Klarinet Archive - Posting 000302.txt from 2004/03

From: Joe Fasel <jhf@------.gov>
Subj: Re: [kl] English and American
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 11:10:32 -0500

Fred,

OK, just a couple of points before I (try to) get off this OT thread:

What I meant was that "mind" used this way is certainly part of my
language and doesn't sound quaint or curious to me. Maybe it's
a regionalism.

We have a roundabout in Los Alamos, and there are signs on the
approaches that say "roundabout". I'm told that "traffic circle"
is the usual term on this side of the pond. It could be that
our use of the word derives from so many of us in this small
town having been to the UK with some frequency.

Cheers,
--Joe

On 2004.03.05 08:59, Fred Wilson wrote:
> The point is that it has no cultural basis in the States. It is a logical
> use of words, to be sure. No reason I know of exists why it is funny or
> wrong. But since it is not used in the State, and is ubiquitous in England
> it takes some getting used to. There is nothing in the world wrong in
> distinguishing coach from bus - but when looking for transportation in the
> UK one had better know the difference, a difference that does not exist in
> the States. It is amusing because, I think, we Americans are laughing at our
> ineptness in deciphering the cultural use of words in ways we do not
> understand. My all time favorite UK-ism is "roundabout" which I did not
> understand before driving in the UK and still enter with great trepidation.
> Perhaps they make all the sense in the world - still it's representative of
> the cultural differences that makes language less powerful to communicate.
>
> Fred Wilson
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Fasel" <jhf@------.gov>
> To: <klarinet@------.org>
> Sent: Friday, March 05, 2004 9:35 AM
> Subject: Re: [kl] English and American
>
>
> > I keep hearing other Americans being amused by "Mind the gap",
> > and I must say, I don't get it. This strikes me as perfectly
> > good usage in anybody's variety of English. How else would
> > you say it? I suppose it could be "Watch the gap", but that's
> > not really as good, is it? You're meant not just to look at
> > the gap, but to be mindful of it. Is there something unusual
> > about my American English?
> >
> > Cheers,
> > --Joe
> > On 2004.03.05 08:20, Fred Wilson wrote:
> > > ... And then there's "Mind the Gap!"
> > > which made sense to me only after taking the "tube" all over London.
> >
> > Joseph H. Fasel, Ph.D. email: jhf@------.gov
> > Systems Planning and Analysis phone: +1 505 667 7158
> > University of California fax: +1 505 667 2960
> > Los Alamos National Laboratory post: D-2 MS F609; Los Alamos, NM
> 87545
> >
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Joseph H. Fasel, Ph.D. email: jhf@------.gov
Systems Planning and Analysis phone: +1 505 667 7158
University of California fax: +1 505 667 2960
Los Alamos National Laboratory post: D-2 MS F609; Los Alamos, NM 87545