difference between British English & American English

@Lordyaswas,

Lordyaswas wrote:

Any expression or phrase on that list would be immediately recognisable to any adult who was born and raised in the UK,

On the pull is definitely de rigueur.

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@FBM,

It annoys me when at University we use APA 6th edition. It is predominately American. However, I am in Australia, so I spell all words differently. The University professors always use American English.. really annoying.

1 Reply

@molokow,

molokow wrote:

It annoys me when at University we use APA 6th edition. It is predominately American. However, I am in Australia, so I spell all words differently. The University professors always use American English.. really annoying.

Yes! This is exactly what makes me so sympathetic towards my Korean students. APA, MLA, BrE, AmE, regional dialects, personal preferences, journalistic vs academic vs technical vs informal, etc. I'd go ******* crazy if I were learning English as a foreign language.

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@Lordyaswas,

Now that's peculiar. We are the Land of Contractions. The only time you wouldn't hear "wouldn't" but "would not" is when someone was intentionally strtessing the NOT to make a point. On the other handm your "maths" and "sport" sound very strange to our ears. I remember back in the 6os we'd all get stoned and listen to the BBC on shortwave and try to figure out what peculiar Brit sport it was that the "sport" news was talking about. Usually hadn't a clue. And now my expat sister in Adelaide is totally incommunicado for the week after Chrisstmas listening to the cricket test matches. She's gone over to the dark side.

1 Reply

@MontereyJack,

You prefer initials to contractions, TV instead of telly, VCR instead of video, BUFU instead of bum.

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

we say television and video (if anyone still refers to video)

no idea what BUFU is

bum here is a person who lives on the street or behaves as if they live on the street

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@ehBeth,

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=B.U.FU.

That doesn't clarify the word (?) to me, which I've never heard.
(note the contraction)

Oh, and why would anyone want more that one math?

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@ossobuco,

So you use mathematic to work something out?

I always thought the word was mathematics, indicating plural disciplines, no?

The s on Maths indicates the plural aspect, to my mind.

If you were wanting to abbreviate a single discipline within mathematics, say Arithmetic, then surely you should say "do the Arith".

1 Reply

@Lordyaswas,

to us, it sounds like you are saying mathematics 's.
Whatever rules you make that you feel comfy with, just go with em and leave us alone.
ya Old coot..

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@farmerman,

OK, as long as you put your best tweed pant on in the morning, and wear your spec to read the paper.

1 Reply

@farmerman,

from the GRAMMARIST or the GRAMMARIAN(in US and Canada)

Quote:

Math vs. maths
Math and maths are equally acceptable abbreviations of mathematics. The only difference is that math is preferred in the U.S. and Canada, and maths is preferred in the U.K., Australia, and most other English-speaking areas of the world.

Neither abbreviation is correct or incorrect. You may hear arguments for one being superior to the other, and there are logical cases for both sides. One could argue maths is better because mathematics ends in s, and one could argue math is better because mathematics is just a mass noun that happens to end in s. In any case, English usage is rarely guided by logic, and these usage idiosyncrasies are often arbitrary. If you were raised in a part of the world where people say maths, then maths is correct for you, and the same is of course true of math. Don’t listen to anyone who says otherwise.

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@Lordyaswas,

ah, but it is a PAIR OF PANTS, and a PAIR 0f SPECTACLES.

1 Reply

@farmerman,

Exactly.

Plurals require an s.

Mathematics contains more than one doodah, yes?

Geometry, algebra, arithmetic, trig etc etc.

Can I do the little dance now?

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@Lordyaswas,

read the Grqmmqrist qnd show me a rose or leave me alone.
You Brits always seem to come up with the silliest sounding forms of words.

I would like to see you do a Morris Daance, now that you mention it.

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@Lordyaswas,

But I never took more than one of the components of mathematics at a time, than the lordy, she says, trying to confuse the issue.

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@Lordyaswas,

But I never took more than one of the components of mathematics at a time, than the lordy, she says, trying to confuse the issue., which is getting massive.

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@ossobuco,

specs are specific because it denotes the number of lenses and pnts, the number of legs. Math may be a group ord but it has no quantitative sense in its meaning.
like "10 maths long)

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

Quote:

Oh, and why would anyone want more that one math?

Good question, Jo. For that matter, who wants even one? Math masticates the massive one, I figure.

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@ehBeth,

ehBeth wrote:

no idea what BUFU is

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@ossobuco,

er, that was meant to be 'thank the lordy'.
Glaring error, seen twice.

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difference between British English & American English

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