American Mum: You Say Tomato, I Say Tomahto

We thought the people in South Carolina had a strong accent. That sweet southern draw seems like nothing compared to what we have here. The British not only sound different due to the accent, but they also use English words in different ways than we do. Yes, we both speak “English”, but American English is different in many ways. We just passed our one month mark, and I will say, I have learned a lot about British English in the past 5 weeks.

For the most part, I can easily understand what others are saying. I will admit, I occasionally have to ask them to repeat what they say. One of the first weeks we were here, we went to McDonald’s for dinner. When we went up to the counter to ask what kinds of ice cream they had for dessert, the lady looked right at Dylan and told him the “flavours” and toppings. He looked up at me with those big brown eyes like, “What did that lady just say to me?” Sometimes the accent alone makes it too hard to understand.

Dylan has come a long way in just a few weeks. We have always known he is a fast learner, but he has astounded us with how quickly he is picking up on the British accent! (Sorry, Uncle Mike…nothing I can do to help this.) He is surrounded by it from 9am-3pm every day at school. He does not really pronounce the words like they do yet, but his intonations have changed. His voice goes up at the end of each statement. I will have to put up a video sometime so you can hear him. We just laugh.

I do not hear the accent as often since I am at home. I have met a few other mums that I chat with before and after school. I am learning the basics of casual conversations. It is a learning process though. When one of the mums walked up to me and said, “Are you alright?” I thought I must look like something was wrong. Maybe my mascara was running. Maybe the bags under my eyes looked extra heavy. But I came to find out, that is how they say, “How are you?” I have definitely been an observer, taking it all in and listening each day. Here are some of the words and sayings I have learned so far…

British English American English

hi-a Hi or hello

cheers thank you/goodbye

cheerio goodbye

bits and bops all of your belongings-bag,coat, etc.

fortnight two weeks

trolley cart

boot trunk of a car

buggy or pushchair stroller

hob stove

wellies rain boots

motorway highway

biscuit cookie

jacket potato baked potato

lemonade Sprite or carbonated citrus drink

plasters bandaids

jab shot

come over for tea come over to play/eat

go out for tea go out for dinner

anti-clockwise counter-clockwise

tick the box check the box

toilet restroom

sledging sledding

Amelia has only been in preschool for one week, so she has not picked up on the accent yet. She does keep saying, “Things are sure different here in Angland (as she says it).” She did tell me that instead of saying “good job”, her teachers say, “well done”. She also learned to say “tidy up” instead of “clean up”. Amelia did surprisingly well this first week at preschool. It helps that it is only 2 ½ hours. She hung onto my leg for about 10 minutes, and then she was ready for me to leave. She went on the laptop on Wednesday and printed out 2 pictures. On Friday, she received a certificate for doing an excellent job on work for her folder. I hope she continues to enjoy it. Oh, and it’s FREE! There is a preschool grant that allows every child up to 15 hours free each week! Dylan’s school is free as well. That is a nice little portion of the budget I don’t have to worry about anymore.

We are connected to the Internet at home, and I would say we are just about settled. The baby’s room is all set. Everything is washed and ready…some pink and some blue. I am 35 weeks, so I am working on packing my bags for my big 6 hour stay. J I will post some new pictures of the house in the next week. A big thank you to those of you who keep checking in by posting on Facebook, sending e-mails, mailing letters and calling. I feel the love!