Weasleys 'keep their peckers up', but not in American.

[sarren]

So I found hp_britglish, a community which helps non-poms to Britspeak. Very cool. And I thought ah hah! Someone must have brought up the vexed 'sweater' issue, since it seems to be THE most common error American writers make. And it drives me batty everytime I see it. I can be completely riveted to the best hp story ever written by my favourite author in the world and as soon as I see 'sweater' it all comes crashing to a halt while I mourn and wail 'oh why, oh why'

Anyhow, it was indeed discussed and someone said that JKR, oddly, uses words like 'sweater'. I’m assuming that's in the American editions only, as the books were translated into American.

Or am I living in a fantasy world and while I wasn't paying attention the Poms started saying 'sweater' and 'vacation' and 'gift'?

Also on this list. a fascinating discussion on whether wearing underwear to bed is an American thing and not doing so a Pommie thing Speaking as someone from a Pommie background, wearing knickers to bed is a big no-no cos of your nether regions needing 'to breathe' I remember as a kid being subjected to random checks (just being asked, people, don't look so worried)

And my friends claim I don't share enough.

Comments

[ice-ice-vovo.livejournal.com]

Cultural differences are so fascinating. I wasn't aware of the whole underwear/no underwear thing as being country of origin related. I do know that one reason some Australians wear underwear to bed is because they don't want to risk their bits being bitten by mozzies.

On semantics - I'm having an Eddie Izzard moment (specifically the one where he rants about the US pronunciation of herbs as 'erbs) relating to the pronunciation of caramel in some parts of the US as 'carmel'. I am seeing the spelling as 'carmel' around the web now too.

I didn't know the HP books were translated into American. It is kind of sad, don't you think, that folks in the US aren't given enough credit in that they would be able to work out what certain words and slang mean? Aussies have to work out what British and US slang means in books, movies, tv, and we all seem to cope just fine.

[tigerdragon.livejournal.com]

*horrified* No undies to bed?? But... what about draughts? Doesn't it get cold?

[sarren.livejournal.com]

Um, theres pyjamas. For when it's cold.

Plus, you know, sheets, doonas, stuff that keeps out draughts.