True English

Hi everyone,

First of all, unless a true American native comes to comment and tell me it's wrong, my "true" 'in True English) is correct.

As you know, I'm very fond of trying to master American English.
As you know, there're big differences b/w the several geographical English.

Even if you reached a fluent level in the language, speaking like in a book would be rediculous as Am. don't speak like Shakespeare, and neither do the Brits.
On the other hand, street language is very difficult as it's that easy to make mistakes and, in fact, say horrible things (same in French and any language).

I already told you about my niece (a native NZ) and her friends who write on Facebook, exactly the way they speak. They teach me the language I want to know about too.

~~~~~

There's another lady who teaches me street language on FB.
It's funny as Cathy was born a Quebecker but she married an American man and still lives in the US (though a young widow). I've been meeting her for years on forums, she is a member of a French forum of mine and she forgot most of her French.

What's weird is that she likes to play with English language so that I have difficulties to catch what she writes (she uses words written the way she pronounces); she loves American language.

A example:

Cathy Fritts
Finally getting my damn refund is offsetting having to wake up at the butt crack of dawn. Here's to hoping it's not the only good news of the day.
Tom Wilson morning
Cathy Fritts morning TC!
Tom Wilson good luck to ya and *Hugs*
Cathy Fritts Thanks! *hugs* right back atcha
Ron Shaffer Yeah ours was 10 late Cathy and bill collectors are happy as they got it all.

WTF do they say!

It's occasionally only that posters use street language on FB but it's Cathy's specialty.
You can read genuine Am. behavior with their easy hughs but also these contractions in word such as in ya, atcha yeah or expressions like butt crack of dawn.
Yes I understand but difficult to use this.

Hi Gerard
I enjoyed reading cathy's text and have understood most of it anyway what does "atcha" mean ?

Hi Muriel,

I'd bet "atcha" stands for "at you".

Hi everyone,

There're expressions quite impossible to learn when you're not in the middle of American life.

Today, I saw this exchange on FB, between 2 colleagues of mine:

Mike
I've ordered my new 2012 business cards, each one has a different Windows troubleshooting tip on the back, there's nine in total matching the nine Windows 8 colour-schemes
Shawn Brian That is awesome, I might borrow this idea.
Mike Knock yourself out dude

> Knock yourself out
I don't know if I ever met this expression but what's sure is that I didn't print it (in my mind).
It's no good my trying to find this from a dictionary, I can't manage.
I understand through the context but...

> there's nine in total
I'm shocked by the mistake (there're nine in total).

Bonsoir à tous,

Eh bien Cathy et ses amis m'ont enseigné encore plusieurs choses aujourd'hui !

- coffee pot / machine à café / cafetière (du moins ce qu'ils utilisent aux US)
- scale=tartre dans la machine à café ou sur les dents=tartar ; comme j'aurais dit "calcaire", je ne riquait pas d'apprendre
- avec leur modernité, ils ne savent plus détartrer une cafétière, ils achètent une autre machine

Cathy - Is there anything worse than a slow coffee pot? It's one of those earth shattering questions this morning.
Stanley - You could try CoffeeCleaner? Maybe that will optimize it's speed
Joyce - The guys at work use denture cleaner. I bought some and will likely try it out when I am off next.
Ron - You need one of these that you can program to make coffee for you every morning. http://www.walmart.com/ip/​Proctor-Silex-12-Cup-Progra​mmable-Coffeemaker-Black/​16913485
Theresa - as soon as you can get a Bun takes THREE Minutes to make a pot!!
Joyce - I'm dying for a Bunn.
Cathy - toasted with butter..... mmmmmmmm #hungry
Karsten Strømkjær - nope nothing worse Morning Cathy
Cathy - I had a nice one but it crapped out a while back and since I can't live without my coffee, I got a cheapo machine at the dollar store lol... it's worked well, but it's starting to get slow now. I guess it's time for a new one.
Christie - Yes: weight loss. Then go buy a Keurig.
Cathy - lol Christie. *wave*
Karsten Strømkjær - Cathy change can be good too!
Tom - ‎90% is probably scale and lime buildup, purchase a bottle of CLR at the store and read the directions for coffee pots, then it will be fast again
http://www.jelmar.com/​CLRbasic.htm
Susan - I've used white vinegar since a coffee machine manufacturer recommended. http://​tips.simplygoodstuff.com/​clean-your-coffee-maker/
Tom - yep, vinegar removes most scale buildup, including for steam tables in restaurants or like your shower head if it has a white buildup

OMG!!

That's true!

They've got a songle product named CLR which is an acronym for Calcium-Lime-Rust: a single product for the 3 and even more.

CLR is a powerful formula available for dissolving tough calcium and lime deposits and surface rust stains from:
• Tubs
• Toilet bowls
• Sinks
• Glass
• Chrome
• Fiberglass

• Stainless steel
• Coffee makers
• Humidifiers
• Dishwashers
• Washing machines
• Shower heads

CLR is a command used by several programming languages, standing for Clear.

Hi Gerard, hi Everyone

for those who don't know what does "knock yourself out" mean, here is a useful link

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=knock%20yourself%20out

yesterday we were in Lyon and we had the best bagles ever

My daughter lives now in this town (After spending nearly 5 years in New york) and misses american food

do you know what a Bagle is ?

http://www.recette-americaine.com/category/bagel

Hi Muriel,

Many thanks for your explanations.


For me, "Bagle" is the name of one of the worst malware ever!!


> the best bagles ever
Please note that the American spelling remains "bagel" or "beigel".
This bread is very famous in big cities were Jewish people lived.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagel )

more...
- Bagel History
- History of the Bagel: The Hole Story
- Jewish and Israeli Foods --> What is a Bagel?

Hi Gérard

In the definition of the American dream by James Tuslow Adams in 1931 "Life should be better and richer and fuller for Everyone with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social class or circumstances of birth"

In his album "wrecking Ball" Bruce Springsteen sings about the American dream which nas become a nightmaire : Has the financial world become too greedy ?

Hi Muriel,

... not the first time I read about the end of The American Dream!
This is a serious affair as "The American Dream" is the base of the American Culture. So many things could be forgiven in the name of this Am Dream... It's worrisome!
I don't know if it's due to financials being too greedy or to the excess's of Georges W. Bush (and "his" armies) who spent/wasted all of the credits of the country: maybe effectively, the end of the US in present history (after 100 years supremacy).

Hi Gérard ! Hi everyone !

Perhaps the base of American culture is the energy of the American immigrants who went through the port of New york more than 2 centuries ago. That energy is on people's genes and nobody can take them away. It's very strong

Hello Muriel. everyone,

> That energy is on people's genes
I guess we've to put a damper on this "physical origin".

Okay about a melting pot but the US nation wasn't made on the MayFlower and there were lots of immigration waves:
(we speak about 40 Million immigrants from the beginning to the 1990s)

-1- first colons were groups of Spaniard+French+Dutch people

-2- Main stream - Brits who came from the 16th century to 1660.
First attempts by the British crown =Jamestown, 1607 was not a success
Second attempt: "indentured servants", the crown helped the poor migrate. They had to work for 4 to 7 years (quasi slavery) to get the travel payed plus a field in the new colony.
(they could calculate that 50 to 66% of immigrants between 1600 and 1776 were "indentured servants")

-3- African Slave Trade
Due to the Cromwell wars and the decrese of previous rate, the Royal Company of African Slave Trade was created in 1660 and got a monopoly in slavery.
Virginia - black part in the population was 5% (2,000) in 1650 against 22% (188,000) in 1776

-4- 1680-1760
. the "indentured servants" was going on; the British crown then added "convicts"
. 1675-1725: 25,000 Quakers (Welsh and Brits) arrived in Delaware
. 1680-1760: in the British colonies, the population went from 250,000 to 2 Million inhabitants - maily from North Ireland
. 125,000 Germans - 2,000 French Huguenots (1685=Edit de Nantes revocation) arrived in Boston, NY and North Carolina
. due to religious intolerance and economical situation, first wave of which Scott-Irish (from North Ireland)
Period of huge problems created by fights between newcomers and former colons, created by the poorness of immigrants, by people who wanted to exploit newcomers (who were remaining true slaves for a few years to pay their travel)
. 1717-1776: 250,000 Scott-Irish (group #2 after the English) immigrate after repeated starvation periods
. Germans: from 18 communities in 1760 to 30 in 1780 (33% of the population in Pennsyvvania in 1760 - they spread till 100 kilometers inside the area)

-4- 1819-1840
743,000 arrivals inc. 335,000 Irish, 155,000 Germans & 103,000 Brits

-5- 1848- Gold discovery in California - arrival of 10s of thousands of people from Europe, mainly FrencH.

~~~

A few figures:
1840-1860: more than 4 millions Europeans reached the US. 75% of them came from Ireland and Germany. From 1841 to 1850: 781,000 Irish, 434,000 Germans, 255,000 Brits, 77,000 French reached the US. From 1850 to 1860: 951,000 Germans, 914,000 Irish, 317,000 Brits, 76,000 French.

we've to put a damper on this "physical origin"

Hi Gérard, Everyone !

Thank you for that expression I didn't know and all the details of the various immigration waves in America.

Anyway there is something in Newyork (i have been there 3 times), in the air, in the people .... they are always on the move and ready to start again. My daughter was there when so many people lost their jobs. People around her were not too depressed but ready to change their lives.

Hi Muriel,

Thanks for your words.

> i have been there 3 times
I guess NY is a bit different.
A bit like for Paris, the behavior in NY doesn't reflect the whole US.

Contrary to France, in which many things are centralized and which tends to dictate the behavior and the voice of the country, New-York is poorly considered (I love NY but it is very different to the rest of the US - Washington DC either is very different).

~~ edit
Will your daughter agree with my words? NYers aren't beloved by other Americans

Hi Gerard

i will ask her and let you know !

Hi Muriel !

~~

Damn! Second time I meet the same "error" on Facabook (don't know if it's the same guy)!!

Yay! My new Metro business cards have arrived, there's nine in total each one with a different Windows troubleshooting or help tip on the back

Would anyonyone tell me it's correct nowadays? I really don't like!!

~~ edit:
Second time I meet the same error: after investigations: YES it's the same guy! Maybe a monkey! ;-)

Hi Gerard

i agree, there's+ plural is bad. I have just had a look at "La grammaire anglaise de l'étudiant"It is written that in a careless style "there's" often stands for "there are"

"There's queer things going on here" (Agatha Christie) Anyway such an expression stands out in an awful way

Let's now go back to Newyork. My daughter says that Newyork is very different from the rest of united States all the more so since 28% of ist population doesn't speak English but spanish, chinese italien etc.

I have no idea what the rest of America is because I only know New York.... I like to learn and I find America amazing !

Hi Muriel, hi everyone,

Thank you very much for your answer.

So, you confirm that despite "there's ---s (plural)" is incorrect, this form is used, including by Agarha Christie.
Of course, I must not be more catholic than the Pope even though I'd like more solid points in my knowledge.

Re NY, it's like any capital city such as Paris, or London, or others.
The population is different but the behavior as well and the rest of the country doesn't like them (don't understand them).

As for deep America, I can tell you that many people in small cities never see any African-American except on TV. If we speak about area (and not population), most Am never meet black people.
On the opposite, there's a big percentage of black people in Washington DC (I don't check but I've in mind 60%).
Washington DC is the 8th highest percent.

~~ edit
I just checked and read the percentage of black people in Washington DC plummetted, losing more than 10% in the last decade (so, it was more in the past).
In the US nowadays, there're 15% of black people, who live in urban areas.

-> Ten Cities of 100,000 or More with Highest Percentage of Blacks or African Americans, 2000 and 2010

Hi Gerard ! I Everyone !

I have just read in vocable that, in England, it has become fashionable to speak incorrectly.

"me and her will do that" instead of "she and I will do that"

"I seen" instead of "I saw"

"I done" instead of "I did"

"me" instead of "my"=>"it's me book" it's cockney

They say that the Americans speak far better than the Brits and that the American accent is the British accent several hundred years ago.The southern accent in US while it is very drawn out is very similar to the British accent.if you eliminate that "drawl" you have more or less a british accent.

Do you agree with that ?

Hi Muriel,

I'm not very used to reading British English language but I'm not surprised, and even devastated!

From the USA: I often see "me" instead of "I" but I guess (I do hope) it's only a game on Immediate Messaging (sometimes on forums).

For instance: "Me think that..."
It's especially on one Am forum I'm a member of. Rather weird because there are several teachers and they usually are strict on the laguage but when they begin to joke...

Hi Muriel, everyone,

I don't know if Cathy read your "Vocable" but I need to investigate and call Google to try to understand her words today

Cathy
I haz a happeh.
Chad - Ihaz a chubby...amidoinitright?
Cathy - lol, idk, I wouldn't call ya chubby, groovy.

Hi Gérard ! hi Everyone

It is really amazing ! what Cathy has written is incomprehensible ! A language is evolving but we have to be careful and keep writing good English or French or Spanish ....whatever language we are interested in never mind if we look old fashioned.

Hi Muriel,

A few clues:

- "h" is close to "n" on a keyboard (you know how easy it is to hit a neighboring key especially from a smartphone)
(I'm thinking of "happeh")
- "happeh"/"happen" is not a noun in my dictionary
- would "haz" or "has" be an old form for the conjugation of "to have"?
- "amidoinitright?" is "am I doing it right?"
- of course "ya" is "you" even for Cathy
- idk?
- chubby? I didn't check but it's familiar
- groovy? I didn't check but it's familiar

... when I think Cathy is a Quebecker...

~~ edit
- chubby means "potelé, joufflu, rebondi, rondelet..."
- groovy means "sensass, super bien, dans le vent..."

Muriel,

MurielB a écrit:... whatever language we are interested in never mind if we look old fashioned.

It's not forbidden to try to understand tho

I reckon we shouldn't do this before an advanced level otherwise there'd be enough to feel disgusted.