<p>USChicka - Go to Edinburgh!
Thread at large - I am a Brit doing a full degree here in Philly. As such, I'm not entirely qualified to comment on the differences between UK and US unis, since I never went to uni in the UK, but after almost three years I guess I have a decent handle on East Coast life.
A few quick things - People will make fun of your accent! It's not generally malicious but sometimes it gets a bit disconcerting when people are constantly asking you to "say something in your accent" or just doing a really bad imitation of you. They will also ask if you are Australian, want to know if you celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving and Independence Day, ask if they speak English in the UK, tell you that you speak really good English for a foreigner and so on.
But the college part is good! (<3s liberal arts education.)</p>
<p>So yeah, if you have any questions for a cynical and jaded junior, fire away!</p>
<p>What's really ironic is that virtually all Americans don't realise that the English language belongs to England - yet they claim it's "their" language.</p>
<p>lauraanne, I think you have it easier coming from an English speaking country. I moved here eleven years ago today from Russia and I'm still asked to say things in Russian or with a Russian accent, it gets real annoying.</p>
<p>Of course the English language belongs to Americans! How many Americans speak English? And how many Britons speak English? Furthermore, it's American imperialism that has spread the use of the English language around the world. What did the British ever do for the English language? A few city blocks in a couple of cities in India, and all of the twelve people that have set foot on the Faulkland Islands, that's what the good for nothing British Empire did for the English language, and that's all. America has made English virtually ubiquitous.</p>
<p>"Well in America they haven't used it for years!" (Henry Higgins, "Why Can't the English")</p>
<p>Guys, "this verbal class distinction by now should be antique" but for Americans, it might be the case that "if you spoke as she does sir, instead of the way you do, why you might be selling flowers too."</p>
<p>Now, I do draw the line at 'programme' and 'colour,' but let's not give the descendents of our founding father's ancestors a hard time. Personally, I have known many people from the UK from the equine scene to the theatre realm, and whenever I hear British English, it brightens up my day.</p>
<p>Dima, to the best of our knowledge, glass was first manufactured in Egypt, horses came from central asia, the piano came from Italy, and Nikola Tesla invented the electric motor. But glass taken as a whole is not Egyptian; very little of the world's glass is now fron Egypt, not all horses are asian, very few pianos are italian, and the electric motor is certainly not the territory of the Serbs. The British may have been the first to develop tin cans, penicillin, anemometers, and the English language, but none of this are distinctly British. The English language belongs no more to the people of England than breakfast sausage belongs to pigs.</p>
<p>Londongirl, when someone in america ****es u off with your accent or whatever, just tell them that English was brought to America - they didn't invent it.</p>
<p>Lauraanne, not only is pointlessness enjoyable, but it bumps the thread, allowing people that haven't been to the forum for a while to see it and comment if they have something to say about the topic, so it can actually be quite useful.</p>
<p>USA vs. Guatemala qualifier tomorrow in Birmingham at 8:00EST, though I'm more interested in the Russia vs. Estonia match that will be played 10 hours earlier.</p>
<p>Oh for God's sake. Come to America. Come to Canada. Have a good time where ever you go. Be shocked to learn that we're not the stereotypes that a couple of people on this board present. You're going to meet some really great people while you're on this side of the pond, and some really not so great people. Thus is life. But honestly, all you're getting here is a review of stereotypes about American and Canadian culture. Come here, learn some stuff, have a good time, draw your own conclusions. Seriously, you won't regret it. And until then...don't let stuff like this thread throw you off. The people you'll meet are simply PEOPLE, regardless of where they were born and what accent they carry.</p>
<p>Also, get used to the American system of time, temperature, measurement.</p>
<p>I know in Canada they often do MPH and KPH signs to make things easier and in England they warn you to look in the other direction when crossing a road (right?), in America it's not like that.</p>
<p>Just go by the big numbers on the speedo...unless you are driving an imported car (and thats not the same as an import brand), they will fit the countries system.</p>
<p>As to shifting with the other hand, its no problem really. Try sitting in the passenger seat and shifting for the driver and you will find that it feels pretty natural.</p>
<p>my main problem with driving in america, is that american cars are so bad! hahah :-P</p>
<p>but seriously, the english we know today has been developed over centuries and centuries in england, and comparitively has changed little over the last 200 years.
I don't know what that nonsense about glass was about, but how about this: a famous painting, a work of art, is still the work of the artist who painted it, no matter how many copies are painted, or how many people use the painting to express their own feelings by giving copies to friends etc.</p>
<p>English is a language that came from England, and yes we're honoUred that you all want to speak it and spread it further...but remember you're only speaking it because we spread it to you first!</p>
<p>And microsoft should be told that there is no such thing as U.S. English...! There is English, and it isn't often spoken properly (liverpool, manchester, america).</p>
<p>And finally, americans, you need to lighten up about yourselves! I love america, and yet if I make a joke about how you didnt win the war of independence any more than north vietnam won the vietnam war (that the british troops were badly trained and not expecting a war, and most of our army was on the other side of the world, making it financially impossible to send them and then keep the peace after we won (as we would have against a small militia!), given our debts from the 7 years war), most americans get really angry! See I bet you're fuming now and composing a retort!!! Come on! It's a pity we didn't ship our sense of humour along with our language! We had the biggest empire in the world's history and we lost it, yet we don't mind the jokes! No sex we're british and all that stuff...</p>
<p>And it's not as if you're australian and we're calling you crininals :-P now THEY have a right to get touchy!</p>
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English is a language that came from England, and yes we're honoUred that you all want to speak it and spread it further...but remember you're only speaking it because we spread it to you first!
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<p>we? WE!? I don't think YOU did anything lol Don't flatter yourself, really.</p>
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that the british troops were badly trained and not expecting a war, and most of our army was on the other side of the world, making it financially impossible to send them and then keep the peace after we won
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<p>Excuses, excuses. Whether we officially "won" or not, we got what we wanted: freedom.</p>