Posted on: 04-03-10 12:33:00
Quote:
Originally posted by wall-E
ok guys lets not call them mistakes. However to get along in Canada we should know how things are said here. Try saying capsicum when ordering pizza. This is about being practical and saying what is commonly accepted. And I am not reprimanding anyone :P
Absolutely, language is never static. Whatever works on the street(or work or school etc) is good enough for me. Btw, if I recollect correctly, Canadian farmers use the word "capsicum" when they weigh the peppers(not 100% sure about this).
Quote:
Originally posted by wall-E
I guess I am wrong on route .. so its more common to pronounce as root (thats how I always pronounced it).
George in "Seinfeld" gets confused with this word. I guess even Americans are not sure how this word is pronounced.
Quote:
Originally posted by Maharaj
HELP!?!?!? as if you not gonna charge me
Just discussing this topic from a sociological/philosophical viewpoint.
Half of the time, help is not free. Unless helping people stuck in difficulties/tragedies/natural calamities, I believe one always expect something in return sometimes - "You owe me one for this".
Even when government "helps" us in form of social security/ EI or 911, we have already paid for that help in form of taxes
Why cant we all accept that we are as much a native english speaking culture as US, Canada , UK and Aus.
Every where there is a different flavor of english and i think having lived in 3 countries i have learnt to accept the differences and adopt to where ever i am at any given time..
Making fun of way things are done / said in our native country vis a vis here is not going to get us anywhere..
I have seen many people born and educated here have very poor vocabulary despite the education system putting a heavy emphasis on communication.
I once asked a British boss to give me a reference that I would blend into an English speaking society 'effortlessly ' ..... He in stead wrote ' with minimum effort ' ........ I could understand only till later and upon entering Canada what he meant ....
Toronto is quite a bit of accepting due to the cosmopolitan multi cultual nature ..... but if you would go slightly further , you would realize - how ever good your English skills are , there s a difference b/w being a native and not being one .......
I try to ( and suggest others also ) to learn new language skills while unlearning old ones -- its an evolutionary / adaptive process ...... languages & expressions are subject to regions and societies .....
For eg if you pronounce coupon as ' Koo -Pawn ' in India nobody would understand you and if you pronounce it as 'Koo pun ' here , you will get a 'What's that ' remark for sure ....
Learn new things , be open minded and progress gradually , there s always scope for improvement ... no one needs to be perfect .... its a learning process ...
At the same time do not be concious of your language skills ... Be confident , expressive and slow ..... even speech impaired people can commuincate effectively .......... bottom line is effective communication & improving one self ....
I would say if one would say ' Water please ' would mean the same as 'Could I have a glass of water please ' ? ....
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Fido.
