tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post3678985860004550535..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: Intralexylynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-85150749648881226812012-10-11T18:48:03.138+01:002012-10-11T18:48:03.138+01:00That's a metaphorical use from the sense of &#...That's a metaphorical use from the sense of 'channel(l)ing a spirit'. Will check if it's really dialect-specific. lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-18874191913050229202012-10-11T17:54:37.413+01:002012-10-11T17:54:37.413+01:00What about "channel(l)ing" in AmE and ma...What about "channel(l)ing" in AmE and maybe by now Br E? I still haven't translated it in my own mind. First read it about @lynneguist. It seems to mean a combination of BrE "plugging", imitating or emulating, or have I got it wrong?Ed@BoswellAffleckClydesdale Jeffersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14631644050118490759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-62926841900858088812011-11-05T11:32:27.811+00:002011-11-05T11:32:27.811+00:00Andy
Only a minority of words are tied to a local...Andy<br /><br />Only a minority of words are tied to a locality. Anything that's used in writing or in a spoken mass medium is potentially universal. <i>Punter</i> is an <b>extremely</b> familiar word to me and I've never lived in the South of England, except for a few years as a student four decades ago — when it didn't have quite the same sense.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-20440085122503898622011-11-05T03:24:11.144+00:002011-11-05T03:24:11.144+00:00I'm not sure but I think punter is mainly a so...I'm not sure but I think punter is mainly a southern England word. I'm from the middle of England and I can't remember hearing anyone use it around here and I don't think it's very common in the north of England either or in Scotland and Wales. I might be wrong of course. I think it could originally be a cockney word.Andy JShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15819413906544791899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-78733068575976562912011-11-01T16:19:18.675+00:002011-11-01T16:19:18.675+00:00This discussion of the etymology of "wage&qu...<a href="http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=wage&searchmode=none" rel="nofollow">This </a> discussion of the etymology of "wage" suggests that in French there is (was?) an even greater variety of terms for pay according to type of work or social class.Øhttp://voidplay.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-33935632424063919272011-11-01T09:12:09.529+00:002011-11-01T09:12:09.529+00:00Too late for your month of untranslatables, but it...Too late for your month of untranslatables, but it didn't occur to me until recently - is there a US equivalent of 'tat' - the tawdry or unnecessary ornaments or clothing?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-34832446530653607162011-11-01T03:17:05.771+00:002011-11-01T03:17:05.771+00:00I don't say "wages" very often, but ...I don't say "wages" very often, but I never say "a good".Øhttp://voidplay.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-66350106735497232272011-11-01T00:19:34.331+00:002011-11-01T00:19:34.331+00:00Bill
When I was a boy a wage was what blue collar...Bill<br /><br />When I was a boy a <i>wage</i> was what blue collar workers collected in coin of the realm every week. A <i>salary</i> was white collar workers received as a credit in their bank account every month. A <i>fee</i> was the one-off payment made to a self-employed professional (or an entertainer) in cash or cheque upon completion of a service.<br /><br />The sort of complex payment a high-earner now receives as <i>compensation</i> would then be a combination of <i>salary, retainer, bonuses</i> and <i>allowances</i>.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-11522400379466557562011-10-31T20:06:01.019+00:002011-10-31T20:06:01.019+00:00@Dru,
We do tend to use Compensation interchangabl...@Dru,<br />We do tend to use Compensation interchangably with wages, but it doesn't eliminate us using it to mean the same as in BrE. We would tend to use the surrounding context for that.<br />Getting Compensated for one's losses, is clearly a different situation from Getting Compensated for one's work.<br />We would generally not use Compensation for purchasing or selling an item. Compensation would be used in return for a service more than for a good. An employer may pay compensation to the person who sold the item, but the purchaser would not compensate the seller unless perhaps there was some damage to the item.<br /><br />We also don't generally use the word "wages"...we know what it means, and I am sure it is used from time to time, but I would say 9 times out of 10 we would say either "Salary" or "Pay" as opposed to "Wages"Billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-64304261417597188202011-10-29T17:28:51.579+01:002011-10-29T17:28:51.579+01:00I don't think I'd use 'envision' b...I don't think I'd use 'envision' but if I were to, or if I heard it, I think I'd assume it was a transitive verb meaning something like 'to inspire people with a vision', the sort of thing that people who use management speak try to do to the rest of us.<br /><br />'Envisage' usually means something similar to 'conjecture'. As I experience it, it is usually followed by 'that' or an omitted 'that' and a subsidiary clause describing what the person envisages. I don't relate it to 'an image that is delineated', whatever that means.<br /><br />So it looks as though envisage does have different meanings on opposite sides of the Atlantic, and that envision also does, if it exists in English usage at all.Drunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-16697032463172309662011-10-26T10:55:15.229+01:002011-10-26T10:55:15.229+01:00Here's an angle on the prevously discussed &qu...Here's an angle on the prevously discussed "envisage/envision" split. Ask a Brit what the difference is they'll say there isn't one - just that the former is Br Eng and the latter Am Eng. However, it would appear from the interweb refs that from a North American perspective "envisage" is not seen as a Br Eng usage, but as a different word with a subtly different meaning - eg:<br /><br />"envisage refers to an image that is delineated, whereas envision can refer to an appearance that is indefinite or immaterial; envisage is 'contemplate or view in a certain way' and envision means 'picture to oneself; visualize'" (http://thesaurus.com).<br /><br />That's not a meaning of "envision" I would be familiar with as a Br Eng speaker, and yet it it not quite a match for "visualise".jpeepsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-77075013636829149562011-10-26T10:12:43.355+01:002011-10-26T10:12:43.355+01:00Naff has already made the grade.Naff has already made the grade.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-16569303765263184252011-10-26T09:14:44.093+01:002011-10-26T09:14:44.093+01:00How about "naff". Or "wet" whe...How about "naff". Or "wet" when it describes a person.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-66883784879615079622011-10-22T11:27:56.782+01:002011-10-22T11:27:56.782+01:00Dru
I have heard and read compensation used in Br...Dru<br /><br />I have heard and read <i>compensation</i> used in British media, but for something more complicated than 'wages'. The word is generally used to denote what CEO's and other highly-paid employees receive — some in cash, but a lot more in benefits and share options.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-62592399592981173332011-10-21T23:21:13.951+01:002011-10-21T23:21:13.951+01:00I'm not sure if this one fits 'intralexy&#...I'm not sure if this one fits 'intralexy'. It's more a question of how North American speakers make a distinction that exists in English English but may never have existed, or may no longer exist elsewhere? I'm only aware of it having recently come across several statements that have struck me as odd because the speaker or writer appears to be habitually using a word without making a distinction that I would instinctively make. It lies in what the words 'compensate' and 'compensation' mean.<br /><br />In English English, compensation is money paid to you to reimburse a loss, to put something right. Compensate as a verb is used in two virtually identical senses, as both 'to pay compensation' (hence the derivation of the noun) and to bring something back into balance mechanically. An example might be to add weights to a wobbly wheel to make it revolve in a more balanced way.<br /><br />I've seen a number of contexts recently from which it appears that in North American usage, 'compensation' is interchangeable with what we would mean by 'wages', i.e. pay for doing a job. So presumably, one can also use the verb 'compensate' simply to mean 'pay'.<br /><br />So my question is this. Since in English usage, 'compensation' and 'wages' have a quite different meaning, what word does one use in North America to express what we mean by 'compensation'?<br /><br />Likewise, in the USA, if an employer can pay compensation at $ xxx per month, if I buy a car or a television, do I pay compensation, rather than the price, in return?Drunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-28254665277478357392011-10-17T16:57:49.500+01:002011-10-17T16:57:49.500+01:00As perhaps a spin on the Untranslateable theme, I ...As perhaps a spin on the Untranslateable theme, I was recently in a production of the musical “She Loves Me.”<br />Through the course of doing the show, I discovered an “old” BBC version of the show that, from what I have read, was a holiday tradition in the UK for quite a long time.<br />My point in this is that while watching the BBC version on YouTube, there were some lyrics in the show that had to be changed from the original Broadway because they didn’t work in a British version. For example:<br />Original/US version – “Wouldn’t it be something if we all took off from work? Leaving Mr. Maraczek without a single clerk?”<br />British version – “Wouldn’t it be something if we all just took the day? We could leave a note that says we won’t be in today!”<br /><br />Obviously “clerk” not rhyming with “work” in the BrE is not the same as other examples that have come up, but I definitely think that it false under the umbrella of something not translating right between the two languages.Billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-69938384385099259852011-10-17T13:01:33.554+01:002011-10-17T13:01:33.554+01:00I've now done 'jammy' and 'hazing&...I've now done 'jammy' and 'hazing'. Thanks for the suggestions!lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-47365965136778024312011-10-15T23:34:10.055+01:002011-10-15T23:34:10.055+01:00How about BrE "jammy", in the sense of e...How about BrE "jammy", in the sense of enviably or undeservedly lucky?Alec.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-52256894407115785392011-10-15T22:47:53.768+01:002011-10-15T22:47:53.768+01:00Hm, that comment surprises me, since I don't t...Hm, that comment surprises me, since I don't tend to put personal stuff on the Twitter feed at all. That's what I use my personal Facebook for, and that's restricted to people who know me. Sometimes I relate a Difference of the Day to something in my life that's inspired it and occasionally I have linguistically- or extpatriately-relevant stories from my life, but this is as true of the blog. <br /><br />You shouldn't be seeing half-conversations unless you also follow the other person, but recent changes on Twitter have also made it easier to just click on a 'speech bubble' to see what ran up to it. However, the feed in the margin of the blog does show everything, including so-called @-replies, which is not ideal--but I can't do anything about that, as it's an off-the-shelf widget.<br /><br />Or were you only looking at my page, rather than 'following' and getting the filtered (no @-responses) stuff on your own timeline? No, that wouldn't be worth reading--but it's not the way that Twitter's meant to be read. <br /><br />In any case, sorry it didn't suit you.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-31112104612266202432011-10-15T01:51:14.246+01:002011-10-15T01:51:14.246+01:00I used to follow you on Twitter, but completely ga...I used to follow you on Twitter, but completely gave it up. Too much stuff going on there that is not interesting to people who don't interact with you personally. Plus, it's too frustrating to see only half a conversation (even if I often have a decent idea of what the other half must be), and too time consuming to try to find the other half. So I definitely miss the blog, but don't find Twitter an acceptable alternative.PWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-7150617315293548872011-10-14T22:36:44.239+01:002011-10-14T22:36:44.239+01:00May I suggest the BrE 'stodge' as a catego...May I suggest the BrE 'stodge' as a category of food? <br /><br />AmE has the adjective 'stodgy', but not the noun.John Burgesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11979918255430186425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-34159809832345805322011-10-14T09:03:03.021+01:002011-10-14T09:03:03.021+01:00David Crosbie - Gosh!David Crosbie - Gosh!biochemistnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-76125674435892734182011-10-13T12:25:22.582+01:002011-10-13T12:25:22.582+01:00biochemist
It's only as a transitive verb tha...biochemist<br /><br />It's only as a transitive verb that <i>nix</i> is particularly American. The OED lists various other uses and the new Collins lists it firstly (which I think implies highest frequency) as a 'SENTENCE SUBSTITUTE'David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-83997319218998704862011-10-12T22:32:49.850+01:002011-10-12T22:32:49.850+01:00How about 'nix'? A word used almost exclus...How about 'nix'? A word used almost exclusively in AmE but not in BrE - denotes denial or prohibition I believe.biochemistnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-89560134962284040172011-10-12T22:24:00.286+01:002011-10-12T22:24:00.286+01:00The feed to the Lynneguist site on FB is working a...The feed to the Lynneguist site on FB is working at the moment, though sometimes it gets backed up. It's at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynneguist/245164738844505<br /><br />Since the FB changes, I no longer see the updates in my timeline, but, then, I don't really want to. There should be a way to set your notifications for the page so that you see it (as the admin for the page, I don't think it looks the same for me--I get different notifications than you would get).lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.com