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.)
Comments
For addition, the old fashioned word 'discotheque' means Club too:)
Thank you again Profissor Tara, and Good luck!!
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