English Vs US English?

[Rosemary]

I keep re-setting and re-setting my laptop to British-English, only to have words such as colour and neighbour pointed out to me that this might not be the correct spelling

Can someone please explain why 'mini-series' (as in a TV program) is now spelled 'miniseries'? I was trying to work out what 'Min-Is-Eries' meant for ages, thinking it was the name of a film

[Ursa major]

Miniseries could be seen to be more honest, as it more obviously contains (and suggests) the word miseries.


(I tend to use program for something written for a computer and programme for something (allegedly) written for the TV. I don't know whether this is standard practice anywhere but in my own head.)

[Anthony G Williams]

Originally Posted by fire_elf20

"I was taught when using quotations like that that you use double unless you are using quotations within 'quotations' like so then you still close your double"

Quotations within speech should always be marked in the opposite way to whatever you use for the speech marks, to keep the distinction clear.

[Wiglaf]

The lack of a hyphen in miniseries would mean that they now consider it a word in its own right rather than an impromtu combination of two words.

The z instead of s fallows more closely American pronounication.
New Englanders and some parts of Britain do not comprehend that r is prounced in words that have an r and not in words that do not; these people should be given hooked on phonics.
Simularly, h exists for a reason.
Just a question, if skedule is shedule, is skool pronounce shool? I have often wondered.
And again, treat R with a modicrum of respect.

[Peter Graham]

New Englanders and some parts of Britain do not comprehend that r is prounced in words that have an r and not in words that do not; these people should be given hooked on phonics.

I assume that you are talking about the long "a" sound that makes "bath" sound like "barth". I thought that was just a vagary of Received Pronunciation, which was a deliberate attempt to standardise UK English pronunciation. It was cooked up in the early days of broadcasting so that puffin-catchers on Shetland and pasty-makers in Cornwall could all understand what was being said by stern looking gentlemen in nice suits. I had no idea it went on in New England too.

There are very few places in the UK where "barth" is pronounced as such in the authentic local dialect. Londoners say something that sounds like "barf" and people in the South West might say "baath", but otherwise we tend to pronounce it with a short "a".

Simularly, h exists for a reason.

Just not a very good reason, from what most people over here can see!

Just a question, if skedule is shedule, is skool pronounce shool? I have often wondered.

It depends where you are from in the UK. Originally, the soft "sh" was synonymous with the hard "sk" sound. The former is old English (as spoken by the Saxons) and the latter comes from old Norse (as spoken by the Vikings). In the Dark Ages, "shirt" and "skirt" meant the same thing, as did "shatter" and "scatter".

In Northern England (most of which fell under Viking control), people do still say "skedule" (and "skewel"), which I suspect is a phonetic hangover from long-standing use of "sk", even though "sch" probably didn't exist for either the Saxons or the Vikings. Which is no doubt why "shedule" and "skool" have parted company, in the South at least.

Wonderful thing, language....

[jenna]

The thing about English, the thing that I love, is that there are those beautiful pronunciation and spelling inconsistencies, that's what makes it such a lovely language. If English was full of strict formulas, like "ch" must always be pronounced the same way, then it would be no better than math, and then I would be sad. And I am all for the non-pronunciation of "h", and for sticking an "an" in front of it. It sounds nicer.

[Wiglaf]

Originally Posted by Peter Graham

I assume that you are talking about the long "a" sound that makes "bath" sound like "barth". I thought that was just a vagary of Received Pronunciation, which was a deliberate attempt to standardise UK English pronunciation. It was cooked up in the early days of broadcasting so that puffin-catchers on Shetland and pasty-makers in Cornwall could all understand what was being said by stern looking gentlemen in nice suits. I had no idea it went on in New England too.

There are very few places in the UK where "barth" is pronounced as such in the authentic local dialect. Londoners say something that sounds like "barf" and people in the South West might say "baath", but otherwise we tend to pronounce it with a short "a".

You mean that dreadful abuse of the language is supposed to help people to understand?!! Worsh a cah? I rather wash my car.

[Shingetsu]

Hmm, the written language is evil. We all might aswell stick to our own countries for the writing; and generally not try and sabotage each other for the differences.

[Wiglaf]

Originally Posted by Shingetsu

Hmm, the written language is evil. We all might aswell stick to our own countries for the writing; and generally not try and sabotage each other for the differences.

Your no fun!

[Peter Graham]

You mean that dreadful abuse of the language is supposed to help people to understand?!! Worsh a cah? I rather wash my car.

Really? I thought you washed your corrs over there. And then had a cup of kwarfy afterwards. Before declaring war on tur.

..and thus began the Great Phonetic War, in which two closely allied countries tore themselves apart over the correct way to speak a language which is German anyway.........

Jovial regards,

Peter

[The Pelagic Argosy]

"Ye knowe ek that in forme of speche is chaunge
Withinne a thousand yeer, and wordes tho
That hidden pris, now wonder nyce and straunge..."

That's my favorite quote from Chaucer. Seemed appropriate.

[Wiglaf]

Originally Posted by Peter Graham

Really? I thought you washed your corrs over there. And then had a cup of kwarfy afterwards. Before declaring war on tur.

..and thus began the Great Phonetic War, in which two closely allied countries tore themselves apart over the correct way to speak a language which is German anyway.........

Jovial regards,

Peter

Nope, its car and kawfy? like cough with an ee at the end. The R thing just bugs me. Mutilating vowels is one thing but adding and removing consonants is another. Oh well, at least I don't live where they talk funny.

[Kissmequick]

They talk funny as far as I'm concerned. They don't talk funny here. Except for that Zuzzzeeeex thing

[Ursa major]

Don't forget how they "park the car in Harvard yard", though.