Canadian Learns British English at IATEFL

As many of you know, I am currently in the UK. Did you know that this is my first trip to Europe? Many of the English teachers here are shocked to hear this news. When I ask, "Have you been to Canada?" they usually shake their heads.

Would you also be surprised to know that I'm learning English while I'm here? British English is "brilliant". I love listening to the British accents.

Here are some British English words I've learned since I arrived (defined in Canadian English):

"brolly": umbrella (A teacher from the UK suggested I bring one before I left Canada. I haven't felt a drop of rain. I'm glad I didn't back my brolly.)

"petrol": gas -I'm not driving, don't worry! It's hard enough to walk around here. Pedestrians don't seem to wait for the walk sign to turn green (the little man is white in Canada) and cars don't seem to wait for pedestrians that j-walk (walk across the street when the light is red).

"trackies": track pants/jogging pants (I learned this fun word from a twitter friend who sat beside me at dinner tonight. These get togethers are called "tweet ups" and I've met so many people who I know online. I can understand how exciting it must have been for Karenina, Yummy and Nadiyah when they met up recently for lunch.)

"toilets": washroom or restroom (In Canada we only use the word "toilet" to refer to the actual toilet. You would never say, "Where's the toilet?" You would say, "Where's the washroom?" or I might remind my son to "Flush the toilet.")

"to let": to rent (I saw signs with apartment buildings and the word "LET" on them. )

"lead": leash (I discovered this while window shopping and waiting for my hotel room to be ready.)

"queue" (verb and noun): line or line up (noun) to line up (verb)

"discotech": club (Yes, I went to one that had a disco ball. I was unimpressed that the DJ only played American music. Did I come to the UK to hear Bon Jovi? Of course not! When I was a student we used to go to "Brit Pop" night at the nightclub or bar.)

More observations:
I've also discovered that restrooms (toilets) are much smaller than they are in Canada. The doors that lead into them are also tiny. I'd say the average entrance here is about half the size of one in Canada.

And, you don't tip your poor server when you are in a pub here. I asked the bartender what to tip on a beer. He began to tell me all about the different types of beer that I might enjoy! I listened and nodded and then was brave enough to ask my question again. (What is a typical tip on a beer?) When I gave him a pound for the beer he looked at me like I was crazy. In Canada, it is considered very rude not to tip a bartender or server. The wage of a bartender in Canada is too low to live on without tips. I wonder what a bartender earns per hour in the UK.

It was a perfect day today in Brighton, and I removed my boots and dipped my toes in the ocean. My new friends laughed at me. It's the "sea" not the ocean, they told me. Actually, it's the English Channel, but they call it the sea.

I'll be talking about blogging with MyEC learners tomorrow at the ELT Blogosphere Symposium. Thanks for your creativity and hard work over the last two years! And thanks to all of the moderators and the Welcoming Committee for "holding the fort" while I'm away. (I wonder if they use that expression here? It means "to look after everything in someone's absence".)

Related:
British/American Vocabulary

(Note: I will add some photos and format this post a little better when I'm back at home with my computer.)

Thanks everyone! Today I learned the word "letterbox". In Canada we call this a "mailbox" (the box where the mailman places your "snail mail"). I learned this word while attending the plenary (opening talk at the conference). I also learned the word "lorry". I felt proud knowing that one, but asked a friend to confirm. "That's a bus, right?" She laughed and told me it's a truck. I also learned that nobody waits for that red pedestrian sign to change to green and that it sometimes only changes once a day! I learned one other phrase that "cracked me up" (made me laugh), but I don't think it's clean enough to share here. It is an expression that means "everything went (or is going to go or could go) wrong. Fortunately, it all worked out and the presentation was excellent! I'll share more about the presentation later this week. Thank you all for providing so much blogging material to share with the teachers of the world. Many have agreed to check out our community. I know you will welcome them with open arms.
Cheers (this is an expression that Brits and Canadians use)

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Comments

Tara Benwell June 7, 2011 15:39

I was just reminded of a new word to add to this post. Underneath the road there was a tunnel that led to the beach. It said "subway to award winning beach". In North America, a "subway" is a train that goes under the ground. In the UK, it's the underground tunnel itself. Listen to Shelly Terrell describe this funny related story.
Tara Benwell April 27, 2011 17:21

Please come over to my IATEFL blog post and help unravel the story about my trip.
Tara Benwell April 16, 2011 20:16

Thanks everyone! Today I learned the word "letterbox". In Canada we call this a "mailbox" (the box where the mailman places your "snail mail"). I learned this word while attending the plenary (opening talk at the conference). I also learned the word "lorry". I felt proud knowing that one, but asked a friend to confirm. "That's a bus, right?" She laughed and told me it's a truck. I also learned that nobody waits for that red pedestrian sign to change to green and that it sometimes only changes once a day! I learned one other phrase that "cracked me up" (made me laugh), but I don't think it's clean enough to share here. It is an expression that means "everything went (or is going to go or could go) wrong. Fortunately, it all worked out and the presentation was excellent! I'll share more about the presentation later this week. Thank you all for providing so much blogging material to share with the teachers of the world. Many have agreed to check out our community. I know you will welcome them with open arms.
Cheers (this is an expression that Brits and Canadians use)
Expector Smith April 16, 2011 14:19

Wow! Fantastic! You really made my day, Tara!

Thanks for sharing all the words and the impression of the UK. I really enjoyed reading it - I read it slowly and thoroughly and I'm sure I didn't miss any word of it. I wish I were there with all the teachers at the meeting. Enjoy your stay there. I wish you a great meeting tomorrow. I can't wait to see the photos you promised to share!!!
Larisa Dubova April 16, 2011 10:39

Hi Tara, thanks for sharing your new British words, some were new for me, too. Did somebody told you the invitation to the conference was sick? (see www.bbc.co.uk)

It's amazing that English is so challenging both for native and non-native speakers. While teaching we learn. It's like a hobby and it's fun!

Looking forward to your new impressions and photos.

Good luck!
Forget-me-Not April 16, 2011 10:13

Hello Tara,

What a nice experience you are living there, it's great !

You wrote :"British English is "brilliant". I love listening to the British accents". Wooo, it's just the opposite for me, i think english accent is 'stiff' and i really have a hard time to understand it when i am in the UK. When i am abroad, i never listen to the BBC and i prefer to choose CNN international, just because of the accent.

Have much fun there.
Nafis April 16, 2011 9:29

Dear Tara, thank you so much for the information. It's really great to know the difference between British and American language. All the best,
Robbie April 16, 2011 5:23

Hello Tara, it looks like you're having a good time there in the UK. Are you gonna witness the royal wedding? Just kidding. Thank you so much for the words you provided in this blog. I learned and jotted down the words so that I'll be familiar with those. You really need to bring that "brolly" because it always rain in UK, my friend just told me.

Here in the Philippines, we do give tips to the servers but still optional.

Thanks again Tara and take care....
Ario April 16, 2011 4:16

In my country, we call club "diskotek" almost similar with "discotech." And we also never give tips for waitress and servers (I don't know with the bartenders). The pedestrians and the drivers also don't wait each others. But, unfortunately I don't live in the UK.

It's funny to know these differences between the UK and Canada. Have you tried to speak with British accent when you take a walk or shop there, Tara?
Grace April 16, 2011 3:40

It's quite interesting to know or observe what differences between our country and others. I would also compare some things interesting like food, culture or language between China and Taiwan even we are all speaking Chinese. Thanks for sharing these informative post, and I can't wait to see your photos. Have a good trip.

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