Favourite English word or phrase (or Irish or Scottish ....

[TimsDaisy 0]

I always crack up when I hear someone pronounce "boogie" "boooooogie" (i.e. long "oo" sound). When Boogie Nights came out in the cinemas, there was a lot of giggling from me...

I am also an inveterate user of:

Can't be arsed/can't be bothered (the latter of which drives my mom round the bend)

Ta

What's on the telly

Cup of char

Chalk and cheese

For f***'s sake

Bloody (fill in the blank)

Lovely (especially in the context of "Would you like a cup of tea?" "Ooh, that would be lovely!")

Biccies

Prezzies

Down the pub

And I TOTALLY agree with the thing about Americans who have been over here for a short period of time and come back with atrocious fake British accents. I've been here over a third of my life and I still speak with a fine, broad Connecticut accent, even if my vocab is a bit odd at times and my intonation has changed. I haven't consciously tried to keep it or lose it -- it is what it is.

Don't even get me started on Madge -- does anyone remember when she got laughed offstage when she announced the nominees for the Turner Prize in 2001? Priceless.

Biccies! How could I forget that one! And who doesn't love prezzies? Although they probably spell it pressies, right, since they have a national aversion to the letter z (that's a zEE, not a zeD!)

I don't have a problem with the mirrored accent issues .I have a much bigger problem with the word "cheers." It's a natural human response to mirror whomever we're with to make ourselves feel comfortable and engender acceptance from them. Watch yourself next time you're in a group - are all your hands crossed the same way? Similar stances? The same goes for intonation and accents. Some people are more likely to adapt linguistically than others, but I don't fault Madonna for it - ####### I do it myself and then get mad at myself and then get mad at myself for getting mad at myself for something that is a biological/sociological function!

[Mags 112]

I don't have a problem with the mirrored accent issues .I have a much bigger problem with the word "cheers." It's a natural human response to mirror whomever we're with to make ourselves feel comfortable and engender acceptance from them. Watch yourself next time you're in a group - are all your hands crossed the same way? Similar stances? The same goes for intonation and accents. Some people are more likely to adapt linguistically than others, but I don't fault Madonna for it - ####### I do it myself and then get mad at myself and then get mad at myself for getting mad at myself for something that is a biological/sociological function!

Maybe for you it is a subconcious thing...with Madonna I think it was VERY conscious. She started wearing tweed, started shooting, bought a country mansion, started drinking bitter in a local pub and not to mention her stupid accent (which has gone by the wayside incidentally)...and all within a few months of getting there. Hers was intentional and rather pathetic.....so she deserves all the ribbing she can get IMO!!

[ajames79 0]

I don't have a problem with the mirrored accent issues .I have a much bigger problem with the word "cheers." It's a natural human response to mirror whomever we're with to make ourselves feel comfortable and engender acceptance from them. Watch yourself next time you're in a group - are all your hands crossed the same way? Similar stances? The same goes for intonation and accents. Some people are more likely to adapt linguistically than others, but I don't fault Madonna for it - ####### I do it myself and then get mad at myself and then get mad at myself for getting mad at myself for something that is a biological/sociological function!

Maybe for you it is a subconcious thing...with Madonna I think it was VERY conscious. She started wearing tweed, started shooting, bought a country mansion, started drinking bitter in a local pub and not to mention her stupid accent (which has gone by the wayside incidentally)...and all within a few months of getting there. Hers was intentional and rather pathetic.....so she deserves all the ribbing she can get IMO!!

I totally agree.

She went way over the top!

I won't be out shooting at my country house but I will be drinking bitters with the locals!

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

the icing on the cake is that she is sending Lourdes to Cheltenham Ladies College

I have a friend who works on Top of the Pops who reported that Lourdes is a right little madam (when she was there for Madge's performance a few years back)

[Mags 112]

the icing on the cake is that she is sending Lourdes to Cheltenham Ladies College

I have a friend who works on Top of the Pops who reported that Lourdes is a right little madam (when she was there for Madge's performance a few years back)

Hell, she LOOKS like a right little madam. But, if your mother is one of the richest women in the world, I guess the chances of growing up "down-to-earth" are minimal.

I've heard Lourdes talk....cut glass British accent. Mommy must be SO proud....

Edited March 14, 2007 by mags

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I find the whole adopting of the English aristrocracy thing by Madonna hilarious -- it's so noveau riche, Hyacinth Bouquet would be proud

[Fandango 1,439]

I don't have a problem with the mirrored accent issues .I have a much bigger problem with the word "cheers." It's a natural human response to mirror whomever we're with to make ourselves feel comfortable and engender acceptance from them. Watch yourself next time you're in a group - are all your hands crossed the same way? Similar stances? The same goes for intonation and accents. Some people are more likely to adapt linguistically than others, but I don't fault Madonna for it - ####### I do it myself and then get mad at myself and then get mad at myself for getting mad at myself for something that is a biological/sociological function!

Maybe for you it is a subconcious thing...with Madonna I think it was VERY conscious. She started wearing tweed, started shooting, bought a country mansion, started drinking bitter in a local pub and not to mention her stupid accent (which has gone by the wayside incidentally)...and all within a few months of getting there. Hers was intentional and rather pathetic.....so she deserves all the ribbing she can get IMO!!

I totally agree, as per usual. Big shocker there!

And re: accents....I'm of the notion that your accent doesn't change once you're past a certain age.

I also don't have a problem using Britspeak if it's completely subconscious, however I think for a lot of people, it comes off a bit contrived. Sounds quite crazy considering I do it with my usual words, but I'm using the excuse of living there as reason I didn't pick up one thing from D in the years before I moved there.

YMMV

Edited March 14, 2007 by LisaD

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I think you do pick things up after a few years (not instantly like Madonna,I think Elton John commented that he sounded more American than she did, lol) but your accent doesn't fundamentally change. Sometimes you have to adapt just to be understood

There are some things I can never say though, like BAZzil, orryGAHNO and toMAHto (I bet both Madonna and Gwyneth say toMAHTo, though they won't eat them, being boring macrobiotics)

[ajames79 0]

I think you do pick things up after a few years (not instantly like Madonna,I think Elton John commented that he sounded more American than she did, lol) but your accent doesn't fundamentally change. Sometimes you have to adapt just to be understood

Totally agree. All of us who are marrying Brits are going to pick up on somethings. But changing our whole dialect, INSTANTLY doesn't happen unless you make yourself for your own weird purpose!

[LVA 0]

Another one I like that I learned from G is: "Its as black as yer hat over Bill's mothers." Not much call to use it since I always need to translate it, but I love it!

I also like the insult of calling someone a big girl's blouse! Hilarious!

Wow I have never heard of any one using this except my Mum. She says something similar when its dark and looks like rain out "It's black over Wills mothers" I thought it was a Norfolk thing

Lyn

[*julez* 124]

Another one I like that I learned from G is: "Its as black as yer hat over Bill's mothers." Not much call to use it since I always need to translate it, but I love it!

I also like the insult of calling someone a big girl's blouse! Hilarious!

Wow I have never heard of any one using this except my Mum. She says something similar when its dark and looks like rain out "It's black over Wills mothers" I thought it was a Norfolk thing

Lyn

That is exactly what it means! G says its a "common" in the Northwest of England.

[TimsDaisy 0]

My fiance says he notices that some of his Brit-turned-American citizens/residents friends have accents that have slowly become Americanized. Not lost, but they've evolved a bit.

[msu17 0]

Haha, there was this guy who was obsessed with the UK when Paul was studying here. He told everyone he grew up in the UK till he was 10 or something and had this very odd accent. One night he got drunk and admitted he'd only studied in the UK for 3 months and made the accent up By far the best moment... He and madge should hook up

Edited March 14, 2007 by msu17

[Buxton babe 0]

I mis not being able to use the word "fortnight"

[John & Annie 0]

I have one for a good laugh.

Before we were married I was visiting Annie's Family in Scotland (the best accent, fife with a tinge of Glaswegian) and I was trying to be cute and was telling them about a minor work contract, it can out as a "I have a small jobby", suddenly everyones eyes were like saucers and they broke out laughing. It took them awhile, but I understood the joke shortly thereafter.