By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - General - The "u" in non-american english

The Fury on 20 October 2009
Rath said:
SimonSaysFYou said:

So all you foreigners, please explain why you add a 'u' to words like favourite (favorite), colour (color), and others? The words don't have the short o sound when you say them. I understand that english is a complex language with complex sounds, dialects, and irregularities...but this I've never been able to understand.

American English is the variation away from standard English, not the other way around. The American's removed the vowel for the same reason they invented the atrocity 'thru'.

Wait, that is real? I thought it was just 'text talk' or a joke. *shudders*

 



Hmm, pie.

Around the Network
highwaystar101 on 20 October 2009
Rath said:
SimonSaysFYou said:

So all you foreigners, please explain why you add a 'u' to words like favourite (favorite), colour (color), and others? The words don't have the short o sound when you say them. I understand that english is a complex language with complex sounds, dialects, and irregularities...but this I've never been able to understand.

American English is the variation away from standard English, not the other way around. The American's removed the vowel for the same reason they invented the atrocity 'thru'.

 

Also I have a question for the Americans; why the hell can't you just adopt the metric system?!

Just thought I would post the map of countries that have yet to adopt the metric system...

Yep so it's pretty much USA, Liberia (aka. USA part 2) and Burma.



Kantor on 20 October 2009
highwaystar101 said:
Rath said:
SimonSaysFYou said:

So all you foreigners, please explain why you add a 'u' to words like favourite (favorite), colour (color), and others? The words don't have the short o sound when you say them. I understand that english is a complex language with complex sounds, dialects, and irregularities...but this I've never been able to understand.

American English is the variation away from standard English, not the other way around. The American's removed the vowel for the same reason they invented the atrocity 'thru'.

 

Also I have a question for the Americans; why the hell can't you just adopt the metric system?!

Just thought I would post the map of countries that have yet to adopt the metric system...

Yep so it's pretty much USA, Liberia (aka. USA part 2) and Burma.

Britain hasn't fully accepted it yet. All road signs are in miles, and speedometers and speed limits are in MPH. But that would be nearly impossible to change.



(Former) Lead Moderator and (Eternal) VGC Detective

Scoobes on 20 October 2009
Kantor said:
highwaystar101 said:
Rath said:
SimonSaysFYou said:

So all you foreigners, please explain why you add a 'u' to words like favourite (favorite), colour (color), and others? The words don't have the short o sound when you say them. I understand that english is a complex language with complex sounds, dialects, and irregularities...but this I've never been able to understand.

American English is the variation away from standard English, not the other way around. The American's removed the vowel for the same reason they invented the atrocity 'thru'.

 

Also I have a question for the Americans; why the hell can't you just adopt the metric system?!

Just thought I would post the map of countries that have yet to adopt the metric system...

Yep so it's pretty much USA, Liberia (aka. USA part 2) and Burma.

Britain hasn't fully accepted it yet. All road signs are in miles, and speedometers and speed limits are in MPH. But that would be nearly impossible to change.

No, not impossible, just too expensive to be bothered with.




Get your Portable ID!

trashleg on 20 October 2009
SimonSaysFYou said:

So all you foreigners, please explain why you add a 'u' to words like favourite (favorite), colour (color), and others? The words don't have the short o sound when you say them. I understand that english is a complex language with complex sounds, dialects, and irregularities...but this I've never been able to understand.

heh.

lazy americans.

i don't understand The Bloody English either.. just one of those things

also, if you think English is bad you should check out the language they speak north of the border.. just ask Kantor

 

 



Highwaystar101 said: trashleg said that if I didn't pay back the money she leant me, she would come round and break my legs... That's why people call her trashleg, because she trashes the legs of the people she loan sharks money to.
Around the Network
Zlejedi on 20 October 2009
SimonSaysFYou said:

So all you foreigners, please explain why you add a 'u' to words like favourite (favorite), colour (color), and others? The words don't have the short o sound when you say them. I understand that english is a complex language with complex sounds, dialects, and irregularities...but this I've never been able to understand.

Because that's how they are written in proper English which we learn?

And not some American dialect version of it ?



PROUD MEMBER OF THE PSP RPG FAN CLUB

tedsteriscool on 20 October 2009

I'm sensing hostility here. Some of it is actually sorta offensive...

Makes me want to throw colored aluminum nuclear weapons at you. It'll come at you in mph so fast you won't be able to see it until it's a few feet in front of you. God knows how many pounds of harsh chemicals I put in there...



alekth on 20 October 2009

Well, for the our/or it's one of the most appropriate times to blame the French.
I do like how the words look in the proper English version though.

But it was confusing when I wrote my first html code quite a few years ago and couldn't find out why "colour=" did nothing.



Scoobes on 20 October 2009
tedsteriscool said:
I'm sensing hostility here. Some of it is actually sorta offensive...

Makes me want to throw coloured aluminium nuclear weapons at you. It'll come at you in mph so fast you won't be able to see it until it's a few feet in front of you. God knows how many pounds of harsh chemicals I put in there...

Fixed. Its all in good humour.




Get your Portable ID!

highwaystar101 on 20 October 2009
tedsteriscool said:
I'm sensing hostility here. Some of it is actually sorta offensive...

Makes me want to throw colored aluminum nuclear weapons at you. It'll come at you in mph so fast you won't be able to see it until it's a few feet in front of you. God knows how many pounds of harsh chemicals I put in there...

lol. Well in that case I will build a missile that is capable of flying several thousand kilometers like an Aeroplane and it will deliver a thoroughly large explosion that is so hot it is white in colour and will measure many thousands of degres celcius. I will launch it a fortnight from now...

Just kidding, sorry if some of it has offended you, it's all meant to be in good fun really, countries joke about each other for their languages all the time.

 

Trousers.