British in the US: The weird and wonderful language barrier I face in the United States

Hello readers!

It's been a while (I feel like I say that in every post these days).

Happy New Year, 2021!!

I've been so busy working and doing the teacher training that I haven't had much time for this but last night a conversation with my sister sparked motivation, and here I am.

So, I've been living in the United States now for just over 10 months, and I'm beginning to meet more and more people from the US (obviously).

You might assume that people know about your country, and I suppose being from the UK this is an arrogant assumption. Before I start, there's something I want to clear up...

Americans are nothing like British people and even if they once had ancestry from the UK, there is no cultural understanding anymore. They are separate from us and have been for a long time!

Trust me, I know this. So far, I've only felt a cultural connection with one person; a student I teach whose dad is British.

We British are all guilty of assuming Americans are like us. Just because they speak a variant of our language does not mean they are similar to us; culturally speaking.

Furthermore, if you think Americans speak the exact same language as us, you really need to come here and experience it because communication can be really difficult at times. There is a reason I said "variant".

Being from a different country, speaking a different variant of English, and having an accent has led me to have some very interesting and hilarious conversations. There really can be a bit of a language barrier!

So, grab a cup of tea and a snack...and I will tell you all about it.

Weird things that Americans have asked me

1. Do you need a passport to go to the UK?" I've been asked this 3 times, by 3 different people and my reaction is always the same...
   

I thought this was common knowledge but maybe it's not. I mean the US is HUGE and flying to another state can be further than flying to another country for us Europeans. It's also worth noting that Americans don't need their passport to travel to other states, just some form of ID like a driver's license. I believe there are also many US territories where Americans can fly without the need for a passport (for example, Puerto Rico). However, the question is still funny to me. I don't see myself as a "well-travelled " but many people have told me that I am. So, perhaps I'm talking from a place of privilege..but..still...it's another country that's not part of the US, of course, you do!

2. "What is your native language?"

This one! This one had me in utter hysterics (in my head at least). My response was "Well, I'm from England....so, English". Perhaps they didn't recognise the accent? Who knows?

Again, I shouldn't assume that everyone knows what a British accent sounds like, plus there's so many anyway.

3. "Your accent isn't like how I've heard in movies" This is the part where I explain that you could drive about 40 minutes to another area and the accent would be completely different. They're always amazed by that.

Words/Phrases I've said where Americans have looked at me funny/not understood me

1. "Dance Party" One girl thought I said "Dance Potty" ...no, I did not say that. I had to really pronounce my /r/ for them to understand.
   

2. "Sello-tape" I asked for some 'sello-tape' and was looked at as though I was speaking a completely different language, they call it "Scotch tape". From research: Sello tape: a British brand of tape Scotch tape: an American brand of tape The English language is so weird. We're both calling it by their brands.

3. "Hot chocolate" I went to Starbucks and all I wanted was a simple hot chocolate. The barista asked me to repeat 4 times. In the end, I had to say "Ha-wt ch-ah-co-lat".

4. "Right, I'm gonna love you and leave you" I learnt the hard way that this is not a common saying in the US. The response I got was "can't you just leave us and love us anyway?" which I thought was hilarious! Try explaining that phrase.

5. "Ages" For context, I said, "He's been on the tablet for ages" (meaning: a long time). I had some funny looks, I was teased a little "Really? He's been on it for AGES?" (making a joke from its literal meaning).

6. "Sensibly" For context, I said, "Walk sensibly, please" to the students and a co-worker told me that although they understood what I meant, it's not something that is commonly said here in that context.

7. "Cheeky" If you know me, you know I use this word a lot! Americans don't really use it, and I find it strange because there's no other word I can think of that truly expresses when someone is being "cheeky". However, most Americans I've come into contact with have now added this word to their vocabulary.

Sorry, I had to add this meme, it's so funny to me!

Slang words that are British that some Americans say and it sounds weird

1. "Prick" It's not right coming from an American. Their accent doesn't truly allow them to emphasise how much of a PRICK someone is being.
   

2. "Twat" Americans say it like "Tw-aw-t" and it's not right. There, I said. It's not commonly said here though. Again, the accent doesn't allow for the emphasis.

So, these are just a few examples from the conversations I've had. I'm sure there are more that I am not thinking of right now and I'm sure more will happen.

It's really funny and interesting to see the differences between British-English and American-English. However, it is always nice to get back home to my husband, who understands me completely, and where I can use my Britishisms without being looked at funny or having to explain them.

Anyway, as always...

thanks for reading!

Kerry.