(November 13, 2014 at 2:38 pm)Beccs Wrote: Well, they make fun of my accent because I'm Australian.

Personally I like many European accents.

Now I get it, Kiwiland.

I meant the australian accents.

When I speak english, I probably sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Though, even when speaking english, he can't deny hailing from the province of Styria. And for the record, he has a terrible american accent when talking german.

I got to know a German guy who learned English in America.

He had the most interesting German/American accent when he spoke English.

When I stayed at a Unitarian-Universalist compound in North Carolina in 1998, a guy named Hans would come up frequently from Augusta, Georgia. He was German by birth and upbringing. But he had lived in the state of Georgia for many, many years, and his was a combination German/Jimmy Carter accent. Quite interesting!

(November 13, 2014 at 2:50 pm)Beccs Wrote: I got to know a German guy who learned English in America.

He had the most interesting German/American accent when he spoke English.

Actually, German German and Austrian German are very different down to words not existing or having a different meanings. And German as well as Austrian German have many different dialects.

A simple humorous example: During the reign of the Shah of Persia, Austrian national television was forbidden to use his title in the second person, cause that would have been "Shah's" which sounds like the Austrian slang word "schas". That originally means "fart" but it's used as universally as "fuck" in America.

The Germans didn't have that problem.

Also a fun bit: The new comet they landed on got the European nickname "Tschuri". For Austrian ears that's good for a big and long needed laugh, since in Austrian slang "Tschuri" means "jizz". There even was an editorial about that in one of todays papers.

7.12pm

Do I win?

<edit> wow somebody should've hit refresh!

All languages have their quirks.

In the US a certain type of footwear are called "flip-flops". I was raised calling them "thongs" and NZers call them "jandals"

It can also get amusing to us when Americans start talking about "fannies" which have a different meaning for us.

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(November 13, 2014 at 3:12 pm)fr0d0 Wrote: 7.12pm

Do I win?

<edit> wow somebody should've hit refresh!

THat would be "no".

(November 13, 2014 at 3:19 pm)Beccs Wrote: It can also get amusing to us when Americans start talking about "fannies" which have a different meaning for us.

What's fannies? Never heard that one before.

I'm also amazed by the german words having made it into at least American english. Like Kindergarten, Rucksack or the most peculiar, being shtum, which obviously comes from the german stumm, meaning the same.

(November 13, 2014 at 3:22 pm)abaris Wrote:

(November 13, 2014 at 3:19 pm)Beccs Wrote: It can also get amusing to us when Americans start talking about "fannies" which have a different meaning for us.

What's fannies? Never heard that one before.

When Americans, from my experience, say "fanny" they mean a person's butt. For Australians, it's a more intimate part of a woman's anatomy.

(November 13, 2014 at 3:23 pm)Beccs Wrote: When Americans, from my experience, say "fanny" they mean a person's butt. For Australians, it's a more intimate part of a woman's anatomy.

I'm always eager to learn some new dirty words.

(November 13, 2014 at 3:26 pm)abaris Wrote:

(November 13, 2014 at 3:23 pm)Beccs Wrote: When Americans, from my experience, say "fanny" they mean a person's butt. For Australians, it's a more intimate part of a woman's anatomy.

I'm always eager to learn some new dirty words.

You should talk more with Losty, then.