Hello again
Well I have a link I wanted to share with you about some of the 'problems' between US and UK English. It is widely recognised that US is easier for most foreigners to understand, but maybe because of that it is better to learn British English, then you can easily adapt to American, whereas the opposite would be more complicated!
I think the island factor has something to do with it, the UK is after all quite a small island. If you compare the Catalan of Mallora/Menorca with Catalan here or the Portuguese from the Azores to that of mainland Portugal, the small islands are always different, maybe it's a question of water. The more water that surrounds your land directly, the more difficult you are to understand...? Of course English in this case is not exactly the same because it started on the island and went to the States. I think it's a big question of exposure really. Brits are much more exposed to US English through films and TV series and music than Americans are to British English.
From a linguistic point of view, it is known that American English is usually spoken in a slower, clearer fashion and that the vowel are usually longer. I find that the American accents of the East coast are much more similar to British, they have the American lilt but it's not unpleasant to my ears!
Well, this is the website, I hope you enjoy and laugh, and maybe you will see a word that you made a mistake with in the past and the funny looks you got will all suddenly make sense!
Double Meaning http://www.mansioningles.com/vocabulario65.htm
I look forward to reading all your entries this week!
Oh, and I forgot to say yesterday (sorry!), next week's class (2nd April) will be in room 28 because our class in the library will be full of French students! It is on the top floor, I'm not entirely sure which one, but there are not that many to choose from!
All my love!
Felicity
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Hello Felicity!!! What funny this web site is !!!
ResponderEliminarI have always studied British English, but now I realize that many of the words I use, come from the American English insted of the British, I think that the web, the Tv and films are the cause of this confusion.
And I agree with you that learn British English is easier than learn American and I think if you study a language is better to study as it was born it is the same with the Spanish when we study at school we learn the Spanish of the Real Academy, then we talk in Argentinian!!!
Composition
ResponderEliminarI am reading the book “WATCHING THE ENGLISH” and I want to write something in my blog about it.
I choosed this book, because my daughter’s teacher has suggested to her to read this book. For this second term she has to choose two chapters and to comment them.
We have choosed “Home rules” and I found it very very nice., with a lot of beautiful worlds like “nestbuildings” , “DIY doityourself” , “housewarming” or “fatherland”….
In 2006 we spent our summer holidays in Bretagne (France) , and we hire a little house (by internet) to an English couple.
Usually we spend our summer holidays in apartments, we have visited a lot of countries because we have two weeks in a “timesharing” society and we change our apartment with other people, so we know a lot of holiday complexes, but that year we had not any possibility to change and we had to hire the house directly from the owner.
And in the meanwhile that I was reading these part of the book I remember that house very well.
It was in the countryside in a little village near the sea, where the people speak French with a difficult accent .
The house was at the end of a county dirt road, surrounded by fields and trees, with climbing plants of the walls, It hasn’t the typical front and back gardens, but a mixture of them in front of the house, with some bushes and pots full of little colourful flowers, a wooden table and two seats.
The house was very little, as a holiday house to rent, with two floors. Downstairs a big piece: kitchen, dinning room and living room together , and upstairs two bedrooms and two bathrooms….but the thing that I remember the more is that it was full of details and personal touches, as curtains, cushions, carpets, beautiful bedclothes…, pictures everywhere, embroideries,
All the things that you need in a house and more….
But not the normal things, like pots and things to cook, dishes, glasses and so on. …matches, candles, plastic bags, nails knitting needles, soap, shampooing, toilet paper, cologne, food like: honey, sugar, tea, jam, salt, wine and cava wine too!!!! books, cd’s, videos… a lot of tourist brochures in order to know better the area, a book where the guests can write their experiences…. I don’t know if you understand me, but the owners try to create a warm atmosphere that the guests could feel there than in their own house.
I never lived in an English house, like a lot of Spanish students that go to England to learn the language, and I have just this image like a typical English house.
I hope to read more parts of this book and write my impressions to you.
Montserrat.-
Hello Felicity
ResponderEliminarI read your comment about EnglisH/American accents...
yes, I have the same oppinion as you, There are a lot of differences with Catalan spoken in Catalonia, and the one spoken in the Balearic Islands.... and there are differences too with the Catalan spoken in Mallorca. or in Menorca ....
I heard a lot of different accents from English speaking people, and I think that I undestand better people from New York, Washington and the East Are, than prople from California....
anyway, is easier for me to speak with people fron Pakistan or India.... they speak with a clear easy accent for me to understand....
I haven't had difficulties with people from Australia. They seem very very friendly.
In other hand of thinks, I am joking now....
But as in The States there are every time more people from Latinoamerica.... and they have a lot of chindren and they speak Spanish... in the futher it will be very easy for us to go to the States,,, because a lot of people will speak Spanish.... je je
I'm non joking now, this is really, in order to increase their sales. a lot companies do their pubbicity in Spanish language in the States Tv and radio.....
I don't agree with you, Montse. It's true that in the States there is an increase in Latinoamerican people immigration but they children don't use to learn Spanish but English. I have known US citizens who are Lationoamerican descendants and they don't know but few words in Spanish. On the other hand, it's also true that the advertisements are more often done in Spanish but I also think that a good Spanish translator is needed in that way. I saw once "Watch your step" translated to "Vigile su paso", for exemple.
ResponderEliminar