American English

[TessTS]

Would you like to study American English? Have you been studying it already? If so, why do you prefer this version of English to others? Share your experiences of communicating with native American English speakers. What were they like: positive, negative, funny perhaps?

[USAman]

Живу я здесь. Существует ~190 диалектов Английского. Если Ваш учитель сможет объяснить разницу - тогда выбирайте.
Еще в России год слушал английский на плеере и видео 24/7, читал книжки и пересказывал содержание - помогло здорово. В США сразу пришлось говорить и слушать. Писать мало - формы в основном и недельные отчеты по работе.
Бывал и в Лондон (Великобритания). Понимание - одинаковый уровень. Мой акцент - это навсегда. Говорите медленно, разделяя слова - и Вас поймут.

В Лондоне хотел блеснуть перед местным насчет "Raining Cats and Dogs" (любимый пример моей преподавательницы центральный курсов Английского в Москве) - воцарилась пауза... Все русские меня поняли. Все англичане - нет. Англичанин спросил: "О чем это ты? Непонятно. Никогда не встречали".

Lorry - Truck, Lift - Elevator - это все мелочи. Выучивается со второго раза.
Нулевой этаж в Лондоне и Однокомнатная Квартира из двух комнат в США  - это тоже легко.
С шутками нужно быть осторожнее - забавные в США могут оказаться оскорбительными в Лондоне.

Даже в Англии есть много диалектов:

English language in England:

    Northern (In the northeast, local speech is akin to Scots)[2]
        Cheshire
        Cumbrian (Cumbria including Barrow-in-Furness)
        Geordie (Tyneside)
        Lancastrian (Lancashire)
        Mackem (Sunderland)
        Mancunian-Salfordian (Manchester & Salford)
        Northumbrian (rural Northumberland)
        Pitmatic (Durham and Northumberland)
        Scouse (Liverpool)
        Smoggie (spoken in Teesside)
        Yorkshire (also known as Broad Yorkshire) (spoken in Yorkshire)
    East Midlands
    West Midlands
        Black Country
        Brummie (Birmingham)
        Potteries (north Staffordshire)
        Telford (east Shropshire)
    East Anglian
        Norfolk
        Suffolk
    Southern
        Received Pronunciation (also known as Queen's English or BBC English)
        Cockney (working-class London and surrounding areas)
        Essex
        Estuary (Thames Estuary)
        Kentish (Kent)
        Multicultural London English (Inner London)
        Sussex
    West Country
        Anglo-Cornish
        Bristolian

Scotland

    Scottish English
        Highland English
        Glaswegian
    Scots (sister language originating from Middle English)
        Doric (North East of Scotland)
        Shetlandic (Shetland Islands)

Wales

    Welsh English
        Cardiff
        Gower

Northern Ireland

    Mid Ulster English
        Belfast
        Derry
    Ulster Scots
    South Ulster

[TessTS]

USAman, I thought it wouldn’t be a problem for someone living in the US to express his opinion in English, especially here in the Speak English section (smile). Why do you prefer Russian? Where in America do you live? How long have you lived there?

[USAman]

Thanks for your notes! English version:
I live here. There are 190 dialects of English. If you teacher can explain to you the difference then you can choose.
Before I left Russia I had listen to English using audio and video players 24/7, I had read books and re-told what I remembered - it helped me a lot.
I didn't write a lot - mainly I felt forms and wrote weekly reports about work.
I has been in London (GB). My understanding was on the same level. I have my accent forever.
Tell slowly, and people will understand you.

To be continued.

Thanks for corrections in advance.

[TessTS]

Thank you USAman!

Corrections? ‘I has been in London’ and ‘Tell slowly’ certainly sound rather odd. Shouldn’t it be ‘I have been to London’ and ‘Speak slowly’? Also ‘I filled in forms’ instead of ‘I felt forms’ and ‘I had listened to English …’ Could be just slips of the tongue, of course. 

[TessTS]

В Лондоне хотел блеснуть перед местным насчет "Raining Cats and Dogs" (любимый пример моей преподавательницы центральный курсов Английского в Москве) - воцарилась пауза...

Yes, I agree, it’s archaic and never used by native speakers nowadays.

Speaking of idioms with ‘rain’ and American idioms in particular, here is a good one: ‘to take a rain check’. Anyone knows what it means?

[Boyar]

TessTS, I think I could tell you what this idiom means ... not now, but next time for sure

[TessTS]

TessTS, I think I could tell you what this idiom means ...

I am looking forward to it! 

[adwise43]

There it is in the ABBYY Lingvo x5 electronic dictionary.

[Boyar]

I am looking forward to it! 

Not now, TessTS ... but next time for sure

 

[Boyar]

... x5 electronic ...

Looks like something prescribed by a doctor   ... I think I'll follow your advice .. not right now though, but next time for sure

(I'm not turning anything down ... just taking a rain check    )

[элисс]

Hi!I am a newcommer. Help me please to approve my poore language.

[mid]

... Where in America do you live? How long have you lived there?

Why not "... have you been living here"? I know they are not using this "complicated" tense in everyday English, and I am interested:
*) why do they not?
**) why does my tongue "wants" this long variant, meaning: "it (some process) started long ago, and it is continuing at this time"?

[TessTS]

... Where in America do you live? How long have you lived there?

Why not "... have you been living here"? I know they are not using this "complicated" tense in everyday English, and I am interested:
*) why do they not?

They do sometimes, both variants are correct, although “How long have you lived …” is more common.

[mid]

Thanks, TessTS.

[TessTS]

You are welcome.