February 20, 2006

you speakin english?

now, i'm not sure if it is due to american influence

- i may be wrong. but i come across a number of wee island blog's - on moggie's, that is - with the following sentence:

"... throw/look out the window..."

and i thought it sounds rather odd as there should be the preposition "of"? like:

throw/look out *of* the window?

i know, there's no ultimate right or wrong when it comes to grammar. or vocabulary for that matter, like how canuck's thought wee islander's were totally wrong to say, for instance as emphasised:

".. the shoppin centre is opposite my house.."

when actually it is a legacy from the brit's. we say "opposite", not "across the road from". and to think that em canuck's chuckled at my wee islanders' expense all this while. can't blame em really, when they spend at least three quarter's of their lives in total darkness. innit.

i meant em canuck's.

regardless, that's also a real gobful. four word's "across the road from" as opposed to "opposite". [soz "Alice" :) ]

in short, i'm a stickler for rules and nothin gets on my nerves than slipshod grammar like:

".. we are open between 1pm to 5pm.."

gah!

but then like the "look out the window" example has demonstrated, it could also be a sign of changin time's.

as enscribed by the letter b @ February 20, 2006 01:41 PM | someone's pinged

no offence meant, Alice :) and that's when the confusion starts innit, especially when brits and american's come togther. to be honest, i found myself sayin "across the street [from]" whilst in the company of north american's. and that's what some canuck's would call emselves or refer to back home. yep as you guess it, i got confused 'cos north american's could mean US citizen's too.


and then to the rest of the blue marble, both canuck's and american's sound so similar we just can't differentiate! just like the antipodean's. now come to think of it, even some malaysian's and wee islander's share exact same accent's - whilst speakin english.

as blahed by the letter b @ February 22, 2006 11:38 AM

Well, first of all how could you compare me to a canuck!!! Aarrgghh! (just kidding).

Hmmm. I probably would have said, "the store across the street" or "on the otherside of the street." Something like that.

I'd say "look out the window." But would also say, "Throw it out of the window." But then the Brits say "in hospital." Where we say, "in the hospital."

And...I would have said,"We are open between 1pm AND 5pm." Or one could say, "We are open from 1pm until 5pm."

as blahed by "Alice" @ February 21, 2006 08:25 PM
yer six pences' worth s'il vous plaît:









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