I'm American. Ask me anything.
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OP
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anothersam
SMIDSMe
- Location
- Far East Sussex
Attack of the clones, or the Pac-Man empire strikes back?
OP
OP
anothersam
SMIDSMe
- Location
- Far East Sussex
Hope you don’t mind that I relocated your post:
Good. I didn’t transplant myself to Britain (turning down the slimey [sic] Babel fish the State Dept. offers all US citizens) for more Americana.
The very first word of in that thread is a reminder that I’m not from these parts: we seldom say “whilst”.
I’ve been teased for years by English friends about the way I pronounce some words. The dilemma is whether to take one for the team or plead idiolect.
“Residents of northern Ohio [where I come from], including Cleveland, Akron and Toledo, often speak something called inland north, a dialect in which vowels often are shifted. For example, the word trap can sound a little like tree-ap. Inland north seems to be the most subtle of Ohio's dialects.” (I’d link to the page but “this content is not available in your region.” - Ha!) Perhaps I’m an outlier, as I’m not particularly shifty.
As for the Dude, well, he eternally abideth.
Good. I didn’t transplant myself to Britain (turning down the slimey [sic] Babel fish the State Dept. offers all US citizens) for more Americana.
The very first word of in that thread is a reminder that I’m not from these parts: we seldom say “whilst”.
I’ve been teased for years by English friends about the way I pronounce some words. The dilemma is whether to take one for the team or plead idiolect.
“Residents of northern Ohio [where I come from], including Cleveland, Akron and Toledo, often speak something called inland north, a dialect in which vowels often are shifted. For example, the word trap can sound a little like tree-ap. Inland north seems to be the most subtle of Ohio's dialects.” (I’d link to the page but “this content is not available in your region.” - Ha!) Perhaps I’m an outlier, as I’m not particularly shifty.
As for the Dude, well, he eternally abideth.
matticus
Guru
My favorite USanian style of speech ( or accent/dialect/wodeever) has to be that used by Walton Goggins as well-spoken backwood badboy Boyd Crowder in Justified (a much under-rated TV show).
Full of thees and Ma'ams. Better diction than most Brits. Just spiffing.
(will dig-up a clip later ...)
Full of thees and Ma'ams. Better diction than most Brits. Just spiffing.
(will dig-up a clip later ...)
OP
OP
anothersam
SMIDSMe
- Location
- Far East Sussex
“That bullet missed my heart but it struck my soul.”
View: https://youtu.be/NBSFcPPrFdg
Justified is great fun. I followed Timothy Olyphant
View: https://youtu.be/kzeYjPxM450
over from the exquisite and at times almost Shakespearean Deadwood.
View: https://youtu.be/mOVFWvhZhVg
(My hair is rapidly approaching Wild Bill length.)
View: https://youtu.be/NBSFcPPrFdg
Justified is great fun. I followed Timothy Olyphant
View: https://youtu.be/kzeYjPxM450
over from the exquisite and at times almost Shakespearean Deadwood.
View: https://youtu.be/mOVFWvhZhVg
(My hair is rapidly approaching Wild Bill length.)
matticus
Guru
That's intressin' - didn't realise he'd been in Deadwood. Probably because I tried to watch it (after many many reliable recommendations), but couldn't last more than 20 minutes of the endless "authentic" Eff-in' and Jeff-in'. I much prefer the genteel dialogue of the immoral reprobate low-lifes in Justified.
(I wasn't much of a Lovejoy fan either. But for different reasons.)
Walton Goggins was good in The Shield too (probably a higher-profile series, following more established tropes). It's hard to believe his parents didn't name him after an Elmore Leonard character - a fine choice. I note his son is called Augustus; well of course he is.
(I wasn't much of a Lovejoy fan either. But for different reasons.)
Walton Goggins was good in The Shield too (probably a higher-profile series, following more established tropes). It's hard to believe his parents didn't name him after an Elmore Leonard character - a fine choice. I note his son is called Augustus; well of course he is.
OP
OP
anothersam
SMIDSMe
- Location
- Far East Sussex
It can be tough going!
View: https://youtu.be/PgaEYyIjykM
View: https://youtu.be/4isTaYN7i68
(a different kind of tough)
You’re not the first I’ve heard turned off due to the Lovejoy connection. I’ve never seen it, but now feel I should, unless you think it might ruin Al Swearengen for me.
matticus
Guru
Oh please no. I wouldn't wish that on anyone - not even a Yank. (it's like a less funny Minder. Or a less edgy Bergerac. Murder She Wrote might be the nearest American equivalent - although I've never watched a whole one.)
OP
OP
anothersam
SMIDSMe
- Location
- Far East Sussex
...Click here if you want to skip the deluge of profanity that starts off that first video. I promise it's worth it.
Thanks for the warning, but I may have to at least watch a clip, for research purposes.
Thanks for the warning, but I may have to at least watch a clip, for research purposes.
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Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
What are you favourite American sayings that we may not understand over the other side of the pond?
OP
OP
anothersam
SMIDSMe
- Location
- Far East Sussex
Breaking the fourth wall is not big and it's not clever, Lovejoyski
I haven't either yet, but I did make it far enough that if this was an episode of Murder She Wrote I would’ve topped myself by now. So far I don’t rate Lovejoy terminally annoying. This may out me as someone with no taste or critical faculties, thus rendering any recommendations I make suspect. Perhaps my standards aren’t high for this sort of thing. At least it has’t ruined Deadwood for me.
Maybe it helped that I saw him as Swearengen first? Not to mention his deeply disturbing turn in Sexy Beast, where I reckon he even outpsychopathed Sir Ben.
It’s hard for me to remember what’s what, given the interchange (or contamination as some might have it) between our countries, and the length of time I've been here.
I asked my wife, who moved to the States from Sri Lanka after time in the UK, and she immediately offered "I'm psyched." As in, I'm psyched about going to the game tonight, or I'm psyched we're having pizza tonight. (Incidentally we're having pizza tonight.) Hopefully we'll come up with more.
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matticus
Guru
😄
Now Sexy Beast, there is a constructive use of 4-letter words! I can't remember McShane in it, clearly that is another film well overdue a re-watch.
I just can't get past the tedious (not offensive) over-use of (limited)swear-words. It would as bad (worse??) if they were all subbed for the same thing ("cotton-picking" would be traditional for the genre, I guess) - just boring. I don't buy the "authenticity" thing - it's not a farking documentary. It's supposed to be entertaining, and as other scenes show, the guy CAN write dialogue; he just often chose to ruin it.
Anyway, god bless you for your evangelism. May the Lord protect you from forced viewings of Murder She Wrote.
Profpointy
Legendary Member
It was undemanding Sunday teatime entertainment. I used to quit enjoy it. It wasn't trying to be citizen Kane after all
OP
OP
anothersam
SMIDSMe
- Location
- Far East Sussex
Why all the profanity in Deadwood?
My wife agrees with you. We don’t tend to watch the same things (I appreciate that “Watch this! Watch this! gets annoying). Breaking Bad she liked. I’m looking forward to the sadly final series of Better Call Saul.
The last thing that swept me away was The Queen’s Gambit, which also used a certain 10-letter C word: in that case, once was all it took.
I love the look he’s giving Ray Winstone here (spoilers):
View: https://youtu.be/b-C97G1R8OQ
This is going to be blasphemy to any red-blooded American, but I might go so far as to say it’s better than The Rockford Files, given how quickly that puts me to sleep after the awesome opening credits. Even though I liked Jim Rockford (how could a person not?!?).
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swee'pea99
Legendary Member
If you get the chance, you might enjoy Minder, as mentioned upthread. Classic telly of my youth. I enjoyed it then and I enjoy it now - not least because it's all set where I grew up, around when I grew up. My daughters, I'm sure, would find it not so much unentertaining as offensive, punctuated as it is with low level racism and sexism of a kind you just don't see anymore. It's amazing how many scenes you can film for no real reason in a titty bar. With titties.
But like I say, if you can see past all that - which is to say, just accept it for the period piece it is, loose an occasional sigh of relief that some things at least have actually got better - it can be a lot of fun. Rogues are always fun, and Arthur is one of the best. And a shameless coward toboot!
Oh, you don't have to worry about the language BTW - they barely say even the likes of bloody or shoot, let alone fark. Pikey, spade, slag maybe, but nothing actually offensive.
