Car hood vs. car bonnet

[Skrej]

[Kitosdad]

See how they run ...... three blind mice.
_________________
Keep it simple ... Keep it interesting.

[Rv]

@ Jamie K

"...many of the specifically American terms have become international..."
- How wrong this assumption is !!
No one uses those (made up) terminologies, except in USA!

"...and have to be "translated" specifically for UK consumers."
- Wrong again.
In Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and all other English speaking countries, (and many other non-English European countries), say it correctly. The British way !!

"any American... will probably imagine the driver to be a grey-haired man in a tweed coat and a green cap"
- How old fashion (and narrow minded) Americans are!!!

Completely ignorant comments !!!!

[Dlav]

Ok. let me just start with the last statement of the post above cause it bugs the heck out of me. Calling american's narrow minded for describing the stereotypical view of an englishman is not called for. I can say the same of englishmen. As proved from so many of you brits in this forum, you stereotypically believe americans are stupid. I grant, that the stupid people are typically the ones on TV. And we love laughing at them as much as you. But in turn, "a grey-haired man in a tweed coat and a green cap" is what is typically displayed in media when talking about english. Kitosdad was also being very narrow minded when he said "Anyway, I'm obviously out of my depth here talking to you two scholars. I think I had better scarper before you start proffering violence toward an old pensioner." he himself reflecting on the american stereotype of being violent, and at the same time giving a grate example of the stereotype of brits being stuck up snobs.Anyway, they are the only physically different things about us, so of couse they will be put out of proportion.

Now on to Language. "Trust the Americans! If you don't have a language of your own, invent one, or easier yet, steal one." was previously said. The problem with this is that english is a stolen language on its own. Almost all of its rules and words can be found to have originated in other languages. Onto the spelling. The fact is, by spelling differently than british, Americans are actually stealing less. The use of ou in british english is actually taken from french. The way brits use s instead of z is also stolen from french. French S's sound like Z's when between two vowels. Americans have not ruined the language, we've made it more independent and not stolen.

Hood vs Bonnet, they basically the same thing so neither one is better
Trunk vs Boot, A trunk means suitcase where things can be stored, and the use of it in a car is to put stuff in, so trunk is actually better. a boot is a shoe, and I cant find any definition that relates to the way it is used in a car.

Oh and yes, many many americans terms have become international. Emphasis on terms, not spelling. Mostly slang terms. They start in the USA and then get used in the UK because of media. It doesn't happen as much the other way around because way more american media is shone in the UK than UK media is shone in america.