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English Usage US vs. UK

Walter Ego

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Walter Ego
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Please reference this thread.

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111270

Apparently I'm supposed to use British usage when I reference the screening of film in the UK. Is this a load of bollocks or what?


Originally Posted by Architect
We have these things called "cinemas" in the UK, not "movie theatres/ers". Theatres are where plays and musicals are shown. It not my language, murder it if you want.........

Me:

'It' is my language, too. In American usage, a 'theatrical' showing for a film means it's playing in a cinema or movie theater for a general paying audience. A film festival showing, however, would not usually be considered a theatrical showing so I was wrong on that score.

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3615282&postcount=7
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With no offense to our British friends, I would say USians should use USian terms and Britons/UK should be free to use British/UK terms (French, French terms, etc.) -- in any area under discussion. For one thing, that helps those who do not know each others to learn each others.
 
Walter Ego said:
Please reference this thread.

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111270

Apparently I'm supposed to use British usage when I reference the screening of film in the UK. Is this a load of bollocks or what?
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It depends on who you are talking to and whether you're introducing confusion or not. If you say 'I went to the theatre the other night' to a Brit, you'd probably need to clarify you mean the movies or risk giving the wrong impression. In international arenas here, if you understand that the terms can be confused it might pay in the future to be specific if you can.

Hell, the US is renown for demanding language aimed at them to be specific for their understanding. Here in Australia we import US novels without them being changed. Books produced here which then find a US market are edited and words are changed.

Athon
 
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fuelair said:
With no offense to our British friends, I would say USians should use USian terms and Britons/UK should be free to use British/UK terms (French, French terms, etc.) -- in any area under discussion. For one thing, that helps those who do not know each others to learn each others.
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Yes.

I can't count the number of times in my travels that I have asked people to repeat what they have said in English in their native language in order to fully grasp what they intended.
 
athon said:
It depends on who you are talking to and whether you're introducing confusion or not. If you say 'I went to the theatre the other night' to a Brit, you'd probably need to clarify you mean the movies or risk giving the wrong impression. In international arenas here, if you understand that the terms can be confused it might pay in the future to be specific if you can.
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Well, I was talking about a film being 'screened theatrically' which is standard American usage for a cinema showing.

Hell, the US is renown for demanding language aimed at them to be specific for their understanding. Here in Australia we import US novels without them being changed. Books produced here which then find a US market are edited and words are changed.
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I haven't read any Aussie novels lately but I do enjoy P.D. James and the American editions are unchanged for US publication. I didn't have any language comprehension problems while reading them.
 
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leonAzul said:
Yes.

I can't count the number of times in my travels that I have asked people to repeat what they have said in English in their native language in order to fully grasp what they intended.
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I had that happen in Florida, too.
 
athon said:
It depends on who you are talking to and whether you're introducing confusion or not. If you say 'I went to the theatre the other night' to a Brit, you'd probably need to clarify you mean the movies or risk giving the wrong impression. In international arenas here, if you understand that the terms can be confused it might pay in the future to be specific if you can.

Hell, the US is renown for demanding language aimed at them to be specific for their understanding. Here in Australia we import US novels without them being changed. Books produced here which then find a US market are edited and words are changed.

Athon
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Could you give us an example of that, please?
 
I can't think of books off-hand but one example is the movie 'The Castle'. 'Tertiary education' was changed to 'college education', some of the legal terms were changed (from memory barrister/solicitor to lawyer) and things like that.
 
Walter Ego said:
Well, I was talking about a film being 'screened theatrically' which is standard American usage for a cinema showing.
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I'm aware, as Australia has a rather strong mix of American and British usage of terms. We're a bastard race ;). Obviously it goes both ways - in international forums, people have to be aware that some terms will vary. We all have to forgive one another's cultural backgrounds. But I feel that if you know it could potentially mislead some people to not quite understand, then it's only helpful to adapt your language a little.

I haven't read any Aussie novels lately but I do enjoy P.D. James and the American editions are unchanged for US publication. I didn't have any language comprehension problems while reading them.
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I read an American copy of one of Nick Earls' (Brisbane author) books, and it was pretty thoroughly butchered. I got to chat with him about it once, and he was upset that we often get books which containing references to things like 'Oreos' (which weren't available here until a few years ago) while his American editor said he couldn't use the term 'Tim Tam' as Americans wouldn't get the reference.

I'm sure a lot of foreign books are destributed directly from the country of origin, however in my experience with American publishing, which also has the force of a lucrative US market behind them, tends to require culturalisation of a script before they'll market it to an American audience.

Athon
 
I thank my Public T V for all the English vocabulary I obtained. Like, "In hospital" "On holiday, "Roundabout", "Car park", "Ballox" and "Innit?". Then there was Viz.
 
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Jeff Corey said:
Could you give us an example of that, please?
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Giraffe gave a great example of a movie where it occured, and I suggested one book (Nick Earls 'Forty Eight Shades of Brown' was the novel, I think). I know of a couple of others by second-hand discussions, such as Bryce Courtney's books, but I haven't read any of his stuff so can't vouch for it personally.

Athon
 
I didn't weigh in on that thread as I didn't want to de-rail it further, but even though in the UK we don't tend to call cinemas theaters, it is not unusual to talk about a film having a "theatrical release", with references to "theatrical trailers" and the like.

Your meaning was clear, and your usage was only incorrect is as much as the film in discussion has a one off screening in a film festival, and not a full theatrical release.
 
Architect was just being a pedantic jerk, no need to fuss about it. :) And that's coming from someone who generally prefers UK English to American English. (I'm French Canadian so I can use whichever English I want. :D)

I wonder though, if the screening had been in France, should you have been required to write the French term, according to him? Silliness. :newlol
 
We also call it "The Pictures" in the UK, as in "We're going to the Pictures".
However, unlike Americans, we never call a film a Picture.
 
brodski said:
I didn't weigh in on that thread as I didn't want to de-rail it further, but even though in the UK we don't tend to call cinemas theaters, it is not unusual to talk about a film having a "theatrical release", with references to "theatrical trailers" and the like.

Your meaning was clear, and your usage was only incorrect is as much as the film in discussion has a one off screening in a film festival, and not a full theatrical release.
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Exactly. Any film buff ought to be very familiar with the term.

I can only think someone must have weed in Archi's cornflakes that morning.
 
I was driving from my flat to the petrol station to clean my windscreen when I heard a noise from the gearbox. I went to raise the bonnet, when I saw that my tyre was flat, so I had to pull the spare out of the boot.
 
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Morrigan said:
Architect was just being a pedantic jerk, no need to fuss about it. :) And that's coming from someone who generally prefers UK English to American English. (I'm French Canadian so I can use whichever English I want. :D)

I wonder though, if the screening had been in France, should you have been required to write the French term, according to him? Silliness. :newlol
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Gee, taa. And to think I resist making comments about horse French......

:rolleyes:
 
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