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candygirl wrote:

fnordboy wrote:Nothing here is measured in miles really either and I am in a very urban area. It is all in minutes.

Totally! Even when I lived in LA, if you ask how far away something is, they will tell you, "It should take about 40 minutes, but if there's traffic it will take about an hour and a half. If you go at rush hour it will take more than two hours." Very precise!

Another acceptable response to "how's it going?" is just "hey" (but with proper inflection). Seriously.

I live in a fairly urban area, definately more minutes than miles.

Best,

Lance Man

Totally! Even when I lived in LA, if you ask how far away something is, they will tell you, "It should take about 40 minutes, but if there's traffic it will take about an hour and a half. If you go at rush hour it will take more than two hours." Very precise!

Another acceptable response to "how's it going?" is just "hey" (but with proper inflection). Seriously.

Is there any place where this is *not* true? All the way over here on the east coast, the answer to "how are you?" is anything from "fine, how are you?" to just "hi" or "hey" (in fact, I always giggle a little when I ask someone how they are and their answer is hi. Get it? High? Hee hee.)

Same with time distance verses miles distance. Does anyone actually give the true distance in miles?

By the way, I say coke, but I must have gotten that from my southern parents. Most people here say soda, and NOONE says pop.

One more thing, I noticed on ebay.co.uk that they never say pants, always trousers, even if you're talking about pants for an infant. (For some reason, infant trousers sounds like an oxymoron to me) Shorts are "shortie trousers." And a jumper is a sweater, not a cottony overall type thing, as it is here.

Lastly, I have this theory that people can rarely pronounce where they're from correctly, accents usually strongly affect their source of origin. Think of how New Yorkers pronounce New York, Bostonians pronounce Boston, New Orleans-ers pronounce New Orleans, the list goes on.

My parents are from Chaaaaaaaaaalston, South Carolah-nah, but I'm born and bred in Ballimer, MD.

Meg

fnordboy wrote:

candygirl wrote: Another acceptable response to "how's it going?" is just "hey" (but with proper inflection). Seriously.

Totally. Or the ever popular head twitch. Not really a nod, more like a nod in reverse, just a little "bop" of the head as acknowledgement. I probably do this the most.

At my high school, the head jerk was accompanied by or in response to "Sup?"

meggrrrl wrote: Same with time distance verses miles distance. Does anyone actually give the true distance in miles?

I think this is a southern/hick thing. I know in south jersey if you ask someone how far away somethign it is generally you will get the "its a few miles up the road" or " x miles".

By the way, I say coke, but I must have gotten that from my southern parents. Most people here say soda, and NOONE says pop.

I can not stand people who say "pop". Friggin stupid.

One more thing, I noticed on ebay.co.uk that they never say pants, always trousers, even if you're talking about pants for an infant. (For some reason, infant trousers sounds like an oxymoron to me) Shorts are "shortie trousers." And a jumper is a sweater, not a cottony overall type thing, as it is here.

IIRC pants in the UK refers to underwear.

Lastly, I have this theory that people can rarely pronounce where they're from correctly, accents usually strongly affect their source of origin. Think of how New Yorkers pronounce New York, Bostonians pronounce Boston, New Orleans-ers pronounce New Orleans, the list goes on.

What are you talking about? I'm from New Joisey...see thats the correct pronounciation....right?

fnordboy wrote:

meggrrrl wrote: Same with time distance verses miles distance. Does anyone actually give the true distance in miles?

I think this is a southern/hick thing. I know in south jersey if you ask someone how far away somethign it is generally you will get the "its a few miles up the road" or " x miles".

My friend, who grew up in Colorado but now lives in Los Angeles, always uses distance in miles rather than time.

Then again, he was born in Alabama!

I first noticed the difference between distance and time when I met my freshman roomate from PA (that's P followed by a very nasal A).

candygirl wrote: My friend, who grew up in Colorado but now lives in Los Angeles, always uses distance in miles rather than time.

Then again, he was born in Alabama!

Eh, Colorado...Alabama...whats the difference

One just talks funnier than the other

Just slight degrees of separation - splitting hairs really!

Yeah, in the UK if you use the word 'pants' people will think one of two things...

a) you are referring to underwear... the full word is 'underpants' but has been shortened to 'pants'.

b) that you seek to deride something. 'that TV programme last night was really pants.'

My friend from Lancaster consistently refers to his trousers as 'pants'. his argument is that 'underpants' are the things you wear under your pants. It makes no sense to call them trousers then, a completely separate name. Call them pants and avoid all confusion.

He is permanently confused...

Also, in the UK the word 'Alright?' is used as a greeting, particularly in London. As in 'Alright, Starbug?'. It sort of means the same as 'Hi, how are you?'. I suppose it's a truncation of 'is everything alright?'

I spent much of my teenage years wishing I could perfect the 'head-neck-fluid-disconnection-and-general-attitude-display' movements of many of my black friends, who could display a range of emotions simply by subtle movements of their head and neck...

In the U.S. we tend to tack "okay?" or "you know what I mean?" (or shortened to "y'know?") on the end of sentences, thereby making them questions. It's really to get listening noises, feedback, validation.

I noticed that in the U.K. the equivalent is "yeah?" but it's much more redundant (meaning not really requiring a reply).

Pop.