Hi Ravens . Like your show . First up place names that end in shire are pronounced as sher . I'm a Geordie so Enlglish is my second language 😆 Secondly watch a second world war documentry starring Burgess Meredith (Penguin from classic Batman) Welcome to Britain I believe its called . It is pretty car crash so many years on . Stay safe . Hope you get back to the UK soon
@@markhindmarsh2811 I'm a Geordie as well and I purposely turn up the accent and dialect when I'm talking to a foreigner! I'd also say a faux Pas up north is NOT talking to people, we find it quite rude when people don't say hello on public transport, just because those Londoners don't like human interaction, doesn't mean the rest of the country doesn't! I had an hour long conversation with some Canadians on the bus to Durham, telling them all the good places to visit that aren't full of tourists
As a Somerset lady who has recently moved to Yorkshire I find the thing of northerners liking to talk to everyone very odd... In the south we get a bit more irritated by people who say hello randomly - we find it odd and think they must be weirdos. Older people can get away with saying hello out and about more, but if a young person does it you might be worried! Us southerners like interacting with fellow humans, but I think we like our own space too. I can only speak as a somewhat introverted southerner that isn't from London, but I don't think generally it's a rudeness thing, we just like to keep ourselves to ourselves. My northern mother in law would say it's rude, but I think it's more rude to have to talk so much about nothing! Oh and I never realised before how crazy Yorkshire is on branding.... flags and roses everywhere. I don't think there are many other counties that do this to such a degree...
@@markhindmarsh2811 Thank you for the kind words, Mark! We're so glad you like our show :) We can't wait to make it up to the Newcastle and Tyneside area! Thank you also for the documentary recommendation. We'll watch it!
All people mean when they say “London isn’t England” is that when a lot of Americans talk about England it’s as if they think London is the only place in England. The majority is completely different to London, especially in the north. It’s just saying that there is more to England than London. If you read this I hope it helps!
and on another note...the U.S. isn't New York or Los Angeles...all these RUclipsrs from other countries come to the U.S. and spend all their time in the northeast, CA, Miami and think they know the U.S. there is SO much more to us than that...and just as NY or LA are much glitzier than Omaha or Topeka, London is much glitzier than Bristol or Bath. Just saying...
I agree. I was fortunate to spend a couple of weeks in the village of Mere just south of Bath. Spent time in Salisbury, Shaftsbury and other villages located near Mere. I also spent 3 days in London and enjoyed that as well. The states are the same, NYC, LA and Miami are not all that makes up the States.
@@raymondpeterson952 I live in rural Suffolk (England). I once worked for a few weeks in Worcester, Mass. which I liked a lot, and could identify with. A visit to New York felt like a visit to another planet.
Ha ha. I'm Scottish. I was once in Boise Idaho, and a woman said to me "I really love your accent. I wish I had an accent". I thought it too polite to point out that she did.
In England If some one says " Oh how frightfully quaint" That means old fashioned and out of date not up to the minute " However to me quaint can mean pleasantly well mannered in an acceptable older fashion " When I recognise that I will respond in a similar formal manner !!
CJ Briggs it is associated with being old fashioned and small. Americans with their huge homes tend to generally say how quaint to the majority of British homes.
Do you remember the scene in STAR TREK: The Voyage Home where Scotty is faced with operating a 20th Century computer? He is told to use the mouse and keyboard. His comment: "Oh. How quaint." That is the British definition in action.
I think when Americans call something "quaint" they can mean cozy and comfortable and a good use of what is available/ appreciative of what one has - so creative and industrious. That is how I think of the word.
@Snapper … true, but in The USA they have a long tradition of actively encouraging people to go to live there as, compared to many other parts of the world, they are sparsely populated. In The UK, until recently, "immigrants" have been either uninvited invaders/conquerers (Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Danes, Normans), refugees (Huguenots, Russian/Polish Jews or others fleeing persecution) or individuals who visited here and decided to stay. Generally we have tended to export people much more than we've imported them, it is only in recent decades that this has changed.
I was in America recently and someone told me "I love your accent!!" And I was like "OMG I love yours too!" I'm British and don't think its rude at all. Some British are stuck up. Most arent and won't find it a problem
One really annoying thing is when americans say "I went to Europe" or "I'm going to Europe". Europe is a huge place with loads of different countries in it. So where did you go- to Rome in Italy or Stockport in the uk😂 (there is a big difference between those places btw)
@@John-Walker What? The North is still on the island of Ireland, the clue is in the name - "Northern IRELAND"! The separation is political and partially cultural but not geographical and nearly half the population are just as much Gaels as we are in the Republic! The Gaels have lived in the North long before the Planters came!
A few comments: 1. "Quaint", at least in my experience, is used mostly sarcastically in the UK. It's interesting to me that it's seen so positively in the USA. 2. I've never heard of it being a faux pas to complain about the taps - it's just not common to complain about here because it's the standard. I think in the UK, though we are famous for complaining, the person you moan to should usually be able to relate to your complaint, such as complaining about the weather or bad service etc, (unless you're bitching about somebody to a friend or something like that) otherwise you're just being whiny. If it's not serious and it's your own problem, you don't need to complain to other people about it. 3. There is actually a lot of immigration to the UK, and a lot of foreign cultural influence, especially in London. I don't actually know where the cultural differences in relation to volume come from though. (e.g. there's a lot of french and danish influence on the english language due to their past influence on England) 4. I think the issue with saying "omg I love your accent" isn't that you can't comment that you like someone's accent, it's clearly a compliment, it's just the way you say that. British people are generally far more reserved than Americans, and being really over the top can be perceived as sarcasm. Think "Wow, I really like your accent. Where's it from?" compared to "Wow! I love your accent! Where's it from?". The first way is just seen as more genuine and less annoying. 5. Eton is a very posh, rich and frequently hated upon secondary boarding school in the UK. A lot of our politicians went there. 6. Edinburgh is actually strangely often pronounced with the r before the u Edin-bruh essentially (at least here in London, I don't think the Scots got mad at me for saying it that way when I visited). Glasgow is pronounced Glas-go (as in the word go), though you wouldn't be able to understand a thing they said anyway if you actually went there, so how they say their city name is the least of my worries if I were to visit. I equally do not think it is reasonable to expect tourists to pronounce city names correctly, I could only get Swinomish completely right of yours. 7. (I am from London) There is no obligation to visit the rest of the UK as a tourist, you go where you please, but you most certainly shouldn't assume the rest of the UK is like London. It's not it's own country, but the reason people might say so is that the culture is very different. Firstly there's the distinction of rural vs urban or large city vs smaller city when compared to the rest of the UK, but also London is far more diverse. There is far less traditional English culture in London but rather a unique blend of cultures from various backgrounds mixed with an overarching unique "London culture". I'm quite happy for the rest of the UK to make it clear that they exist too lol, it's not like they're saying we aren't a part of it. 8. Just a small comment on the diagram, it is basically entirely correct but there are a few issues with it. "British Islands" could technically be used, but it will rarely be said, and Northern Ireland is not it's own island, while calling the island of Ireland British is sure to greatly offend most Irish people. There are also many British possessions such as the Falklands not included in that list. Also be very careful when talking about Ireland (the island). Calling the country of Ireland "The Irish republic" or "The Republic of Ireland" will probably not offend anyone, but when you're talking about northern ireland there generally isn't an easy way to avoid offending everyone. There's been a lot of terrorism and fighting there over whether Northern Ireland should be part of the UK or the Republic of Ireland so just be conscious of what you say and call them. And for god's sake NEVER ask for "an Irish car bomb". I know that's a drink you guys have, but it's like us having a drink called the "World Trade Center plane crash" and asking for it in New York. Don't. 9. I don't know who doesn't know that the USA used to be a British colony. I definitely learnt that it happened but not in great detail. We call it the American War of Independence, we don't call it the American Revolutionary War. The war of independence isn't generally seen as that big of a deal here. I personally find the memes about us being salty about losing America quite funny, even if they are untrue (and don't forget we actually won the last war against you, what you call the war of 1812, to us it was just a minor theatre of the napoleonic wars, which is even more hilarious to me) - just to note I think nationalism and even patriotism (generally viewed quite differently in the UK) are ridiculous, I am merely one upping the USA because it's funny, I do not intend to make anyone actually angry. 10. I know talking to strangers is FAR more common outside of London in the UK. Old people also talk more to strangers in London. 11. Patience is a big part of British culture. You see it in the queuing. Also a lot of British people relate to people who work serving other people and cut them some slack for having to deal with annoying customers, so I think that's why we have a different culture when it comes to shop assistants too.
Awesome comment! and to add about the war, I think Americans tend to forget that our history stretches out longer than theirs. We have fourght many wars and have had alliences which changed our countries. Their war is just one against many and not 'country changing' like it was to them. Our history lessons focus on the kings and queens, invaders, war, disease and discovery. These factors all interlink and have had an effect on other situations. Henry VIII and his split from the church had an incredible butterfly effect. Our history within the roman empire and how that impacted a rise in modernisation and medicine. Our language changes with William 1st. All these things shaped our country way more then losing the independance war. It just isnt as important to the shaping of our culture then it is to them and theirs :D
@@flobeatrix6014 Exactly, the War of Independence was important, but not more so than any of the other wars Britain has fought over the last 1000 years or so.
I agree with everything except the Glasgow thing. As a Glaswegian it’s just a bit rude to say that it doesn’t matter how we pronounce our city because you wouldn’t understand what we say anyway. Also, as someone who has travelled throughout the UK, the rest of Europe and several, places in the US I have never had a single issue with anyone misunderstanding me. I don’t mean to be rude btw I just don’t think that’s a very fair comment to make.
Ian Salisbury yeah I agree the same thing would probably be said about scouse and Georgie accents. I don’t think it’s a fair comment to say about any accent like that. I’m sure it’s not his intention at all but it came off as a very ignorant thing to say is all.
I can kill two birds with the one stone here. I'm an Aussie and even I have heard of Eton, so there! However, when Prince Charles spent six months at Timbertop, an external campus of Geelong Grammar school in Victoria, he was often greeted by other boys as a "Pommy Bastard". He has also remarked many times that his time at Timbertop was the best experience of his entire education, so I guess he got the joke.
Even as a Londoner born & bred, I can concur that it feels very much like it's own country at times and the minute you step over the border between Greater London & the home counties (Surrey, Essex, Kent, etc), it turns into an entirely different world altogether from the people being nicer in general to the general flow of life feeling much sedate and slower
@@etherealhawk don't get me wrong, I'd wouldn't change the fact I live in London but it's always nice to get out from there every once in a while and go somewhere else
To the US, the War of Independence is a cornerstone of your society and history. To Brits, the War of Independence was a minor sideshow in England's geopoliticking.
The Americans won the War of Independence because Britain only ever committed a fraction of its full Military capabilities due to the fact that they were in a Cold War with France, could have defeated the Colonials and come home to find the UK in French hands.
You forgot the mentioning of Bad Teeth. Americans do this all the time. Yes some people have bad teeth in the UK, but they do everywhere. We actually as a nation have some of the healthiest teeth in the world. They are just not "corrected" to be perfectly white and straight like some nations.
@@alexwright4930 It came from America. The Americans are obsessed with having perfect teeth, which is something we don't share with them. It's just not that important to us.
@@Otacatapetl I agree. In my 20s I knocked my front tooth. It's still in, but has gone slightly grey. The dentist recommended that I leave it as is structurally sound, but whitening it would involve a veneer or crown. Both would remove healthy tooth for cosmetics reasons, and typically last 10 years. I'm 50 now with a slightly grey, but very healthy tooth.
Just a few comments: 1) "I love your accent" isn't a bad thing to me, but when americans say "I love the British accent", that's when it becomes annoying. Like which British accent? Scouse? Brummie? 2) London is different from the rest of the UK as it has a lot more emigration and diversity, people tend to be ruder and always in a rush (as people who live in the centre tend to be there solely for work). Also the city is a hell of a lot more packed in so it's always cramped. 3) we don't learn about American independence in history, we learn more about history that is more important to us. Like Henry the 8th, Mary Queen of Scots, battle of Hastings, Napoleonic wars, the world wars (though I bet we learn this one differently to the US - all we hear from Americans is that they basically single handedly saved everyone in the wars - even though they arrived late)etc...
Hmmm your right. But I have to say not sure. I heard many different English accents and UK accents I love. I think it depends on the individual also. I heard Northern and southern and Midlands. I like them all.
Absolutely correct. There is no such thing as a British Accent. You only have an accent when you are away from the native country whose language it is.
Huh, interesting. This is the first time I think i've ever heard someone from the UK (presumably but please correct me if i'm wrong) claim this, previously it's been exclusively Americans i've seen propagating the baffling fallacy of "I don't have an accent, you do". Plainly _everyone_ has "an accent", regardless of where they happen to be. If i'm in my native Scotland I have a Scottish accent, even if it's the local "default" accent. And in England (where I live) ? Yep, I have a Scottish accent. In Timbuktu ? You're hopefully ahead of me... still a Scottish accent. The idea that anyone only has "an accent" when outside of their native country is totally bizarre to me - your accent is about _how_ you say things, not _where_ you say them.
@@anonymes2884 You are referring to REGIONAL accents. Everyone does NOT have an accent (I am English). If you are speaking with the correct Oxford dictionary pronunciation you do not have an accent. An Accent is a deviation from the norm.
@@valeriedavidson2785 [ETA: Umm, OK this one got away from me a bit - feel free to, like, skip half the sentences or something :)]. No, i'm referring to _any_ accent. Even e.g. a "posh accent" has a set of defined properties which are either true or not true of an individual's way of speaking, regardless of whether they happen to be in an East End pub or the dining halls of Eton at the time. Are people likely to _comment_ on it if it's "the norm" ? No i'd say not, since almost by definition "the norm" tends to be unremarked upon. _That_ accent still has _those_ properties though. Having "an accent" in this context is absolutely NOT solely defined as "deviation from the norm", either in dictionaries, common usage or by linguists. E.g. (from the OED): "accent, n. ... 7. a. A way of pronouncing a language that is distinctive to a country, area, social class, or individual." (the next sub-definition is maybe closer to what you claim: "b. Without possessive or defining word or words: a regional or foreign accent. Not in technical use." BUT that's still only one possible meaning) Are there more _distinctions_ apparent in accents the more "local" you are ? Of course. In _that_ sense I agree that there's no such thing as *a* "British accent" nor *a* "Scottish", "English", "Welsh", "Northern Irish", "French", "American", "Australian", "posh", "working class", "country" (and so on) accent either for that matter - it's _mostly_ people from outside the UK that talk about "a British accent" because to Brits that's a massive generalisation, it misses all the useful extra information we get (or at least _think_ we get) about someone based on their specific accent. Those broad categories are still more or less meaningful though (i.e. we still often recognise accents as from those broad groups - by their shared properties - when we hear them). And dictionaries (even the OED :) are descriptive, not proscriptive. There is, in other words, no such thing as "the correct Oxford dictionary pronunciation" except among people who've already _arbitrarily_ decided that Received Pronunciation - an accent of English used by a small minority of UK English speakers, mostly in the south-east of England and which was itself _arbitrarily_ chosen by the Oxford University Press for the OED pronunciation standard, largely based on geographical/historical accident and not a little class/region bias - is somehow _the_ "One True Way" to speak the language.
@@anonymes2884 You are obviously stuck in your opinions and are being pedantic. To quote my late mother-"If you are speaking correctly, nobody should know where you come from."
I like it when Americans say they like my accent! In the US, I got an Uber and my driver said he liked my accent, and I said I liked his accent, and the entire journey was just talking about how much we loved each other's accents!
Hmm with the whole “omg I love your accent” thing, it feels like you’ve interpreted it as rude. I wouldn’t say it’s rude, just annoying. Like, it’s the kind of thing that, while it’s nice to hear, is very annoying if you hear it from every single American you meet.
"omg, I love your accent!" is often followed by something condescending such as how cute or quaint it is. that is why we react badly to it. English as a language is an English creation and being told that we are not speaking it "correctly" is annoying to say the least. the differences in vocabulary don't help as US tourists sometimes use words that mean something very different here, an example being fanny which is unspeakably rude in the UK X
To Brits the whole independence thing ties in with Americans swearing an oath and to me makes America seem like some weird cult lmao. Brits never learn about the American war of independence in any detail at all and really aren’t bothered by any of it 😂 similar to Americans getting hung up on “saving” us in WWII which isn’t quite the full story.
Yes because many brits are aware that the Americans left it till the very last moment to help us. Only when we were forced to destroy the French fleet under American instructions did you guys come thankfully!
@@FordForTheWin It was the bad idea of Japan to attack Hawaii that caused the Americans to become involved if that had not happened then WW2 would have turned out differently. However it was American Money that financed the war before they became active.
@@tamsinmccormick we borrowed so much to keep our island and we payed it all back. I never understood why other countries war debts were written off! Germany for example utter madness.
London is a big international city where the world goes to do business and stuff. Native British culture tends to live outside of it. As a rule of thumb, the further you go from London, the friendlier and more accommodating the people are; and also, the more strangers will chat to you... even on public transport.
London is multicultural, that's why many Brits feel and think and say that it's not England/Britain. It's not the original London anymore when there were hardly any immigrants and people of color in the city.
@@thomas_hobbs1453 London has been multicultural throughout its history, from the time of the Romans right up to the present day. In fact, it has been estimated that in any particular decade the number of immigrants has usually been greater than the number of actual native-born Londoners. Many of those immigrants, probably most of them, have been from within the British Isles, but there have always been strong connections to all parts of the known world and London's population has always reflected that. Some newcomers have arrived in waves, others in dribs and drabs, but London is and always has been in a continuous state of self-renewal. For the most part, that has been its strength, despite the best efforts of those of a more xenophobic persuasion to hold back the tides of change. It is fascinating that, despite all this constant turnover of population, London continues to remain essentially itself. I'm sure that Dr Johnson would still recognise it as the same exciting city it always was and would approve of its continuing vitality. (Whether Dr Sam would approve of his namesake Boris is, of course, a matter of idle historical speculation!)
@@philroberts7238 Bollocks, yes there has always been immigrants in London but never like now, just watch some old newsreel footage over the decades, the VAST majority of Londoners where white British!
@@alanmawson9601 Yes, there were less black faces then than there are today. So what? (Evidently you have some sort of problem with that. My only problem is that YOU have a problem when things would be much better for all of us if you didn't.)
I don’t have an issue with people saying they like my accent, I have an issue with people saying that I don’t sound British because I have a yorkshire accent
Big Panda 22 im english and i could say all the American place names and can pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch i think they could if they did little to no research
I worked in hotels/restaurants for few years and we had a lot of Americans! So the commons things I noticed were: 1) the double room, seriously this one was really a pain!! Almost every week there was a complaint from someone saying they were expecting 2 double beds, in the UK is one bed. 2) following from the previous issue the bed sizes (but this happened to many visitors from all over the world) but the Americans usually said "why is not like in America?! 3) the newspaper IS chargeable, so many times we were told to remove the charge because in America is free in hotels so the rule must apply in UK too. 4) Phone calls from the room to the US are chargeable!! I was shocked to hear how Americans complained at the reception desk saying "local" charges were supposed to be free, so they forgot they were in a different country! 5) Expecting to have dollars all the time at the reception desk handy for change, I mean seriously?? You are in a different country!! 6) This one is slightly different, I'm Italian and they were sometimes correcting me the pronunciation for Italian words, apparently few Americans don't like to hear the "real" pronunciation. 7) again talking about language, I often heard Americans correcting a British word with an American one in a way that sounded a bit rude, assuming that was the correct word that everyone is supposed to say, mostly with lift vs elevator, trolley vs cart.
@@corriehingston6744 yeah that accurately describes how a posh upper class Scottish person would say it or my granny when she is on the phone. It can be found on television too.
The UK has had mass immigration for a thousand years. Just remind me, how old is America? Why would you think we hadn't had much? Where do you get your information?
Agreed but I think as they point out it seems to have a different connotation in the U.S. Personally I hate it but I think I can be more tolerant now - lol
I'm coming a bit late to the party, but I went to live in Australia for several years and when I came back, via land and sea, and arrived at Harwich and then went by train to Liverpool St Station, I suddenly "got" the "quaintness" of here. I saw the place with new eyes and that was the word, the one I that used to annoy me, that sprang into my mind.
It's all context though isnt it? Like if a wealthy person comes into your humble abode smirking and saying "oh how quaint" that seems condescending but an American saying a little victorian coffee shop is quaint isnt at all.
@@Lily-Bravo Interestingly I never got that feeling when I moved from Australia to the U.K. My first impression was wow it's cold here (late December kkkk) but so green and the architecture (not all of it of course some is deplorable) is amazing!
@@TheVaughan5 Hi! I might not have got that feeling of "quaintness" had I landed at Heathrow though. I think arriving by sea had been part of the experience. We arrived in late October and were expecting cold and leafless trees but it was sunny and everything was still green. Soooo green. Then a train ride in the dark and arrival in the middle of the tall white London houses. telephone and phone boxes was when the word "quaint" came to me. I now live in a village in the Cotswolds in a conservation area, and all by visitors from Australia and the US rave about the quaintness, but to me it's just normal now.
When I was living in Germany an American girl at a party said that she thought I sounded like Prince Charles. The thought of Charlie speaking with a Birmingham accent had everyone in hysterics. Personally anyone saying my accent is nice is OK in my book. Makes a change from the insults I get from the British. Quaint to a Brit means traditional looking. Perfectly OK to use it without giving offence. I always find it odd that Americans always seem to ask how much you earn really early in the first conversation you have with them. A definite no no.
I get what you mean with the accent I certainly won’t be offended if someone says they like my accent, however, mine is definitely not well known to Americans so it’s quite amusing to see them try to figure out where I’m from... was once asked if I was Australian by an American family 😂 my accent is Devonian
I'm American and if someone asks about how much someone makes outright , it is such a no-no.Most will dance around asking by stating how much they make in a non Bragging kind of way, some will avoid and some will brag about how much they make and will ask how much another person makes just to be able to say they make more.
It's true! It's not that quaint is seen as a bad thing in the UK, it's just patronising to be told that something is likeable because it's seen as 'exceptionally' something, when to us its just normal and reasonable for things to be that way. Its more of an irritation towards the person using the term than the term itself. It's like 'othering'
@@gerry54 We had a problem with highwaymen who would rob people on the road. With most people being right handed it made it easier to defend your self if you rode on the left hand side.
@@jonnogriffiths5346 Nowt to do with highwaymen. Plus you didn't actually answer my question... pretty sure those countries would have had highway robbers too. Here's the correct answer, though not exactly succinctly put: www.worldstandards.eu/cars/driving-on-the-left/
The Romans started us driving on the left hand side because most people are right handed when carrying their weapons. We then carried on the tradition in order to defend ourselves from highwaymen whilst riding horses.
When we say "London is not England" we don't mean it literally, just as a way of expressing what you said about London not representing all of England and the two words being interchangeable. In many ways however, London is so different to the rest of the country you could also take that phrase as a sort of metaphor
yep i agree. since i live equidistant to both places haha . 40 min train to glasgow and 40 min train to Edinburgh . Although currently i reside in china hahaha
19:45 this is a great example of how London is fundamentally different to the rest of the UK. I’m a northerner by birth now living in Wales but I spent a few years living in London. The north is really chatty wherever you go, you get the same vibe in Wales, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh etc etc. London is the odd one out (not the other way around). I was on a late night train heading south out of town and a couple got on (they’d obviously had a good night) and the girl was chatting to everyone- her bf made excuses to the carriage by saying she was a northerner. I said I was a northerner, then someone over the way said they were from Leeds, and then someone else piped up and the northerners held the carriage all the way home. London transport etiquette is definitely NOT the norm (thank god).
Londoners tend to think that they're the rule and everywhere else is the exception. Actually, they're pretty alien to the more friendly, community-based vibe you get in the rest of the UK I think
Honestly, nobody I know spends one second pondering the war of independence . It's of no importance to us really and that's not because we "lost". My understanding of the situation, and I certainly could be wrong, is that the British thought it wasn't worth the trouble at that time and withdrew.
I will say, that's definitely not the version we heard in school, but I don't know enough about the situation to actually make a claim either way. I need to read some books on the subject!
@@omegadeep1 And the Spanish and the Dutch plus there was a hostile armed neutrality of Russia, Sweden, Denmark and Prussia. America started to get low in priorities when Britain itself was threatened with invasion.
Kind of, the defeat at the battle of Yorktown meant that Britain would need to send significant reinforcements to keep the war going. This combined with the fact that even after the war a significant British force would need to remain in America incase of a resurgence, as well as potentially harsh measures to stop dissidence, meant it financially and politically better to sue for peace. Britain then deliberately made very favourable concessions to the Colonists during peace talks so that a trade relationship between the 2 countries could form. This was key for Britain as it meant the US were less likely to reinvigorate the French economy, which had been crippled by past wars as well as the American revolutionary war. For the British it made little difference in the grand scheme of things, the colonies were an income source as well as a way to compete with other European powers. Britain replaced America with other colonial opportunities building a much larger empire and remained as one of Europe's leading powers. It didn't change much for Britain, whereas it changed a lot for America. It's not really taught in schools because it's not as relevant as other events/periods in British history. Things we tend to focus on are the world wars, the war of the roses/Tudor England, the slave trade, the Norman invasion, the Napoleonic wars, the English civil war, the industrial revolution, Roman Britain, the great fire of London, the Guy Fawkes plot, and Colonialism (mainly focusing on parts of Africa and India, although schools don't seem to do that much on colonialism).
We had bigger fish to fry, and the USA only won because of French helped them out. They then thanked France by not paying back their loans and plunging France into a financial crisis, which in turn led to the French Revolution.
@@WanderingRavens As a Brit who lived in the USA for 16 years, the only question that ever bothered me was, specifically, "where is your accent from?", as if I'd picked it up in a store somewhere! My go-to answer was always, "same place as the rest of me"... ;)
When me and my husband visited Wisconsin over 25 years ago I was asked if I was Australian... then again, at the time I was living in London and the locals at the pub where I had a part-time job I was asked the same thing. I'm from Staffordshire!!
I can do a passable New York accent, so when an American in America tells me they like my English accent, I go into the NY accent and tell them we actually talk like that normally, and that we only do the English accent for Harry Potter tourists.
@@Mohegan13 When someone asks me what's wrong (if I'm looking fed up/down) instead of going into detail I just say "I'm fine, just feeling a bit pissed off that's all".. And other people I know also use the same expression..Maybe it's a Sheffield thing! 😉
I am more or less British (I’ve spent most of my life in London), and I am also shocked that lots of British people don’t seem to know that the US was once a British colony. I once met someone who went to Oxford and Eton (the very expensive school you mentioned) and didn’t know this, which I thought was bizarre. To me it’s obvious that the whole of the American continent was colonised by Europeans, but maybe that’s because I spent many years living in South America.
People who have some world knowledge of course know this. However, undereducated people or people who have their heads in one particular academic subject alone, well - you can see why they don't.
@MARK COPLEY … I think you are spot on. I was in a bar in Singapore some 20 years back and got talking to someone from Chicago, I mentioned that I'd been to New York and he told me that New York wasn't "America"!! I'd also been to Los Angeles, apparently that wasn't "America" either. LOL.
I am British and here is some insider knowledge. We don't like London that much unless you live in and around London. The further North you go, the greater the hostility is!
@@TheMaxim10083 As a Brit from Bristol I can concur. I have lived up north, have family from Romford, Oxfordshire and Yorkshire and let me tell you: none of us like going to London. It is an overly crowded tourist trap. I have met Americans that whole-heartedly believe that London is pretty much all there is to see in UK and that everywhere else is just 'quaint villages' (yes, I bloody hate that word. Quaint to us is usually used in a sarcastic sense and literally means 'old fashioned', ie 'out-dated')
@@thevonya3977 I have a Tennessee American visit my work place regularly and he was astounded that we were not a fans of London. He also struggled with the fact that within a twenty-five mile radius, we have so many different accents (I'm from Wolverhampton).
The Vonya Do you hail from Yorkshire? Your “let me tell you” sounds just like Geoffrey Boycott. Following on for that observation there is the joke. You can always tell a Yorkshireman but, you can’t tell him much. That might also apply to Americans!
May I say about Americans being loud abroad. Yes have experienced this here in UK and mainland Europe. But in fairness to you that has been a minority. Have met loads Americans and going to sound wrong, are aware of their surroundings and so adapted their voices to match. Love USA and Americans. And when you come here please don't think you can't be yourself. Laurence x
I feel like this generally comes down to: "don't treat our culture/country as your own personal theme park attraction." Also, I feel like it's okay to pronounce 'Alcester' incorrectly, but pronouncing major cities incorrectly (e.g Glasgow) is annoying because it shows you don't really care about out culture. It would be like turning up in the USA and calling New York "The Big Orange" all the time, you'd be like "dude, how do you not know that!"
Come on dude, don't be ridiculous. New York is world famous. It's the financial capital of the world my man. It's the greatest city in the whole entire world. Comparing New York to Glasgow is like comparing Pizza to Haggis. Get it??
I've had several American's ( when realising I was English) ask "oh what part of London are you from?". They just seem confused when I say I live 170 miles away, nowhere near London. So it's almost as is they assume all of England is London. Maybe it's just a case of not knowing many other towns or cities? But it would be like every Brit asking you guys which part of New York you are from just because you are American. Then they always follow up with "Do you know the Queen?" 🙄
at 17.35, that reminds me of the time I met a tourist from the US, I was thinking maybe texas or Arizona, judging by his accent. We were on a train from Paisley to Glasgow (I was heading home after work) He says: "Gee I really love Scotland, it's my favourite part of England." I winced inwardly as he regaled us of what was so great about America. The train came into the platform and I got up to the doors to be the first one to get off. As the train doors opened up I said: "Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a safe trip back to Canada!" I think he turned purple LOL
“Do you not learn about the American war independence?” I went to the only school in this country that didn't teach about the French Revolution, let alone the American one. Intead, I was busy learning about witchcraft in the 1500's several times. Edit: As a joke, I call the American Revolution "the divorce of the Georges."
Future generations won't learn about Vietnam or Afghanistan because YOU GOT YOUR ASSES KICKED OUT OF BOTH! And you wonder why our schools don't teach about 1776? And another thing WE kicked YOUR asses in 1815 New Orleans didn't t count because Jefferson had already signed the surrender so there!
The American War of Independence fades away into the other wars we were fighting at the same time ,against the French (Napolion) ,Spanish ( Peninsula Wars) etc which we won, so a little thing like your war just isn`t considered at all important
It annoys me when people are like "oh but all of the UK is England" or they say it's just all the same thing. Like it's not. Also the UK and Britain keeps being used interchangeably. Our official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It's even on the passports like how do some people not get that.
@@MonkeyButtMovies1 I'm English so I've never had that but judging by your username I'm guessing you watched Torchwood and if so remember in miracle day when Gwen says she's Welsh and punches the woman (if you haven't ignore me 😂)
I totally get that, but we don’t like learn about it, if that makes sense, like we learn geography and important and overlapping history but beyond the little knowledge we have comes from media. To Americans, it’s like a thing that being ‘British’ is synonymous with being ‘English’. It really confused me when I was younger like if someone would prefer being called British to or by the country they are born in. It’s also a cultural thing that like I could say I’m Pennsylvanian but that’s kinda weird and people generally just say they are ‘American’. We just aren’t really directly exposed to your culture beyond tv shows like doctor who, skins, the Great British bake off, downtown abbey, killing eve, Sherlock, whatever shows up on Netflix or something by Jane Austin or Shakespeare. So, it’s really just isn’t knowledge that we have/also cultural ignorance for not looking up enough information to know the actual difference
Don’t listen to people about mis-pronounciation. It is completely fine and it happens anywhere. If you go to another country and try to read the menu, you shouldn’t feel bad for trying :) xx It is perfectly okay to ask how to pronounce things if you aren’t sure, and don’t feel disheartened when we sigh at your pronounciation. We aren’t fed up with you, but some people just don’t have patience. ❤️
I don’ t agree that we don’t like it when people say “we love your accent”. It certainly wouldn’t bother me, in fact I think most people would take it a a compliment.
As far as i know, I never learnt much about the US war of independence 'cause we've had shit loads more important wars. Like the 7 years war, The wars against Spain, Both world wars, The roman wars, Vikings and the English Civil war. At least, that was my school history experience. The war of American Independence seemed more a footnote than something important.
I initially learnt about the American War of Independence off American cartoons like Simpsons. And picked up more about the American Civil War from cultural osmosis than I've ever learned about the English Civil War.
@Spade Face so how does one explain the British fighting in North America, based out of the American Colonies, then suddenly losing all 13 of them? Sounds like a pretty important piece of history and not a side note lol.
i think the loudness comes from large spaces and competing with other noise in the U.S. i do not think people realize how loud they are. accents Hmm not sure no one every has complimented me on mine, i am asked frequently where i am from tho
"Why is London not England" Culturally it is entirely different in London than everywhere else. The accent is nothing like the accents spoken elsewhere in England, it is prioritised beyond belief politically because parliament is there and it has so many constituencies within a small space so it has loads of MPs representing it whereas the rest of the country is no where near as represented, people don't like visiting because it's dirty, the people are far less friendly than everywhere else, and it's extremely expensive. Also, it's just grey, but the rest of England is full of beautiful green plains, hills and lakes! London is so unlike everywhere else in England and is deeply unpleasant by comparison.
London isn’t over represented as such, it’s just that the population density is much higher an constituency lines (how many MPs per area) are based on population not area size. Orkney and shetland for example is represented by only one MP.
Chris, then there's also the fact that only a small minority of Londoners are actually of English or even British descent. London is a melting pot of cultures from around the world. This is borne out by the fact that over 400 different languages are spoken by children attending schools in London. In the rest of the UK the most number of languages in schools, even in the big cities is much much less than 100, and usually less than 10. I don't know of any other city in the world that has so many different cultures all crammed into such a small space. I know that Tokyo is home to over 40 million people and some of the larger cities in South and Middle America have more than 30 million inhabitants, but none of them are so culturally diverse as in London. So it's no wonder that London isn't representative of the rest of the UK. It's a separate country almost, with very little in common with the rest of the country it's the capital city of.
Generally speaking, a 'burgh' (as in Edinburgh) historically refers to the presence of a castle. This has Germanic roots (Burg: castle, Berg: mountain). And yes, there is an old word still used for an official which is Burgher 😁. Towns/cities with 'cester', 'chester' or 'caster' in the name also refers to the presence of a castle but is Roman Latin in origin. (PS: those castles may have long gone or only bits survived!)
i remember visiting Neuschwanstein castle in Germany. We were on the bus and I suddenly heard this roar from behind, someone looking at a brochure: "IS THAT NEW-SHWANN-STOYN?? IT'S LIKE DISNEY CASTLE!"
I think the accent thing is how it is said, like I’ve heard a lot of Americans say “you have an accent” or “they have an accent” and I think it comes across as if they think the American accent is the only accent and that other accents are weird to them.
I NEVER have a problem with visitors pronouncing place names wrong, our place names are mental, they've all been cobbled together and evolved over hundreds of years, even we don't know how to pronounce the name of some little village somewhere on the other side of the country, lol 😄 As a visitor it's fine to just turn round to anyone and ask how to pronounce it, most people will be genuinely happy you asked. The 'not speaking to anyone on public transport' thing is really just London (and even there old ladies will just talk to whoever they want, old ladies are probably the same the world over 😂 ); people seem to get friendlier and more chatty the further out of London you get.
The literal meaning of quaint is the same in both countries but in the UK it is used/or at least thought to be used by the higher class when describing anything about anyone of lesser means but in a way as not to sound overtly rude. So because of that most people take the word quaint as what we would call a backhanded complement (something that sounds good at first but has another meaning e.g. you look good for your age.).
Yes I see your point. In the U.S. class difference is not loaded into the interpretation in this word... we really do mean it as a compliment... a place that is interesting, with an appealing design that charms, perhaps with a whiff of history or artistic, aesthetic beauty that seems genuine... would be a "quaint" setting... ideal for a special occasion or a meaningful experience.... not prefab, cookie-cutter or drab. Just realized we often describe aspects of New England as quaint... historic, charming towns... with unique, older or in some way charming design & architecture and a feeling of genuine beauty. It is meant as a compliment. Not just in that part of the U.S. but it is practically a collocation... "quaint, New England town" 😆 a compliment.
@@Coral_Forever Calling something quaint is fine if the other person thinks it is quaint too. But if I get out my (five years old) mobile phone and someone says "Ooh, how quaint!" I know they don't mean it as a compliment.
No one English can pronounce even the more straightforward ones correctly so Americans would have no chance. People from Liverpool (about 40% of whom have Welsh ancestry) holiday in North Wales and go to 'Betts-e-co-ed' which is a completely wrong pronunciation. Llanidloes? I've absolutely no idea!
American here. I live in an area of Pennsylvania where there are cities/towns such as: Bala Cynwyd, Bryn Mawr, Llanerch, and Bryn Athyn, just to name a few. There are PLENTY of Americans, even fellow Pennsylvanians that can't even pronounce those names.
I am going to visit Llandudno [Edit: Also Penmaenmawr] in 2022. I have been practicing how to pronounce these cities. 😆 But my mate in Llandudno has told me they don't even say their own Welsh words correctly so...I like to think I will be just fine.
It’s like when your a tourist visiting Wales, but get lost around Anglesey, Whilst trying to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, The local train station says, Llan-vire-pooll-guin-gill-go-ger-u-queern-drob-ooll-Llandus-illio-gogo-goch, Which is still quite a tongue twister for those that have a PHD in English to pronounce, But if you say, ‘Clan-vire-pulth-gwin-gwith-go-gerry-quin-drobe-eth-clan-tysilio-go-go-gockh, You sound more like you have made an effort to sound Welsh, 🏴🤣👍🏼
I'm from south of England and love when anyone tells me they like my accent! Because Ive lived down south all my life and it's so normal to me, I like that someone it isn't 'normal' to, likes it :-)
I don't mind having my accent pointed out. I'm from Newcastle with quite a strong geordie accent and I know lots of people across the world love the geordie accent so for me I take it as a compliment
We love the geordie accent! Haven't been to Newcastle yet, and we can't wait to go! Also, thank you for your comment on the last video - we hope you don't mind that we included it in this one! :D
Me too!! When I meet people from outside the UK - they tend to think I'm Irish or Scottish, and always makes for a nice conversation explaining how close we are to the Scottish border and our history. I also enjoy teaching people Geordie phrases!!
@Jim Jam don't be mean now Jim Jam, it's a beautifully warm accent if you take the time to properly listen to it. I'm not talking about the slang terms we use (regional slang words can't be understood from most places unless you're from there) but just normal conversation in a geordie accent is very very easy to understand
@Jim Jam where are you from then Jim Jam? Just wondering where the use of the word 'orrible comes from.......and please stop dissing people's dialect theres nothing wrong with the German language and accent
Taps. Many older English homes have two cold water supplies. One is very purified and comes out of the cold tap - and can be drunk straight from the tap. The other is less pure, and the boiler/heater in the home sterilises it with heat and then puts it out of the hot tap. If you mixed the two you would cause the purified water to possibly be contaminated.
The "90% don't know who fought the war of independence" is wrong, virtually everyone knows, but it was just a tiny part of our history (given that we fought / tried to enslave most of the planet over the centuries). The reason people get annoyed about being asked "you must be sad about losing the war of independence" is that it is basically saying they are in favour of empires and enslavement (exactly the same as saying to an American that they must be sad that they don't own slaves any more).
Not quite sure how the British Empire is pro-slavery any more than anywhere else? We abolished it and actively fought it before anyone else. US had slaves up to civil war. Lincoln was a slave owner!!!!
WyndStryke. Britain has been inhabited for 800,000 years. We have had thousands of wars, why would we be interested in one war that doesn’t effect us. No one I know has a clue what the war was about so they are not butt hurt it’s of no consequence
I don't want to be that person who answers all the questions, so I'm going to hold back, but I feel like I need to say something about the whole talking to people in London situation. Sorry this has turned into an essay! I grew up in London, have lived here forever, and honestly it's just not true about not talking to anyone. I feel like I'm giving away a big secret but it's all about context and timing. I think that wherever you go in the world there are people who just do not want to talk to strangers and there are people that do. The rest of the UK is no different, even though London is often singled out. In London however, depending which part you are in and what time of day it is, you may come across the people who are not up for a chat as they are trying to get to or from work. As a London commuter myself, this is the time of day where you really just want a little space to yourself and the travel may be the only place and time you get it. so it is nice to just keep quiet and switch off. Though personally I think it is rude if you completely ignore someone, they may be lost and need help. Other times though if you approach someone politely with a question then more than likely they will answer. If it is public transport try to go for a member of staff as you may be in a tourist area and accidentally ask another tourist who may not understand. London is also very multicultural and people just may not speak your language. Again just ask politely there is no harm. Most locals I know are more than happy to help anyone and talk to anyone, in public spaces and on public transport when they are asked politely. A little bit of kindness goes a long way. Some of the best people I've met from other cultures and places are through random chats around town in all different places. Some people do come across as surprised you are talking to them but that's just it, we're are so used to everyone saying that we won't talk to anyone that we feel nobody wants to talk to us. As you can probably tell from this comment I could talk forever to anyone, so I'll stop there as I'm sure I've reached peak annoying comment level. ...just lastly, not to give the game away but Londoners are awesome, and built on the back of immigration you don't need to be born here just to be a Londoner; just come and live here and love her, she's an awesome place, and I'm super proud of her :)
Calling the UK England is definitely at the top of my list. English like to be called English, Scot want to be called Scottish and Welsh want to be called Welsh and Northern Irish want... well that's another kettle of fish but Norther Irish is a fairly safe pick. 100% agree America's independence doesn't even register in out education. People just don't think about it. We get European history and a bit colonialism. Scottish independence was a huge part of my history education in Scotland.
Thank you for taking the time to comment! I think that similar to how education about the war of independence is low in the UK, education about the history of the UK and all its countries is low in the USA.
@@JC-cb4xg Just here to say that this person doesn't speak for all of us when they say we all get triggered. Personally I have no problem being called British. It's how I refer to myself - I'm British first, English/European second.
I am an Italian teacher of English language and literature in Italy. I find your videos really entertaining and informative, so much so that I'm planning so use some of them in class, to give my students an overview of British and American culture. You said you've been travelling for more than three years around the world but have never, as far as I know, talked about Italy and the Italians. You might have made some fleeting comments here and there... I'd like for you to include some comments in your videos about other European countries, like mine. I believe we are the least nationalist people I've met in my life (and travels). Accents: when I was in the US people kept commenting on my accent, saying that they loved my Italian one sprinkled with British pronunciation of words. By the way, this is the teacher in me and you will forgive my pointing this out, "pronunciation" and "accent" are two very different things. Thank you for your AWESOME (😊) videos. "Inspiring" is the word I would use. Awesome sounds so lazy, like when someone says "tremendous" all the time.
I'd say with "quaint" - there's an implication of artificial cuteness, as if something has been designed to be rustic or old-looking. It falls in with "Kitch" or "cutesy" - with an added factor of rustic and old fashioned. For accents: I think it's perceived as condescending/patronising - more like you're reducing a person to where they come from rather than listening to the content of their words. Also it's possibly seen as a very insular attitude to assume everyone has your accent and be surprised and amazed when they don't (I know that's not what's going on, but it can be perceived that way). This also feeds into the quaint thing and the "so British" thing. Yes, it's different, because it's a different country - it's not like visiting another state, it's literally like visiting spain or china, just you understand the language. For pronunciation: the two most common place name endings that people get wrong in the UK - "borough" which is usually said as "bruh" and "Cester" which is usually said as "stuh". The most important thing for people from the US to remember is that british people, unless they have some particular accents, don't pronounce the "R"s at the end of words - In the US you have a "rhotic" accent that emphasises them, in the UK, we broadly have "non-rhotic" dialects - so what you would pronounce "papeR, coppeR, LaysesteR" we would pronounce "papUH, coppUH, LesstUH". We're also incredibly lazy speakers - almost every non-emphasised vowel (and some emphasised) turns into "uh". "Toilet -> Toilut, Super -> Supuh, Money -> Muhnee". For london not being england - people get annoyed because people say "oh i visited england" and when you ask them where they went they say "london" ... to which the next question is "and?"... because there's so much to england that's not london, and london has a completely different feel and culture to most of england. We want to encourage people to visit places like Alcester, York, Bath, the Dales/Peaks, Hadrian's wall... it's a whole country, not just a city - and it has so much variation you're missing out by staying just in the capital!
Question for Brits and other non-Americans - if you visit one city in the US, do you say you visited "the states" or do you always specify, i.e. "I visited Philadelphia"?
Also for Abigail about the whole London/England thing I totally agree but these two live in the Midlands and visit the north so they know the real England a bit more 😁
@@FuntimeTom Yes, and that's what I would be inclined to do as well, but in Abigail's post it seems that if the answer was just one city in the USA, I should be offended that you said you visited the USA to begin with if you only visited one city. Unless I am misunderstanding what you are trying to say.
@@laurenhoover6024 I didn't mean that at all, and apologise for my ambiguous phrasing... perhaps a better phrasing would be "we get offended if they say they visited England, and extol as if they saw everything of importance, and give a blank look of incomprehension when asked if they went anywhere but London, as if that's all England is." (I know that sounds... harsh, but it's the experience of the vast majority of tourists of many nations I've encountered, and you just want to shake people and tell them how much they're missing!) Also, I personally would say at least what state I visited rather than "The US" - they have very different cultures.
Tbh if your american and meet the wrong person in the uk and mention tea, bad teeth (which isnt true) or talk about harry potter, or any other stereotype, then you'll probably either get beaten up, sworn at or just looked at wierdly😂and being loud is a big one, as brits we keep ourselves to ourselves and are not loud at all and you'll stand out in a bad way if your loud
As a brit who's got US family I've noticed a few of these, most times though my family visits they're more curious than anything, UK is actually European although most here won't admit it and we get a lot of Europeans here.. Edinburgh is pronounced Edinburra most times And Glasgow is glasgo.
Speaking from experience (i.e. all the times I've made these faux pas), I never meant any harm and was simply very excited about being in the UK and experiencing Britishness for the first time. I can understand how our excitement would get old though - my first time is your 3,453th time hearing a tourist exclaim "I love it, it's so quaint!"
@@WanderingRavens Excitement seeing or experiencing something new can never get old and there's no harm in it, I'm always happy people enjoy it here when visiting, I know I always get excited when over there in the US, :) :)
Firstly, I would like to say that you two are such nice people, you clearly work so hard to be friendly and accepting where ever you go and I think that's wonderful. I just wanted to add on the American war of independence, no one in Britain is sour about it, nobody cares, it was well over 200 years ago. We do get a bit more annoyed when people from the US say 'you would all be speaking German if it weren't for us', whilst we certainly appreciate the US being allies in the second world war, we don't think that means the US can treat the UK however it likes and act like we are some kind of US colony. Same with any other European nation that was liberated from Fascism during that time. We are proud of our independence as a nation and don't want to be the 51st state.
I'm American, my grandfather was based in England in WWII on bombers, proud of his service and I roll my eyes when people say this. But 75 years later, it sounds like the friend who on every visit helps himself to a beer at your house just because when down on your luck 10 years ago he paid your rent for a couple of months.
@@ThorWildBoar Same surname! I'm just so tired of international rivalries, pretending we hate people on the basis they were born on a literal line drawn in some dirt (or coastline). Yea its probably true that if you weigh the pros and cons the US contribution wasn't as important in the war against the most evil regime ever as the contribution of the Soviet Union (also hardly an innocent regime). But, honestly, on balance, when we were down to rationing, being bombed on a regular basis with not just the forces of Germany to contend with but also Austria, Czechoslovakia, parts of Poland (other parts helped obviously), Hungary, Vichy France, Italy, Sweden etc. honestly I think if you spoke to ANY British person at the time they would have said they really really appreciated the help from American forces. True it did mean we had to start a new front in East Asia, but that also benefitted several other nations that were suffering due to the appalling crimes of Imperial Japan. Yes we absolutely appreciated the US joining us in the war, and to be honest its entirely possible it could have gone the other way, I mean there were even people in the UK who were sympathetic to the Nazi cause. So I've rambled on a lot but in a nutshell, if any Brit ever says to you 'we could have won the war without US help', they are talking out their arse as we say here.
@@lloroshastar6347 Hey cuz! (cousin). My original post made a few of the same comments before I deleted those original comments. Fact is the Battle of Britain and Operation Barbarossa occurred before the US officially declared war on Germany in December '41. The US Lend-Lease Act absolutely relieved a lot of pressure off the UK, specifically England. But, the Lend-Lease Act alone would have allowed the British Isles to last out the war until Germany capitulated after the collapse of the Eastern Front. US military involvement accelerated the timeline, crippled German industry and allowed the US to have a strong say in the peace. Personally, I think the US biggest contribution was to post war Europe from 1945 to 1955 in stabilizing the NATO block nations. Just my opinion....
Personally I like when people mention my accent. I'm told I'm very well spoken and I appreciate that others seem to find it entertaining or noteworthy even if I don't hear it myself and hate the sound of my own voice as most of us do. That's probably why I get volunteered by my bosses to be the one to do interviews whenever the TV or Radio people are at my place of work.
we know. the british army had beaten the american rebels, then the american rebels begged the french to intervene, they did and won the war for them, thats why they have the statue lol, and we actually won the american war of independence lol we lost the war against the french
@Amberleigh Bush yep thats why we in the world have a question for you being american, why does america change the history books to make it seem like america are always the heros? the rest of the world doesnt do that. im really interested to know. do you know why?
@Amberleigh Bush I guess you overlooked the part where the American Colonies were started out by Quakers, who wanted nothing to do with Britian which is why they left. They didnt consider themselves subjects of the crown at that point. Even the Professors at Oxford and Harvard know more about UK history then you appear to.
@Mikê'e Stark so tell me why did the american peasants keep getting beaten by the professional British soldiers until you had to run to the French. I believe it's because we where superior in every way
American's "Do you know the queen?" or "have you ever met the queen?" really annoying there are 60+ million people in the UK and no, most have never been close to her let alone "meet" her. Ironically I can answer "yes" as I served on the Royal Yacht but mostly I say no, just so I do not have to talk about it
paulfarrer - I love the story of how HLM Queen Elizabeth II was walking in the Park at Windsor when some USian (as opposed to other Americans who live in either of the Continents but not the U.S.A.) tourists spoke with her and asked if she lived close by and she replied that she lived just over the hill . They then asked if she had ever met the Queen to which she replied "No, I haven't" and pointed to her security guy and said 'but he has'. The must have got a surprise when they got home and showed their friends the pics.
An easy mistake to make. But English placenames tell you a lot when you understand what the various parts of them mean. Any placename ending in "caster", "-cester" or "-chester", and of course the several places named "Chester", should have you looking for evidence of the Romans, as it usually means there was a Roman fort there. There will also be a Roman road or two leading there.
As for how they're pronounced, the "cester" bit tends to get compressed to "ster", so Alcester is Al(ce)ster (with a long "a"), Worcester is Wo(rce)ster, Bicester is Bi(ce)ster and so on. Cirencester used to be pronounced "Sisister", but I think that's gone out of fashion and a lot of people now pronounce it in full, or just call it "Ciren".
Other evidence of the Romans is the number of places built on Roman Roads that acknowledge the fact in their names. Anywhere called "Stratford", "Stretford", "Stratton", "Stretton" or placenames suffixed with "-le-street" should have a Roman road, or in Anglo-Saxon "straet" nearby.
My pet peeve is people assuming/calling Great britain "England", it is NOT! Please do some very basic geography before visiting a country, it really isn't difficult.
Plus, assuming that Great Britain in a synonym for the UK. It isn't, Great Britain is the main island comprising of Wales, Scotland and England, the UK includes Northern Ireland.
You've both mentioned in several videos now that we don't talk to strangers on public transport but in the south West. Like Devon and Cornwall. People are really friendly and will talk to you.
I'm from the East Midlands and I find it soothing too. And most Scottish and Welsh accents however ironically being English myself it's a lot of the stereotypical posh English accents I find grating.
![Talking to British Locals in My New Neighborhood [American in England]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/25gFSU2yCHI/mqdefault.jpg)
Are you British? Which faux pas would you add to our list? Drop your answer under this comment! 😄🥂
Hi Ravens . Like your show . First up place names that end in shire are pronounced as sher . I'm a Geordie so Enlglish is my second language 😆
Secondly watch a second world war documentry starring Burgess Meredith (Penguin from classic Batman) Welcome to Britain I believe its called .
It is pretty car crash so many years on .
Stay safe . Hope you get back to the UK soon
@@markhindmarsh2811 I'm a Geordie as well and I purposely turn up the accent and dialect when I'm talking to a foreigner!
I'd also say a faux Pas up north is NOT talking to people, we find it quite rude when people don't say hello on public transport, just because those Londoners don't like human interaction, doesn't mean the rest of the country doesn't!
I had an hour long conversation with some Canadians on the bus to Durham, telling them all the good places to visit that aren't full of tourists
As a Somerset lady who has recently moved to Yorkshire I find the thing of northerners liking to talk to everyone very odd... In the south we get a bit more irritated by people who say hello randomly - we find it odd and think they must be weirdos. Older people can get away with saying hello out and about more, but if a young person does it you might be worried!
Us southerners like interacting with fellow humans, but I think we like our own space too.
I can only speak as a somewhat introverted southerner that isn't from London, but I don't think generally it's a rudeness thing, we just like to keep ourselves to ourselves. My northern mother in law would say it's rude, but I think it's more rude to have to talk so much about nothing!
Oh and I never realised before how crazy Yorkshire is on branding.... flags and roses everywhere. I don't think there are many other counties that do this to such a degree...
@@markhindmarsh2811 Thank you for the kind words, Mark! We're so glad you like our show :) We can't wait to make it up to the Newcastle and Tyneside area! Thank you also for the documentary recommendation. We'll watch it!
@@animationcreations42 That's good to know! We'll be sure to turn up the friendliness the farther north we go :)
All people mean when they say “London isn’t England” is that when a lot of Americans talk about England it’s as if they think London is the only place in England. The majority is completely different to London, especially in the north. It’s just saying that there is more to England than London. If you read this I hope it helps!
and on another note...the U.S. isn't New York or Los Angeles...all these RUclipsrs from other countries come to the U.S. and spend all their time in the northeast, CA, Miami and think they know the U.S. there is SO much more to us than that...and just as NY or LA are much glitzier than Omaha or Topeka, London is much glitzier than Bristol or Bath. Just saying...
I agree. I was fortunate to spend a couple of weeks in the village of Mere just south of Bath. Spent time in Salisbury, Shaftsbury and other villages located near Mere. I also spent 3 days in London and enjoyed that as well. The states are the same, NYC, LA and Miami are not all that makes up the States.
And whilst we are at it, a staggering number of people seem to have the common misconception that the UK means England.
@@raymondpeterson952 I live in rural Suffolk (England). I once worked for a few weeks in Worcester, Mass. which I liked a lot, and could identify with. A visit to New York felt like a visit to another planet.
Raymond Peterson that must be annoying
Ha ha. I'm Scottish. I was once in Boise Idaho, and a woman said to me "I really love your accent. I wish I had an accent". I thought it too polite to point out that she did.
Was in LA, got a similar comment from a lady…I responded by saying “I like yours”
To which she responded “mine?”
Welcome to planet America 🇺🇸
Classic from an American, many years ago: "Oooh! I love the way you speak our language!" That grates to an Englishman.
I do that where English originate. Although sometimes American English accents are older and closer to earlier British accents.
Being called quaint is a little like patting somebody on the head and calling them cute.
In England If some one says " Oh how frightfully quaint" That means old fashioned and out of date not up to the minute " However to me quaint can mean pleasantly well mannered in an acceptable older fashion " When I recognise that I will respond in a similar formal manner !!
Quaint is just more of a passive aggressive insult really. If someone were to say my house was quaint I would think they’re a snob
CJ Briggs it is associated with being old fashioned and small.
Americans with their huge homes tend to generally say how quaint to the majority of British homes.
Do you remember the scene in STAR TREK: The Voyage Home where Scotty is faced with operating a 20th Century computer? He is told to use the mouse and keyboard. His comment: "Oh. How quaint." That is the British definition in action.
I think when Americans call something "quaint" they can mean cozy and comfortable and a good use of what is available/ appreciative of what one has - so creative and industrious. That is how I think of the word.
The UK hasn’t had much immigration? Seriously? We’ve had thousands of years of immigration. 😂
Yer especially in the last 20 yrs.😕
You say that like it’s a bad thing. 😂
@@ffotograffydd Well the level of immigration in that period is a matter of opinion but in all opinion polls 70+% aren't happy with it.
@Snapper … true, but in The USA they have a long tradition of actively encouraging people to go to live there as, compared to many other parts of the world, they are sparsely populated. In The UK, until recently, "immigrants" have been either uninvited invaders/conquerers (Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Danes, Normans), refugees (Huguenots, Russian/Polish Jews or others fleeing persecution) or individuals who visited here and decided to stay. Generally we have tended to export people much more than we've imported them, it is only in recent decades that this has changed.
The point being made was that the UK doesn’t have a tradition of immigration, but we do. What the USA does is irrelevant in that context.
I was in America recently and someone told me "I love your accent!!" And I was like "OMG I love yours too!"
I'm British and don't think its rude at all. Some British are stuck up. Most arent and won't find it a problem
Exactly
Kalakala only one... Blimey!! Xx
I think it is more when Americans say things like “I love the British accent”, like there is only one British accent.
It is not about being stuck up. It is just a boring unimaginative comment without an obvious response
One really annoying thing is when americans say "I went to Europe" or "I'm going to Europe". Europe is a huge place with loads of different countries in it. So where did you go- to Rome in Italy or Stockport in the uk😂 (there is a big difference between those places btw)
Stockport 😀 I preferred it to Rome to be honest! Love The Plaza variety theatre and tearooms
Big up Stockport
@@iwanthomas8090 Especially the Stockport Coliseum and Baths.
Wow how did you think of this?
So do British say “I went to the US”, because the US is a huge place with loads of different states and regions.
If someone in the U.K. says ‘how very quaint’ they are probably being sarcastic.
Just like Scotty in Star Trek IV when given a keyboard to interface with a computer.
If we are speaking, we are usually being sarcastic.
@@teresafinch7790 ...oh, I'm not sure that's true at all. We rely an awful lot on irony and artful verbal dislike of speciousness and innuendo.
@@2eleven48 very true, but I do like a sweeping generalisation, now and again.
They say "How country bumpkin"
Saying "I love England" when you're in Wales or Scotland......
That’s just a stupidity at that point lmao 😂
Or ‘I love Ireland’ or ‘the Irish’ when in Northern Ireland!
@@John-Walker What? The North is still on the island of Ireland, the clue is in the name - "Northern IRELAND"! The separation is political and partially cultural but not geographical and nearly half the population are just as much Gaels as we are in the Republic! The Gaels have lived in the North long before the Planters came!
I've had Americans comment on how they like my accent and it's never bothered me. I comment on how I like their accent, especially from the South.
Put loads of England flags on a friend's car in a rough part of Swansea. 👍😄
A few comments:
1. "Quaint", at least in my experience, is used mostly sarcastically in the UK. It's interesting to me that it's seen so positively in the USA.
2. I've never heard of it being a faux pas to complain about the taps - it's just not common to complain about here because it's the standard. I think in the UK, though we are famous for complaining, the person you moan to should usually be able to relate to your complaint, such as complaining about the weather or bad service etc, (unless you're bitching about somebody to a friend or something like that) otherwise you're just being whiny. If it's not serious and it's your own problem, you don't need to complain to other people about it.
3. There is actually a lot of immigration to the UK, and a lot of foreign cultural influence, especially in London. I don't actually know where the cultural differences in relation to volume come from though. (e.g. there's a lot of french and danish influence on the english language due to their past influence on England)
4. I think the issue with saying "omg I love your accent" isn't that you can't comment that you like someone's accent, it's clearly a compliment, it's just the way you say that. British people are generally far more reserved than Americans, and being really over the top can be perceived as sarcasm. Think "Wow, I really like your accent. Where's it from?" compared to "Wow! I love your accent! Where's it from?". The first way is just seen as more genuine and less annoying.
5. Eton is a very posh, rich and frequently hated upon secondary boarding school in the UK. A lot of our politicians went there.
6. Edinburgh is actually strangely often pronounced with the r before the u Edin-bruh essentially (at least here in London, I don't think the Scots got mad at me for saying it that way when I visited). Glasgow is pronounced Glas-go (as in the word go), though you wouldn't be able to understand a thing they said anyway if you actually went there, so how they say their city name is the least of my worries if I were to visit. I equally do not think it is reasonable to expect tourists to pronounce city names correctly, I could only get Swinomish completely right of yours.
7. (I am from London) There is no obligation to visit the rest of the UK as a tourist, you go where you please, but you most certainly shouldn't assume the rest of the UK is like London. It's not it's own country, but the reason people might say so is that the culture is very different. Firstly there's the distinction of rural vs urban or large city vs smaller city when compared to the rest of the UK, but also London is far more diverse. There is far less traditional English culture in London but rather a unique blend of cultures from various backgrounds mixed with an overarching unique "London culture". I'm quite happy for the rest of the UK to make it clear that they exist too lol, it's not like they're saying we aren't a part of it.
8. Just a small comment on the diagram, it is basically entirely correct but there are a few issues with it. "British Islands" could technically be used, but it will rarely be said, and Northern Ireland is not it's own island, while calling the island of Ireland British is sure to greatly offend most Irish people. There are also many British possessions such as the Falklands not included in that list. Also be very careful when talking about Ireland (the island). Calling the country of Ireland "The Irish republic" or "The Republic of Ireland" will probably not offend anyone, but when you're talking about northern ireland there generally isn't an easy way to avoid offending everyone. There's been a lot of terrorism and fighting there over whether Northern Ireland should be part of the UK or the Republic of Ireland so just be conscious of what you say and call them. And for god's sake NEVER ask for "an Irish car bomb". I know that's a drink you guys have, but it's like us having a drink called the "World Trade Center plane crash" and asking for it in New York. Don't.
9. I don't know who doesn't know that the USA used to be a British colony. I definitely learnt that it happened but not in great detail. We call it the American War of Independence, we don't call it the American Revolutionary War. The war of independence isn't generally seen as that big of a deal here. I personally find the memes about us being salty about losing America quite funny, even if they are untrue (and don't forget we actually won the last war against you, what you call the war of 1812, to us it was just a minor theatre of the napoleonic wars, which is even more hilarious to me) - just to note I think nationalism and even patriotism (generally viewed quite differently in the UK) are ridiculous, I am merely one upping the USA because it's funny, I do not intend to make anyone actually angry.
10. I know talking to strangers is FAR more common outside of London in the UK. Old people also talk more to strangers in London.
11. Patience is a big part of British culture. You see it in the queuing. Also a lot of British people relate to people who work serving other people and cut them some slack for having to deal with annoying customers, so I think that's why we have a different culture when it comes to shop assistants too.
Awesome comment! and to add about the war, I think Americans tend to forget that our history stretches out longer than theirs. We have fourght many wars and have had alliences which changed our countries. Their war is just one against many and not 'country changing' like it was to them. Our history lessons focus on the kings and queens, invaders, war, disease and discovery. These factors all interlink and have had an effect on other situations. Henry VIII and his split from the church had an incredible butterfly effect. Our history within the roman empire and how that impacted a rise in modernisation and medicine. Our language changes with William 1st. All these things shaped our country way more then losing the independance war. It just isnt as important to the shaping of our culture then it is to them and theirs :D
@@flobeatrix6014 Exactly, the War of Independence was important, but not more so than any of the other wars Britain has fought over the last 1000 years or so.
Great comments from you guys.
I agree with everything except the Glasgow thing. As a Glaswegian it’s just a bit rude to say that it doesn’t matter how we pronounce our city because you wouldn’t understand what we say anyway. Also, as someone who has travelled throughout the UK, the rest of Europe and several, places in the US I have never had a single issue with anyone misunderstanding me. I don’t mean to be rude btw I just don’t think that’s a very fair comment to make.
Ian Salisbury yeah I agree the same thing would probably be said about scouse and Georgie accents. I don’t think it’s a fair comment to say about any accent like that. I’m sure it’s not his intention at all but it came off as a very ignorant thing to say is all.
"Is Eton a school" is like asking if Harvard or Yale are universities. Eton is THE school, Princes William and Harry went there.
And it's a PUBLIC school. Translate to US private school.
Wait? Are Harvard and Yale Universities?
Mr bean was born there as well apparently.
The school, for cunts that is
I can kill two birds with the one stone here. I'm an Aussie and even I have heard of Eton, so there! However, when Prince Charles spent six months at Timbertop, an external campus of Geelong Grammar school in Victoria, he was often greeted by other boys as a "Pommy Bastard". He has also remarked many times that his time at Timbertop was the best experience of his entire education, so I guess he got the joke.
Even as a Londoner born & bred, I can concur that it feels very much like it's own country at times and the minute you step over the border between Greater London & the home counties (Surrey, Essex, Kent, etc), it turns into an entirely different world altogether from the people being nicer in general to the general flow of life feeling much sedate and slower
London is alien compared to the rest of the UK for sure. Makes you wonder why the country is run from there
@@etherealhawk don't get me wrong, I'd wouldn't change the fact I live in London but it's always nice to get out from there every once in a while and go somewhere else
To the US, the War of Independence is a cornerstone of your society and history. To Brits, the War of Independence was a minor sideshow in England's geopoliticking.
True ,the loss of India and Ireland were a bigger deal.
@Joe Soap No, more of a s**tshow 😂
Most British people have no interest. In the war of independence and couldn't care less about it
@Razorback73 they also forget that the American war of independence costs France so much money that it led to the French Revolution.
The Americans won the War of Independence because Britain only ever committed a fraction of its full Military capabilities due to the fact that they were in a Cold War with France, could have defeated the Colonials and come home to find the UK in French hands.
You forgot the mentioning of Bad Teeth. Americans do this all the time.
Yes some people have bad teeth in the UK, but they do everywhere. We actually as a nation have some of the healthiest teeth in the world.
They are just not "corrected" to be perfectly white and straight like some nations.
Americans NOW have worse teeth than Brits do -A study came out last year which shot that in the foot
@munchkin42 Well, plastic teeth don't take much maintenance.
If you're on a low enough income NHS dentistry in England is free, so no idea where this thing about teeth came from.
@@alexwright4930 It came from America. The Americans are obsessed with having perfect teeth, which is something we don't share with them. It's just not that important to us.
@@Otacatapetl I agree. In my 20s I knocked my front tooth. It's still in, but has gone slightly grey. The dentist recommended that I leave it as is structurally sound, but whitening it would involve a veneer or crown. Both would remove healthy tooth for cosmetics reasons, and typically last 10 years. I'm 50 now with a slightly grey, but very healthy tooth.
someone once said "thats so british" to me once and i just said "well, im english....(so wtf did you expect 😂😂 )"
Just a few comments:
1) "I love your accent" isn't a bad thing to me, but when americans say "I love the British accent", that's when it becomes annoying. Like which British accent? Scouse? Brummie?
2) London is different from the rest of the UK as it has a lot more emigration and diversity, people tend to be ruder and always in a rush (as people who live in the centre tend to be there solely for work). Also the city is a hell of a lot more packed in so it's always cramped.
3) we don't learn about American independence in history, we learn more about history that is more important to us. Like Henry the 8th, Mary Queen of Scots, battle of Hastings, Napoleonic wars, the world wars (though I bet we learn this one differently to the US - all we hear from Americans is that they basically single handedly saved everyone in the wars - even though they arrived late)etc...
Yea Americans only realy helped in ww2 was because the japanese bombed them.
Sorry but I say this because British accents are sexy.
@@uglyducklingswan which British accent though? There's many 😂
Hmmm your right. But I have to say not sure. I heard many different English accents and UK accents I love. I think it depends on the individual also. I heard Northern and southern and Midlands. I like them all.
Pretty sure its not Scouse.
When you are in their part of the world, they don't have an accent - You do.
Absolutely correct. There is no such thing as a British Accent. You only have an accent when you are away from the native country whose language it is.
Huh, interesting. This is the first time I think i've ever heard someone from the UK (presumably but please correct me if i'm wrong) claim this, previously it's been exclusively Americans i've seen propagating the baffling fallacy of "I don't have an accent, you do". Plainly _everyone_ has "an accent", regardless of where they happen to be. If i'm in my native Scotland I have a Scottish accent, even if it's the local "default" accent. And in England (where I live) ? Yep, I have a Scottish accent. In Timbuktu ? You're hopefully ahead of me... still a Scottish accent. The idea that anyone only has "an accent" when outside of their native country is totally bizarre to me - your accent is about _how_ you say things, not _where_ you say them.
@@anonymes2884 You are referring to REGIONAL accents. Everyone does NOT have an accent (I am English). If you are speaking with the correct Oxford dictionary pronunciation you do not have an accent. An Accent is a deviation from the norm.
@@valeriedavidson2785 [ETA: Umm, OK this one got away from me a bit - feel free to, like, skip half the sentences or something :)]. No, i'm referring to _any_ accent. Even e.g. a "posh accent" has a set of defined properties which are either true or not true of an individual's way of speaking, regardless of whether they happen to be in an East End pub or the dining halls of Eton at the time. Are people likely to _comment_ on it if it's "the norm" ? No i'd say not, since almost by definition "the norm" tends to be unremarked upon. _That_ accent still has _those_ properties though. Having "an accent" in this context is absolutely NOT solely defined as "deviation from the norm", either in dictionaries, common usage or by linguists. E.g. (from the OED):
"accent, n.
...
7.
a. A way of pronouncing a language that is distinctive to a country, area, social class, or individual."
(the next sub-definition is maybe closer to what you claim:
"b. Without possessive or defining word or words: a regional or foreign accent.
Not in technical use." BUT that's still only one possible meaning)
Are there more _distinctions_ apparent in accents the more "local" you are ? Of course. In _that_ sense I agree that there's no such thing as *a* "British accent" nor *a* "Scottish", "English", "Welsh", "Northern Irish", "French", "American", "Australian", "posh", "working class", "country" (and so on) accent either for that matter - it's _mostly_ people from outside the UK that talk about "a British accent" because to Brits that's a massive generalisation, it misses all the useful extra information we get (or at least _think_ we get) about someone based on their specific accent. Those broad categories are still more or less meaningful though (i.e. we still often recognise accents as from those broad groups - by their shared properties - when we hear them).
And dictionaries (even the OED :) are descriptive, not proscriptive. There is, in other words, no such thing as "the correct Oxford dictionary pronunciation" except among people who've already _arbitrarily_ decided that Received Pronunciation - an accent of English used by a small minority of UK English speakers, mostly in the south-east of England and which was itself _arbitrarily_ chosen by the Oxford University Press for the OED pronunciation standard, largely based on geographical/historical accident and not a little class/region bias - is somehow _the_ "One True Way" to speak the language.
@@anonymes2884 You are obviously stuck in your opinions and are being pedantic. To quote my late mother-"If you are speaking correctly, nobody should know where you come from."
I like it when Americans say they like my accent! In the US, I got an Uber and my driver said he liked my accent, and I said I liked his accent, and the entire journey was just talking about how much we loved each other's accents!
BORING!
@@TheJthom9 Your comment was boring, I agree.
Hmm with the whole “omg I love your accent” thing, it feels like you’ve interpreted it as rude. I wouldn’t say it’s rude, just annoying. Like, it’s the kind of thing that, while it’s nice to hear, is very annoying if you hear it from every single American you meet.
@ryn mcray aw wow I have a real soft spot for the Edinburgh accent, it's so soft and beautiful compared to a... Glasweigian?? accent! 😂
In the UK Accents are linked to the British Social class system so bring it up can make people anxious.
"omg, I love your accent!" is often followed by something condescending such as how cute or quaint it is. that is why we react badly to it. English as a language is an English creation and being told that we are not speaking it "correctly" is annoying to say the least. the differences in vocabulary don't help as US tourists sometimes use words that mean something very different here, an example being fanny which is unspeakably rude in the UK X
@@brummieinbristol522 It is not a fanny pack but a bum bag! Oh, the shame! lols
Reuben Cole yes Glaswegian is how you say it (if that’s why you put the question marks lol).
To Brits the whole independence thing ties in with Americans swearing an oath and to me makes America seem like some weird cult lmao. Brits never learn about the American war of independence in any detail at all and really aren’t bothered by any of it 😂 similar to Americans getting hung up on “saving” us in WWII which isn’t quite the full story.
Yes because many brits are aware that the Americans left it till the very last moment to help us. Only when we were forced to destroy the French fleet under American instructions did you guys come thankfully!
@@FordForTheWin It was the bad idea of Japan to attack Hawaii that caused the Americans to become involved if that had not happened then WW2 would have turned out differently. However it was American Money that financed the war before they became active.
@@tamsinmccormick we borrowed so much to keep our island and we payed it all back. I never understood why other countries war debts were written off! Germany for example utter madness.
I took history for gcse and about a fifth of the overall content was American history.
@@FordForTheWin The American financial and material contribution after 1940 was written off. How could Britain "pay it off?" With Marshall Aid?
London is a big international city where the world goes to do business and stuff. Native British culture tends to live outside of it. As a rule of thumb, the further you go from London, the friendlier and more accommodating the people are; and also, the more strangers will chat to you... even on public transport.
London is multicultural, that's why many Brits feel and think and say that it's not England/Britain. It's not the original London anymore when there were hardly any immigrants and people of color in the city.
@@thomas_hobbs1453 it’s London so it would be people of colour😂
@@thomas_hobbs1453
London has been multicultural throughout its history, from the time of the Romans right up to the present day. In fact, it has been estimated that in any particular decade the number of immigrants has usually been greater than the number of actual native-born Londoners. Many of those immigrants, probably most of them, have been from within the British Isles, but there have always been strong connections to all parts of the known world and London's population has always reflected that. Some newcomers have arrived in waves, others in dribs and drabs, but London is and always has been in a continuous state of self-renewal. For the most part, that has been its strength, despite the best efforts of those of a more xenophobic persuasion to hold back the tides of change. It is fascinating that, despite all this constant turnover of population, London continues to remain essentially itself. I'm sure that Dr Johnson would still recognise it as the same exciting city it always was and would approve of its continuing vitality. (Whether Dr Sam would approve of his namesake Boris is, of course, a matter of idle historical speculation!)
@@philroberts7238 Bollocks, yes there has always been immigrants in London but never like now, just watch some old newsreel footage over the decades, the VAST majority of Londoners where white British!
@@alanmawson9601
Yes, there were less black faces then than there are today. So what? (Evidently you have some sort of problem with that. My only problem is that YOU have a problem when things would be much better for all of us if you didn't.)
I don’t have an issue with people saying they like my accent, I have an issue with people saying that I don’t sound British because I have a yorkshire accent
Lucie Ellis Yorkshire is objectively one of the most British accents as we try to pronounce literally nothing
Yeah as someone from Scotland i understand this
Well that's understandable, up north is a different country
rareads I had an American asking if I was a German!! No love, I’m Yorkshire !!
Pretty much across the board, a regional UK accent in the US is perceived as Australian!
The way they pronounced Edinburgh and Glasgow DESTROYED ME.
Even if I didn’t know how to say Glasgow it’s kind of easy
GLAZ-GO
It's easy for the British but the rest of the world they don't know
Big Panda 22 im english and i could say all the American place names and can pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch i think they could if they did little to no research
@@leondubz4206 I've been there lol
I worked in hotels/restaurants for few years and we had a lot of Americans! So the commons things I noticed were: 1) the double room, seriously this one was really a pain!! Almost every week there was a complaint from someone saying they were expecting 2 double beds, in the UK is one bed. 2) following from the previous issue the bed sizes (but this happened to many visitors from all over the world) but the Americans usually said "why is not like in America?! 3) the newspaper IS chargeable, so many times we were told to remove the charge because in America is free in hotels so the rule must apply in UK too. 4) Phone calls from the room to the US are chargeable!! I was shocked to hear how Americans complained at the reception desk saying "local" charges were supposed to be free, so they forgot they were in a different country! 5) Expecting to have dollars all the time at the reception desk handy for change, I mean seriously?? You are in a different country!! 6) This one is slightly different, I'm Italian and they were sometimes correcting me the pronunciation for Italian words, apparently few Americans don't like to hear the "real" pronunciation. 7) again talking about language, I often heard Americans correcting a British word with an American one in a way that sounded a bit rude, assuming that was the correct word that everyone is supposed to say, mostly with lift vs elevator, trolley vs cart.
Scottish guy here. Its "Edin - bruh" and "Glaz- Go"
or "glesca" mind you i was there for some time but never met anyone caled "jimmy"
I heard a Harvard lecturer on RUclips and he pronounced Edinburgh like "Edin-burrow"
Eddin burrow lol
@@corriehingston6744 yeah that accurately describes how a posh upper class Scottish person would say it or my granny when she is on the phone. It can be found on television too.
Everyone knows it's "Eedin berg". XD
The UK has had mass immigration for a thousand years. Just remind me, how old is America?
Why would you think we hadn't had much? Where do you get your information?
literally one of our first history lessons in school is 'we got a french king, say hes english and let him change our language' xD
Erm, mass immigration was started by Blair... Pre Blair our population was stagnating and it only started to rise due to Blair's mass immigration.
jamie baldwin so Anglo Saxons, the Norse, the french ?
@@tenixtoye that's like saying the Viking and Roman invasion was mass immigration...
@@jamiebaldwin5323 So it was. Totally changed the population of these islands.
The reason that “quaint” grates on is that it feels condescending
Agreed but I think as they point out it seems to have a different connotation in the U.S. Personally I hate it but I think I can be more tolerant now - lol
I'm coming a bit late to the party, but I went to live in Australia for several years and when I came back, via land and sea, and arrived at Harwich and then went by train to Liverpool St Station, I suddenly "got" the "quaintness" of here. I saw the place with new eyes and that was the word, the one I that used to annoy me, that sprang into my mind.
It's all context though isnt it? Like if a wealthy person comes into your humble abode smirking and saying "oh how quaint" that seems condescending but an American saying a little victorian coffee shop is quaint isnt at all.
@@Lily-Bravo Interestingly I never got that feeling when I moved from Australia to the U.K. My first impression was wow it's cold here (late December kkkk) but so green and the architecture (not all of it of course some is deplorable) is amazing!
@@TheVaughan5 Hi! I might not have got that feeling of "quaintness" had I landed at Heathrow though. I think arriving by sea had been part of the experience. We arrived in late October and were expecting cold and leafless trees but it was sunny and everything was still green. Soooo green. Then a train ride in the dark and arrival in the middle of the tall white London houses. telephone and phone boxes was when the word "quaint" came to me. I now live in a village in the Cotswolds in a conservation area, and all by visitors from Australia and the US rave about the quaintness, but to me it's just normal now.
When I was living in Germany an American girl at a party said that she thought I sounded like Prince Charles. The thought of Charlie speaking with a Birmingham accent had everyone in hysterics. Personally anyone saying my accent is nice is OK in my book. Makes a change from the insults I get from the British. Quaint to a Brit means traditional looking. Perfectly OK to use it without giving offence. I always find it odd that Americans always seem to ask how much you earn really early in the first conversation you have with them. A definite no no.
I get what you mean with the accent I certainly won’t be offended if someone says they like my accent, however, mine is definitely not well known to Americans so it’s quite amusing to see them try to figure out where I’m from... was once asked if I was Australian by an American family 😂 my accent is Devonian
Slightly confused.. Hilarious! 😅
I'm American and if someone asks about how much someone makes outright , it is such a no-no.Most will dance around asking by stating how much they make in a non Bragging kind of way, some will avoid and some will brag about how much they make and will ask how much another person makes just to be able to say they make more.
Asking about earnings is a definite no-no among Americans, too.
Quaint isn’t offensive or anything- it’s just irritating and condescending to have everything referred to as quaint
Amy Conway it’s like a rich person coming in and calling everything cosy
Nathan Tolladay, yep
Nathan Tolladay cosy and quaint have very positive meanings here in the States. It’s almost the nicest compliment one can give.
@@jeremynv89523 it really depends on the way it’s said here. Context and tone of voice matter.
It's true! It's not that quaint is seen as a bad thing in the UK, it's just patronising to be told that something is likeable because it's seen as 'exceptionally' something, when to us its just normal and reasonable for things to be that way. Its more of an irritation towards the person using the term than the term itself. It's like 'othering'
In reality the war of Independence was fought by British on both sides assisted by different native nations, French and etc.
Fun fact: we drive on the left because when we rode horses it made it easier to stab people
Why not the same in France, Mongolia, Italy, etc. etc. etc.?
@@gerry54 We had a problem with highwaymen who would rob people on the road. With most people being right handed it made it easier to defend your self if you rode on the left hand side.
@@jonnogriffiths5346 Nowt to do with highwaymen.
Plus you didn't actually answer my question... pretty sure those countries would have had highway robbers too.
Here's the correct answer, though not exactly succinctly put:
www.worldstandards.eu/cars/driving-on-the-left/
The Romans started us driving on the left hand side because most people are right handed when carrying their weapons. We then carried on the tradition in order to defend ourselves from highwaymen whilst riding horses.
Westie Westman
Ayy the good ole days
When we say "London is not England" we don't mean it literally, just as a way of expressing what you said about London not representing all of England and the two words being interchangeable. In many ways however, London is so different to the rest of the country you could also take that phrase as a sort of metaphor
The UK has LOTS of immigration from Europe! Apart from that, a very accurate video!
Also, I pronounce Edinburgh as “Ed-in-bruh” and Glasgow as “Glaz-go” but I’m from Leeds which is like West Yorkshire U.K. :)
As a Scot, I pronounce them Ed-in-burrah and Glass-go.
And I'm from cardiff ... we all speak Welsh
I say Edinburgh and Glasgow in the same way as you
yep i agree. since i live equidistant to both places haha . 40 min train to glasgow and 40 min train to Edinburgh . Although currently i reside in china hahaha
Same I pronounce Edinburgh as Ed-in-bruh. And Glasgow as Glaz-Go
Btw I'm from Bradford (West Yorkshire , UK)
19:45 this is a great example of how London is fundamentally different to the rest of the UK. I’m a northerner by birth now living in Wales but I spent a few years living in London. The north is really chatty wherever you go, you get the same vibe in Wales, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh etc etc. London is the odd one out (not the other way around).
I was on a late night train heading south out of town and a couple got on (they’d obviously had a good night) and the girl was chatting to everyone- her bf made excuses to the carriage by saying she was a northerner. I said I was a northerner, then someone over the way said they were from Leeds, and then someone else piped up and the northerners held the carriage all the way home. London transport etiquette is definitely NOT the norm (thank god).
I was going to make the same comment... it's different in the north.
@@richardleaman4139 I am a Northerner. Their version of " friendly " is far friendlier than ours .
Londoners tend to think that they're the rule and everywhere else is the exception. Actually, they're pretty alien to the more friendly, community-based vibe you get in the rest of the UK I think
Especially from people who come from places outside of major cities
London is like a melting point of the whole world. It’s like how New York is different to South Carolina.
London is weird compared to elsewhere in the UK.
Honestly, nobody I know spends one second pondering the war of independence . It's of no importance to us really and that's not because we "lost". My understanding of the situation, and I certainly could be wrong, is that the British thought it wasn't worth the trouble at that time and withdrew.
We were fighting the French at the time....
I will say, that's definitely not the version we heard in school, but I don't know enough about the situation to actually make a claim either way. I need to read some books on the subject!
@@omegadeep1 And the Spanish and the Dutch plus there was a hostile armed neutrality of Russia, Sweden, Denmark and Prussia. America started to get low in priorities when Britain itself was threatened with invasion.
Kind of, the defeat at the battle of Yorktown meant that Britain would need to send significant reinforcements to keep the war going. This combined with the fact that even after the war a significant British force would need to remain in America incase of a resurgence, as well as potentially harsh measures to stop dissidence, meant it financially and politically better to sue for peace.
Britain then deliberately made very favourable concessions to the Colonists during peace talks so that a trade relationship between the 2 countries could form. This was key for Britain as it meant the US were less likely to reinvigorate the French economy, which had been crippled by past wars as well as the American revolutionary war.
For the British it made little difference in the grand scheme of things, the colonies were an income source as well as a way to compete with other European powers. Britain replaced America with other colonial opportunities building a much larger empire and remained as one of Europe's leading powers. It didn't change much for Britain, whereas it changed a lot for America.
It's not really taught in schools because it's not as relevant as other events/periods in British history. Things we tend to focus on are the world wars, the war of the roses/Tudor England, the slave trade, the Norman invasion, the Napoleonic wars, the English civil war, the industrial revolution, Roman Britain, the great fire of London, the Guy Fawkes plot, and Colonialism (mainly focusing on parts of Africa and India, although schools don't seem to do that much on colonialism).
We had bigger fish to fry, and the USA only won because of French helped them out. They then thanked France by not paying back their loans and plunging France into a financial crisis, which in turn led to the French Revolution.
Commenting on accents not rude, it's just become a cliche now. We constantly hear it.
That makes sense. Think about it this way, if an American comments on your accent, it just means they think you're attractive and they like you 😄
@@WanderingRavens As a Brit who lived in the USA for 16 years, the only question that ever bothered me was, specifically, "where is your accent from?", as if I'd picked it up in a store somewhere! My go-to answer was always, "same place as the rest of me"... ;)
@@christinafoote9655 That is a really strange way to ask someone about their accent. Great come back though :D
@@WanderingRavens Remember that when you are in the UK it is your accent that is different not theirs!
When me and my husband visited Wisconsin over 25 years ago I was asked if I was Australian... then again, at the time I was living in London and the locals at the pub where I had a part-time job I was asked the same thing. I'm from Staffordshire!!
I can do a passable New York accent, so when an American in America tells me they like my English accent, I go into the NY accent and tell them we actually talk like that normally, and that we only do the English accent for Harry Potter tourists.
Brits tend to think that all Americans sound like they are from Texas, California, or New York.
Saying or writing "pissed" when you mean "pissed off".
Pissed means rat-arsed, not angry.
Rat-arsed means inebriated.
It's regional and often sentence structure based. No one oop ere in North uses "off" generally.
Well pissed is used for both angry and when drunk in the Uk 😅
@@Mohegan13 When someone asks me what's wrong (if I'm looking fed up/down) instead of going into detail I just say "I'm fine, just feeling a bit pissed off that's all".. And other people I know also use the same expression..Maybe it's a Sheffield thing! 😉
I love that expression "rat arsed".
Pissed means both drunk and angry.
Glaz-go and Ed-in-bruh plus ‘cester’ means a Roman city. 2000 years old, cool eh?
I am more or less British (I’ve spent most of my life in London), and I am also shocked that lots of British people don’t seem to know that the US was once a British colony. I once met someone who went to Oxford and Eton (the very expensive school you mentioned) and didn’t know this, which I thought was bizarre. To me it’s obvious that the whole of the American continent was colonised by Europeans, but maybe that’s because I spent many years living in South America.
People who have some world knowledge of course know this. However, undereducated people or people who have their heads in one particular academic subject alone, well - you can see why they don't.
We Brits love each other’s accents too but for the love of god you don’t TELL the person!
Rix sist there’s a few that people don’t like (looking at you Liverpool) but most of them are fine
@@saxx9088 But dey doo dow dont dey.
My Somerset accent gets constantly mocked when I'm outside of the South West. 😂
@@saxx9088 I love Liverpool accent! We had a manager from Liverpool and everyone loved her because of her accent and friendliness
Why? I always do. I am English and I never knew it was offensive
In British history the US rebellion was a sideshow.- we were dealing with the French
It wasnt that we lost. i think we ran away it was like leaving your badly behaved kids at the railway station
We had bigger fish to fry. Or frog
And the Dutch and Spanish.
@@geoffpriestley7001 As Al Murray says, "They call it a win we call it we call it a lucky foocking escape!"
Although we did set fire to the white house before we left, meaning they had to bleach it which is why it’s called the white house.
Here in Wales if you want to hear a room full of people go silent just say something like 'it's lovely here in England'.
I think London is to England as New York is to USA
@MARK COPLEY … I think you are spot on. I was in a bar in Singapore some 20 years back and got talking to someone from Chicago, I mentioned that I'd been to New York and he told me that New York wasn't "America"!! I'd also been to Los Angeles, apparently that wasn't "America" either. LOL.
I am British and here is some insider knowledge. We don't like London that much unless you live in and around London. The further North you go, the greater the hostility is!
@@TheMaxim10083 As a Brit from Bristol I can concur. I have lived up north, have family from Romford, Oxfordshire and Yorkshire and let me tell you: none of us like going to London. It is an overly crowded tourist trap. I have met Americans that whole-heartedly believe that London is pretty much all there is to see in UK and that everywhere else is just 'quaint villages' (yes, I bloody hate that word. Quaint to us is usually used in a sarcastic sense and literally means 'old fashioned', ie 'out-dated')
@@thevonya3977 I have a Tennessee American visit my work place regularly and he was astounded that we were not a fans of London. He also struggled with the fact that within a twenty-five mile radius, we have so many different accents (I'm from Wolverhampton).
The Vonya Do you hail from Yorkshire? Your “let me tell you” sounds just like Geoffrey Boycott. Following on for that observation there is the joke. You can always tell a Yorkshireman but, you can’t tell him much. That might also apply to Americans!
I think saying that London isn’t England is because whenever anyone says they’re from England everyone assumes they live in London x
May I say about Americans being loud abroad. Yes have experienced this here in UK and mainland Europe. But in fairness to you that has been a minority. Have met loads Americans and going to sound wrong, are aware of their surroundings and so adapted their voices to match. Love USA and Americans. And when you come here please don't think you can't be yourself. Laurence x
I feel like this generally comes down to: "don't treat our culture/country as your own personal theme park attraction."
Also, I feel like it's okay to pronounce 'Alcester' incorrectly, but pronouncing major cities incorrectly (e.g Glasgow) is annoying because it shows you don't really care about out culture. It would be like turning up in the USA and calling New York "The Big Orange" all the time, you'd be like "dude, how do you not know that!"
Come on dude, don't be ridiculous. New York is world famous. It's the financial capital of the world my man. It's the greatest city in the whole entire world. Comparing New York to Glasgow is like comparing Pizza to Haggis. Get it??
This guy.
Get over yourself. Everyone does that going to a new country. Including brits.
Great video.
London isn't England in the same way that New York isn't the USA.
Thank you!
I've had several American's ( when realising I was English) ask "oh what part of London are you from?". They just seem confused when I say I live 170 miles away, nowhere near London. So it's almost as is they assume all of England is London. Maybe it's just a case of not knowing many other towns or cities? But it would be like every Brit asking you guys which part of New York you are from just because you are American.
Then they always follow up with "Do you know the Queen?" 🙄
at 17.35, that reminds me of the time I met a tourist from the US, I was thinking maybe texas or Arizona, judging by his accent. We were on a train from Paisley to Glasgow (I was heading home after work) He says: "Gee I really love Scotland, it's my favourite part of England." I winced inwardly as he regaled us of what was so great about America. The train came into the platform and I got up to the doors to be the first one to get off. As the train doors opened up I said: "Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a safe trip back to Canada!" I think he turned purple LOL
Regarding the taps, we also invented the plug that goes in the sink.
“Do you not learn about the American war independence?” I went to the only school in this country that didn't teach about the French Revolution, let alone the American one. Intead, I was busy learning about witchcraft in the 1500's several times.
Edit: As a joke, I call the American Revolution "the divorce of the Georges."
Yeah, at least some Presidents were English. And you have the Union Flag on some of your own flags.
Future generations won't learn about Vietnam or Afghanistan because YOU GOT YOUR ASSES KICKED OUT OF BOTH! And you wonder why our schools don't teach about 1776? And another thing WE kicked YOUR asses in 1815 New Orleans didn't t count because Jefferson had already signed the surrender so there!
@@trevormillar1576 No one is entitled to bragging rights when it comes to the war of 1812.
The American War of Independence fades away into the other wars we were fighting at the same time ,against the French (Napolion) ,Spanish ( Peninsula Wars) etc which we won, so a little thing like your war just isn`t considered at all important
@@gillcawthorn7572 We were not fighting Napoleon in 1775. Please don't make us look like chumps in front of the Americans, old boy...
I really don’t mind people mentioning my accent, it’s quite charming to think I’m nice to listen to.
It annoys me when people are like "oh but all of the UK is England" or they say it's just all the same thing. Like it's not. Also the UK and Britain keeps being used interchangeably. Our official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It's even on the passports like how do some people not get that.
"Wales is in England though isn't it?" no it fucking isn't.
I totally totally agree!!
@@MonkeyButtMovies1 I'm English so I've never had that but judging by your username I'm guessing you watched Torchwood and if so remember in miracle day when Gwen says she's Welsh and punches the woman (if you haven't ignore me 😂)
I totally get that, but we don’t like learn about it, if that makes sense, like we learn geography and important and overlapping history but beyond the little knowledge we have comes from media. To Americans, it’s like a thing that being ‘British’ is synonymous with being ‘English’. It really confused me when I was younger like if someone would prefer being called British to or by the country they are born in. It’s also a cultural thing that like I could say I’m Pennsylvanian but that’s kinda weird and people generally just say they are ‘American’. We just aren’t really directly exposed to your culture beyond tv shows like doctor who, skins, the Great British bake off, downtown abbey, killing eve, Sherlock, whatever shows up on Netflix or something by Jane Austin or Shakespeare. So, it’s really just isn’t knowledge that we have/also cultural ignorance for not looking up enough information to know the actual difference
@@caitlinmastropietro8603 you wouldn't call a Pennsylvanian a Virginian. So why do Americans call people from Scotland, English?
Don’t listen to people about mis-pronounciation. It is completely fine and it happens anywhere. If you go to another country and try to read the menu, you shouldn’t feel bad for trying :) xx It is perfectly okay to ask how to pronounce things if you aren’t sure, and don’t feel disheartened when we sigh at your pronounciation. We aren’t fed up with you, but some people just don’t have patience. ❤️
Having a solid Estuary English accent, many Americans seem to think I am Australian, we do not all sound like Hugh Grant or the Queen.
I don’ t agree that we don’t like it when people say “we love your accent”. It certainly wouldn’t bother me, in fact I think most people would take it a a compliment.
As far as i know, I never learnt much about the US war of independence 'cause we've had shit loads more important wars. Like the 7 years war, The wars against Spain, Both world wars, The roman wars, Vikings and the English Civil war. At least, that was my school history experience. The war of American Independence seemed more a footnote than something important.
Added wars that we normally learn at school: The Napoleonic Wars, The Crusades and of course the Norman Conquests that shaped the early Kingdom
To paraphrase Al Murray (lots of hilarious clips on You Tube) 'a bit of a lucky escape'.
It really was a sideshow the main war. Perhaps we would of went back but then India kind of became the place to be
I initially learnt about the American War of Independence off American cartoons like Simpsons.
And picked up more about the American Civil War from cultural osmosis than I've ever learned about the English Civil War.
@Spade Face so how does one explain the British fighting in North America, based out of the American Colonies, then suddenly losing all 13 of them? Sounds like a pretty important piece of history and not a side note lol.
i think the loudness comes from large spaces and competing with other noise in the U.S. i do not think people realize how loud they are. accents Hmm not sure no one every has complimented me on mine, i am asked frequently where i am from tho
"Why is London not England"
Culturally it is entirely different in London than everywhere else. The accent is nothing like the accents spoken elsewhere in England, it is prioritised beyond belief politically because parliament is there and it has so many constituencies within a small space so it has loads of MPs representing it whereas the rest of the country is no where near as represented, people don't like visiting because it's dirty, the people are far less friendly than everywhere else, and it's extremely expensive. Also, it's just grey, but the rest of England is full of beautiful green plains, hills and lakes! London is so unlike everywhere else in England and is deeply unpleasant by comparison.
London isn’t over represented as such, it’s just that the population density is much higher an constituency lines (how many MPs per area) are based on population not area size. Orkney and shetland for example is represented by only one MP.
Chris, then there's also the fact that only a small minority of Londoners are actually of English or even British descent. London is a melting pot of cultures from around the world. This is borne out by the fact that over 400 different languages are spoken by children attending schools in London. In the rest of the UK the most number of languages in schools, even in the big cities is much much less than 100, and usually less than 10.
I don't know of any other city in the world that has so many different cultures all crammed into such a small space. I know that Tokyo is home to over 40 million people and some of the larger cities in South and Middle America have more than 30 million inhabitants, but none of them are so culturally diverse as in London. So it's no wonder that London isn't representative of the rest of the UK. It's a separate country almost, with very little in common with the rest of the country it's the capital city of.
Robert Hood That’s not true. Only 37% of London’s population was born outside the UK, and 44% is white british.
Generally speaking, a 'burgh' (as in Edinburgh) historically refers to the presence of a castle. This has Germanic roots (Burg: castle, Berg: mountain). And yes, there is an old word still used for an official which is Burgher 😁.
Towns/cities with 'cester', 'chester' or 'caster' in the name also refers to the presence of a castle but is Roman Latin in origin.
(PS: those castles may have long gone or only bits survived!)
Doesn't "Burgh" usually refer to a fortified enclosure?
@@w0033944yes, my girlfriend has a fur 'burgh' 😤
i remember visiting Neuschwanstein castle in Germany. We were on the bus and I suddenly heard this roar from behind, someone looking at a brochure: "IS THAT NEW-SHWANN-STOYN?? IT'S LIKE DISNEY CASTLE!"
I think the accent thing is how it is said, like I’ve heard a lot of Americans say “you have an accent” or “they have an accent” and I think it comes across as if they think the American accent is the only accent and that other accents are weird to them.
I NEVER have a problem with visitors pronouncing place names wrong, our place names are mental, they've all been cobbled together and evolved over hundreds of years, even we don't know how to pronounce the name of some little village somewhere on the other side of the country, lol 😄 As a visitor it's fine to just turn round to anyone and ask how to pronounce it, most people will be genuinely happy you asked. The 'not speaking to anyone on public transport' thing is really just London (and even there old ladies will just talk to whoever they want, old ladies are probably the same the world over 😂 ); people seem to get friendlier and more chatty the further out of London you get.
also cups of tea stert to taste different
@@wetcardie66 Yes, it starts tasting better 😄
The literal meaning of quaint is the same in both countries but in the UK it is used/or at least thought to be used by the higher class when describing anything about anyone of lesser means but in a way as not to sound overtly rude. So because of that most people take the word quaint as what we would call a backhanded complement (something that sounds good at first but has another meaning e.g. you look good for your age.).
Yes I see your point. In the U.S. class difference is not loaded into the interpretation in this word... we really do mean it as a compliment... a place that is interesting, with an appealing design that charms, perhaps with a whiff of history or artistic, aesthetic beauty that seems genuine... would be a "quaint" setting... ideal for a special occasion or a meaningful experience.... not prefab, cookie-cutter or drab. Just realized we often describe aspects of New England as quaint... historic, charming towns... with unique, older or in some way charming design & architecture and a feeling of genuine beauty. It is meant as a compliment. Not just in that part of the U.S. but it is practically a collocation... "quaint, New England town" 😆 a compliment.
@@Coral_Forever Calling something quaint is fine if the other person thinks it is quaint too. But if I get out my (five years old) mobile phone and someone says "Ooh, how quaint!" I know they don't mean it as a compliment.
I'd love to see you guys pronouncing some Welsh town names! (Cymru Am Byth!)
You thought England and Scotland were tricky! 😂😂
No one English can pronounce even the more straightforward ones correctly so Americans would have no chance. People from Liverpool (about 40% of whom have Welsh ancestry) holiday in North Wales and go to 'Betts-e-co-ed' which is a completely wrong pronunciation. Llanidloes? I've absolutely no idea!
American here. I live in an area of Pennsylvania where there are cities/towns such as: Bala Cynwyd, Bryn Mawr, Llanerch, and Bryn Athyn, just to name a few. There are PLENTY of Americans, even fellow Pennsylvanians that can't even pronounce those names.
dwi'n gwybod fy mod i ychydig yn hwyr ond helo cyd-berson Cymreig dwi'n meddwl y dylen ni goncro Lloegr a gwneud ymerodraeth Cymru. Poggers
I am going to visit Llandudno [Edit: Also Penmaenmawr] in 2022. I have been practicing how to pronounce these cities. 😆
But my mate in Llandudno has told me they don't even say their own Welsh words correctly so...I like to think I will be just fine.
It’s like when your a tourist visiting Wales, but get lost around Anglesey, Whilst trying to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch,
The local train station says,
Llan-vire-pooll-guin-gill-go-ger-u-queern-drob-ooll-Llandus-illio-gogo-goch,
Which is still quite a tongue twister for those that have a PHD in English to pronounce,
But if you say,
‘Clan-vire-pulth-gwin-gwith-go-gerry-quin-drobe-eth-clan-tysilio-go-go-gockh,
You sound more like you have made an effort to sound Welsh,
🏴🤣👍🏼
I had a Swiss mate that used to joke that there were two ways to do something: the Swiss way or the wrong way.
I like the Swiss knives that can get horses' hooves out of stones.
I'm from south of England and love when anyone tells me they like my accent! Because Ive lived down south all my life and it's so normal to me, I like that someone it isn't 'normal' to, likes it :-)
I don't mind having my accent pointed out. I'm from Newcastle with quite a strong geordie accent and I know lots of people across the world love the geordie accent so for me I take it as a compliment
We love the geordie accent! Haven't been to Newcastle yet, and we can't wait to go! Also, thank you for your comment on the last video - we hope you don't mind that we included it in this one! :D
Me too!! When I meet people from outside the UK - they tend to think I'm Irish or Scottish, and always makes for a nice conversation explaining how close we are to the Scottish border and our history. I also enjoy teaching people Geordie phrases!!
Geordie Shores been airing in america haha - if its actually Byker Grove id die laughin
@Jim Jam don't be mean now Jim Jam, it's a beautifully warm accent if you take the time to properly listen to it. I'm not talking about the slang terms we use (regional slang words can't be understood from most places unless you're from there) but just normal conversation in a geordie accent is very very easy to understand
@Jim Jam where are you from then Jim Jam? Just wondering where the use of the word 'orrible comes from.......and please stop dissing people's dialect theres nothing wrong with the German language and accent
Americans: why do you say Edinburgh like that it doesmt have an 'o'
also Americans: has Arkansas
Wonder how they would pronounce Loughborough lol
Have a go at Milngavie.....
@@mufuliramark or Ecclefechan lol
Lol. True! 😘❤👍
Taps. Many older English homes have two cold water supplies. One is very purified and comes out of the cold tap - and can be drunk straight from the tap. The other is less pure, and the boiler/heater in the home sterilises it with heat and then puts it out of the hot tap. If you mixed the two you would cause the purified water to possibly be contaminated.
Eton is an old boarding school. Many royals and wealthy people send their sons their.
Thank you for answering our question!
Eton is pronounced 'eaten'.
And that's old by our standards - 1440!
Its a very high end education and high success rate but you pay big bucks to attend..then you qualify as a gentleman of the highest order...
There!
The "90% don't know who fought the war of independence" is wrong, virtually everyone knows, but it was just a tiny part of our history (given that we fought / tried to enslave most of the planet over the centuries). The reason people get annoyed about being asked "you must be sad about losing the war of independence" is that it is basically saying they are in favour of empires and enslavement (exactly the same as saying to an American that they must be sad that they don't own slaves any more).
Not quite sure how the British Empire is pro-slavery any more than anywhere else? We abolished it and actively fought it before anyone else. US had slaves up to civil war. Lincoln was a slave owner!!!!
WyndStryke. Britain has been inhabited for 800,000 years. We have had thousands of wars, why would we be interested in one war that doesn’t effect us. No one I know has a clue what the war was about so they are not butt hurt it’s of no consequence
I don't want to be that person who answers all the questions, so I'm going to hold back, but I feel like I need to say something about the whole talking to people in London situation. Sorry this has turned into an essay! I grew up in London, have lived here forever, and honestly it's just not true about not talking to anyone. I feel like I'm giving away a big secret but it's all about context and timing. I think that wherever you go in the world there are people who just do not want to talk to strangers and there are people that do. The rest of the UK is no different, even though London is often singled out. In London however, depending which part you are in and what time of day it is, you may come across the people who are not up for a chat as they are trying to get to or from work. As a London commuter myself, this is the time of day where you really just want a little space to yourself and the travel may be the only place and time you get it. so it is nice to just keep quiet and switch off. Though personally I think it is rude if you completely ignore someone, they may be lost and need help. Other times though if you approach someone politely with a question then more than likely they will answer. If it is public transport try to go for a member of staff as you may be in a tourist area and accidentally ask another tourist who may not understand. London is also very multicultural and people just may not speak your language. Again just ask politely there is no harm. Most locals I know are more than happy to help anyone and talk to anyone, in public spaces and on public transport when they are asked politely. A little bit of kindness goes a long way. Some of the best people I've met from other cultures and places are through random chats around town in all different places. Some people do come across as surprised you are talking to them but that's just it, we're are so used to everyone saying that we won't talk to anyone that we feel nobody wants to talk to us. As you can probably tell from this comment I could talk forever to anyone, so I'll stop there as I'm sure I've reached peak annoying comment level.
...just lastly, not to give the game away but Londoners are awesome, and built on the back of immigration you don't need to be born here just to be a Londoner; just come and live here and love her, she's an awesome place, and I'm super proud of her :)
You're spot on, Emma. Thanks for posting.
i would see quaint as a compliment. but i wouldnt use it for everything.
an old county village would be quaint. london isnt
When we went on Holiday to friends in Utah we had a lot of "Oh I love your accent" it didn't bother us at all
As Al Murray said, you say we lost the war if independence, we say it was a lucky escape. 😉😂🤣
Go on say Worcestershire sauce, I dare you.
Calling the UK England is definitely at the top of my list. English like to be called English, Scot want to be called Scottish and Welsh want to be called Welsh and Northern Irish want... well that's another kettle of fish but Norther Irish is a fairly safe pick.
100% agree America's independence doesn't even register in out education. People just don't think about it. We get European history and a bit colonialism. Scottish independence was a huge part of my history education in Scotland.
Thank you for taking the time to comment! I think that similar to how education about the war of independence is low in the UK, education about the history of the UK and all its countries is low in the USA.
Yes I'm English not Britsh same for people fork Scottland they are Scottish etc it triggers me and everyone else
Nope. Never call.anyone from Liverpool English.
Same goes for Cornwall.
@@PATRICKSMITH1 Oh dear. This is very confusing for us 😂
@@JC-cb4xg Just here to say that this person doesn't speak for all of us when they say we all get triggered. Personally I have no problem being called British. It's how I refer to myself - I'm British first, English/European second.
I am an Italian teacher of English language and literature in Italy. I find your videos really entertaining and informative, so much so that I'm planning so use some of them in class, to give my students an overview of British and American culture. You said you've been travelling for more than three years around the world but have never, as far as I know, talked about Italy and the Italians. You might have made some fleeting comments here and there... I'd like for you to include some comments in your videos about other European countries, like mine. I believe we are the least nationalist people I've met in my life (and travels). Accents: when I was in the US people kept commenting on my accent, saying that they loved my Italian one sprinkled with British pronunciation of words. By the way, this is the teacher in me and you will forgive my pointing this out, "pronunciation" and "accent" are two very different things. Thank you for your AWESOME (😊) videos. "Inspiring" is the word I would use. Awesome sounds so lazy, like when someone says "tremendous" all the time.
I'd say with "quaint" - there's an implication of artificial cuteness, as if something has been designed to be rustic or old-looking. It falls in with "Kitch" or "cutesy" - with an added factor of rustic and old fashioned.
For accents: I think it's perceived as condescending/patronising - more like you're reducing a person to where they come from rather than listening to the content of their words. Also it's possibly seen as a very insular attitude to assume everyone has your accent and be surprised and amazed when they don't (I know that's not what's going on, but it can be perceived that way). This also feeds into the quaint thing and the "so British" thing. Yes, it's different, because it's a different country - it's not like visiting another state, it's literally like visiting spain or china, just you understand the language.
For pronunciation: the two most common place name endings that people get wrong in the UK - "borough" which is usually said as "bruh" and "Cester" which is usually said as "stuh". The most important thing for people from the US to remember is that british people, unless they have some particular accents, don't pronounce the "R"s at the end of words - In the US you have a "rhotic" accent that emphasises them, in the UK, we broadly have "non-rhotic" dialects - so what you would pronounce "papeR, coppeR, LaysesteR" we would pronounce "papUH, coppUH, LesstUH". We're also incredibly lazy speakers - almost every non-emphasised vowel (and some emphasised) turns into "uh". "Toilet -> Toilut, Super -> Supuh, Money -> Muhnee".
For london not being england - people get annoyed because people say "oh i visited england" and when you ask them where they went they say "london" ... to which the next question is "and?"... because there's so much to england that's not london, and london has a completely different feel and culture to most of england. We want to encourage people to visit places like Alcester, York, Bath, the Dales/Peaks, Hadrian's wall... it's a whole country, not just a city - and it has so much variation you're missing out by staying just in the capital!
Question for Brits and other non-Americans - if you visit one city in the US, do you say you visited "the states" or do you always specify, i.e. "I visited Philadelphia"?
@@laurenhoover6024 Generally we'd say we'd been to the USA and because we feign interest in people's lives we ask whereabouts. 😂
Also for Abigail about the whole London/England thing I totally agree but these two live in the Midlands and visit the north so they know the real England a bit more 😁
@@FuntimeTom Yes, and that's what I would be inclined to do as well, but in Abigail's post it seems that if the answer was just one city in the USA, I should be offended that you said you visited the USA to begin with if you only visited one city. Unless I am misunderstanding what you are trying to say.
@@laurenhoover6024 I didn't mean that at all, and apologise for my ambiguous phrasing... perhaps a better phrasing would be "we get offended if they say they visited England, and extol as if they saw everything of importance, and give a blank look of incomprehension when asked if they went anywhere but London, as if that's all England is." (I know that sounds... harsh, but it's the experience of the vast majority of tourists of many nations I've encountered, and you just want to shake people and tell them how much they're missing!) Also, I personally would say at least what state I visited rather than "The US" - they have very different cultures.
Thank you to all the subscribers who suggested faux pas for this video! We appreciate all of you! ❤️️❤️️
I love how self aware you are. Its also helped me as ive met an american friend online and we discuss our differences and share these vids
I am from the Midlands in England and I love being complemented on my accent, makes me feel exotic! I also think quaint can be a complement 😊
Tbh if your american and meet the wrong person in the uk and mention tea, bad teeth (which isnt true) or talk about harry potter, or any other stereotype, then you'll probably either get beaten up, sworn at or just looked at wierdly😂and being loud is a big one, as brits we keep ourselves to ourselves and are not loud at all and you'll stand out in a bad way if your loud
I love how Guernsey was on that diagram as that’s where I live and it is almost never included in anything and most people have no idea it exists
haha so true. Filling in dropdown boxes on websites with "hmmm, what option will they give me here" and often incorrectly ticking UK!
"I fell off a diving board in Guernsey" lol
As a brit who's got US family I've noticed a few of these, most times though my family visits they're more curious than anything, UK is actually European although most here won't admit it and we get a lot of Europeans here.. Edinburgh is pronounced Edinburra most times And Glasgow is glasgo.
Speaking from experience (i.e. all the times I've made these faux pas), I never meant any harm and was simply very excited about being in the UK and experiencing Britishness for the first time. I can understand how our excitement would get old though - my first time is your 3,453th time hearing a tourist exclaim "I love it, it's so quaint!"
@@WanderingRavens Excitement seeing or experiencing something new can never get old and there's no harm in it, I'm always happy people enjoy it here when visiting, I know I always get excited when over there in the US, :) :)
John Allen
I know what you mean. When Canadian family came to visit, they were unnaturally impressed by fake old tat in pub chains ............
John Allen not European anymore😉
@@darrellrichards5142 not being in the EU doesn't make you any less European.
Firstly, I would like to say that you two are such nice people, you clearly work so hard to be friendly and accepting where ever you go and I think that's wonderful. I just wanted to add on the American war of independence, no one in Britain is sour about it, nobody cares, it was well over 200 years ago. We do get a bit more annoyed when people from the US say 'you would all be speaking German if it weren't for us', whilst we certainly appreciate the US being allies in the second world war, we don't think that means the US can treat the UK however it likes and act like we are some kind of US colony. Same with any other European nation that was liberated from Fascism during that time. We are proud of our independence as a nation and don't want to be the 51st state.
Thats why we voted brexit.
I hate politics. But god do I miss Brexit right now 🤣
I'm American, my grandfather was based in England in WWII on bombers, proud of his service and I roll my eyes when people say this. But 75 years later, it sounds like the friend who on every visit helps himself to a beer at your house just because when down on your luck 10 years ago he paid your rent for a couple of months.
@@ThorWildBoar Same surname! I'm just so tired of international rivalries, pretending we hate people on the basis they were born on a literal line drawn in some dirt (or coastline). Yea its probably true that if you weigh the pros and cons the US contribution wasn't as important in the war against the most evil regime ever as the contribution of the Soviet Union (also hardly an innocent regime). But, honestly, on balance, when we were down to rationing, being bombed on a regular basis with not just the forces of Germany to contend with but also Austria, Czechoslovakia, parts of Poland (other parts helped obviously), Hungary, Vichy France, Italy, Sweden etc. honestly I think if you spoke to ANY British person at the time they would have said they really really appreciated the help from American forces. True it did mean we had to start a new front in East Asia, but that also benefitted several other nations that were suffering due to the appalling crimes of Imperial Japan. Yes we absolutely appreciated the US joining us in the war, and to be honest its entirely possible it could have gone the other way, I mean there were even people in the UK who were sympathetic to the Nazi cause. So I've rambled on a lot but in a nutshell, if any Brit ever says to you 'we could have won the war without US help', they are talking out their arse as we say here.
@@lloroshastar6347 Hey cuz! (cousin). My original post made a few of the same comments before I deleted those original comments. Fact is the Battle of Britain and Operation Barbarossa occurred before the US officially declared war on Germany in December '41. The US Lend-Lease Act absolutely relieved a lot of pressure off the UK, specifically England. But, the Lend-Lease Act alone would have allowed the British Isles to last out the war until Germany capitulated after the collapse of the Eastern Front. US military involvement accelerated the timeline, crippled German industry and allowed the US to have a strong say in the peace. Personally, I think the US biggest contribution was to post war Europe from 1945 to 1955 in stabilizing the NATO block nations. Just my opinion....
Personally I like when people mention my accent. I'm told I'm very well spoken and I appreciate that others seem to find it entertaining or noteworthy even if I don't hear it myself and hate the sound of my own voice as most of us do. That's probably why I get volunteered by my bosses to be the one to do interviews whenever the TV or Radio people are at my place of work.
we know. the british army had beaten the american rebels, then the american rebels begged the french to intervene, they did and won the war for them, thats why they have the statue lol, and we actually won the american war of independence lol we lost the war against the french
@Amberleigh Bush real news. that americans hate, because it penetrates the american exceptionalism lie they are taught
@Amberleigh Bush lol its fake news because its true i get ya
@Amberleigh Bush yep thats why we in the world have a question for you being american, why does america change the history books to make it seem like america are always the heros? the rest of the world doesnt do that. im really interested to know. do you know why?
@Amberleigh Bush I guess you overlooked the part where the American Colonies were started out by Quakers, who wanted nothing to do with Britian which is why they left. They didnt consider themselves subjects of the crown at that point. Even the Professors at Oxford and Harvard know more about UK history then you appear to.
@Mikê'e Stark so tell me why did the american peasants keep getting beaten by the professional British soldiers until you had to run to the French. I believe it's because we where superior in every way
American's "Do you know the queen?" or "have you ever met the queen?" really annoying there are 60+ million people in the UK and no, most have never been close to her let alone "meet" her. Ironically I can answer "yes" as I served on the Royal Yacht but mostly I say no, just so I do not have to talk about it
And yet here you are. Talking about it.
@@AG9229 Hence "Ironically"
@@paulfarrar8846 that's not my point.
@Brendan Mather again, missing the point.
paulfarrer - I love the story of how HLM Queen Elizabeth II was walking in the Park at Windsor when some USian (as opposed to other Americans who live in either of the Continents but not the U.S.A.) tourists spoke with her and asked if she lived close by and she replied that she lived just over the hill . They then asked if she had ever met the Queen to which she replied "No, I haven't" and pointed to her security guy and said 'but he has'. The must have got a surprise when they got home and showed their friends the pics.
In my 35 years as an history teacher, I've never taught the War of Independence.
When you were talking about Alcester, I genuinely thought you were talking about the Ulster region in NI.
An easy mistake to make. But English placenames tell you a lot when you understand what the various parts of them mean. Any placename ending in "caster", "-cester" or "-chester", and of course the several places named "Chester", should have you looking for evidence of the Romans, as it usually means there was a Roman fort there. There will also be a Roman road or two leading there.
As for how they're pronounced, the "cester" bit tends to get compressed to "ster", so Alcester is Al(ce)ster (with a long "a"), Worcester is Wo(rce)ster, Bicester is Bi(ce)ster and so on. Cirencester used to be pronounced "Sisister", but I think that's gone out of fashion and a lot of people now pronounce it in full, or just call it "Ciren".
And "burgh" is just pronounced the same as "borough". It's found in England, particularly over in East Anglia, as well as in Scotland.
Other evidence of the Romans is the number of places built on Roman Roads that acknowledge the fact in their names. Anywhere called "Stratford", "Stretford", "Stratton", "Stretton" or placenames suffixed with "-le-street" should have a Roman road, or in Anglo-Saxon "straet" nearby.
NI is in Ulster not the other way around
My pet peeve is people assuming/calling Great britain "England", it is NOT!
Please do some very basic geography before visiting a country, it really isn't difficult.
Yes! Hopefully our little chart will help people figure it out :D
Great username btw 😂
@@WanderingRavens lol....when a certain chap won a high office in your home country I couldn't resist!
Plus, assuming that Great Britain in a synonym for the UK. It isn't, Great Britain is the main island comprising of Wales, Scotland and England, the UK includes Northern Ireland.
Yes, England is not Great Britain but it is 80% of the population. It's like saying continental USA is not Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
You've both mentioned in several videos now that we don't talk to strangers on public transport but in the south West. Like Devon and Cornwall. People are really friendly and will talk to you.
Good on you Cornwall and Devon!
I’m Scottish but I just love a Geordie Newcastle accent.I find it so soothing and comforting.I could listen to them all day.
I'm from the East Midlands and I find it soothing too. And most Scottish and Welsh accents however ironically being English myself it's a lot of the stereotypical posh English accents I find grating.
Sounds like a jock with his head kicked in :)
honestly i love it when my american friends compliment my accent lmao they find it cute for some reason
When most Americans ask where im from i say yorkshire and their next question is "is that near London". 😳
Yeah 😂😂😂😂 everything is near London apparently