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Thank you for that article, it also shed some light on where the cockney accent or the British slums accent came from. Not to mention I didn't know anything in that factoid before reading it.
It was! And next time I get into a civil dispute with a British person online, and he starts spouting his elitist English bull crap, I'll have the perfect retort for him.
Bitch please, an American calling another nationality arrogant is like Britney Spears calling some one else stupid. You are the ones who seem to think you are "the police of the World".
Ways in which we are superior:
Culture: We have originality, your culture is just a rip off of many different other countries'.
History: Britain has a long and vibrant history where as the USA has only existed for a little over 200 years.
Food: Tea and Crumpets beats a quarter pounder and strawberry milkshake any day.
Bitch please, an American calling another nationality arrogant is like Britney Spears calling some one else stupid. You are the ones who seem to think you are "the police of the World".
Well, in all fairness... Britney Spears IS smarter than at least one person.
We don't think we're the "police of the world" anymore than you guys do. Every time we're getting involved in some sort of global issue like that, you guys are right beside us.
Culture: We have originality, your culture is just a rip off of many different other countries'.
Is a country full of diversity a bad thing? We don't rip off cultures... They come to us.
History: Britain has a long and vibrant history where as the USA has only existed for a little over 200 years.
European history is definitely superior, but like you said... We're young.... And look what this country has accomplished in that short amount of time!
Food: Tea and Crumpets beats a quarter pounder and strawberry milkshake any day.
Don't even get me started on your guys food! What a bunch of shit and I know Brits who would agree with me. You may not like a burger and a shake, but the majority of the world does... Actually, they love it! That's why it's one of the world's biggest industries.
Also, our diverse culture has given us a ton of different foods. We have Mexican, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Australian, Jamaican, Cuban, Irish, Italian, French, Greek, German... But I haven't seen any English food, because most people agree that it's shitty.
If you were to ever come here, you would see that the United States is a mixing pot of different cultures. That's why, despite what you may think, we are more worldly than you guys.
"We don't think we're the "police of the world" anymore than you guys do. Every time we're getting involved in some sort of global issue like that, you guys are right beside us."
That is because we have had weak and pathetic leaders like Tony Blair who are happy to merely be a pawn in your game. But that is going to if UKIP win in the next election that should change, and I hope they do.
"Is a country full of diversity a bad thing? We don't rip off cultures... They come to us."
No but you still have no culture of your own. Which is why I don't really see you as a proper country just a united group of independent colonies.
"European history is definitely superior, but like you said... We're young.... And look what this country has accomplished in that short amount of time!"
You have achieved a lot for your time I will give you that. But all of your achievements are based on the bones of native Indians you selfishly slaughtered.
"Don't even get me started on your guys food! What a bunch of shit and I know Brits who would agree with me. You may not like a burger and a shake, but the majority of the world does... Actually, they love it! That's why it's one of the world's biggest industries.
Also, our diverse culture has given us a ton of different foods. We have Mexican, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Australian, Jamaican, Cuban, Irish, Italian, French, German... But I haven't seen any English food, because most people agree that it's shitty. " Please could you elaborate on what food you are thinking of and why it is shitty? and fast food is extremely unhealthy, some people here actually care about our bodies, it is low quality also but it is addictive because of the high fat content, that is why so many people eat it not because of the quality.
"If you were to ever come here, you would see that the United States is a mixing pot of different cultures. That's why, despite what you may think, we are more worldly than you guys." I have been to the US twice before and the climate was nice and I will admit the people were nice but it lacked in culture hideously. You can not claim Japanese or Italian food as part of your own culture as it is their's not yours.
Please continue!
There aren't enough hours in the day to say all the reasons why Britain is better. But I will provide a few others:
TV:
You guys copy all sorts of TV programmes from us e.g. Top Gear, X Factor (they are all crap imo but you still had to copy them from us).
Literature::
Some of greatest writers in the history of humanity have been from Britain: Shakespeare, Dickens, Jane Austen, The Bronte sisters, the list goes on and on.
Guns: We are civilized unlike you so we do not carry guns.
National Health Service:
We are not barbaric enough to expect people to pay for their own health service.
Education system:
Our education system is a lot less complicated than yours.
That is because we have had weak and pathetic leaders like Tony Blair who are happy to merely be a pawn in your game.
Do you think the American people want to be involved in other country's shit? Hell no! That's why we didn't attack Syria. You guys don't want to be involved either... But you still are. So you guys are in the exact same boat as us, so what is your problem? Don't hate your twin.
No but you still have no culture of your own.
Bullshit! You guys eat our culture UP! Come to America and you will see our culture. Hell, just turn on the TV.
Our culture is diverse. You apparently have a problem with that. Do you prefer one culture? You're a Buddhist! That's Asian.
Which is why I don't really see you as a proper country just a united group of independent colonies.
Yet you say that we can't get along with other countries? We're a mixture of almost every country! Different cultures united is not a bad thing at all.
You have achieved a lot for your time I will give you that. But all of your achievements are based on the bones of native Indians you selfishly slaughtered.
Hold on a second... Who settled this country? You guys! Brits killed Native Americans and took their land. We just continued the tradition. If you don't remember from history class, you guys controlled much of the world at one time. What did you guys do to the original inhabitants? Well, you killed a lot of them!
Please could you elaborate on what food you are thinking of and why it is shitty?
Well, I've been to Ireland... Their food was great. But I know plenty of Brits and people who have been to England. Their number one complaint was the food. Apparently, the meat tastes like rubber.
and fast food is extremely unhealthy
Then don't eat it! Nobody is forcing you. Everyone knows that it's unhealthy, yet it's still popular.
Chocolate cake is unhealthy too. Do you want to look down on the people who created that as well?
some people here actually care about our bodies
As do people here. Obesity is a global issue, not just American.
If we didn't have people that care about their bodies, then we wouldn't be dominating the Olympics each year.
it is low quality also but it is addictive because of the high fat content
I'm not arguing that it is healthy... It's not! They don't advertise that McDonald's will have any health benefits. They advertise that it's cheap and fast.
I have been to the US twice before and the climate was nice and I will admit the people were nice but it lacked in culture hideously.
That is total bullshit. You expect there to be one culture... We have hundreds. How do you define culture?
You can not claim Japanese or Italian food as part of your own culture as it is their's not yours.
Sure I can. Variety is part of our culture.
But to be fair, I wasn't claiming they were part of our culture... I was pointing out the diversity.
You guys copy all sorts of TV programmes from us e.g. Top Gear, X Factor (they are all crap imo but you still had to copy them from us).
And you guys don't copy shit from us? If you look real closely, you will see that those British shows brought to America are produced by... Brits! X Factor would be one example, which is produced by Simon Cowell. Hell's Kitchen is produced by Gordon Ramsey. The American version of The Office was actually produced by Ricky Gervais. You guys try to expand your entertainment industry over here, just as we do over there.
Some of greatest writers in the history of humanity have been from Britain: Shakespeare, Dickens, Jane Austen, The Bronte sisters, the list goes on and on.
First off, Shakespeare sucks.
Second, America wasn't even settled when he was an author.
Of course you guys have good authors. Every country has good authors... But are yours really better?
Mark Twain, Harper Lee, F. Scott Fitzgerald, J.D. Salinger, John Steinbeck, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe, Ernest Hemingway, Herman Melville, Robert Frost, L. Frank Baum, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Stephen King, Jack London, Henry David Thoreau, Dan Brown, Ray Bradbury, Langston Hughes, Dean Koontz, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Upton Sinclair... What do all of those famous authors have in common? They're American!
Guns: We are civilized unlike you so we do not carry guns.
Guns are illegal over there. That's just one more freedom we have that you guys don't.
We are not barbaric enough to expect people to pay for their own health service.
Well, that's supposed to change over here... But not everyone agrees. By the way, private health insurance costs money in the UK.
Our education system is a lot less complicated than yours.
"Do you think the American people want to be involved in other country's shit? Hell no! That's why we didn't attack Syria. You guys don't want to be involved either... But you still are. So you guys are in the exact same boat as us, so what is your problem? Don't hate your twin."
OK, you have a point here, I will give you that.
"Bullshit! You guys eat our culture UP! Come to America and you will see our culture. Hell, just turn on the TV."
Your culture is rubbish like burger king.
"Yet you say that we can't get along with other countries? We're a mixture of almost every country!" Every country except from us pretty much. I suppose you guys are just to ignorant to see how fabulous we are.
"Our culture is diverse. You apparently have a problem with that. Do you prefer one culture? You're a Buddhist! That's Asian."
Yup I do prefer one culture and that is my own. The lacking of Buddhism being dominant in the UK is almost it's only vice culturally.
"Hold on a second... Who settled this country? You guys! Brits killed Native Americans and took their land. We just continued the tradition. If you don't remember from history class, you guys controlled much of the world at one time. What did you guys do to the original inhabitants? Well, you killed a lot of them!"
But all of the so called Brits who wiped out the natives are no longer Brits any more, they are you guys.
"Well, I've been to Ireland... Their food was great. But I know plenty of Brits and people who have been to England. Their number one complaint was the food. Apparently, the meat tastes like rubber." Ireland is good for very little other than alcohol and their is no way the meat in Britain tastes like rubber. Roast beef is nothing like rubber.
"Chocolate cake is unhealthy too. Do you want to look down on the people who created that as well?"
Atleast a slice of chocolate cake generally comes in sensible servings, fast food comes in such a big serving it is so high in calories, way higher than a slice of cake.
"If we didn't have people that care about their bodies, then we wouldn't be dominating the Olympics each year"
They are only a very small amount of your massive population.
"
Sure I can. Variety is part of our culture.
But to be fair, I wasn't claiming they were part of our culture... I was pointing out the diversity.""
Fair enough.
"And you guys don't copy shit from us? If you look real closely, you will see that those British shows brought to America are produced by... Brits! X Factor would be one example, which is produced by Simon Cowell. Hell's Kitchen is produced by Gordon Ramsey. The American version of The Office was actually produced by Ricky Gervais. You guys try to expand your entertainment industry over here, just as we do over there."
That is true.
"First off, Shakespeare sucks."
No he does not. Shakespeare is way more influential in writing than any American that will ever exist.
"Mark Twain, Harper Lee, F. Scott Fitzgerald, J.D. Salinger, John Steinbeck, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe, Ernest Hemingway, Herman Melville, Robert Frost, L. Frank Baum, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Stephen King, Jack London, Henry David Thoreau, Dan Brown, Ray Bradbury, Langston Hughes, Dean Koontz, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Upton Sinclair... What do all of those famous authors have in common? They're American!" These are all inferior to the Amazing British authors that existed."
"Guns are illegal over there. That's just one more freedom we have that you guys don't." Carrying guns is not a freedom people should have.
"What's so complicated about our education system?"
I just don't understand any of it. First of all I have no idea what you mean when you say Junior High, High School, Freshman, Junior, Senior, Sophomore or whatever weird word you come up with.
Culture- "arts collectively: art, music, literature, and related intellectual activities, considered collectively"
I listed music, a lot of which you said you enjoy. I named a ton of famous authors, and those were mostly classic authors. You know that hamburgers and hot dogs are the famous American foods. We also celebrate holidays that you guys don't: 4th of July, Thanksgiving, etc. We've added significantly to science and technology... So what is wrong with our culture?
Every country except from us pretty much. I suppose you guys are just to ignorant to see how fabulous we are.
You guys originally settled this country, so I think it's fair to say that we have a little bit of your culture as well... Plus, British entertainment is popular over here. You may be surprised to know that one of our news options is BBC. We just don't have any British food, that I know of.
Yup I do prefer one culture and that is my own.
You don't want to live in a diverse country?
Of course we all have a culture we prefer more than the others... But it's still good to be exposed to different cultures. You're a white Brit (I assume), but you prefer Asian culture, right?
But all of the so called Brits who wiped out the natives are no longer Brits any more, they are you guys
The colonists fought for independence and won... So it's safe to assume that you guys have some Native American killers in your family tree's as well. Plus, I wasn't just talking about Native Americans. What about Indians and Australian aborigines?
Ireland is good for very little other than alcohol and their is no way the meat in Britain tastes like rubber.
Their beer is fantastic! Their food is also good... Apparently much better than England's.
I know someone that went over to England and ordered a fish meal. They were served a bowl of minnows.
Atleast a slice of chocolate cake generally comes in sensible servings, fast food comes in such a big serving it is so high in calories, way higher than a slice of cake.
That's because people order a lot... Plus, if it's too much, then don't eat all of it. Give the rest to someone who will.
They are only a very small amount of your massive population.
U.S. "Percent of adults age 20 years and over who are obese: 35.9%"
"About 46% of men in England and 32% of women are overweight"
You guys are pretty fat too. You're men are almost at 50%.
No he does not. Shakespeare is way more influential in writing than any American that will ever exist
Yeah, people love him. I think he was a pervert... Plus, his stuff is boring.
These are all inferior to the Amazing British authors that existed.
That's your opinion, but I recommend that you look up the books that the authors I listed wrote. We seem to have way more classics than you guys.
Carrying guns is not a freedom people should have.
That's also your opinion. Our forefathers said to never give up our guns, because once the government started taking them, that was a step towards tyranny. You guys are unequipped if you're government ever decides to abuse their power.
First of all I have no idea what you mean when you say Junior High, High School, Freshman, Junior, Senior, Sophomore or whatever weird word you come up with.
It's actually really simple. Junior High is middle school, grades 6-8. High school is grades 9-12. A freshmen is a first year student of either High school or college. A sophomore is a second year student. A junior is a third year student and a senior is in their final year of either high school or college.
"Culture- "arts collectively: art, music, literature, and related intellectual activities, considered collectively"
I listed music, a lot of which you said you enjoy. I named a ton of famous authors, and those were mostly classic authors. You know that hamburgers and hot dogs are the famous American foods. We also celebrate holidays that you guys don't: 4th of July, Thanksgiving, etc. We've added significantly to science and technology... So what is wrong with our culture?"
I listen to only a little of your Music, the only American artists who I listen to a lot are Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga. A lot of your music is crappy hip hop stuff. Hamburgers and Hotdogs are terrible.
"Of course we all have a culture we prefer more than the others... But it's still good to be exposed to different cultures. You're a white Brit (I assume), but you prefer Asian culture, right?" What made you think I prefer Asian culture? I prefer Asian spirituality and that is it. Generally I dislike Asia, a land full of Communists, Yellow Shirts and extremist Muslims and their food is so boring like Rice and Noodles.
"Their beer is fantastic! Their food is also good... Apparently much better than England's.
I know someone that went over to England and ordered a fish meal. They were served a bowl of minnows." That was only one experience, just because their was one crap restaurant does not mean that every British restaurant is crap.
"U.S. "Percent of adults age 20 years and over who are obese: 35.9%"
"About 46% of men in England and 32% of women are overweight"
You guys are pretty fat too. You're men are almost at 50%."
You're comparing apples to pears darling. Being overweight and being obese are two different things, being obese is more severe than being overweight so it is not fair to compare the percentage of one to the other.
"It's actually really simple. Junior High is middle school, grades 6-8."
But that's the thing I have no idea how old you are in what grade as we don't have grades here.
I listen to only a little of your Music, the only American artists who I listen to a lot are Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga.
That's fine. My favorite artist is Australian (American born though). You do listen to our artists though, so how can you say we don't have any culture?
A lot of your music is crappy hip hop stuff.
Oh, don't get me started on that. I hate hip hop... But if you actually do some searching, you'd see that we have plenty of talent in other genres.
Hamburgers and Hotdogs are terrible.
That's crazy talk! You just want to whine ;)
What made you think I prefer Asian culture?
Uhhh... You're Buddhist. You have Homer as Buddha (American and Asian... hmmm?) for your user pic.
I prefer Asian spirituality and that is it.
Religion is an important part of culture.
Generally I dislike Asia, a land full of Communists, Yellow Shirts and extremist Muslims and their food is so boring like Rice and Noodles.
You don't like Chinese food? Good grief, you must be a picky eater.
That was only one experience, just because their was one crap restaurant does not mean that every British restaurant is crap.
That was just one example. I know a Brit who moved here and said that the two things she really dislikes about Britain is the food and the weather.
You're comparing apples to pears darling.
Please don't call me "darling". I'd rather not be referred to in that way by a fourteen year old dude, no offense.
Being overweight and being obese are two different things
I wasn't showing obesity numbers, was I?
Oh shit! I was... How'd I fuck that up? Okay, fine... Our numbers are higher.
But that's the thing I have no idea how old you are in what grade as we don't have grades here.
Oh... That sounds like your system is more confusing lol.
Grades 6-8 is ages 12-14. Grades 9-12 is ages 14-18.
"You do listen to our artists though, so how can you say we don't have any culture?"
Well both of them actually are foreign. Xtina is Ecuadorian and Gaga is Italian."
"That's crazy talk! You just want to whine ;)"
Yup, it is completely ridiculous that I don't like your junk food. Because isn't their nothing more sophisticated than a lump of hormone injected, processed tasting meat in a piece of bread is their?
"Uhhh... You're Buddhist. You have Homer as Buddha (American and Asian... hmmm?) for your user pic." So? I practice Tibetan Buddhism but apart from that my culture is not Tibetan or even Asian in any way. I am British and my Dharma practice will never get in the way of that.
"Religion is an important part of culture." Buddhism is not a religion anyway.
"That was just one example. I know a Brit who moved here and said that the two things she really dislikes about Britain is the food and the weather." Well she is a traitor and is letting us down by first of all moving to another country and second of all slagging us off behind our backs.
"You don't like Chinese food? Good grief, you must be a picky eater." I like some of it but noodles are the most boring thing in the universe. Seriously they don't taste of anything. Why do people eat them when there is so much better food out there.
"Please don't call me "darling". I'd rather not be referred to in that way by a fourteen year old dude, no offense." It was pretty obvious I was saying it in a sarcastic way. Doesn't sarcasm exist on your side of the Atlantic?
"Oh... That sounds like your system is more confusing lol."
We have Years instead of Grades. For example we have Year 8 not "the 8th grade".
Well both of them actually are foreign. Xtina is Ecuadorian and Gaga is Italian.
Aren't they both American born though? If that's the case, then about 90% of the American population is foreign.
Yup, it is completely ridiculous that I don't like your junk food. Because isn't their nothing more sophisticated than a lump of hormone injected, processed tasting meat in a piece of bread is their?
You said you hated hamburgers and hotdogs...Not fast-food. Here in America, we often cook hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill. That's the typical July 4th food. Plus, I put a winky face... That should have lightened the mood lol.
So? I practice Tibetan Buddhism but apart from that my culture is not Tibetan or even Asian in any way. I am British and my Dharma practice will never get in the way of that.
So it's safe to say that you enjoy certain aspects of Asian culture, therefore you don't enjoy just one culture.
Well she is a traitor and is letting us down by first of all moving to another country
I've been seeing a lot lately. German, Canadian, British. You trash talk America, but the people who move here love it... Especially where I'm at.
second of all slagging us off behind our backs.
She never said she hates Britain, she just dislikes their food and weather... At least compared to America's.
You don't have to be so damn stubborn about this. Some countries have things better than others. You may be surprised to know that I actually like Britain a lot, but I don't like the arrogant bullshit I'm seeing from Brits on this site... And Atrag, but even you seem to have a better understanding of the world than him.
You guys have better history, but that's to be expected since your country is older. I also love British humor! The Monty Python films are among my favorites. I prefer British Top Gear over American Top Gear any day. You guys are also lucky enough to be on a continent that contains so many different countries, where we basically just have us, Canada, Mexico and a bunch of little islands that don't really even count as countries.
But damn are you guys hateful! You can't pay a compliment to anyone but yourself. You would think that considering how similar our people are, you'd be able to admit when our country has something better than yours, and don't say we don't have anything, because that's a load of shit. You'd gain more respect by being a little more humble.
I like some of it but noodles are the most boring thing in the universe.
It's just food. Do you want it to dance for you or something?
Seriously they don't taste of anything. Why do people eat them when there is so much better food out there.
You eat the noodles without anything on them? Damn, well that's why you think they are boring.
It was pretty obvious I was saying it in a sarcastic way. Doesn't sarcasm exist on your side of the Atlantic?
Yeah, and you never catch it lol. Sarcasm is probably a bigger trait amongst Americans than Brits. You guys tend to be kind of serious... That's part of the reason why I didn't catch your sarcasm, the other part would be that it is sometimes difficult to catch the tone of something that was typed.
We have Years instead of Grades. For example we have Year 8 not "the 8th grade".
That's definitely confusing. Do you guys start school at age zero? lol
Music: I woud take Lily Allen, Jessie J, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Tom Jones and Adele over Taylor Swift, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Britney, Katy Perry, Eminem and Lil' Wayne any day.
You've kinda been hoitst by your own own petard there me old mucker, whilst all the acts you mention are typically British they are all heavily influenced by American music. The Stones started by covering American Blues songs and the Beatles started by covering American Rock N Roll and slowly integrated their own songs and created their own sound. Using musicians that would not exist if it were not for American culture to argue that British culture is better makes your argument somewhat redundant
How many artists are there in the world? Are those the only ones? Your personal opinion doesn't make your country any better than mine.
How about Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Van Halen, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Elvis, The White Stripes, Ray LaMontagne, Soundgarden, Rage Against The Machine, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Michael Jackson, Kings of Leon, The Black Keys, John Mayer, The Dave Matthews Band, The Ramones, Lenny Kravitz, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Steve Miller Band, Tom Petty, The Eagles, Jimmy Buffet, Heart, AC/DC, Guns & Roses, The Offspring, Green Day, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Cher, Tina Turner, 3 Doors Down, Dispatch, BOSTON, Molly Hatchet, The Civil Wars, ZZ Top... and many, many more!
Hell, a lot of that was just the popular artists! There are many fantastic American bands/artists out there who don't get the recognition they deserve.
Freddie Mercury was British you silly Bitch ;P. Cher is Good, Nirvana were good, Tina was good, Foo Fighters are good, RHCP are good, obviously Elvis and MJ was good but none of those other ones you mentioned struck out to me as being particularly good.
AC/DC are an Australian band with a British singer and the the original lineup of Guns and Roses was a mixture (Slash has dual nationality British/American born in Stoke), sorry to be pedantic but you guys can't take all the credit!! ;)
Australian? Damn! I guess that's what I get for looking up "popular American bands" lol. I didn't expect that though. My favorite band is actually Australian, so that's cool.
Guns N Roses is classified as an American rock band, since the majority of the members are from America. They wouldn't say "an American band with a guitarist who is half American and half British".
I argue that if that were true, the almost famous act of bringing up how the British were first wouldn't be as common. All people are the same in a way, and we all have our own areas of greatness, thus no race or ethnicity is assuredly better than any other.
By missing out half the letters in "doughnut", lazily missing off letters in "colour" and doing something inexcusably inhumane with countless other words, I hardly think that Americans have the right to claim that they are doing everything properly.
"Both spellings are many centuries old. Color, now regarded as the American spelling, in fact predates the United States by several centuries. In early use the spellings vied for ascendancy with several other spellings. Colur, culoure, and coolor, for instance, were all in the mix before the modern British spelling gained permanent prevalence in the 17th century"
So, that quote gave us a little bit of information, but it didn't tell us where the terms actually came from. So I looked it up!
Color and colour are obviously variations of each other, but they both have their origin in Latin, as does a lot of the English language. So what is the Latin word for color/colour? It's color. Which obviously means that our spelling of the word is older.
As for "doughnut", the term was actually introduced by Washington Irving, an American. About 100 years later, "donut" was introduced as an abbreviated version of the word to help foreigners understand. The word really became popular with the arrival of Dunkin' Donuts. I'd also like to point out that the food was first introduced in America, so I don't know why you feel the need to correct our spelling anyways. Plus, both variations of the term are used over here, as is clear in the spelling of our biggest (other than Dunkin' Donuts) doughnut company's name... Actually, now that I think about it... I even spell it "doughnut".
Matt Soniak, the author of that article on Mental Floss (a source renowned for reliability) is definitely not biased in any way. Obviously.
This is sarcasm if you having figured it out yet (American IQ is a lot lower on average - if you need me to explain what any of the words mean, just drop me a message).
Bill Bryson, who has lived in England most of his life, has an English wife and kids and is a chancellor of Durham University, wrote a book on the subject. Matt Soniak, wasn't the first to reveal this information.
If the article isn't reliable, then prove it wrong, rather than just saying it's wrong.
Actually, you are mixing up cockney people with British people in general. Most people are not cockneys so this is irrelevant. The only one displaying stupidity is you with your generalizations.
The article isnt talking about the cockney accent and your getting Cockney confused with different London dialects, to be a Cockney you have to be born within the sound of bow bells thats it nothing to do with accent or how you pronounonce words. A lot of London dialects leave letters out and a lot of people have adopted rhyming slang, theres a lot of Mockneys out there
Well even still most British people do not live in London so if some London dialects miss out letters that is irrelevant. The population of the UK is over 60 million and London only has 8 million people.
Have you read the article? It has nothing to do with London (I was just explaining to you the difference between Cockneys and other Londenders), it's to do with how the accent in Britain changed across Britain
Probably for the same reason that White Middle Class Kids talk like black urban kids today "fashion" and the iodiocy of the people that follow it, you will note from the article that the same accent was adopted in parts of America as well making Americans equally as stupid as the Brits that adopted it
I have no idea. I always thought it was strange how they said that they pronounce words right, when they say their R's like A's, but we pronounce our R's and our A's. What's the point in having an R if you're going to make it sound like an A?
Yeah and hard isn't pronounced "hahd", birth isn't "buth", turn isn't "tuhn", other isn't "othuh"... basically, if there is an "R" in the middle or the end of a word, then you're going to drop it.
"Sir Humphry made a bit of a mess of naming this new element, at first spelling it alumium (this was in 1807) then changing it to aluminum, and finally settling on aluminium in 1812. His classically educated scientific colleagues preferred aluminium right from the start, because it had more of a classical ring, and chimed harmoniously with many other elements whose names ended in –ium, like potassium, sodium, and magnesium, all of which had been named by Davy."
I think you'll find that it isn't that we add an extra "i", but that Americans tend to be lazy enough to miss out the 'i':
"The spelling in –um continued in occasional use in Britain for a while, though that in –ium soon predominated. In the USA, the position was more complicated. Noah Webster’s Dictionary of 1828 has only aluminum, though the standard spelling among US chemists throughout most of the nineteenth century was aluminium; it was the preferred version in The Century Dictionary of 1889 and is the only spelling given in the Webster Unabridged Dictionary of 1913. Searches in an archive of American newspapers show a most interesting shift. Up to the 1890s, both spellings appear in rough parity, though with the –ium version slightly the more common, but after about 1895 that reverses quite substantially, with the decade starting in 1900 having the –um spelling about twice as common as the alternative; in the following decade the –ium spelling crashes to a few hundred compared to half a million examples of –um."
That's the problem with Brits. They think every American sounds like they are from Texas and New York. We have fifty states! The majority of the US doesn't sound like that.
New York and the New England area adopted non-rhotic speech, just as you guys did in the early 19th century. The rest of the country, minus a few other states, maintained proper English, which is rhotic speech.
This debate is complete bullshit. Obviously English people have the most English accent. The bizarre theory that the modern accent has evolved the most is a load of rubbish: if our language and spelling has changed less (become less of an abomination) then why wouldn't our accent?
There are variations of accents and dialects across all of Britain. To an English person American accents sound pretty much all the same, but no American person would be able to make the mistake the difference between the accent of the English 'bourgeoisie' and a Liverpudlian accent
Agreed. It is good to see another patriotic Brit here. I was beginning to feel like a lonely standard bearer in defending us against the Americans around here.
Dude you confuse patriotism with excessive nationalism, I'm patriotic I buy British but I'm not stupid, I can see the good in other countries and their cultures, I can see that there is more to American culture than obese McDonalds munching morons that believe everything that is printed in the National Enquirer and that there is more to Asia than Communism and Islam. Maybe if you opened your eyes and mind to the world you would see too that yes Britain is Great but the World has just as much to offer and and isn't the scary place full of terrorist's and potential immigrants that UKIP and the Daily Mail would have you believe.
Excuse me? Of course I do not read the tabloid rag that is the daily mail. I do not receive news from the likes of ignoramuses that they have has writers such as Liz Jones and Samantha Brick. I some times use links to the mail online to back up my arguments but that is only when I can't be bothered to find another source. I never said that there is nothing more to Asia than Communism and Islam I just said there is too much of both there. UKIP may be far from perfect but they are the most trustworthy out of any large party in the UK and they are far better than Labour, the Conservatives and Lib Dems who have down bugger all that has helped the country in recent years.
Unfortunately if you use links to the Mail it will make people think you read it, maybe you did not mean to say it that way but the way it was worded your argument did come across as there's nothing to Asia except for Yellow shirted Communists and Islam. UKIP are are a long way from perfect interesting way of wording it, since the BNP have started to disolve their members have found a new home and been welcomed by UKIP, their members are openly racist in conversation and you think their more trustworthy and better for the country? That's the way Hitler got to power and look at how that ended
Their is a difference between yellow shirts and communists. The yellow shirts/People's alliance for Democracy are an aggressive group of protesters in Thailand that are wreaking havoc in Bangkok at the moment. UKIP in general is not necessarily racist it just has racists in it and they are not like the Nazis at all. I would pick Nigel Farage over the Etonian pig that is David Cameron any day. UKIP is right, we are ruled by Brussels not Westminster.
That UKIP excuse is the same lie used by the BNP and the National Front before them "we're not racist but some of our members are", if their not racist why do they do nothing to separate themselves from the racist members of their party, why are they allowing members of the BNP to jump ship and join them?
UKIP started as a independent party that was anti Britain being part Europe they have slowly been drifting to the right as the far right partys fell apart more extremists have joined UKIP and their drift to the right has sped up, to the point where they are now seen as a watered down version of the BNP/National Front give it a little more time and they will be the new far right party in the UK. What happens when the extremists outnumber the rest in the party and Farage steps down? The party members vote a new leader in most likely one with extreme right wing views and if their in power then the UK has a far right government and Europe will see the rise of Fascism again
Do you agree with him because neither of you read the article? He doesn't have the faintest clue of what he is talking about. Just another example of British arrogance.
What is the article? The debate information was left completely blank. I suppose you must mean that you've read it - so I obviously must have done? Just another example of American arrogance
Dude, you don't even know. Axmeister is like the most nationalistic guy here (though he doesn't get on often, anymore). But he has started to tone it down, which is nice.
Axmeister hasn't posted in ages, that is why I said I am feeling like a lonely standard bearer. I never thought I would say this but I actually miss the bugger being on here.
Bullshit, you can still be proud of your country and not religious. The Church of England has long been in decline anyway. Only 37% of the UK even believe that there is a God.
No it is not. It is a philosophy and way of life not a religion. Religion is the worship of Gods, Buddhism has no God in it and only some devotional sects of Buddhism involve in worship of anything.
Religion is not the worship of gods... Oh, please don't make me explain this again. I took religion in college, it's my favorite subject, Buddhism is absolutely a religion.
May I ask why something so evil is your favourite subject? And whether Buddhism is a religion or not is irrelevant to 12characters saying a patriotic Brit would have to be Church of England. Anglicans don't even make up 40% of the population any more.
May I ask why something so evil is your favourite subject?
You do realize that "evil" used to be spelled "evel", which is Eve with an "L", right? Good is "God" with an extra "O", so the terms you are using most likely have Christian roots.
To non-believers, evil is a subjective term, so what you consider to be bad, others may not.
It doesn't matter if bad things have occurred due to religion, I still find it interesting. It's historical, it's mysterious and it's full of symbolism. Western society is built around Christianity, whether you except it or not. Learn about Christianity and you'll learn a lot about the world.
And whether Buddhism is a religion or not is irrelevant to 12characters saying a patriotic Brit would have to be Church of England.
That sentence doesn't make any sense.
Anglicans don't even make up 40% of the population any more.
That sentence doesn't make any sense. How? What part of it don't you understand. I was saying how 12characters told me that I would have to be Church of England to be a patriotic Brit which is absolute horse shit.
Uhh... So? Not all Christians are Anglican. That's not the point though is it. 12characters said I woukd have to be Church of England not just any type of Christian. Furthermore the percentage of all Christians is also well below 40%.
How? What part of it don't you understand. I was saying how 12characters told me that I would have to be Church of England to be a patriotic Brit which is absolute horse shit.
A building can't be a Brit.
That's not the point though is it. 12characters said I woukd have to be Church of England not just any type of Christian.
Dude, I don't give a shit. I was disputing your argument that Buddhism is not a religion. What does the church of England have to do with that?
Furthermore the percentage of all Christians is also well below 40%.
Well, the United Kingdom is about 59% Christian.
As for the world, 32% may seem low, but it is still the largest global religion percentage.
You clearly don't know what the Church of England actually is. It is not a building it is a type of Protestantism aka Anglicanism.
Dude, I don't give a shit. I was disputing your argument that Buddhism is not a religion. What does the church of England have to do with that?
Fair enough then "Dude".
The United Kingdom is about 59% Christian.
Only 37% of people in Britain believe in God. The only reason why Christianity is 59% is because non-religious people just tick that box to make things simpler.
You clearly don't know what the Church of England actually is. It is not a building it is a type of Protestantism aka Anglicanism.
"The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion."
It seems more like an organization, than a religious sect.
Anyways, a sect isn't a Brit either.
Fair enough then "Dude".
Do you have a problem with that word?
Only 37% of people in Britain believe in God. The only reason why Christianity is 59% is because non-religious people just tick that box to make things simpler.
As an american I disagree. The only two types of English accents I can differentiate are what I consider the typically British 'posh' accent, and the less refined Australian accent. Also as an American I can notice a very different sound coming from my mouth, born in the north, and the mouths of people born in the south.
I don't even know where to begin. People like you should be lined up and shot.
"The only two types of English accents I can differentiate are what I consider the typically British 'posh' accent, and the less refined Australian accent"
Well the clue for this one is in the name: "Australian" - Australia is a country on the other side of the world from England, and whilst they are a part of the commonwealth, they are a distinctly different country; saying that you can distinguish between the English accent and the Australian accent is no different from saying that you can differentiate between the American accent and Chinese.
The only American accents I can distinguish are those from "TEXAS!" and those from "'MERICA!"
What is your argument exactly. If I read your first one correctly, you were stating that all American accents sound the same to everyone, and all British accents sound unique to everyone. I proved that wrong, so i ask again. What is your point?
saying that you can distinguish between the English accent and the Australian accent is no different from saying that you can differentiate between the American accent and Chinese.
Besides the fact that Americans don't speak Chinese...
Do you realize that the spelling is the same in all regions of England, and that you are just misspelling it several times? He was initially correcting you on the fact that you said "ya" instead of "you" - perhaps you are just incapable of writing yet another word correctly?
Maybe I was just misspelling it to mimic the accents... Ever think of that one? If you see "hahd", you're going to pronounce it that way... But if you see "hard", then you're going to pronounce the "R"... Well, you probably won't. You're British. Apparently R's are too difficult for you guys to pronounce. You call it a British accent, we call it a speech impediment.
Americans were originally British... Therefore, our accent was originally British... But as the article says, we maintained the original accent, where as the Brits began adopting non-rhotic pronunciation in the early 19th century.
When I said English, I meant more along the lines of the language than the country of England.
i thought the red Americans were the original inhabitants of America.
Red Americans? Lol careful with that... You might offend someone.
I was talking about America as a country (USA). The Native Americans were the original inhabitants, but it wasn't a country then.
and agreed that most of the American population today really of british origin.
Actually, that's probably pretty inaccurate, no offense. A lot of Americans are of British origin and the colonists were definitely of British origin, but America is actually a giant mixing pot. That's one of the things I love about America.
For example, Florida was discovered by the Spanish. It's name is Spanish. Spanish forts from before the British even arrived, still remain there.
Louisiana has French roots. New Orleans, Baton Rouge... Those are all French names.
New Mexico, obviously has some Mexican heritage. Texas does as well.
Hawaii and Alaska have Asian heritage.
From my experience, I've met a lot of German, Irish, Italian, British, Spanish, Mexican, Brazilian, Peruvian, Cuban, Dominican, Venezuelan, Indian, French, Canadian, African, Chinese, Japanese and Korean people... And those are just the common ones.
but nayway, according to the debate, americans, in comparison to british, do not have better english.
Give me some examples as to how we do not have better English.
