|
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No havering here, July 27, 2003
Margaret Moore's guide, 'Understanding British English: Bridging the Gap between the English Language and its American Counterpart' is an interesting, dictionary-style work which seeks to explain thousands of phrases which, while using words readily recognised by Americans, have a meaning or assumed context in British English (or other British variants, such as Australian or New Zealand England) that make the meaning quite different.Many people are aware vaguely that there are different words for cigarettes or for falling ill in Britain that would give a quite different connotation. Using the slang terms from Britain would obviously be interpreted in a much different way in America. Moore, in her forward, says that ever since Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in 1781, the British have had to make up for wounded pride, and that one of the best ways to do this has been poking fun at their former colonists' language while continuing to change their own. While many words are familiar thanks to the relative success of the British mystery novel and various British films and shows (particularly on PBS), there is still a gap, especially of slang and common speech. American audiences will be familiar with boot and bonnet as ends of an automobile, but observe the subtle confusion of the following exchange I observed some years ago: American: I'll call later, then.
Briton: Well, it would be best if you rang before you called.
American: <puzzled expression> A very simple divergence of meaning -- Americans are familiar with the phrase 'to call upon' as meaning going somewhere, as opposed to telephoning, but the assumption that 'to call' means to telephone is American; British tend to use 'to ring'. To say, 'I'm bushed' in America would mean 'I'm tired', but in Australian would likely mean 'I'm confused', or even 'I'm lost' (as in, out in the bush). So, don't be cack-handed when using the language, and fall into a caddle. If you want to be sure of what's being said when someone asks you to play Noughts and crosses, asks if you are an OAP, needs to spend a penny, or is doing a real send up to set the Thames on fire, this is the book for you. Moore has included a section on rhyming slang near the back, but as this is such a fluid part of the language, much of it is now dated. However, it is still interesting, and some of the expressions are still all harbour (i.e., all right). Rhyming slang was devised by the Cockney workers to befuddle Irish immigrants. One needs to find a phrase with a concluding word that rhymes with the word you want to use, and then use the first word of the phrase. A subtle and rather ingenious invention, actually. Once again, the context becomes critical, for how is an American (or indeed, even a non-Cockney Briton) to know the context assumed by those using the rhyming slang to know which words have been joined and then substituted? Perhaps rhyming slang could be used as part of military coding? This book represents fascinating linguistic and historical changes in the common language we share with much of the world.
|
