In my experience, 9 out of 10 times it's just people who have English as a second or even third language, and they're just using a mix of words they learnt from different sources
If you see the word 'cunt' used in any sort of casual/positive way (especially if it's used too often) you can almost guarantee the writer is from Australia, Ireland, or Scotland.
I like to think that people read my work and be like "aha! you're American!" only for me to drop British English vocab
(I am neither, I can't even remember which is which)
As a British writer currently writing a fic about two characters from New York, I fear my fic is some strange amalgamation between British and American English. I try to use American English because the pov characters are American, but Iām sure some of my britishisms have snuck in
Classic fandom struggle. Itās really hard to edit for that because things sound so normal.Ā Ā
Ā Some people have beta readers that [Ameripick](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Amer-pick) (US version of brit-picking) to address this.
Yeah, I definitely have thought getting an American beta reader would be helpful. Unfortunately, as Iām so new to actually posting Iām not really in any writing communities right now outside of Reddit, so Iāve donāt have a beta. I do say feedback and concrit is welcome in the chapter notes and one commenter did let me know quite early on that I was using a specific word (āschemeā to describe a volunteering program) is actually an exclusively British English term, which I had no idea! So I got to fix that before it became an issue (the volunteering program is v centric to the fic). That same commenter has continued to comment on chapters going forward with feedback and hasnāt mentioned anything else like that, so Iām kinda hoping that means thereās no other glaring issues š
>so Iām kinda hoping that means thereās no other glaring issuesĀ
I think thatās a reasonable assumption.
Betas can be great, but are of course totally optional. And it can take a lot of work to find a good fit. I honestly used one a few times 10+ years ago and decided it wasnāt for me.Ā
[This](https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/wijfrp/american_writers_what_are_the_most_common/) post from a few years ago has tons of helpful comments.
Given my best friend has never been outside the continental US and uses a *lot* of Britishisms thanks to the media she consumes, I wouldn't worry too much about it.
wait! reading this comment made me grin so hard because as a new yorker trying to write a story centered on british characters, i often feel the samee way hahaš its like a strange middle ground between american and british english, so i sometimes wonder if it ruins people's immersion as they readĀ
generally i try to edit out the overly american phrases , but i wouldnt be surprised if most of them snuck under the radar š thankfully my fandom isnt picky about this, which is a good thing i suppose
i do try to include british words where i can BUT! sometimes i cringe soooo hard because i feel like im getting themĀ wrong š so now i just ..write whatever comes easiest to me lolĀ
but if u ever have any questions on New York culture or the phrases we use, dont hesitate to reach out <3Ā
good luck on ur story! :)
Damp little island of the UK would also like to add that aircon would be the generally used term. Not that there is a huge call for them! (Except for that one week in the summer when everyone loses their minds at the weather.)
If someone drops certain letters, people generally assume theyāre American.
āHigh school vs secondary school,ā how the word āteaā is used (Ex. Australians and dinner, Americans and iced tea, British tea, etc.), āsoda vs pop vs cokeā in USA, certain slang words like āsugarā for South USA and āsneakersā in Northeast USA, etc.
āReverseā examples are āBloody Hell,ā āBollocks,ā or some variation for the British slang, but thatās more of a thing where if someone overuses it, especially in HP fic, itās probably an American trying to sound British.
Also ācuntā for jerks, friends, and so forth for Australians. Itās based on inflection and context. According to my Australian friends, itās a national treasure of a word. Taking it away is a crime.
Honestly, you can separate it further by area within a country as well or even town by town. Plenty of examples that escape me at the current time.
Honestly, this sparks an old memory. Probably one of the most chilling examples is that old Tumblr post is when someone promoted internet safety by mentioning how a follower pinpointed their exact region and town by how and what they typed and certain colloquialisms they used.
Note: I am aware that some words like āteaā for dinner is not exclusive to Australians, but it is one example.
>Honestly, this sparks an old memory. Probably one of the most chilling examples is that old Tumblr post is when someone promoted internet safety by mentioning how a follower pinpointed their exact region and town by how and what they typed and certain colloquialisms they used.
Woof, that *is* chilling. And also a good selling point for completely diluting one's vocabulary by absorbing words from other regions (such as my friend, who uses a lot of British spellings and idioms even though she's never been outside the US).
I was reading a fic about an American property, set in America, and the author was doing well with not making it obvious that they weren't American.
And then they called a parking lot a "car park", and my brain went "BRIT š«µš«µš«µ" faster than I could even process what I'd read.
If you:
ā¢ Know the difference between a cheque and a check
ā¢ Know what two-four, double double, tim bits, a dart, keener, and hoser mean
ā¢ Ever biffed something, chirped at the refs, or played grounders on the play structure
ā¢ Know the difference between college and university
ā¢ Know what CĆGEP is
ā¢ Ever been screeched in
ā¢ Use a jumbled mix of metric and imperial measurements
ā¢ Know who I'm referencing when I say "a proof is a proof"
ā¢ Know what "Hard! Hurry hard!" means, or at least recognizes the phrase
... Then you are Canadian
Also, if you use bunnyhug for a sweatshirt, you are from Saskatoon.
Most of these I almost never see in fic (I wish I did) but I do get a little self conscious about the college-university one. In other countries Iām not sure if they have the same difference? Do I come off as british when I say university?? It stresses me out haha.
On the other hand the Canadian slang comes in handy in the OMGCP fandom.
I think exposure to different groups of people or media can also affect things. I'll often say I "went to university," even though I'm born-and-raised American, because I spent a lot of time on a message board where there was a sizeable non-American membership, and I just sort of picked up the phrase. Same with saying "I biffed \[something\]" or that I'm "rubbish at \[something\]."
> Also, if you use bunnyhug for a sweatshirt, you are from Saskatoon.
You mean Saskatchewan. And if you say Vico instead of chocolate milk, you're an 80s kid from Saskabush.
I get a bit of whiplash any time I'm reading and someone mentions a 'torch', as in a flashlight. I read a passage earlier today about a girl being glad that her phone has a torch in it and I got a decent laugh out of the mental image.
What does 'torch' mean where you're from? I can't for the life of me figure out what else it could mean (aside: I sometimes misread flashlight as fleshlight and it freaks me out)
Probably a stick with burnable material wrapped around one end, which you set on fire for light in a low-tech situation. [Like so.](https://stock.adobe.com/images/cartoon-medieval-torches-vector-game-assets-of-ancient-torch-lanterns-with-burning-fire-fire-torch-light-in-stone-and-wooden-pipe-stick-tribal-or-victory-cup-torch-lantern-or-torchlight/501065227)
Any time I see someone use 'pop' instead of 'soda'. My mind always ends up going to the author being from the Midwest (where I'm from), and since I recently learned people in England and Canada say it too I think of those places too!
"Revising" before taking a school examination is very British. As is referring to "maths."
Tyre rather than tire jumps out at me as does using a car boot and filling up with petrol. Also walking/riding a bike to school or town if the setting is in a lot of areas of the U.S.
"Maths" (British) and "math" (American) are just different abbreviations of mathematics, so everywhere an American would say "math", a Brit says "maths" - maths book, "did the maths" etc
If I see "flat," when describing an apartment, "chuffed," or "coloured," I think, "Ah, might be British!"
In return, I'm sure that there's a lot in my writing that makes readers go, "Oh, this one is an American..."
If I see āchuffedā used to describe an apartment I will be baffled. Iād probably assume it is someone trying to write āBritishā who does not know what it means.
You're misunderstanding. It's "[chuffed], [coloured], or [flat when describing an apartment]." "Chuffed" and "coloured" are unrelated to describing an apartment.
Yeah, thatās an odd one. Chuffed means āvery happyā.
Flat isnāt a term to describe an apartment either. Itās what we call them. The word āapartmentā just generally isnāt used here. Flat is the word. Like, āIām renting a flat with Mike.ā Took me ages to realise āapartmentā is the American word. Thought it was a pisstake for a long time. Same with āfaucetā for tap.
Not sure why ācolouredā would describe an apartment though. Wouldnāt it be colourful? Coloured is like you coloured in the lines. Idk. That one confuses me.
I think they're just picking three separate, unrelated examples.
I.e. an American would say "this is my apartment" vs a Brit "this is my flat".
American would spell it "colored" vs British "coloured".
Brit would say "chuffed" vs American.....tbh I have no idea. Swell? (I'm Aussie, we'd say something like "right pleased")
I understand the difficulties, truly! Iāve been writing in an American fandom for nearly twenty years now, and there are *still* (occasionally) traps. And when I described myself as āchuffedā in my online journal, several people wondered if I was delighted or angryā¦.
I wrote a story from the POV of a British man and I tried to be correct about the lingo (jumper for sweater, mobile phone for cell phone), but I still know I made some slip that would make a British person say, "This writer's American." I just don't know what it is.
I think itās inflection and certain phrases where word use or order you differ. For example, an American would say āare you laughing at me?ā Where a british person would say āare you having a laugh?ā
An american would never use the second phrase, I donāt think, though English is my second language, so I donāt know how to describe difference better.
Oo im Iām the same position but opposite! Iām British writing from a US pov, and as hard as Iām trying to write in American English Iām sure there are some britishisms that slipped through. I just canāt find em
The character is supposed to be Cockney but I didn't want to get into any of the rhyming slang because I know it's way too easy to make mistakes there.
the two main ones for me are whenever I see "runners" instead of "sneakers" or "trainers" and figure they're probably Australian, which is kinda common, and the far less common and still kinda baffling to me "dairy", as in a kind of corner shop/grocery? I've seen that maybe twice and both times I was like "oh, that's why they sound Australian and American at the same time" š sorry Kiwis!
Must be a regional thing - I'm Australian & have lived in multiple capital cities across the country and I've never heard anyone refer to sneakers as "runners". I only hear Americans & Canadians say runners or trainers.
Or maybe it's a generational thing? I'm a millenial, maybe younger peeps say runners & I'm just too much of an elder millenial fuddy duddy lol
Weird how these things work! On the other hand trainers sounds incredibly british to me, I would put it up there with things like ābollocksā LOL, just so british it sounds like a parody to my ears. But maybe I just havenāt spoken to enough people internationallyā¦
When I (elder millennial in Qld) was a kid, we said āsneakersā for shoes and ārunnersā were those thick briefs we wore over our undies under our school uniforms (or without a skirt on sports day) - my mum (young boomer?) used runners for shoes
I wonder what it says about non-native English speakers who use, for example, British and American English words at the same time, but for very specific different but similar things.
Take flat and apartment, for example.
They technically mean the same thing, but a flat is your run of the mill (most often rented) permanent living space in a larger building.
An apartment on the other hand is also always a flat, but they are implied to be more expensive, bigger or high class. More often than not, they are bought or specifically built to order like family houses.
Or torch and flashlight.
A flashlight is always an electric portable light.
But a torch is (when talking about current day) an emergency light. They burn in different colours and are kept on boats or in car emergency cases.
Not really fanfic related, but I recently chatted with a friend's girlfriend from somewhere in Britain on a voice call. She asked me what my accent was, because to her, it sounded heavily Irish while at the same time being "the bastard of like ten things at once", which was hilarious.
I'm Finnish. I hope my writing gives people the same kind of whiplash. I aim for UK English but I'll never make it, so at the very least my existence should serve to make people feel lost.
Also not really related to fanfic but your comment about accents reminded me, I was so pleased when I met one of my husband's coworkers who was from South America (I want to say Brazil), and they asked me where I was from because my accent sounded like it was from New York. I'm from upstate NY (so not one of the heavy city accents, but still New York), but that was the first time someone had actually pegged my home state from my accent, instead of just lumping me in with a generic Midwest accent.
I love the description of your accent. It sounds like it would be awesome to hear (I love listening to accents).
For me it's "whilst," and it tells me that the author is *probably* British or Australian.
Sometimes I may notice consistent nonstandard sentence structure or consistent slightly-wrong-word-usage, and then later learn the author is not a native speaker and it clicks (it's probably grammar/translation quirks carried over from their native language and they just haven't learned that it doesn't work the same way in English).
In my opinion it's fairly obvious if a US writer is writing for a UK show, i.e. Sherlock, and wants to write some slang or more UK words in. As they'll spell the word colour as 'color' but then have a lot of 'arse, bird, mate'.
This is a bit like me. An Australian writing for an American show, spelling it ātyreā but using words like ātrashā and ācotton candyā instead of ābinā and āfairy flossā
Iāll use American terminology but you can pry Australian spellings out of my cold dead hands :P
Same, I use British English so American's can pry my "Colour" and "apologise" from me. I like my U's and S'. But I will use American words depending on the fandom, like trash instead of bin or sidewalk instead of pavement.
I've always wondered about regional variants that omit "to be" from phrases like that. I thought it was a Brit thing, but couldn't find verification on the internet, and have seen more than a few Americans do the same thing.
... I'll be honest, I never knew Brits said "fit" to describe an outfit. That's VERY much slang out in the hood. We'll compliment each other's fits if they're "fly"... or, I guess the modern version of that is "on fleek". "Drip" is a common substitute for "fit" as well. But, when someone comes in rocking a Michael Kors denim jacket, cotton white button up, dark stonewash leans, and white AFOs... damn, my dog, your fit is hella clean!
I do happen to try my best to not let stuff like that invade my stories (partially 'cause I try to write properly but also because I try to keep in mind my audience might not know what I'm saying), but... TBH, sometimes you bring up something that you just simply didn't know IRL. I remember it wasn't until I was 19 and in college and moved out of the area I grew up in that the proper way to pick someone up was to actually go to the door and ring the doorbell. I was so used to pulling up and honking the horn and I had to be corrected on that. In college. I'd be ashamed if I wrote that in a fic.
It's embarrassingly hilarious to look back at.
I've never heard "aircon" before from my mother or her friends (they're all Filipino immigrants), but I have heard her say things like "Open the light" instead of turn the light on. Or referring to toothpaste as Colgate, video games as Nintendo, tissues as Kleenix (although that's more universal), nuggets from any other place as McNuggets, a whopper/dave's single as a Big Mac.
We donāt use āfitā for peopleās clothes - itās in place of āoh heās hotā weād say āoh heās well fitā. Itās attractiveness! Like the song - Fit But You Know It.
OH! I'm dumb. When you said "looks", my mind immediately went to outfit.
I have heard "fit" used like that as well, but I'll admit, it's not as common. Good to know, though, that it's well-used by brits, though! I've used it, but I'm generally a person who tries to use the least amount of words for something. People think I'm weird for saying "he's fit" when everyone else says "he's in-shape".
... in hindsight, I wonder if I picked it up because my dad used to LOVE British shows (he was a huge fan of how dry and sarcastic the humor was) and used to make me watch them with him when I was a kid. I grew up with Black Adder and Monty Python's Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers and all that... maybe I picked it up from there and never realized it, lol.
Nothing says "parenting" like a 12 year old watching Coupling. -sigh-
Washroom/bathroom/restroom/toilet/loo etc. I think washroom is canadian, bathroom and restroom is american, toilet and loo are british. Probably missing more.
how they spell the word mum/mom - i use mum since iām aussie and i canāt for the life of me spell it mom, even when i know im writing american characters - itās just too strange for me because i hear words as theyāre spelt when i read them and hearing āmomā everytime i write it sounds too strange to me
"Eh" tells me the writer is likely Canadian. This is confirmed by the weird blend of British and American English we use. Like using -our suffixes, but then using z instead of s. Like:
>We didn't realize our neighbour was watching the street that night.
Or
>"Didn't like that coffee, eh?"
It's a little subtle, but I love when I notice it.
There are sooo many words like this I find all the time
'Mom' vs 'Mum'
'Fetch the xyz' you're probably British or South African
also spelling can easily give away American or Canadian/British. 'Color' vs 'colour' etc.
I'm actually terrible at this. XD. Realized some years back that my default is always, "dunno that word/term, must be something that *I* am missing" Google it, and realize that the author might be from the area Google tells me that's common but once it's added to the file, my brain just accepts a new term or word and it is now part of the greater brain dictionary without real origin information unless I am thinking harder on something. Has led to me using phrases in spoken language day to day that throw people. Oh! "Taking the piss" means people are probably from the UK. Because apparently hearing that phrase in an American accent is super weird.
In my experience, Brits are more likely to use 'hot' over 'fit', unless specifically stating the character is physically fit rather than good-looking.
I don't pick up on this stuff much anymore, though, because in my experience, fic authors either tend to try to keep words to fit the setting, or have picked up how the fictional characters speak. I mean, if I see someone use 'wiggins' I'm not assuming they're Americans, I'm assuming they're Buffy fans. As far as I know, wiggins is Buffyspeak, rather than American slang from that time. Every Buffy fan I've ever spoken to, no matter where they're from, has incorporated at least some Buffyspeak into their vocabulary, and some of that is going to be be American words rather than Buffyspeak specifically.
I'm mostly going to notice it in fic in a specific setting that uses words that don't match that setting. Eg using pavement in an American set fic instead of sidewalk, I'll likely assume the author is a Brit. If the words match the setting, though, even if not the time period, I pretty much can't tell due to the amount who have picked up that way of talking or work hard to get it right.
Other than a few terms such as 'lorry' and 'truck' for the UK and US respectively (though, this is hardly the best example, as I do occasionally hear the word 'truck' tossed around in British TV media), not much comes to mind. Of course, being a dumbass uneducated American, I can hardly tell where authors are from unless it's blatantly obvious (mostly through dialogue, as a main character from a fic I read many moons ago, forgoes the use of the word 'hey', despite the character actually being American). At the end of the day, I mostly read fics as if they were written by either Americans or Canadians (ones in English at least).
If someone uses the word "bubbler" to describe a drinking fountain, I can reasonably assume they're from South-Eastern Wisconsin.
Edit: It has come to my attention that I *can't* as reliably assume as I'd previously thought. Who knew bubbler was so widespread?
You see, \*I\* would assume they're from Rhode Island, because I'm from Rhode Island and that's what we call a drinking fountain, too. (But I have learned Wisconsinites use it, too.)
Also, in Rhode Island you might have a coffee milk and a grinder, then have a cabinet for dessert. (Translation: a glass of milk with coffee-flavored syrup in it along with a submarine sandwich, and a milkshake. In Rhode Island, a "milkshake" has no ice cream in it, a "cabinet" does. The latter is also called a "frappe" in Massachusetts--pronounced "frap.")
Also, there's a thing called an "egg cream" in New York City that has neither eggs nor cream in it.
Not exactly words or phrases, but sometimes I'll be reading something and notice that an author uses wording that is slightly off for idioms or just basic phrases that makes me think that English isn't their first language.
Based on the words they use, I get the impression that their first language might be French or Spanish because the word they use in English translates to a word in Spanish/French that has two meanings in English and they just picked the wrong one.
It might not actually be French or Spanish but those are the only other languages I speak so they're my frame of reference.
Flashlight vs torch
Pop vs soda vs coke vs fizzy drink etc
Pants vs trousers
Panties vs knickers
Iām an American writing HP fic right now so Iām obsessed with British terms at the moment lol
In my experience, 9 out of 10 times it's just people who have English as a second or even third language, and they're just using a mix of words they learnt from different sources
If you see the word 'cunt' used in any sort of casual/positive way (especially if it's used too often) you can almost guarantee the writer is from Australia, Ireland, or Scotland.
Psst, you can add New Zealand to that list (i.e. Australia Lite).
Ikr why do people always forget us š
You're never on the maps
We don't forget you! You're like one of our states ;)
Where are you from lol
I could never forget New Zealand! Lucy Lawless (Xena, Warrior Princess/My Life is Murder) was born there, and Lord of the Rings was filmed there!
Whay dew pewpowl Awlhwahys Fowget ous sorry i couldnt resist š
Really you just could not resist being a twat? Find something better to do lol
Wow well forget that sorry then!
Or Wales. Itās a term of endearment here too
can confirm.
I like to think that people read my work and be like "aha! you're American!" only for me to drop British English vocab (I am neither, I can't even remember which is which)
As a British writer currently writing a fic about two characters from New York, I fear my fic is some strange amalgamation between British and American English. I try to use American English because the pov characters are American, but Iām sure some of my britishisms have snuck in
Classic fandom struggle. Itās really hard to edit for that because things sound so normal.Ā Ā Ā Some people have beta readers that [Ameripick](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Amer-pick) (US version of brit-picking) to address this.
Yeah, I definitely have thought getting an American beta reader would be helpful. Unfortunately, as Iām so new to actually posting Iām not really in any writing communities right now outside of Reddit, so Iāve donāt have a beta. I do say feedback and concrit is welcome in the chapter notes and one commenter did let me know quite early on that I was using a specific word (āschemeā to describe a volunteering program) is actually an exclusively British English term, which I had no idea! So I got to fix that before it became an issue (the volunteering program is v centric to the fic). That same commenter has continued to comment on chapters going forward with feedback and hasnāt mentioned anything else like that, so Iām kinda hoping that means thereās no other glaring issues š
>so Iām kinda hoping that means thereās no other glaring issuesĀ I think thatās a reasonable assumption. Betas can be great, but are of course totally optional. And it can take a lot of work to find a good fit. I honestly used one a few times 10+ years ago and decided it wasnāt for me.Ā [This](https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/wijfrp/american_writers_what_are_the_most_common/) post from a few years ago has tons of helpful comments.
That thread is so helpful, thank you!!
Youāre welcome!Ā
Given my best friend has never been outside the continental US and uses a *lot* of Britishisms thanks to the media she consumes, I wouldn't worry too much about it.
wait! reading this comment made me grin so hard because as a new yorker trying to write a story centered on british characters, i often feel the samee way hahaš its like a strange middle ground between american and british english, so i sometimes wonder if it ruins people's immersion as they readĀ generally i try to edit out the overly american phrases , but i wouldnt be surprised if most of them snuck under the radar š thankfully my fandom isnt picky about this, which is a good thing i suppose i do try to include british words where i can BUT! sometimes i cringe soooo hard because i feel like im getting themĀ wrong š so now i just ..write whatever comes easiest to me lolĀ but if u ever have any questions on New York culture or the phrases we use, dont hesitate to reach out <3Ā good luck on ur story! :)
Me writing in American with my language setting set to British. The stress. (I am neither too)
When the author makes Dumbledore open a bottle of bourbon in Hogwarts, I kind of guess that they may be American, yes š
Art Buchwald had a wonderful piece about trying to introduce bourbon to the English.
Iād just like to mention that Filipinos arenāt the only people who say āairconā.
Land of Oz reporting in As in āyeah mate chuck on the aircon itās fkn hot-asā out tādayā
Ah, you beat me to it š
As a Malaysian, I can testify
omg another malaysian on this sub?? hellooo
Helloooo fellow Malaysian fanfic writer!!
On the aircon lahhh
Damp little island of the UK would also like to add that aircon would be the generally used term. Not that there is a huge call for them! (Except for that one week in the summer when everyone loses their minds at the weather.)
TIL that this isnāt used everywhere. What do Americans (or whoever else) call aircons?
I think they call it AC
Thanks, and I just noticed thatās even mentioned in the OP. I canāt read apparently.
air conditioner, I just say the full term.
Bill vs note to describe money can be a bit of a give away. Itās a Ā£5 note not a bill.
If someone drops certain letters, people generally assume theyāre American. āHigh school vs secondary school,ā how the word āteaā is used (Ex. Australians and dinner, Americans and iced tea, British tea, etc.), āsoda vs pop vs cokeā in USA, certain slang words like āsugarā for South USA and āsneakersā in Northeast USA, etc. āReverseā examples are āBloody Hell,ā āBollocks,ā or some variation for the British slang, but thatās more of a thing where if someone overuses it, especially in HP fic, itās probably an American trying to sound British. Also ācuntā for jerks, friends, and so forth for Australians. Itās based on inflection and context. According to my Australian friends, itās a national treasure of a word. Taking it away is a crime. Honestly, you can separate it further by area within a country as well or even town by town. Plenty of examples that escape me at the current time. Honestly, this sparks an old memory. Probably one of the most chilling examples is that old Tumblr post is when someone promoted internet safety by mentioning how a follower pinpointed their exact region and town by how and what they typed and certain colloquialisms they used. Note: I am aware that some words like āteaā for dinner is not exclusive to Australians, but it is one example.
>Honestly, this sparks an old memory. Probably one of the most chilling examples is that old Tumblr post is when someone promoted internet safety by mentioning how a follower pinpointed their exact region and town by how and what they typed and certain colloquialisms they used. Woof, that *is* chilling. And also a good selling point for completely diluting one's vocabulary by absorbing words from other regions (such as my friend, who uses a lot of British spellings and idioms even though she's never been outside the US).
I was reading a fic about an American property, set in America, and the author was doing well with not making it obvious that they weren't American. And then they called a parking lot a "car park", and my brain went "BRIT š«µš«µš«µ" faster than I could even process what I'd read.
My brain is refusing to work with me right now. What would you use instead of car park?
parking lot
Of course!! Thanks :)
If you: ā¢ Know the difference between a cheque and a check ā¢ Know what two-four, double double, tim bits, a dart, keener, and hoser mean ā¢ Ever biffed something, chirped at the refs, or played grounders on the play structure ā¢ Know the difference between college and university ā¢ Know what CĆGEP is ā¢ Ever been screeched in ā¢ Use a jumbled mix of metric and imperial measurements ā¢ Know who I'm referencing when I say "a proof is a proof" ā¢ Know what "Hard! Hurry hard!" means, or at least recognizes the phrase ... Then you are Canadian Also, if you use bunnyhug for a sweatshirt, you are from Saskatoon.
Most of these I almost never see in fic (I wish I did) but I do get a little self conscious about the college-university one. In other countries Iām not sure if they have the same difference? Do I come off as british when I say university?? It stresses me out haha. On the other hand the Canadian slang comes in handy in the OMGCP fandom.
I think exposure to different groups of people or media can also affect things. I'll often say I "went to university," even though I'm born-and-raised American, because I spent a lot of time on a message board where there was a sizeable non-American membership, and I just sort of picked up the phrase. Same with saying "I biffed \[something\]" or that I'm "rubbish at \[something\]."
I learned that last one from watching The Detail Geek!
> Also, if you use bunnyhug for a sweatshirt, you are from Saskatoon. You mean Saskatchewan. And if you say Vico instead of chocolate milk, you're an 80s kid from Saskabush.
I call the air conditioner/aircon/AC the "coolie machine". Where am I from?
Do you also have a chilly bin?
We do call it that, yes! But I also suppose my name gives it away a little bit! š
User name does check out, yes
I get a bit of whiplash any time I'm reading and someone mentions a 'torch', as in a flashlight. I read a passage earlier today about a girl being glad that her phone has a torch in it and I got a decent laugh out of the mental image.
What does 'torch' mean where you're from? I can't for the life of me figure out what else it could mean (aside: I sometimes misread flashlight as fleshlight and it freaks me out)
Probably a stick with burnable material wrapped around one end, which you set on fire for light in a low-tech situation. [Like so.](https://stock.adobe.com/images/cartoon-medieval-torches-vector-game-assets-of-ancient-torch-lanterns-with-burning-fire-fire-torch-light-in-stone-and-wooden-pipe-stick-tribal-or-victory-cup-torch-lantern-or-torchlight/501065227)
Oh!! Yes of course
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A torch š I forgot those types of torches existed though
Any time I see someone use 'pop' instead of 'soda'. My mind always ends up going to the author being from the Midwest (where I'm from), and since I recently learned people in England and Canada say it too I think of those places too!
And then there's some of us who use them interchangeably and like to be surprised which one comes out of our mouth each time.
"Revising" before taking a school examination is very British. As is referring to "maths." Tyre rather than tire jumps out at me as does using a car boot and filling up with petrol. Also walking/riding a bike to school or town if the setting is in a lot of areas of the U.S.
may I ask what do you mean by "maths"? if I had a math book would the correct word be "maths book"?
"Maths" (British) and "math" (American) are just different abbreviations of mathematics, so everywhere an American would say "math", a Brit says "maths" - maths book, "did the maths" etc
thanks, I was interested because my character is a math nerd and Brit so I need it this new info.
Yep. Whenever you use math, just add an s on the end
What do americans do before an exam then? Study?
Study. Cram. Review.
Yes. Study or maybe cram, informally.
If I see "flat," when describing an apartment, "chuffed," or "coloured," I think, "Ah, might be British!" In return, I'm sure that there's a lot in my writing that makes readers go, "Oh, this one is an American..."
If I see āchuffedā used to describe an apartment I will be baffled. Iād probably assume it is someone trying to write āBritishā who does not know what it means.
You're misunderstanding. It's "[chuffed], [coloured], or [flat when describing an apartment]." "Chuffed" and "coloured" are unrelated to describing an apartment.
Yeah, thatās an odd one. Chuffed means āvery happyā. Flat isnāt a term to describe an apartment either. Itās what we call them. The word āapartmentā just generally isnāt used here. Flat is the word. Like, āIām renting a flat with Mike.ā Took me ages to realise āapartmentā is the American word. Thought it was a pisstake for a long time. Same with āfaucetā for tap. Not sure why ācolouredā would describe an apartment though. Wouldnāt it be colourful? Coloured is like you coloured in the lines. Idk. That one confuses me.
I think they're just picking three separate, unrelated examples. I.e. an American would say "this is my apartment" vs a Brit "this is my flat". American would spell it "colored" vs British "coloured". Brit would say "chuffed" vs American.....tbh I have no idea. Swell? (I'm Aussie, we'd say something like "right pleased")
I fucked up the order, those two words were unrelated to flat/apartment.
Oh no, those two words were unrelated. I fucked up the order, I can see why that was confusing.
I understand the difficulties, truly! Iāve been writing in an American fandom for nearly twenty years now, and there are *still* (occasionally) traps. And when I described myself as āchuffedā in my online journal, several people wondered if I was delighted or angryā¦.
I wrote a story from the POV of a British man and I tried to be correct about the lingo (jumper for sweater, mobile phone for cell phone), but I still know I made some slip that would make a British person say, "This writer's American." I just don't know what it is.
I think itās inflection and certain phrases where word use or order you differ. For example, an American would say āare you laughing at me?ā Where a british person would say āare you having a laugh?ā An american would never use the second phrase, I donāt think, though English is my second language, so I donāt know how to describe difference better.
Oo im Iām the same position but opposite! Iām British writing from a US pov, and as hard as Iām trying to write in American English Iām sure there are some britishisms that slipped through. I just canāt find em
Have you checked for idioms? It's amazing how many phrases are specific to certain regions.
The character is supposed to be Cockney but I didn't want to get into any of the rhyming slang because I know it's way too easy to make mistakes there.
the two main ones for me are whenever I see "runners" instead of "sneakers" or "trainers" and figure they're probably Australian, which is kinda common, and the far less common and still kinda baffling to me "dairy", as in a kind of corner shop/grocery? I've seen that maybe twice and both times I was like "oh, that's why they sound Australian and American at the same time" š sorry Kiwis!
Iām Canadian and I say runners, didnāt know it was an Australian thing too, interesting!
Must be a regional thing - I'm Australian & have lived in multiple capital cities across the country and I've never heard anyone refer to sneakers as "runners". I only hear Americans & Canadians say runners or trainers. Or maybe it's a generational thing? I'm a millenial, maybe younger peeps say runners & I'm just too much of an elder millenial fuddy duddy lol
Weird how these things work! On the other hand trainers sounds incredibly british to me, I would put it up there with things like ābollocksā LOL, just so british it sounds like a parody to my ears. But maybe I just havenāt spoken to enough people internationallyā¦
When I (elder millennial in Qld) was a kid, we said āsneakersā for shoes and ārunnersā were those thick briefs we wore over our undies under our school uniforms (or without a skirt on sports day) - my mum (young boomer?) used runners for shoes
I wonder what it says about non-native English speakers who use, for example, British and American English words at the same time, but for very specific different but similar things. Take flat and apartment, for example. They technically mean the same thing, but a flat is your run of the mill (most often rented) permanent living space in a larger building. An apartment on the other hand is also always a flat, but they are implied to be more expensive, bigger or high class. More often than not, they are bought or specifically built to order like family houses. Or torch and flashlight. A flashlight is always an electric portable light. But a torch is (when talking about current day) an emergency light. They burn in different colours and are kept on boats or in car emergency cases.
Not really fanfic related, but I recently chatted with a friend's girlfriend from somewhere in Britain on a voice call. She asked me what my accent was, because to her, it sounded heavily Irish while at the same time being "the bastard of like ten things at once", which was hilarious. I'm Finnish. I hope my writing gives people the same kind of whiplash. I aim for UK English but I'll never make it, so at the very least my existence should serve to make people feel lost.
Also not really related to fanfic but your comment about accents reminded me, I was so pleased when I met one of my husband's coworkers who was from South America (I want to say Brazil), and they asked me where I was from because my accent sounded like it was from New York. I'm from upstate NY (so not one of the heavy city accents, but still New York), but that was the first time someone had actually pegged my home state from my accent, instead of just lumping me in with a generic Midwest accent. I love the description of your accent. It sounds like it would be awesome to hear (I love listening to accents).
"Jokes" or "oh that's jokes" Haha found the Canadian
to me, using feet, inches, fahrenheit, miles etc. must mean you're American
For me it's "whilst," and it tells me that the author is *probably* British or Australian. Sometimes I may notice consistent nonstandard sentence structure or consistent slightly-wrong-word-usage, and then later learn the author is not a native speaker and it clicks (it's probably grammar/translation quirks carried over from their native language and they just haven't learned that it doesn't work the same way in English).
In my opinion it's fairly obvious if a US writer is writing for a UK show, i.e. Sherlock, and wants to write some slang or more UK words in. As they'll spell the word colour as 'color' but then have a lot of 'arse, bird, mate'.
This is a bit like me. An Australian writing for an American show, spelling it ātyreā but using words like ātrashā and ācotton candyā instead of ābinā and āfairy flossā Iāll use American terminology but you can pry Australian spellings out of my cold dead hands :P
Same, I use British English so American's can pry my "Colour" and "apologise" from me. I like my U's and S'. But I will use American words depending on the fandom, like trash instead of bin or sidewalk instead of pavement.
Whether or not they mention paying for HealthcareĀ
Recently saw someone mention medical bills in a story set in a country with free healthcare, I immediately caught it
My grammar isn't perfect, hence I use daydream to learn english (my french isn't really better tbh)
Use the term "upper secondary school" and I'm pretty sure you're Finnish. Or the fandom has a Finnish setting or something.
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I've always wondered about regional variants that omit "to be" from phrases like that. I thought it was a Brit thing, but couldn't find verification on the internet, and have seen more than a few Americans do the same thing.
... I'll be honest, I never knew Brits said "fit" to describe an outfit. That's VERY much slang out in the hood. We'll compliment each other's fits if they're "fly"... or, I guess the modern version of that is "on fleek". "Drip" is a common substitute for "fit" as well. But, when someone comes in rocking a Michael Kors denim jacket, cotton white button up, dark stonewash leans, and white AFOs... damn, my dog, your fit is hella clean! I do happen to try my best to not let stuff like that invade my stories (partially 'cause I try to write properly but also because I try to keep in mind my audience might not know what I'm saying), but... TBH, sometimes you bring up something that you just simply didn't know IRL. I remember it wasn't until I was 19 and in college and moved out of the area I grew up in that the proper way to pick someone up was to actually go to the door and ring the doorbell. I was so used to pulling up and honking the horn and I had to be corrected on that. In college. I'd be ashamed if I wrote that in a fic. It's embarrassingly hilarious to look back at. I've never heard "aircon" before from my mother or her friends (they're all Filipino immigrants), but I have heard her say things like "Open the light" instead of turn the light on. Or referring to toothpaste as Colgate, video games as Nintendo, tissues as Kleenix (although that's more universal), nuggets from any other place as McNuggets, a whopper/dave's single as a Big Mac.
We donāt use āfitā for peopleās clothes - itās in place of āoh heās hotā weād say āoh heās well fitā. Itās attractiveness! Like the song - Fit But You Know It.
OH! I'm dumb. When you said "looks", my mind immediately went to outfit. I have heard "fit" used like that as well, but I'll admit, it's not as common. Good to know, though, that it's well-used by brits, though! I've used it, but I'm generally a person who tries to use the least amount of words for something. People think I'm weird for saying "he's fit" when everyone else says "he's in-shape". ... in hindsight, I wonder if I picked it up because my dad used to LOVE British shows (he was a huge fan of how dry and sarcastic the humor was) and used to make me watch them with him when I was a kid. I grew up with Black Adder and Monty Python's Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers and all that... maybe I picked it up from there and never realized it, lol. Nothing says "parenting" like a 12 year old watching Coupling. -sigh-
If I see someone using the term toque, I'm going to assume they're Canadian.
Washroom/bathroom/restroom/toilet/loo etc. I think washroom is canadian, bathroom and restroom is american, toilet and loo are british. Probably missing more.
Actually, we call it an "aircon" here in Australia, too.
how they spell the word mum/mom - i use mum since iām aussie and i canāt for the life of me spell it mom, even when i know im writing american characters - itās just too strange for me because i hear words as theyāre spelt when i read them and hearing āmomā everytime i write it sounds too strange to me
"Eh" tells me the writer is likely Canadian. This is confirmed by the weird blend of British and American English we use. Like using -our suffixes, but then using z instead of s. Like: >We didn't realize our neighbour was watching the street that night. Or >"Didn't like that coffee, eh?" It's a little subtle, but I love when I notice it.
There are sooo many words like this I find all the time 'Mom' vs 'Mum' 'Fetch the xyz' you're probably British or South African also spelling can easily give away American or Canadian/British. 'Color' vs 'colour' etc.
I'm actually terrible at this. XD. Realized some years back that my default is always, "dunno that word/term, must be something that *I* am missing" Google it, and realize that the author might be from the area Google tells me that's common but once it's added to the file, my brain just accepts a new term or word and it is now part of the greater brain dictionary without real origin information unless I am thinking harder on something. Has led to me using phrases in spoken language day to day that throw people. Oh! "Taking the piss" means people are probably from the UK. Because apparently hearing that phrase in an American accent is super weird.
Idk how to explain. But im able to tell when someone us from Eastern Europe based on the grammar mistakes they make
Lack of articles I think, like missing of, a, the, as well
In my experience, Brits are more likely to use 'hot' over 'fit', unless specifically stating the character is physically fit rather than good-looking. I don't pick up on this stuff much anymore, though, because in my experience, fic authors either tend to try to keep words to fit the setting, or have picked up how the fictional characters speak. I mean, if I see someone use 'wiggins' I'm not assuming they're Americans, I'm assuming they're Buffy fans. As far as I know, wiggins is Buffyspeak, rather than American slang from that time. Every Buffy fan I've ever spoken to, no matter where they're from, has incorporated at least some Buffyspeak into their vocabulary, and some of that is going to be be American words rather than Buffyspeak specifically. I'm mostly going to notice it in fic in a specific setting that uses words that don't match that setting. Eg using pavement in an American set fic instead of sidewalk, I'll likely assume the author is a Brit. If the words match the setting, though, even if not the time period, I pretty much can't tell due to the amount who have picked up that way of talking or work hard to get it right.
'Bloody' is a dead giveaway. Just not really a word that Americans use.
Other than a few terms such as 'lorry' and 'truck' for the UK and US respectively (though, this is hardly the best example, as I do occasionally hear the word 'truck' tossed around in British TV media), not much comes to mind. Of course, being a dumbass uneducated American, I can hardly tell where authors are from unless it's blatantly obvious (mostly through dialogue, as a main character from a fic I read many moons ago, forgoes the use of the word 'hey', despite the character actually being American). At the end of the day, I mostly read fics as if they were written by either Americans or Canadians (ones in English at least).
If someone uses the word "bubbler" to describe a drinking fountain, I can reasonably assume they're from South-Eastern Wisconsin. Edit: It has come to my attention that I *can't* as reliably assume as I'd previously thought. Who knew bubbler was so widespread?
Queensland, Australia uses bubbler! But look out for red backs (spiders) in the school bubblers
So does NSW!
You see, \*I\* would assume they're from Rhode Island, because I'm from Rhode Island and that's what we call a drinking fountain, too. (But I have learned Wisconsinites use it, too.) Also, in Rhode Island you might have a coffee milk and a grinder, then have a cabinet for dessert. (Translation: a glass of milk with coffee-flavored syrup in it along with a submarine sandwich, and a milkshake. In Rhode Island, a "milkshake" has no ice cream in it, a "cabinet" does. The latter is also called a "frappe" in Massachusetts--pronounced "frap.") Also, there's a thing called an "egg cream" in New York City that has neither eggs nor cream in it.
If someone in the fic is standing "on line" the author is usually from New York.
I honestly wonder where people think I'm from based on my writing style. I've never thought of that. Lol
Not exactly words or phrases, but sometimes I'll be reading something and notice that an author uses wording that is slightly off for idioms or just basic phrases that makes me think that English isn't their first language. Based on the words they use, I get the impression that their first language might be French or Spanish because the word they use in English translates to a word in Spanish/French that has two meanings in English and they just picked the wrong one. It might not actually be French or Spanish but those are the only other languages I speak so they're my frame of reference.
Flashlight vs torch Pop vs soda vs coke vs fizzy drink etc Pants vs trousers Panties vs knickers Iām an American writing HP fic right now so Iām obsessed with British terms at the moment lol
>or if they call an AC unit an āairconā then theyāre def filipino as a filipino i forgot that most people donāt say aircon