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How American are you now?
Topic Started: Aug 5 2010, 10:06:23 PM (10,123 Views)
shylady
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oldYank
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gpierce
Sep 7 2010, 09:36:31 PM
I even have red toolbox for the chev, and a blue one for the ford;)
awwwww :lurve: :goodonya:
"I could’ve turned a different corner, I could’ve gone another place... " ku,'09
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Dev
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"No day but today."
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I'm amazed at how popular this thread is. :) That's kind of cool.

Well, I won't be any less American tonight (depending who you ask I suppose), but I will be more Australian - I have my citizenship ceremony tonight at 7:30 PM.
Devon
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"What a shame that bitter irony has no nutritional value." :mrgreen:
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AmbroseChick
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Dev
Sep 8 2010, 07:52:14 AM
I'm amazed at how popular this thread is. :) That's kind of cool.

Well, I won't be any less American tonight (depending who you ask I suppose), but I will be more Australian - I have my citizenship ceremony tonight at 7:30 PM.
Congrats Dev! I am 15 months away from being eligible for citizenship!
Check it out! Facebook page: Americans Living in Queensland
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shylady
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Dev
Sep 8 2010, 07:52:14 AM
I have my citizenship ceremony tonight at 7:30 PM.
:yaay: CONGRATS, Dev... FINALLY! :hugs: :partydots:
"I could’ve turned a different corner, I could’ve gone another place... " ku,'09
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TerritorianTori
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Dev
Sep 8 2010, 07:52:14 AM
Well, I won't be any less American tonight (depending who you ask I suppose), but I will be more Australian - I have my citizenship ceremony tonight at 7:30 PM.
Congrats, Dev! :congrats:
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CynicalCountess
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Congrats, Dev!
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Dev
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"No day but today."
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Thanks. :)
Devon
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"What a shame that bitter irony has no nutritional value." :mrgreen:
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JenbeTas
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:congrats: And yes! It's about time!!! Hoorraaayyy!!!!
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mamkai
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Kim, WAIT! I just bought a giant bag of dried pinto beans at Casa Iberica on Johnston ? street in Fitzroy the other day. If your experience with Borlotti beans is anywhere close to mine, you won't be trying them again! I burned them twice, and although they look similar, I did not think they were a very good substitute. They tasted great in my minestrone soup when I finally cooked them right.
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KimInMellie
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lol Thanks Margo! I tried the canned borlotti beans in my chili a few nights ago and they were fine, but I did miss the creamier texture of pintos. I'll check out Casa Iberica the next time I'm in Fitzroy. :)

And congrats, Dev!
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mamkai
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Sep 3 2010, 12:37:13 AM


When I first arrived I would refer to the local interstate as THE 80/90, and my co-worker would keep trying to change how I referenced it, but then I was easily able to refer to I25 without prefacing with THE.

This is regional in the US as well. I have lived in several different states in the Western and Eastern US and when I moved to MD my friend informed me that obviously I was from California because I said "take The 95" instead of "take 95". I actually grew up in Utah where they (we??) say "take I-15" so somewhere along the lines I had switched. Funny, because I had never, ever noticed that I was or wasn't speaking like a local.

I don't necessarily think that people are actively trying to be different when not adopting the local vernacular. I just feel incredibly funny saying "how we goin'" that I can't do it. Yet. Maybe I just haven't been here long enough, but it just feels too funny.

My son came home and was quite proud of himself when he was able to help the Aussie kids understand the "or" blend because they weren't able to hear that it was different from "aw". Never would have thought of that, and I certainly know that it goes both ways.

Incidentally, when I do the "accent quiz" on facebook, or wherever I stumbled upon it, it says I have no accent. I'm finding this all so fun and interesting... maybe a linguistics course is in order.
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Bindie
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Margo
Sep 9 2010, 06:55:59 PM
I don't necessarily think that people are actively trying to be different when not adopting the local vernacular. I just feel incredibly funny saying "how we goin'" that I can't do it. Yet. Maybe I just haven't been here long enough, but it just feels too funny.
Mebbe if feels funny because it's "how ya goin" not "how we goin" LOL

Actually it's Hi!Howyagoin?

=)
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mamkai
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ha ha, maybe that is why. But I swear the man at the park my first day here said "how we goin'" to me and my 3 kids. Then again, it took me awhile to even figure out what he said. I'll try "howyagoin" and see how it feels :mrgreen:
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Reader3333
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KimInMellie
Sep 9 2010, 05:16:14 PM
I tried the canned borlotti beans in my chili a few nights ago and they were fine, but I did miss the creamier texture of pintos. I'll check out Casa Iberica the next time I'm in Fitzroy. :)

Oh Kim, I'm so sorry you didn't like them. I swear they taste the same to me. I used the dried beans though- not the canned one's. I have never been a huge fan of canned beans unless they're refried. When I made them I used the Fiesta Pinto Bean seasoning and if I had Borlotti and Pinto's side by side I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I ordered some dried Pinto's from that Fireworks place online. A little pricey but if you can't find the beans around- worth the price.
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KimInMellie
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Vicki, the borlottis were fine! The flavour of my chili certainly wasn't lacking. :) However, if, as Margo indicated, I can get pintos close by, I'll go for it. No worries!
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Go that way really, really fast. If something gets in your way, turn. -- Charles De Mar
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Ausson
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So let me get this straight. y'all is referring to one person. Is it then possible to refer to just 'you', leaving off the 'all' and referring to only one part of them?

I think you'll find that some people will say 'how we goin', it is a more familiar reference, including themselves in the group being referred to. I know it would be something I'd say to a group with little kids in it.

As for accents I think each has their quirks. Like I could never tell the difference between Dawn and Don if an American was saying the name. But then I also got caught out when my dad asked about a pawn shop at the same time we were driving through the seedy part of Colorado Springs, right where the adult book shop (ok, porn shop) is located.

Congrats Devon on your citizenship.
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TerritorianTori
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Ausson
Sep 12 2010, 05:36:24 PM
So let me get this straight. y'all is referring to one person. Is it then possible to refer to just 'you', leaving off the 'all' and referring to only one part of them?
LOL. Of course people say "you". They also say "y'all". It depends on the situation.
Don't try to make sense of it. It'll do your head in. ;)

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I think you'll find that some people will say 'how we goin', it is a more familiar reference, including themselves in the group being referred to. I know it would be something I'd say to a group with little kids in it.
I wouldn't make a habit of saying, "How we going?" in adult company. It'll make you sound pretentious.
But if you can pull of a "Hihowyagoin?" (bonus points if it's one word and slightly strine), you'll be doing well! :)
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MB20LightsMyFire
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KimInMellie
Sep 6 2010, 01:01:17 PM
Ausson
 
'diagram a sentence'... I guess I'm showing that my education was not in the US because I have no idea what that means.
Well, that explains why my stepson looks at me weirdly when I ask him about that (he's in grade 4; we did sentence diagramming in grades 3/4 when I was a kid).

As for nicknaming the opposite, that happens in the US, too. I have an uncle whose nickname is Speedy. It's not 'cause he's fast. ;) I have an uncle Buddy, too (though he is in fact quite friendly), and my dad's nickname is Hambone. I have no idea how he got that name, and no one has been able to explain it to me. :headscratch:
My son is obsessively clean and we call him "Mucky." ;)
-Kim

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wasinaznowinoz
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Great thread, everyone! I'm married to an Aussie and get ridiculed all the time. I'm still comfortable saying things the way I said them for the 37 years before moving to Aus, so here's my list (in addition to all the ones already mentioned):

Diaper
Ketchup
Sneakers (or gym shoes)

We compromise and use "mother", "fuel", "garbage bin", and "al-foil".

And I still spell things with the letter "z". Hey, it's the most neglected letter of the alphabet and deserves some play!

When I write dates I insist on spelling out the month, ie today would be 14 September 2010.

I still tear up when I hear the "Star Spangled Banner," and would cheerfully murder for a plate of machaca flautas.

Sunshine, where in Arizona did you live? I was variously in Glendale, North Phoenix, Scottsdale and PV.
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sunshine
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wasinaznowinoz
Sep 14 2010, 01:28:52 PM
We compromise and use "mother", "fuel", "garbage bin", and "al-foil".

And I still spell things with the letter "z". Hey, it's the most neglected letter of the alphabet and deserves some play!

When I write dates I insist on spelling out the month, ie today would be 14 September 2010.

I still tear up when I hear the "Star Spangled Banner," and would cheerfully murder for a plate of machaca flautas.

Sunshine, where in Arizona did you live? I was variously in Glendale, North Phoenix, Scottsdale and PV.
I can only say the last letter of the alphabet as "zed" when talking about ANZ bank or any given website here, which often ends in .co.nz. Boyfriend's on his own with the "haitch" thing though, Kiwis don't say it either.

I didn't think I'd miss Filiberto's, but that showed me. One of the two Mexican restaurants in Hobart was closed down and rebranded as a seafood restaurant - right, because the Hobart waterfront really needs more seafood. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: We were both gutted when we heard about it. Wellington has a number of Mexican-ish restaurants, which is nice but it's never quite the same.

I grew up in Gilbert and then lived in Tempe while going to ASU. Nice to see someone else from the Valley. :wave:
Steph
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