American terms when English ones are available.

 

[bobzmyunkle]

I am constantly berating my teenage kids for using American terms when English ones are available.

Mine are well beyond teenage and usually many miles away. They seem to be around the house at the moment though - something to do with Christmas. Apart from the Americanisms, they keep talking about 'dinner' when it's obviously tea time. Bah humbug.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Zed and Zee are funny, because there are times when I find Zee is appropriate these days. There's a term in computer networking "DMZ" (Demilitarised Zone) that I always pronounce Dee-Emm-Zee because that's how I learned it (from Americans). However I pronounce the thing that routes network traffic "Rooter" not "rowter" because the latter is a piece of woodworking equipment in my mind

I remember years back my dad went on a computing course. Obviously the instructor was from the South of England. He came back referring to Commarnds with a southern A, when his normal Midland accent would pronounce it with a short A So a command in computing to him was pronounced in the posh southern way, whereas something that a military officer might give was pronounced in his normal accent.

 

[matticus]

Guys.
What is the informal, colloquial alternative way to address a mixed gender group of people

If we were on a different forum, I'd give you a telling-off for not being aware of this stuff ;-) . Here's the first relevant google hit:
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/08/guys-gender-neutral/568231/

 

[yello]

There's a term in computer networking "DMZ" (Demilitarised Zone) that I always pronounce Dee-Emm-Zee because that's how I learned it (from Americans).

Nice example; context and everything. The Z, in this case, isn't a letter it's part of the expression. Dee-Emm-Zed would just be wrong, the wrong pronunciation of the word. I doubt there's anyone in the UK that would say it - and if they did, it would be out of shere obstinance!

I'm an antipodean (keep it under your hat please ) and when I came to the UK, for years I got strange looks when I said 'data'. I eventually accommodated but I'm still confused as to which way I 'should' say it, I can never remember which is where. My accent is now otherwise 'generally somewhere English' without overly distinctive nor identifying give-aways but every now and again, an antipodean vowel sound will sneak out - and cause strange looks. When I worked in the US, they picked up one those vowel sounds more readily than in the UK, identifying me as Aussie before English. In fact, Irish before English. Weird huh? (But then I was in Boston so that might need to be factored in)

 

[Alex321]

Nice example; context and everything. The Z, in this case, isn't a letter it's part of the expression. Dee-Emm-Zed would just be wrong, the wrong pronunciation of the word. I doubt there's anyone in the UK that would say it - and if they did, it would be out of shere obstinance!

I would certainly say it as zed, but then I am always aware of what the abbreviation stands for, so I don't actually really see D-M-Z, I see DeMilitarised Zone.

I'm an antipodean (keep it under your hat please ) and when I came to the UK, for years I got strange looks when I said 'data'. I eventually accommodated but I'm still confused as to which way I 'should' say it, I can never remember which is where. My accent is now otherwise 'generally somewhere English' without overly distinctive nor identifying give-aways but every now and again, an antipodean vowel sound will sneak out - and cause strange looks. When I worked in the US, they picked up one those vowel sounds more readily than in the UK, identifying me as Aussie before English. In fact, Irish before English. Weird huh? (But then I was in Boston so that might need to be factored in)

Again, I would always say data as date-a, rather than the American daht-a

 

[tyred]

I believe Paul McCartney's Dad tried to persuade him to change the lyrics to "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah" to "She loves you, yes, yes, yes" as it sounded more English so moaning about this sort of thing is nothing new.

I wonder would it have been the hit that it was if he had taken the parental advice...

 

[yello]

The Beatles knew which market was important! Well, Paul McCartney did at least The accusation of them singing in American accents is something I've heard before.

But if you consider which side of the Atlantic many of their influences are from, then we're back to the DMZ situation. Where did you hear something and in what context? Rock & roll, blues etc was 'yeah yeah yeah' not 'yes yes yes'. If the Brits had gotten (or got, whichever you prefer) there first then maybe it would have been a different story

 

[yello]

I would certainly say it as zed, but then I am always aware of what the abbreviation stands for, so I don't actually really see D-M-Z, I see DeMilitarised Zone.

That's the salient point. If you weren't aware of that, as I wasn't at first (I mean, I though that it probably stood for something but had no idea exactly what) then how would you have pronounced it? Plus, I first heard it in the context of war films (American probably) and then in the IT industry, so I just went along with the pronunciation for the sake of fitting in. If, when back in the UK, everyone around me had been saying 'zed' then I would have reverted to it - but they weren't, they were saying dee-emm-zee.