Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

What’s on your mind?

Is there anyone here from Hungary, Estonia, or Finland? If so, who can answer the following question: can you understand each other? Because your languages belong to the Finno-Ugric language family. I'm asking because a colleague of my friend is from Hungary, and I assume she should at least understand some Finnish.
 
decafjava said:
There actually are more than two varieties of English. In Canada English usually follows British spelling though the accent is taken for American abroad. To be more precise there are regional variations in accents, vocabulary and slang across all of North America not to mention the UK itself. Also note that Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India as well have their own variations.
Click to expand...
Yes, I know. British English, American, Indian.

Indian English seems to be mostly hard to understand, because Mrs. Vera F. Birkenbihl told that, when asking an Indian man or woman "how old are you" the answer might be "I am dirty". Then how old is your brother "he is dirty two".

I don't know if this is true.

Just visit Germany! Saxons, Bavarian, lower German (Plattdeutsch), Ruhrpott, Palatine ...
 
  • Like
Reactions: decafjava
boppin said:
Just visit Germany! Saxons, Bavarian, lower German (Plattdeutsch), Ruhrpott, Palatine ...
Click to expand...
I took German in high school. I remember the teacher talking about the variations. There was what we learned, which was IIRC the official, educated German for West Germany. Then the various areas had dialects, some harder to deal with than others.

My teacher said some our exchange students had a real struggle adapting. She even admiited it wasn't easy for her sometimes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: boppin
boppin said:
How does British English actually compare to American English? Is it like standard German or High German compared to Austrian German and or Swiss German?
Click to expand...
British English is the mother language of English, as all versions around the world came later and were based on it. I'd say it's more proper and formal than American, though I'd add it's not more 'correct' or superior. Regional evolution of language is natural and is just as valid. So yes, maybe akin to high vs standard German.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: AVBeatMan
Another thought about German: my mother studied German at a local college in the 1980s. Some student complained to a professor how complicated German was. He made some crack like: you think this is complicated, look under the hood of a Mercedes!
 
WriteNow said:
There was what we learned, which was IIRC the official, educated German for West Germany.
Click to expand...
What does IIRC mean? I don't know this term.

Well, I have heard that when you like to learn really Standard German you have to go to Hannover. Because me and my family are from Dortmund so we don't pronounce German as standard. And as far as I remember and know no one really here in Germany speaks the Standard German except in Hannover or Hamburg. Try to listen to Helmut Schmidt, former Chancellor. Marlin Eller, Microsoft, has had asked me several years ago how we pronounce the word "Einstein". His experience differs much from our pronouncation.
 
Richard8655 said:
British English is the mother language of English,
Click to expand...
I don't think so. Because the English language get some influences from French like German get some influence from Latin and Greek. So the English language kept the original Germanic meaning of the term "gift", while German had shift in meaning.

A Norwegian YouTuber (his nickname is Klatremus) who plays much of Thief: The Dark Project has asked why the developers wrote "thou" instead of "you". Yeah, that's because of Old English. Must be around of the year 1066.

And: I have read that English basically made use of Old Saxon and some other Northern Germanic languages coming from Denmark.
 
Last edited:
boppin said:
I don't think so. Because the English language get some influences from French like German get some influence from Latin and Greek. So the English language kep the original Germanic meaning of the term "gift", while German had shift in meaning.

A Norwegian YouTuber (his nickname is Klatremus) who plays much of Thief: The Dark Project has asked why the developers wrote "thou" instead of "you". Yeah, that's because of Old English. Must be around of the year 1066.

And: I have read that English basically made use of Old Saxon and some other Northern Germanic languages coming from Denmark.
Click to expand...
All languages are influenced over time and history by outside languages and cultures, like English with the Normans (French) and Romans (Latin). But in terms of recent history, English has been pretty stable and the main source of other versions around the world.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: boppin
Richard8655 said:
All languages are influenced over time and history by outside languages and cultures, like English with the Normans (French) and Romans (Latin). But in terms of recent history, English been pretty stable and has been the main source of other versions around the world.
Click to expand...
Yes.

I remember an old discussion about using foreign terms here in Germany because of the use of "Denglisch". Why should you use some strange own terms when there are better terms from other languages?

German language also adopted a lot of from Arabian language like admiral, alcohol and whatever terms.

In some German newspaper there was a discussion about this. In the times of 1933 til 1945 some German people thought that we must get rid of terms like Mayonnaise or Portemonnaie. Adolf Hitler, of all people, refused to do so. He said that this doesn't fit the current situation and he also said that the "old" terms are some kind of outdated. "Language purists"
 
Richard8655 said:
I'd say it's more proper and formal than American
Click to expand...

I’m a North American. My mother-in-law is English. I’d say, based on my experience and travels, British English can be pretty earthy and informal (Benny Hill, anybody?). I do think, though, British people will speak to people they don’t know well in a more formal way than North Americans do. People from the US in particular will use first names and slang words pretty quickly after meeting somebody, although this varies a lot by region.
 
Gosh with all the bad news around the world, some news about some young athletes really upset me, why do some people, usually men feel the need to stalk others. Whether to get autographs to sell later or just being creeps? I am talking about some US Olympians (Alysa Liu in particular though also Ilia Malinin got bothered during rehearsal backstage when some girls "broke in" to the workout area). She left the sport in 2022 - disactivated her social media and came back in 2024. After Milano she blew up from several 100 thousand followers to 8 million. This interview which is mostly pretty wholesome during a visit to a cat cafe during a show in Florida.

Cats, Thrifting, and Being a Celebrity Now

REMSEN: That sort of ties into my first official question, which is about fame. We also just kind of witnessed it at the entrance. Deep down, what is all of this really like?

LIU: Oh, yeah. I mean, I feel normal now because I’m with the rest of the skaters. But when I was home, it was kind of like, “Whoa, everybody knows me” and I was like, “I can’t really go do the stuff I normally do anymore.” So that sucks, in a way. But I guess that’s the price I’ve got to pay. I’ve been really enjoying tour. It just feels so normal because this is what I always do. I get to skate every day. I get to be with skaters and they don’t treat me any differently because we’ve all known each other for so many years. Right now, it’s nice to have some normalcy.

REMSEN: I’m happy to hear that part. It must be overwhelming at times. I saw your post about people waiting for you at San Francisco airport.

LIU: Yeah, they showed up wanting autographs and they’re all resellers. I knew they weren’t fans. They’re all up in my personal space, so that’s really not fan-like. It’s more…

REMSEN: Predatory.

LIU: Yeah, exactly. In Japan recently, there were a few men, too, that were there with photos for me to sign. Sometimes people show up at the hotels I’m staying at. When I get asked for photos at hotels, I say no because I don’t want people to know where I’m staying! Which I think is valid! And so I am like, “I’m sorry, I just don’t want people to know where I’m at.” And then usually people are like, “Oh, I understand.” But sometimes, the resellers…no is not in their vocabulary.

REMSEN: You have to set your guardrails.

LIU: Yeah, you kind of do. Not everyone should have access to you all the time. So, I try my best without being rude.

REMSEN: I think that’s a cool way to approach it. And being on tour with your people, I’m sure it’s truly, like, “Okay, I can breathe right now.”

LIU: Yeah. And they all protect me in a way, especially Amber (Glenn) she’s been so protective. She saved me out of a sticky situation in Japan where me and Isabeau, we were arm-in-arm being followed by men and they kept stopping in front of us and Amber literally was like, “Get back.” She’s mama bear.
Click to expand...

Others have had problems, another favourite skater Elizaveta Tuktamysheva had to deal with a stalker in Russia and has spoken out on the lack of laws against domestic abuse there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe and Clix Pix
To make this clear.

Back in 2001 I have had holiday in Austria 🇦🇹 I have made contact to an Austrian service woman and I just understood 50% of what she said. Is this also between British and American people also?

Does someone know what a Schlagobers is? Or Kaffeehaferl? It's Austrian German.

I can tell ya. If some Saxons or Austrian people speak in their dialect I don't understand anything. I just understand Ruhrpott Deutsch.
 
KaliYoni said:
I’m a North American. My mother-in-law is English. I’d say, based on my experience and travels, British English can be pretty earthy and informal (Benny Hill, anybody?). I do think, though, British people will speak to people they don’t know well in a more formal way than North Americans do. People from the US in particular will use first names and slang words pretty quickly after meeting somebody, although this varies a lot by region.
Click to expand...
I think that's very true. Working class British English can be just as rough and earthy as some American regional versions (I hope I'm not offending any British colleagues here). And yes, also in my UK travels, Brits seem a bit more formal in language and a bit more distant (at first at least).
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe
boppin said:
He is right!

I have read that most foreign people complain how complicated German is.
Click to expand...

My high school had Spanish, French, and German. Spanish was seen as easy, German hard. My mother, however, said in her experience with all three that they all had bad moments. Spanish was easy--until it wasn't.
 
Apple fanboy said:
Easy. British English is correct.

American English, not so much….
Click to expand...

It has been suggested that much of Australian English is as British English was 200 years ago.
If that is so, then Australian English is the correct standard, closely followed by British English, trailed by 'Murican English.

I say this in complete humility. Also we beat you at cricket (again...).
 
  • Haha
Reactions: BotchQue
boppin said:
How does British English actually compare to American English? Is it like standard German or High German compared to Austrian German and or Swiss German?
Click to expand...
IMG_0723.webp
 
  • Love
Reactions: Conutz and vindasal
DaveFromCampbelltown said:
It has been suggested that much of Australian English is as British English was 200 years ago.
If that is so, then Australian English is the correct standard, closely followed by British English, trailed by 'Murican English.

I say this in complete humility. Also we beat you at cricket (again...).
Click to expand...
Yes but I spent the weekend in the garden and nothing tried to kill me!

I’ve been accused of being Australian a few times because my accent is different to the part of England I was living in. I’m from the South of the country but used to live in Newcastle. It was a very different form of English than I knew!
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: AVBeatMan, adrianlondon, Scepticalscribe and 1 other person
Richard8655 said:
Example in German, Du vs Sie? Choice of words and sentence construction.
Click to expand...
No more differences between the two kinds of English?

For example if someone speaks Saxon or Bavarian I can't understand anything. Sounds like a different language to me. The same to Austrian German and Swiss German. I notice this every time when I watch reports on TV by SRF. That's funny! For non-Swiss German speakers there is a subtitle! 🤣


Swiss German. Although German is my native language I don't understand anything or only partially.

For example. East German, Saxon dialect:

Plattdeutsch or Lower German. Spoken mostly in Lower Saxony and partially in North Rhine-Westphalia:

It was also said that some other dialect in NRW are also Lower German. But what's the difference to the dialect of Cologne? The music band BAP sings this dialect. But I also don't understand anything.

Cologne dialect:

Cologne dialect seems more similar to Dutch. See attached.

Austrian German:
 

Attachments

  • Altfränkische_Sprache_600-700.png
    Altfränkische_Sprache_600-700.png
    476.8 KB · Views: 22
  • Inschrift_Kreuzblume.jpeg
    Inschrift_Kreuzblume.jpeg
    686.6 KB · Views: 27
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back