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The Language Barrier

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Post  bonsaisr Sun Feb 19, 2012 3:12 am

Well, I've read enough British detective stories to know most of our vocabulary differences. But I happened to notice an ad for gardening clothes & discovered that what we call overalls are called in UK dungarees. Now will somebody tell me what the Motherland calls what we call dungarees (or jeans)?
Iris


Last edited by bonsaisr on Fri Mar 02, 2012 3:18 am; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : item no longer true)
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Post  AlainK Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:25 am

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Post  rock Sun Feb 19, 2012 8:34 pm

Ha ha Iris you do love the language don't you. Must be an east coast thing because I don't think Ive ever uttered the word dungaree.

I don't imagine you use the word gnarly much either

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Post  Billy M. Rhodes Sun Feb 19, 2012 8:40 pm

rock wrote:Ha ha Iris you do love the language don't you. Must be an east coast thing because I don't think Ive ever uttered the word dungaree.

I don't imagine you use the word gnarly much either

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In the Old Corps we called the work uniform dungarees.
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Post  fiona Sun Feb 19, 2012 9:03 pm

Over here they're only dungarees if they're made of denim. If they are made of the heavy cotton cloth used for standard workwear they get called bib and brace overalls.

As a fashion item they went out in the eighties. Google images for Dexy's Midnight Runners if you want a laugh.
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Post  Hans van Meer. Sun Feb 19, 2012 11:39 pm

"Billy M. Rhodes"
[/quote]
In the Old Corps we called the work uniform dungarees.[/quote]

Reminds me of a joke that we have here in Holland about this subject of language problems. A father and his young son from Belgium are in London for a few days and they are now walking around in the London Zoo. When they stop in front of the lions enclosure, the son points to the lions and asks his father: "Dad, what kind of animals are that?" His father looks around for a clue, until he finds the sign hanging on the bars of the gage and answers his son: Those are the dangerous my son! " Laughing
Cheers,
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Post  Billy M. Rhodes Mon Feb 20, 2012 12:02 am

Language differences are not limited to international travel; even within the USA there can be interesting conflicts. On Facebook a "poke" is just a quick hello, some may think of a "poke" as a light punch, but in the American South a "poke" is an ill defined measure. As in a "poke" of potatoes. It can also be a bag as in "poke sack." An adult student once told me a story about her first trip south with her husband to visit his family. She was from New Jersey, where they meet, married and had a baby. On her first trip south she went into a store to purchase some baby supplies, as she left the clerk said, "Madam, would like a poker for that?" She ran outside to her husband.
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Post  john5555leonard Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:58 am

btw iris, thats scots pine, scotch is the stuff you drink. regards john < expat>

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Post  fiona Fri Mar 02, 2012 5:43 am

john5555leonard wrote:btw iris, thats scots pine, scotch is the stuff you drink. regards john < expat>

Preaching to the converted there, John: Iris is one of the people on here who gets that one right, except she'd probably write Scots Pine. And while its true name is Scotch whisky (with its very specific definitions), no-one up here drinks Scotch - we drink whisky.

That's whisky - not whiskey. Very Happy Wink
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Post  JimLewis Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:30 pm

To those for whom regional variants in the spoken word are important, I commend to your attention The Dictionary of American Regional English. The final volume was just published. It took 50 years (nothing compared to the OED, but still impressive), but we bonsaiests should understand that good works take time. The story here (and elsewhere, Google it.):

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/books/dictionary-of-american-regional-english-reaches-last-volume.html

All 5 volumes are yours for $550 -- Though Harvard is offering 20% off if bought from them on line. Amazon has it too, but one volume is "temporarily out of stock."
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Post  Jay Gaydosh Fri Mar 02, 2012 3:31 pm

fiona wrote:
john5555leonard wrote:btw iris, thats scots pine, scotch is the stuff you drink. regards john < expat>

Preaching to the converted there, John: Iris is one of the people on here who gets that one right, except she'd probably write Scots Pine. And while its true name is Scotch whisky (with its very specific definitions), no-one up here drinks Scotch - we drink whisky.

That's whisky - not whiskey. Very Happy Wink

When my Grandfather Forbes died it was believed that he was 3/4 Scot and 1/4 Scotch! Rolling Eyes

Here in the dead center of that land mass formerly known as the "colonies", I have to correct my redneck friends who insist that they don't drink Scotch, they prefer whiskey (OK, I'm still a Yank!)

They seem honestly confused when I tell them that Scotch is nothing more than whiskey made in Scotland. Of course, the Scots do make it better than most yanks, but they don't know that.

Plus, several of the world's most noted American blended whiskeys contain recipe defined amounts of Scotch.

Me, I prefer a number of Single Malt and Blended Scottish Whiskys over the American counterpart.

Jay
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Post  Jay Gaydosh Fri Mar 02, 2012 3:33 pm

From listening to Sir Sean ... he prefers "wushky"
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Post  bonsaisr Fri Mar 02, 2012 5:08 pm

Actually, the US Forest Service used to call it Scotch pine. However, I notice on the USDA PLANTS database web site, they are now also using Scots pine, so we can all agree. And no, it has nothing to do with Sir Walter Scott and does not take an apostrophe.
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