Should I try to learn the British accent?

How to Understand British Terms

Tis a bonnie bonnet, innit?
Some English speakers communicating with wikiHow editors from the UK will need to know just a little more about the lingo.

Be aware that certain food items are called by different names:

chips are thick fries, and french fries are the thin fries.

crisps are potato chips,

biscuit is a cookie. There is nothing an American would call a "biscuit" in the UK. They have scones, which look a bit like biscuits, but are slightly sweet, often baked with currants.

Learn the different terms for parts of a building:

the first floor is above the Ground Floor, the same as the American English "Second Floor",

a lift is an elevator,

bedsit is a one-room apartment that serves as a bedroom and a living room,

flat is the general word for an apartment,

Study these terms for when you are on the move:

the boot is the trunk of the car, and
the bonnet is the hood,

Trunk Call however is a long-distance phone call

A round-about is a traffic circle.

The colours of traffic lights are called red, amber and green (not yellow)

lorry is a truck,

The sidewalk is called the pavement or the footpath.

petrol is gasoline (can we stop at the petrol station?),

Avoid embarrassment by understanding these differences:

bum is a derrière or means to borrow something (let me bum a fag, i.e., cigarette),

fanny or front bottom is the exterior of the female reproductive organ,

If someone wants to bum a fag, it simply means they want to borrow a cigarette from someone.

loo or toilet is the bathroom (where's the loo?), also sometimes called the WC (water closet)

A rubber is an eraser.

Remember when throwing something away that:

Garbage or trash is rubbish.

Rubbish goes in the rubbish bin if it is inside, or a dustbin if you mean the large outside receptacle, and a trash bag is a called a "bin liner."

Use these terms when talking about clothing:

trousers are pants in American English,

pants are panties/knickers not trousers,

trainers are sneakers,

Wellingtons have nothing to do with Beef - they are galoshes,

Finally, study these terms which may cause confusion:

taking the mickey/taking the piss means making fun of; teasing,

kneel before me/get on your knees means to show respect, beg or even plead,

to ring is to call on the phone (I'll ring you later),

pram is a baby stroller,

lolly is a popsicle,

bodge is a poor job (repair) that just about works,

brolly is short for an umbrella,

a holiday is a vacation,

a torch is a flashlight as we know it in North-America

maths is the shortened mass noun for mathematics, or "math" in American English,

Washing-up liquid is dish detergent,

Aerial is a TV or radio antenna,

Anti-clockwise is just counter-clockwise

Engaged can also mean that the phone line is busy.

]Tips
See | American and British English Differences | American and British English Spelling Differences for more information.

]Warnings
Some words are less acceptable in British English than American.

While wanker is used humorously in the US, it's a reference to someone who masturbates, and is generally a derogatory term. Again, don't use in polite company.

A fanny is not a rear end. It's the front end, of a woman specifically. Not for polite company.
A fanny pack would be better referred to as a bum bag, believe it or not.
An ass is an arse in Britain. Also not for polite company.

Cussing is known as swearing. It's very prevalent in some communities and absent in others.
The same person may cuss up a storm one place, and not say a word in another.

The rules vary greatly. When in doubt, keep it clean. Nothing is more likely to offend than a misplaced swear word!

Knock up means knock on the door, usually to wake someone up.

Definitely you guys are weird with your other English......

"Don't make me write your name on my TURD List!"

Different areas of the country have different accents, a bit like new yorkers and rednecks.
Just speak English how yer normally speak....

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NIL ILLEGITIMI CARBORUNDUM

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NIL ILLEGITIMI CARBORUNDUM

English for a reason.....We invented it. Its just that all you Yankee inbred, half witted mutants dont have the brain power to comprehend it so yer call it american English to cover up yer dumb a$$e$.... :D

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NIL ILLEGITIMI CARBORUNDUM

Yorkshire,theres no point in yer living and breathing :D

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NIL ILLEGITIMI CARBORUNDUM

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NIL ILLEGITIMI CARBORUNDUM

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NIL ILLEGITIMI CARBORUNDUM

You guys are losing me with the cogney stuff and the Queens English.

Could I reckon the cowboys English from Texas, Instead of the Queens English?
I already have my peanut man accent from Georgia. LOL

Just kidding, is nothing personal against her Majesty.

"Don't make me write your name on my TURD List!"

How in the world, should I pronounce the words "Rattle" or "Cattle" with the british Accent?
You guys are making my language skills very difficult. I'm going to research that one.

Respectfully

http://www.whoohoo.c...

When r u leaving to go 2 the best city in the world??

I didnt understand a word of what u just said lool

If u need any tips on good place to go in London just let me know :)

Just how in the h3ll does a limey get an 'R' in place names like 'Chiner' anyway? Let's face it, when it comes to the language we Americans are like the Japanese when it comes to technology, someone else invented it, we just made it better ;)

RP - SamyaUK is right, they basically "swallow their double tt's". And here I thought it was only the 'Romantics' that swallowed (their words that is) ;)

I particularly liked the phrase to 'bum a fag'. hahaha

Hey SamyaUK - I don't swallow my Ts in words. I speak English (born in South-East London) but NOT Estuary English ;)

and i quote "the best city in the world"

hes not going to Leeds dear, hes only going to that toilet they call london.

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NIL ILLEGITIMI CARBORUNDUM

I doubt there are any people with a British accent in London so I wouldn't bother RP...

jauntie,supernurse,southland..good evening!

yes,south
i can fly back... :)
the single problem it's with my cave and daily guano..:)

Great place Leeds.. Used to go there in the old days to watch Bremner, Giles, Lorimer, ones, Clarke and Madeley play under Don Revie!

had great times being beaten up at the station... Aah, good times..

RP: Lesson 1 - Practice with the following sentences...

The bandage was wound around the wound.
We must polish the Polish furniture.
The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

Lesson 2 to follow too!

britexpat, your "british" post "britishised"
(dont even try to translate this!) my vampirians ears! :P

Now that's cheeky :D

Learn from Officer Crabtree:)

http://www.youtube.c...

Columbia Studios founder Harry Cohn, famed for his trouble with the English language, stormed into a story conference one morning apparently peeved. "God damn it!" he cried. "Do I have to do everything around here?" "What's the trouble, Harry?" asked the writer Clifford Odets. "I may not be a college man," Cohn replied, "but I know Goddam well that in Biblical times people did not go around saying, 'Yes, siree' and 'No, siree!'" The writers agreed. "Well, then, what's it doing in the script?" Cohn fumed. When Odets asked him where it appeared, Cohn slapped the script down and pointed to a page.

The writers nodded with amusement as they read the troublesome lines: "Yes, sire" and, "No, sire."

you have to be more specific and it all depends on your whereabouts in London

===================================== http://www.qatarlivi...

That's your problem, your speaking Shakespearean English from 400 hundred years ago :P

I always loved your uncle, the Count von Count. He could never get Cookie Monster to finish counting :P

No ders a wanka dats wid it :D

yeah,yeah...same old music..:)

Now that's what I talkin' about. Hey that's your neck of the woods ;) Get it, neck? Okay, I'll stop :P

Probably it is a good idea RP, i have no idea what are you trying to say with your current accents everytime i try to listen to you.

Peace ...

Lets see, The last time, I did my license renewal, updated my current gun permit, updated my fishing / hunting license; Did paid my most current property tax bill, including my federal and state tax return. it will be, the state of Georgia and most important, I am a absentee voter for the next elections.
What else you need MRS.?
About your self?

Yellow card!

Foul!!! On what?

Terminal amnesia. We in America suffer from this syndrome. I hear you about other peoples affairs but it seems, (judging by the past) when America turns its back on the world, the world goes to war with itself.

That's why we have a new Africa Command. The Chinese are stone-walling us at every turn in Africa because they have vested interests. Just wait until the global recession hits this fall after the Beijing games. Then we'll bring out China as the whipping boy once again, as before, they were let into the WTO ten years ago.

The Russians want to turn NATO into EUTO. Ah another chapter begins. . . .

---BRITEXPAT----

I would not denied your words, is all true. Crap does happens. :)

---Southland-----

Did they finalize, were they are going to stay?

Liberia or the current Horn of Africa?

i lost track of that move.

"Yes, At least something good, came out of Kosovo and Bosnia. That is why they call us the"UN Policeman."

I agree that Bosnia is on a good way and finaly has stability, lots of bad things happened there and I really hope it will never happen again in history.

But Kosovo, huh it is still early to say anything. Kosovo Albanians are litle a bit different, even different than native Albanians from Albania. The problem is nobody was thinking about it what is the next step after independency. Kosovo cannot live of international donations and under UNMIK or EULEX missions forever. First Kosovo Government need to provide normal life for all non Albanians.People still leave in fear, kids cannot go to school without military escort, because some armed groups are out of control.

At last 20 years on Kosovo any institution didn't work legaly, like now it was controled or shared by couple families who were making very big amounts of money on ilegal jobs, even when Kosovo was part of Serbia. I blame Milosevic government for most of it and for everithing what happened there and anywhere in former Yugoslavia, unfortunately he had interest, Serbian mafia with Serbian secret police was dealing drugs and weapons with Albanian mafia from Kosovo. Nowadays Kosovo is a center of human trafficking. Try to remeber, on the beggining of war on Kosovo, US Government put KLA on terorist list, KLA leaders were on Interpol list, but very soon KLA is recognised like formal Kosovo army and leaders are in Government or in oposition.

history of Albania ??

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NIL ILLEGITIMI CARBORUNDUM

With boats? :P

Yes it is true, they rejected, and Abanians from Alabania don't see in future Kosovo like part of Albania. Some groups of Nationalists from Kosovo still believes in Great Albania in borders from WWII under Italian protectorate.
Abania has other interests, to develope economicly and make atractive tourist destination.
Nobody should live from history, even in my country some parts of nation still dreaming about something which we will never get.

My Question is:

Who are the Scot's, the Irish and the British.

Historically, the vikings invade and raided very often the Isles, then the Romans conquest.

I reckon, the merging of the British accent, is due to the exposure of different cultures and languages.

thx God!
it's an island!
another European location and:
" United Kingdom of Great Britain,French,Germany,Spain,Portugal,
Denmark,Belgium,Swisse,Polish,Italy,
Austrian,Hungarian,Yugoslavian,Romanian,
Bulgarian,Russian and Northern Ireland"

This post just made me realise what a complicated bunch we are.. Red Pope-
All you need to know really is that the English tw*tted the Welsh, the Scottish and the Irish on a grand scale at several and frequent points in history. Southern Ireland and Scotland ( The Scottish did as the English didn't understand them and they sound angry..) are the only ones who were successful in gaining complete independence, good on them- although they shove it down your throat at every available opportunity), Northern Ireland (the face bit of the panda shape) has fought up until.... now???? (someone help here.. I know up until early noughties) Anyway.. that was horrific and terrifyingly atrocious-but no more than any other conflict, I guess..

In any case. James 1st was Scottish and he weed on his followers.. and also sparked the British Civil War. What a dude!

The welsh.. God love them- Green green grass of home, etc, fought hard and lost. We have our own 'Assembly' but I'm Welsh, and I have no idea if they actually do much more than promote nepotism:)

It's all a pile of crap, really..and my coal mining ancestors would properly turn in their graves at my apparent indiffernce. History should be put to bed. And we should have learned from it.. Politicians talk bollocks wherever they're from:)

The waaaaaaterrr in Majorca, don't taste like what it oughttar and by the way, I'm aactually quite cross that my welsh accent was eredicated by my very English mother:) I know my pronunciations.. (By the way, we keep that quiet around these parts;).
Where are YOU from, incidentally? ;)