Vacation in Scotland

[LoE]

Not "so surprised that the words and how they are used are different".

Rather, surprised at the sheer scale of it. I didn't expect to find it nearly completely incomprehensible.

https://dai.ly/x3v9z74

[Jock Scot]

Not "so surprised that the words and how they are used are different".

Rather, surprised at the sheer scale of it. I didn't expect to find it nearly completely incomprehensible.

https://dai.ly/x3v9z74

It can get much more complicated when County terminology and accents get used too! Mind you, we have some American friends who came to stay recently who had some really strange name for water taps! "Fossets"? or some such.

I do also notice the Americans in particular struggle with "British understatement", too.

I also can't help but point out that we over here had been developing the English language for many centuries before you chaps started mangling it!

[LoE]

To exacerbate matters, the team members were from all over the place. England, Scotland, Ireland, continental Europe, North America, Asia.

It got nearly to the point were we didn't talk. We just emailed each other. We couldn't understand each others' banter.

That would be a "water faucet".

[Jock Scot]

To exacerbate matters, the team members were from all over the place. England, Scotland, Ireland, continental Europe, North America, Asia.

It got nearly to the point were we didn't talk. We just emailed each other. We couldn't understand each others' banter.

That would be a "water faucet".

Yes probably a "water faucet", but I have not seen the word written down. "Tap" just seems easier to me!

[LoE]

There's nothing like having a Scot, an Irishman, an American, two Indians, a Frenchman, a German, and a Swiss person in the same room trying to speak English.

It was quite the experience.

It sounds like a joke. But it was utterly incomprehensible.

[Iain Ruaidh]

One thing that does not help Americans visiting UK is that even UK made TV shows ("programmes" in English) often use US word and phrase usage! I guess this must be because our US show buyers will not countenance genuine English in them as the US audience might have trouble understanding. But then you get over here and the lingo is a big shock.

[LoE]

It truly was a shock. Some locals speaking "black country" english I think. Other locals speaking London english I think. Plus Welsh, Scot, and Irish.

Then add all the others speaking english as a second language, or english from another part of the world like myself.

It was a shock. I never expected to feel so isolated by a common language.

I was there for months, pretending I understood what people around me were saying. But I didn't understand them half of the time. Instead I would just nod along as if I understood. Because stating "what was that, or what did you mean" got old very fast.

[ThistleDown]

Not "so surprised that the words and how they are used are different".

Rather, surprised at the sheer scale of it. I didn't expect to find it nearly completely incomprehensible.

https://dai.ly/x3v9z74

There's a wonderful book by Bill Bryson -- 'Mother Tongue' -- well worth a read.