British people using Americanisms

Being married to a northern lass, the one thing that always causes comments is going for a bath ,should it be pronounced ,bath,or barf or baeth
 
JohnC6 said:
I now call ‘level crossings, railway crossings’. I have no idea why level is used. It doesn’t even make sense. They’re anything but level..lol

I could care less. I spent two weeks annually for 8 years with Americans and that was a question I asked several times but none had an answer. The phrase doesn’t make sense
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Try driving over the rails where there is no crossing. ;)

I couldn't care less means you are at your lowest limit of caring. I could care less means you haven't reached your lowest limit of caring. :)
 
the black fox said:
Being married to a northern lass, the one thing that always causes comments is going for a bath ,should it be pronounced ,bath,or barf or baeth
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If someone pronounces it barf, what do they say when they get in the bath to bathe? Bafe? Bave?
 
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Radio adverts for the "latest blockbuster" - in cinemas October twelve. Maybe in the US, but in good old UK we say October the 12th or the 12th of October.
 
DavieW said:
Radio adverts for the "latest blockbuster" - in cinemas October twelve. Maybe in the US, but in good old UK we say October the 12th or the 12th of October.
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And there was me thinking 12 was the age classification. ;)
 
Using the word "counter" to describe a worktop in the kitchen. Counters are what you get in shops in Britain, or maybe even a very old pub. It is now so widely used that manufacturers now sell "under the counter" fridges", whereas "under the counter" had a different meaning in the old days. ;)
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
What's wrong with that?
I'd say train station, in the same way I'd say bus station.
I go to one to get a train, and the other to get a bus.
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In the UK it has traditionally been railway station, as it's a station on the railway. Train station is an Americanism.
A bus station is where buses are stationed, they don't just stop there on route to pick up passengers, that's called a bus stop. So that's the bus station argument well and truly bus-ted! ;)
 
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Mr Badger said:
In the UK it has traditionally been railway station, as it's a station on the railway. Train station is an Americanism.
A bus station is where buses are stationed, they don't just stop there on route to pick up passengers, that's called a bus stop. So that's the bus station argument well and truly bus-ted! ;)
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Fair enough re the bus station. Not sure why it would annoy someone though calling a railway station a train station.
However....it's a perceived Americanism...
Looking at the etymology, the Oxford English Dictionary cites British newspapers using "train station" in 1845 and 1856.
And in 1825 the engineer Thomas Tredgold published A Practical Treatise on Railroads and Carriages, while in 1837 the Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal wrote about a "rail-road station". Nowadays that term would definitely be considered an Americanism and yet it appears to have been in common usage in Britain - the OED has numerous other citations.
 
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It does work both ways though.
I spent time with an American guy in his own country, he soon went from "Holy cow" to Bloody hell (y)
( He also learnt a few cockney rhyming slang words to baffle his mates with too :D )
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
Fair enough re the bus station. Not sure why it would annoy someone though calling a railway station a train station.
However....it's a perceived Americanism...
Looking at the etymology, the Oxford English Dictionary cites British newspapers using "train station" in 1845 and 1856.
And in 1825 the engineer Thomas Tredgold published A Practical Treatise on Railroads and Carriages, while in 1837 the Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal wrote about a "rail-road station". Nowadays that term would definitely be considered an Americanism and yet it appears to have been in common usage in Britain - the OED has numerous other citations.
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Rather like French Canadians, Americans have retained many of the archaic modes of speech and spelling wheile the British have (sometimes intentionally) differentiated away from them.
 
Harriers9 said:
Centre / Center
Central / Centeral

Just doesn't work in American does it?
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Then there's the letter Z (Zed as it should be pronounced in the UK). Imagine the confusion years ago if we'd have watched the programme 'Zee Cars' on telly, and some poor German visitor thought it was going to be a motoring programme! :giggle:
 
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redsnappa said:
I work in schools and many children are now speaking with the same type of accents that are used in the voice overs of the popular programs aimed at young children such as Pepper Pig, it's noticeable at parents evening were the parents both speak in local accents and their children speak in a sort of RP accent. It's obviously the result of parents using youtube as a babysitter
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How things have gone; I don't remember any of my classmates at school talking like Brian Cant (who seemed to do most of the narration on animated childrens' TV programmes in those days). I think your story should perhaps make modern parents sit very uncomfortably!
 
Mr Badger said:
In the UK it has traditionally been railway station, as it's a station on the railway. Train station is an Americanism.
A bus station is where buses are stationed, they don't just stop there on route to pick up passengers, that's called a bus stop. So that's the bus station argument well and truly bus-ted! ;)
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Where I come from, buses are stationed in the bus depot. The bus station is just the large hub in town to, yes, pick up and drop off passengers.
 
viv1969 said:
Where I come from, buses are stationed in the bus depot. The bus station is just the large hub in town to, yes, pick up and drop off passengers.
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In that case I can only suggest that you move to another town. ;)
 
redsnappa said:
I work in schools and many children are now speaking with the same type of accents that are used in the voice overs of the popular programs aimed at young children such as Pepper Pig, it's noticeable at parents evening were the parents both speak in local accents and their children speak in a sort of RP accent. It's obviously the result of parents using youtube as a babysitter
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Peppa pig by the way...:)
I know it's how some would say pepper...
 
Mr Badger said:
In the UK it has traditionally been railway station, as it's a station on the railway. Train station is an Americanism.
A bus station is where buses are stationed, they don't just stop there on route to pick up passengers, that's called a bus stop. So that's the bus station argument well and truly bus-ted! ;)
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Ah but railways aren't stationed at railway stations. So the railway station argument must also be busted. ;)
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
Fair enough re the bus station. Not sure why it would annoy someone though calling a railway station a train station.
However....it's a perceived Americanism...
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I don't call it train or rail station. It is just the station or it is preceded by the name of the station. I don't think I have actually come across people calling it anything else, even people asking for directions just refer to it as the station and everyone knows it is where you can get on a train.
 
nilagin said:
even people asking for directions just refer to it as the station and everyone knows it is where you can get on a train.
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The problem with that here, is, that we have a bus station and a train station within half a mile of each other :D
 
nilagin said:
I don't call it train or rail station. It is just the station or it is preceded by the name of the station. I don't think I have actually come across people calling it anything else, even people asking for directions just refer to it as the station and everyone knows it is where you can get on a train.
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Maybe that depends on where you live.
In Glasgow, if you asked for directions to the station, the first thing they'd ask you is bus or train?
 
Cobra said:
The problem with that here, is, that we have a bus station and a train station within half a mile of each other :D
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We don't have any bus stations, none that I am aware of anyway. But the buses do congregate at our local station. :)
 
nilagin said:
Ah but railways aren't stationed at railway stations. So the railway station argument must also be busted. ;)
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Ah but our "Local" "Train Station" is also a train park, goods yard and service yard.
Granted its spread out over a few hundred yards, but its all in the same "complex"
 
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nilagin said:
But the buses do congregate at our local station. :)
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In CMK the bus station is right outside the train station (y)
And when the trains are station-ary people get off and get on a station-ary bus (y)
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
In Glasgow, if you asked for directions to the station, the first thing they'd ask you is bus or train?
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Here, that would be followed with (if the answer was "train") by "Which one?".

Not sure where the bus station is these days - they're building more sheltered housing for the useless little turds that mummy and daddy send to university on the site.
 
Nod said:
Here, that would be followed with (if the answer was "train") by "Which one?".

Not sure where the bus station is these days - they're building more sheltered housing for the useless little turds that mummy and daddy send to university on the site.
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Same in Glasgow, it would be Queen St or Central?
 
Maybe translate the word ‘station ’ as..stopping place..for trains-buses but in the case of buses I take Viv1969’s point..a bus station for me,too, is a place, in town, where the region’s buses terminate and passengers....( or customers Viv.. .?..lol) get off or on..or if you prefer debus/disembark or embark.

To play devil’s advocate.....

What about a petrol (gas) station ? The aforementioned criteria would suggest it’s where petrol stops ? Lol. Of course not But it is where petrol is stored so vehicles can stop...and buy it.

Space station. Is that where space stops ? :) Cattle station.. Is this just a US term ? What’s the difference between this and a cattle ranch..both accommodate a large number of cattle. In Australia..a sheep station. I don’t hear that term used in Wales..unless someone knows otherwise. Radio station. Why airport and not aeroplane station ?

This one baffles me..Playstation. Must be where you have a variety of games in one place. Needless to say,neither my wife nor I have one.

Would it be reasonable to say that the word ‘station‘ has a linguistic nuance ?
 
JohnC6 said:
What about a petrol (gas) station ?
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As a slight aside to this, what we generally know as petrol is actually called gasoline in the oil refining industry, so the americanism is OK. Unless we confuse it with real gas. And of course Americans use the term gas to refer to wind/flatulence, so scope for confusion there. :rolleyes:
 
Cobra said:
Ah but our "Local" "Train Station" is also a train park, goods yard and service yard.
Granted its spread out over a few hundred yards, but its all in the same "complex"
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What, no wheel rappers and shutters club?
Our local station is the end of the District Line and also incorporates a rail and train service and maintenance yard with train sheds about 1/2 a mile away. It is still just called The Station. ;)
 
nilagin said:
What, no wheel rappers and shutters club?
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You mean wheel tappers and shunters club :p

There used to be a "Railway club" rather like a working mans club, but its no longer there. Development / progress I guess..

edit, writing while Robert was posting, great minds and all that (y)
 
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nilagin said:
Autocorrect must obviously be American. ;)
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Some are, but you need to correct auto correct, you can't blame the Americans for everything!
Most things yes, but not everything :D
 
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