A question (or two) about English

[thrashaholic]

This is really a question directed to people who have learned to speak English as a second language. What I was wondering is which variety of English you were taught to speak/write etc. American 'English' or Proper (British) English? (color/colour, magnetize/magnetise, aluminum/aluminium, mold/mould, upcoming/forthcoming, line/queue and so on and so on...)

It would also be quite interesting to see the distribution of each, so perhaps it would be possible if you gave your country too?

Oh, and one more general question, why in the name of *** *** do Americans insist on smattering 'hell' all over their sentences? e.g. "...hell, even my nipples turned blue!", "well, hell, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't consolidate relativity and quantum theory!" etc. etc. It annoys the hell out of me...

(Language - Beirut)

[Moros]

This is really a question directed to people who have learned to speak English as a second language. What I was wondering is which variety of English you were taught to speak/write etc. American 'English' or Proper (British) English? (color/colour, magnetize/magnetise, aluminum/aluminium, mold/mould, upcoming/forthcoming, line/queue and so on and so on...)

It would also be quite interesting to see the distribution of each, so perhaps it would be possible if you gave your country too?

Well my English is far from perfect but In school we learn british English. But I mostly learned English from TV. As about 7 years ago there was no Belgian MTV so we watched the UK one (I also wathced the BBC when Iw as little) and in contrary to Germany and France most English Films, series,... are subtitled instead of having voice overs wich are done verry badly. So I started learning a mix of Britisch and American English. Then because of school I got more of a Britisch accent tough. (I speak a lot better then I write, as I learned it from tv).
And well later I also started to frequent English forums wich improved my english a bit too. But Americanized (is that a word) it a bit again.

So from the words I probably would spell them like this:
colour, magnetize, aluminium (same as in Dutch so), mold, upcoming, queue and line (I use both.)

Oh, and one more general question, why in the name of *** *** do Americans insist on smattering 'hell' all over their sentences? e.g. "...hell, even my nipples turned blue!", "well, hell, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't consolidate relativity and quantum theory!" etc. etc. It annoys the hell out of me...

Americans are Americans.

(Quoted language - Beirut)

[doc_bean]

British at school, American from tv (my primary source), I use a combination of both, combined with some Dinglish (Dutch + English), bad grammar and some general bad spelling and typing

[Avicenna]

British at school, American on TV/movies.

Can't really say that English is a second language though, more of a joint first, since I learned it since birth. I don't speak it at home though.

[DukeofSerbia]

British in elementary/high school and faculty, but I preffer American version because of TV, computers, movies etc. Professors forced British but everybody speaks American version.

[Peasant Phill]

It seems to be unanimous about the English language in Belgium: British in school and American from TV. It's logical that the school system teaches us the british English as that county is closer and therefor the probability of needing to strike up a conversation with a Brit is bigger.

Like most others I have learned my English from the tele (aha here comes my british accent) and later on improved in school. This is one of the reasons I prefer subtitles. This year was my last year of University and I was still using my gut feeling about grammar instead of my grammar book (And with great success although I must admit that the English course only involves 2 hours a week)

Actually I should have adopted an Australian accent as I mostly watched "Neighbors" and "Home and Away" in those days. Glad that that worked out, mate.

And yes, I'm annoyed to by the seemingly inability of Americans to say a sentence without something flung in between.

[Pannonian]

(color/colour, magnetize/magnetise, aluminum/aluminium, mold/mould, upcoming/forthcoming, line/queue and so on and so on...)

Colour not color.
Magnetise not magnetize.
Aluminium not aluminum.
Mould not mold.
Forthcoming not upcoming.
Queue not line.
Lift not elevator.
Motorway not highway.
Petrol not gas.
Trousers not pants.
Pissed off not pissed (pissed is when you post to the drunkards thread).

We should invade the colonies and teach them to speak real English.

[Louis VI the Fat]

When paying at a restaurant, I ask for the BILL which I pay with a CHEQUE, not the other way round.

That should answer your question.

[Silver Rusher]

Colour not color.
Magnetise not magnetize.
Aluminium not aluminum.
Mould not mold.
Forthcoming not upcoming.
Queue not line.
Lift not elevator.
Motorway not highway.
Petrol not gas.
Trousers not pants.
Pissed off not pissed (pissed is when you post to the drunkards thread).

We should invade the colonies and teach them to speak real English.

Pannonian for King!

[lars573]

Colour not color.
Magnetise not magnetize.
Aluminium not aluminum.
Mould not mold.
Forthcoming not upcoming.
Queue not line.
Lift not elevator.
Motorway not highway.
Petrol not gas.
Trousers not pants.
Pissed off not pissed (pissed is when you post to the drunkards thread).

We should invade the colonies and teach them to speak real English.

I use
Magnetize
If your speaking of an object that you pour clay or molten metal into to form something then mold.
Queue and line, line is more common though.
Upcoming
Elevator
Highway
Gas. Gas is much more proper a word than petrol. Gas is short for Gasoline. where as Petrol is short for petrolium. Gas is the actual feul that goes into your car. Petrol is anything liquid made from crude oil. From karosine to bunker C.
Pants
Pissed off

[naut]

I use
Magnetize
If your speaking of an object that you pour clay or molten metal into to form something then mold.
Queue and line, line is more common though.
Upcoming
Elevator
Highway
Gas. Gas is much more proper a word than petrol. Gas is short for Gasoline. where as Petrol is short for petrolium. Gas is the actual feul that goes into your car. Petrol is anything liquid made from crude oil. From karosine to bunker C.
Pants
Pissed off

Diction sir, diction. We gave you a language please kindly use it.

[Justiciar]

Good luck wit dat.

[Sigurd]

I had English in Primary school (3 years), Secondary school (4 years), Grammar school (3 years), nearly lived in Scotland during a period of my military service. I studied in Australia (1.5 years).

I got A’s in my English Advanced course (Grammar school) and was required to elaborate in advanced English during my Masters at QUT to get decent grades.

I spoke with an American dialect during Primary and Secondary School to my teachers despair. I tried some other dialects during grammar school and can do a decent “Oxford” English, put an Irish tone on my English with the proper r’s and the singing diction.
I can make Americans and English people believe that I grew up in Pollock, Glasgow.
Even though I stayed in Brisbane, Australia for 3 semesters I can not do an Australian dialect. I guess there was just too much foreigners at the uni for me to pick it up.

Native English (I throw all English forms in there) always comment on my skills with the oral English language, but if any here had had as much training with Norwegian as I have had with English (lets see, that is 10 years in school, nearly a year in Scotland and around 16 months in Australia) I would have been as impressed as they are with your Norwegian skills.

[Ser Clegane]

British was the default version at school (the schoolbooks during the first 4 years were actually almost a tad too British - I think the Scott-family will haunt me for the rest of my life), however differences between British and American English were pointed out frequently in later years.

As I guess that I am more exposed to American English I assume that over time more and more American English has crept into my vocabulary, although I kind of like the British English and try to include it in my vocabulary as well.

Is anyone in the UK actually using the word "lorry" instead of "truck"?

[Duke Malcolm]

Yes, most people I know say lorry

[L'Impresario]

I think it's a true feat for today's kids not to learn (American) English, it's written across most screens, walls, papers, clothes, smooth surfaces in general. The process to develop an acceptable level of fluency no longer passes through traditional schooling, even though it's not surprising -quite the opposite- to see young people having a more cognitive knowledge of English than their mother tongue.
It can be also argued that due ial onto the insertion of -mainly British- English to the school curriculum worldwide a few decades ago, foreign speakers tended to prefer British orthography and writting patterns, but, at the same time, developed American accent and oral expression (--> popular culture ofcourse).
Nowdays, with the "informalisation" of written discourse, dominating is the trend to favour American English in all forms of expression .

The above apply mainly to natives of countries with some Indo-European language (with Germanic and Italic ones being the most favoured), as people who possess a different background usually have to develop to a significant degree their syntactical and grammatical skills first, before being able to match the skills of, say, their germanic peers.

[Red Peasant]

Is anyone in the UK actually using the word "lorry" instead of "truck"?

Depends where you come from, round here it is most often wagon and wagon-driver.

[Quid]

I shall refrain from commenting anything useful in this thread (nothing new there) as I have made a total blunder of it the last time something similar came up.

Quid

[The Spartan (Returns)]

born in the Americanas so.........

however my mom loves the British "accent" and that trait is passsing on to me kinda.