General Chat

Hiya came into use in Cardiff when the American soldiers were stationed here back in the early forties

I hate when they say 'erbs. Even though it is from the French.

I use both :-)

The only Americanism I can't cope with is the mispronunciation ( in my view) of the word 'route' . As an NCIS fan I flinch every time they say "what 'rout' do we take?".

But then I flinch when someone here says 'Scon' instead of 'Scone' :-)

Hiya as a greeting has been used in South Wales since I was little. Except they drop the aitch.

I refuse to use Hi as a form of greeting grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Perhaps worse Hiya Grrrrrrrrrrrr
:-| :-| :-|

Namibia has taken English as it's national language but it has come to them via different routes so they use the words that have been brought to them.

Probably the first to speak English to those whose perfectly serviceable civilization needed changing to our own were the missionaries. Each family of children has a firstborn and a lastborn.

A bit of officialdom has been involved so the municipality collects the rubbish and there must always have been a bit of English speaking riff-raff living there because some slang is perfectly proper in their way of talking, the government,or, indeed, the municipality forks out money for things.

I like to think that I helped too. My mate was delighted to hear that many there didn't have a pot to **** in!

Motown Girl, I didn't know that "Hello" was a comparativly new word either, till Steven Fry said so on QI.

Wonder if it came from "Hail" (or should that be Hale??) As in when you greet or Hail someone.

Perhaps I need to read some Charles Dickens or other authors of those times to find out what words were used in greeting.

Rocky Mountain Shy, yes, I probably have heard "Listen up" only on tv. I think I first heard it on NYPD Blues - or some other police series of that time.

Now I often hear it on British tv, very recently on a charity appeal (but I can't remember which charity or who said it)
However, most of the people I chat to are pensioners, so less likely to use "modern" words/phrases.

I remember though, back in the sixties, driving my mum (and other adults) mad, by (often) using the word "Fab" which now seems to have fallen out of favour.

Hey! I d'know.

OK,, How many people have exactly heard the term 'listen up' in conversion?? except on TV

Went into the local bakers and asked for half a dozen rolls, the girl was mystified! :-S

Primitive peoples managed to communicate perfectly well.

Why do some of us find the process increasingly 'awesome'?

We're always amused if a waiter/ress comes to serve us and says 'hi you guys' :-S :-)

If I recall correctly ,when on a day out in Germany, I thought I overheard the tour guide and bus driver discussing the time of departure of the bus,

I thought she said "Halb vier"(half four) to me that was half past four.......but to them it was half TO four.....

Marmalade is sour, jam is sweet

Carnivals and fairs are the same thing in America just different sizes and parades are what go down the streets

half past 6 or quarter to 8 sorry but 6:30 and 7:45 is easier to understand

But Hey, whatever floats your boat eh?????

Really Tess, I didnt know that. I always say Hello, but maybe I am old school. When I depart I say Cheerio, cos that is what my Dad always said.

Apparently that is going out of fashion too.

Then again, so is black tights with white trainers.
[edit. This is a joke between me and Wend]

:-D

Dermot -

while on the subject of whole/hole why do we say "holistic" instead of "wholistic" which would make much more sense??

:-S :-S :-S :-S

I’d hate to/too/two teach English language in foreign students classes - it cannot/can’t be an easy task for various reasons.

Some bright scholars can easily become very bored/board especially before they have eaten/eaton their/there/they’re lunch. Too/to/two much sitting in class without outside/outsize exercise can result in them having a pale/pail complexion. Nobody likes gaels /gales/gails blowing.

And they won’t venture outside anyway if there is rain/reign promised. Inclement weather/whether is a real pain/pane/payne in the neck but it does allow the students more time in the library where there/they’re/their are loads of books to read/reed/reid.

Some teachers seize/sees/seas every chance to pair/pear/pare them - which seems/seams a good idea. Each takes a turn to read/reed/reid a piece/peace while the listener checks/cheques his/her understanding of what he/she has heard/herd.

Occasionally, the whole/hole chapter is easy to comprehend but mention of camels/campbells results in a pause/paws to refer to a higher/hire authority for clarification.

Tall tales/tails are often amusing since a story/storey of any kind or stile/style needs/kneads to be light-hearted. Young children particularly whine/wine if the story/storey does not include monstrous/monstrance villains & heroic heroes. Alter/altar the theme if appropriate.

Rubik’s/rubrics cube is ideal to keep the young infants occupied for hours & ours.

PS: I'm a bit late in taking my pills today.

MotownGal

According to QI, if memory serves me correct (wheich it often doesn't) Hello is quite a new word.

Came in with the age of the telephone! Perhaps the Aussie "Good day" was used before the telephone was used. (or good morning, good afternoon, goodevening etc).

Too many of a certain generation have watched Friends and adopted their form of addressing another.

No longer Hello, but Hey!

:-0

Nothing yo stop us using the wprds we want to use.

So I will still use marvellous and marmalade.

The American phrase I dislike is "listen up" I will continue to just say "listen"

Can you imagine the song - "Listen up, do you want to know a secret?, Do you promise not to tell..." Not the same somehow.

I see that another "American" word said to be increasing used over here is "Awesome!"

I am told the the word "Awful" used to mean what "Awesome" means now.

Yes, language does change.

But I will decide for myself whech words I want to use.