Do you find British and American English very difficult at times?

[justusforus]

I played a video of a British commedian for a friend who said they didn't think the person was funny.  As we discussed it, she admitted she didn't get the coughing and "no lift" comment.  I explained that "lift" referred to an elevator and  she said maybe it would have been funny if she knew that at the time.  I know Canadians often adopt more of the British phrases as in Art class, I recall someone asking for a "rubber" meaning an eraser.  Do you have trouble either appreciating conversation or media (film, tv, etc.) due to this?

[JayGould]

I think you'd be a lot better off watching comedians natively to the language you're learning. For example if you're learning AMERICAN English it's better to get a American comedian's show instead of a Brit. It'll let you get used to their version of the language instead of failing to understand (like you said) things such as "lift"

[erronousRogue]

I grew up learning both, and my language borrowed from British vocabulary probably the most, so it wasn't much of an issue for me.

People who are born and raised in the US though, especially children/young adults tend to have no idea what half of the words mean. I watch British TV and listen to podcasts quite often, and even I'm having trouble with some of the more obscure slang terms and expressions they use. Vocabulary not so much, but abbreviations and common expressions can be quite difficult (tenner, telly, snogging, knob-head, etc.)

[leahcim132]

I find them difficult at times especially when they talk fast. I am not used to those accents and it can really throw me off. I think it's a good learning tool though. You can learn a lot by listening to people with those accents.

[Baburra]

I'm not familiar with all of the translations, but yes, it is very difficult at times. Words like "telly" are a little more understandable, but when they use completely unrelated terms like "fags" for cigarettes, among many other words, it can get confusing.

[SpiralArchitect]

Well, I live in a country where British English is the language for teaching and American English is more common on TV and other media. This basically means that I've never had any trouble with either of the two. I can understand why an American will have trouble with British humor. More than the language its a cultural thing.

[rodserd]

I studied accents while doing theater in high school, so I have a different mindset about words i don't know or understand.  I typically try to figure it out in context, mentally flagging it as a word I don't know.

[Eudora13]

Well I've been schooled in British English but grew up being exposed to American English (entertainment wise) so now I speak a hodgepodge of Britmerican English, if there is such a thing! What I find difficult is the "right" pronunciation. Since I'm a literature student and we have this thing called 'scansion', knowing the right pronunciation is mandatory. Now since I'm doing Brit.Literature, it gets really confusing as to whether it's "liu-te-nant" or "lef-te-nant" in British english. There are many other such cases.

[Kotro]

I grew up hearing American vocabulary and accents via the television or movies, while at the same time learning and practicing British English in school. I must confess I developed an affinity for British, mostly due to my anglophilia, but I am quite apt at English from both sides of the pond. I will occasionaly get the odd Americanism in a phrase, but Brits tend to forgive my faux pas on account of me not being a native speaker.

[pcgamer]

I have never had any issues comprehending both accents as it's used commonly in or country. However, I prefer American accent over English.

[xxxxxx]

Yes sometimes I find British and American English very difficult because of their accents and pronunciations and I find it very confusing.

[sillylucy]

I don't think it is all that difficult, but I find it to be amusing at times. I like the idioms and the slang in British English. I think understanding the accent is the biggest hurdle for me.  :confused:

[gegegeno]

I'm a native of Australian English, which is spelled like British English, and have done some translation from my second language (Japanese) into English. Where it gets hard for an educated native is when you're used to the "rules" of one form and are expected to write according to the rules of the other form. So when I've done tests in American English I've had to change the way I both spell and punctuate my writing so that I could pass at a high level.

The worst, really, for me is the correct way to punctuate around quotes, because whether you are supposed to put a comma or period inside or outside of the quotation marks depends on which English dialect you are working with. I'll admit that I'm totally confused by the difference - to the point that I now have to look it up even when working in my own native dialect - Australian English (I keep the official Australian Style Manual next to my computer at all times when I'm writing for school or work).

[lovemwaf]

I think the fact these countries share a first language does not make them similar at all. Each of these countries have a culture and also a way they relate to each other and so i think that it is worth putting that into consideration.

[lizbeth19hph]

We are exposed more with American English so we have difficulty at times using and understanding British English with the sophisticated accent and different pronunciation as well. Expressions also confuse us at times. For example "sound off" in American English means "didn't create sound" or it was turned off while it has an opposite meaning in British English wherein it means "the alarm sounded" or it created a sound.

[littleredcookbook]

I played a video of a British commedian for a friend who said they didn't think the person was funny.  As we discussed it, she admitted she didn't get the coughing and "no lift" comment.  I explained that "lift" referred to an elevator and  she said maybe it would have been funny if she knew that at the time.  I know Canadians often adopt more of the British phrases as in Art class, I recall someone asking for a "rubber" meaning an eraser.  Do you have trouble either appreciating conversation or media (film, tv, etc.) due to this?

Part of the problem with that is also the types of humor cultures have that differ from even cultures that speak the same language. British humor is VERY, very different from American humor. In my German 306 class we have a book full of short stories, and one of them was supposed to be humorous but only a couple of people really saw it as funny. The rest of us thought it was almost mortifying by association in reading it. :/ So, you should take that into account too if you're looking at humor across cultures.

[Monox D. I-Fly]

Haha... In a math forum I'm a member of, there is a joke board where one of the admins posts jokes everyday, and I could only comprehend about half of each post.