The official webforum of the The-Leaky-Cauldron.org LeakyNews.com: Leaky Info | Potter News | Features | Interactive | Galleries | The Books | The Films | For Fun

Leaky Lounge

Welcome Guest ( Log In | Register )
The Rules : FAQ : Search : Member List : Sitemap

Forum News: All you ever wanted to know about Jo's Book Nook
Hot Thread: PoA Animal Poll in the HP Book Club.
Mod Thread: David Tennant - Actor of the Month Discussion

Leaky Lounge > HP-Related Discussion: Diagon Alley > HP Book Discussion: Flourish and Blotts > Academic Analysis: Obscurus Books

 
 Reply to this topicStart new topic
American Vs English, Why are words perceived differently
Diana Patterson
post May 26 2006, 06:41 PM
Post #1
Just Through the Brick Wall


*

Posts: 13
Joined: 6:29am January 28, 2005
I am teaching a course in the history of English, so I guess I am alert to differences in words. Today I clicked on the Harry Potter Quotes Conjurer widget and received this quotation: "It's not much," said Ron. "It's _wonderful_ said Harry happily, thinking of Privet Drive.

That seemed very odd! What I am familiar with is 'It's not much,' said Ron. 'It's _brilliant_, said Harry happily, thinking of Privet Drive.

Why would "brilliant" be impossible for a muggle American child to understand? What is odd about "brilliant" as a word? Remember, I am asking as someone teaching the history of the English language.

Diana Patterson
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Go to the top of the page
Profile CardPMEmail Poster
+Quote Post

Posts in this topic
- Diana Patterson   American Vs English   May 26 2006, 06:41 PM
- - vianners   It's not that American children wouldn't b...   May 26 2006, 07:53 PM
- - henrietta_r_hippo   I'm not so sure that the term brilliant being ...   May 26 2006, 07:53 PM
- - Diana Patterson   I realise that American children do not say ...   May 27 2006, 11:10 AM
|- - henrietta_r_hippo   QUOTE(Diana Patterson @ May 27 2006, 12:1...   May 27 2006, 03:39 PM
|- - Aislinn   QUOTE(henrietta_r_hippo @ May 27 2006, 04...   May 27 2006, 05:11 PM
- - Gema   The word brilliant is used quite abit the UK I sho...   May 27 2006, 11:22 AM
- - Spinks   I agree that words that cause confusion should be ...   May 27 2006, 06:26 PM
- - PotionsMiss07   I'm American and I happen to enjoy using Briti...   May 27 2006, 06:57 PM
- - Spinks   Are jumpers in the US (or everwhere outside the UK...   May 27 2006, 07:21 PM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(Spinks @ May 28 2006, 04:21 PM) 834...   May 27 2006, 07:54 PM
|- - Spinks   QUOTE(WaggaWaggaWerewolf @ May 28 2006, 12...   May 27 2006, 08:14 PM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(Spinks @ May 28 2006, 05:14 PM) 834...   May 27 2006, 10:41 PM
- - HeleneB   I'm American, and jumpers aren't just for ...   May 28 2006, 01:22 AM
- - hpaddict   While I agree with the discussion above, let us al...   May 28 2006, 08:24 PM
- - Justin Passing   I'm an American, and the term that threw me wa...   May 30 2006, 01:40 PM
- - becky920   I think "brilliant" is an unnecessary ch...   May 30 2006, 02:11 PM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(becky920 @ May 31 2006, 11:11 AM) 8...   May 30 2006, 09:09 PM
- - Irene Adler   A lot of local colloquialisms have little nuances ...   May 30 2006, 05:26 PM
- - Shard   Yeah but they had to change the word P***** when F...   May 31 2006, 12:02 PM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(Shard @ Jun 1 2006, 09:02 AM) 83738...   Jun 1 2006, 06:52 AM
|- - Whisperwing   QUOTE(WaggaWaggaWerewolf @ Jun 1 2006, 06...   Jun 1 2006, 07:00 AM
- - HeleneB   Yet those are some of the things that I love about...   May 31 2006, 01:09 PM
- - Shard   Well I don't have the british version but it i...   Jun 1 2006, 07:14 AM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(Shard @ Jun 2 2006, 04:14 AM) 83815...   Jun 1 2006, 05:43 PM
|- - Skiplives   QUOTE(WaggaWaggaWerewolf @ Jun 1 2006, 05...   Jun 2 2006, 11:26 AM
|- - Flomione   QUOTE(Skiplives @ Jun 2 2006, 04:26 PM) 8...   Jun 2 2006, 12:31 PM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(Skiplives @ Jun 3 2006, 08:26 AM) 8...   Jun 2 2006, 10:29 PM
- - arsnape   There are a lot of words i had to look up in Lexic...   Jun 1 2006, 07:32 AM
- - Shard   Or Amazon Yeah but Snog I figured was kissing, ...   Jun 1 2006, 07:38 AM
|- - arsnape   QUOTE(Shard @ Jun 1 2006, 06:38 AM) 83817...   Jun 1 2006, 01:18 PM
- - coach   Hey all. Just a reminder that this topic is about...   Jun 1 2006, 03:29 PM
- - Skiplives   I see no problem in changing the terms used for a ...   Jun 1 2006, 04:46 PM
- - Eric_Lynn   I think "cool" would have been the word ...   Jun 1 2006, 07:04 PM
- - sdcurtis   QUOTEThe title to PS was changed because Scholasti...   Jun 1 2006, 11:43 PM
- - Something Wicked This Way Comes   I live in England and nobody calls orange juice ...   Jun 2 2006, 12:31 PM
- - Theoriser   QUOTEBy the way, I highly doubt that the pumpkin j...   Jun 2 2006, 01:36 PM
|- - Skiplives   QUOTE(Theoriser @ Jun 2 2006, 01:36 PM) 8...   Jun 2 2006, 05:31 PM
- - Eric_Lynn   Question for the brits: There was some discussion...   Jun 2 2006, 09:01 PM
- - Shard   Woa! Hold the phone, Drugstores are not liqour...   Jun 2 2006, 11:58 PM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(Shard @ Jun 3 2006, 08:58 PM) 83996...   Jun 3 2006, 02:12 AM
|- - madamros   QUOTE(WaggaWaggaWerewolf @ Jun 3 2006, 07...   Jun 4 2006, 03:13 AM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(madamros @ Jun 5 2006, 12:13 AM) 84...   Jun 4 2006, 05:19 AM
|- - madamros   QUOTE(WaggaWaggaWerewolf @ Jun 4 2006, 10...   Jun 4 2006, 11:44 AM
- - Eric_Lynn   QUOTE(WaggaWaggaWerewolf @ Jun 3 2006, 07...   Jun 3 2006, 09:22 AM
- - Shard   So Wagga Pharmacist is used there as well? That...   Jun 3 2006, 07:22 PM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(Shard @ Jun 4 2006, 04:22 PM) 84118...   Jun 3 2006, 10:47 PM
- - Fili589   English is the real language. Sometimes it seems t...   Jun 3 2006, 08:05 PM
- - Shard   I think that's a bit unfair, for starters lang...   Jun 3 2006, 08:48 PM
|- - Fili589   QUOTE(Shard @ Jun 3 2006, 08:48 PM) 84129...   Jun 4 2006, 11:54 AM
- - Eric_Lynn   Regarding slang, I just remembered something quite...   Jun 4 2006, 10:00 AM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(Eric_Lynn @ Jun 5 2006, 07:00 AM) 8...   Jun 4 2006, 03:49 PM
- - mollywobbles23   I can usually discern British slang and translate ...   Jun 4 2006, 12:30 PM
|- - montims   QUOTE(mollywobbles23 @ Jun 4 2006, 11:30 ...   Jun 4 2006, 12:40 PM
|- - mollywobbles23   QUOTE(montims @ Jun 4 2006, 05:40 PM) 842...   Jun 4 2006, 01:18 PM
|- - madamros   QUOTE(mollywobbles23 @ Jun 4 2006, 06:18 ...   Jun 4 2006, 01:34 PM
|- - Shard   QUOTE(madamros @ Jun 4 2006, 06:34 PM) 84...   Jun 4 2006, 01:48 PM
|- - Skiplives   QUOTE(Shard @ Jun 4 2006, 01:48 PM) 84216...   Jun 5 2006, 07:38 AM
- - hpaddict   ***********TWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTT****************...   Jun 4 2006, 11:33 PM
- - Daemon   QUOTE(Diana Patterson @ May 26 2006, 10:4...   Jun 5 2006, 06:41 PM
|- - KewlKat   neat topic! (or should i say "brilliant...   Jun 6 2006, 06:00 PM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(KewlKat @ Jun 7 2006, 03:00 PM) 845...   Jun 6 2006, 06:47 PM
- - montims   When I read dialect books, or middle or old Englis...   Jun 5 2006, 11:53 PM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE They are not a charity, and I find it a bit ...   Jun 6 2006, 03:59 AM
|- - Skiplives   QUOTE(WaggaWaggaWerewolf @ Jun 6 2006, 03...   Jun 6 2006, 10:11 AM
|- - Eric_Lynn   QUOTE(WaggaWaggaWerewolf @ Jun 6 2006, 08...   Jun 6 2006, 09:49 PM
- - Shard   QUOTEI listen to the audiotapes en route to work a...   Jun 6 2006, 10:22 AM
- - hpaddict   Bless google for sending me to The Phrase Finder: ...   Jun 6 2006, 10:53 PM
- - Nessa_Rose   I have always, and will always, consider 'bloo...   Jun 6 2006, 11:07 PM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(Nessa_Rose @ Jun 7 2006, 08:07 PM) ...   Jun 15 2006, 03:58 AM
- - bluewater   I appreciate the changes....it definitely makes fo...   Jun 7 2006, 08:58 PM
|- - montims   QUOTE(bluewater @ Jun 7 2006, 07:58 PM) 8...   Jun 15 2006, 09:25 AM
- - ophus   I was looking around the Harry Potter Lexicon for ...   Jun 14 2006, 03:02 PM
|- - mollywobbles23   QUOTE(ophus @ Jun 14 2006, 03:02 PM) 8539...   Jun 17 2006, 07:33 PM
|- - Sylvie   QUOTE(ophus @ Jun 14 2006, 08:02 PM) 8539...   Jun 21 2006, 10:56 AM
- - actaeon   I think it peculiar that the books needed to be ch...   Jun 15 2006, 09:50 AM
- - Irene Adler   "Wotcher" = "What cheer". Hmm...   Jun 15 2006, 02:16 PM
- - Shard   There are wizards from all over, Jo told Jim Dale ...   Jun 15 2006, 02:28 PM
- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(Irene Adler)I must say that one does have to...   Jun 15 2006, 04:08 PM
- - Eric_Lynn   OH HAPPY DAY!!!! A friend of ours...   Jun 15 2006, 09:14 PM
- - Arianhrod   I don't know if anyone's mentioned this al...   Jun 18 2006, 10:42 AM
|- - madamros   QUOTE(Arianhrod @ Jun 18 2006, 03:42 PM) ...   Jun 18 2006, 11:27 AM
- - Shard   Same here that confused me as well I was getting i...   Jun 18 2006, 11:33 AM
- - hpaddict   That's hillarious - I too had visions of Filch...   Jun 18 2006, 04:34 PM
- - wronskifeint   Hmmm... I like this thread. I was having a conver...   Jun 18 2006, 04:53 PM
|- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   QUOTE(wronskifeint @ Jun 19 2006, 01:53 P...   Jun 19 2006, 04:36 AM
- - Eric_Lynn   <--- One more here who had images of Filch kick...   Jun 18 2006, 09:38 PM
- - bitznbats   LOL I grew up in Engalnd and moved to Canada a yea...   Jun 18 2006, 11:20 PM
- - becky920   I don't think I would've noticed this at a...   Jun 20 2006, 04:14 PM
|- - stewiegryf   QUOTE(becky920 @ Jun 20 2006, 02:14 PM) 8...   Jun 20 2006, 04:29 PM
- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   On the other hand, there is something to be said f...   Jun 21 2006, 09:12 PM
|- - HermioneGurlie8   QUOTE(WaggaWaggaWerewolf @ Jun 21 2006, 09...   Jun 22 2006, 07:18 AM
- - Eric_Lynn   This is more of a movie question. When they trans...   Jun 21 2006, 09:49 PM
|- - maggieann   QUOTE(Eric_Lynn @ Jun 22 2006, 12:49 PM) ...   Jun 22 2006, 12:25 AM
- - wildflower_142   QUOTEThink maybe i can order them through Borders?...   Jun 22 2006, 12:26 PM
- - Shard   There's another term that threw me off that ha...   Jun 22 2006, 12:41 PM
- - WaggaWaggaWerewolf   I wouldn't ask for gas, meaning petrol in Aust...   Jun 22 2006, 04:27 PM
- - Shard   It was in herbology class and they were popping th...   Jun 22 2006, 04:55 PM
- - PotionsMiss07   QUOTE(ophus @ Jun 14 2006, 08:02 PM) 8539...   Jun 23 2006, 01:34 AM
- - Trance Myth   I would just like to say to the american kids out ...   Jun 23 2006, 12:27 PM
2 Pages V   1 2 >

 

Reply to this topicStart new topic
1 User(s) are reading this topic (1 Guests and 0 Anonymous Users)
0 Members:

 

Powered By IP.Board 2.3.6 © 2010  IPS, Inc.
CommunitySEO 1.1.4 P1 © 2010  IPB SEO Module
Sorting is open now for Deathly Hallows! Follow this link.
Coming Up:
The Corner Booth is on Hiatus Join us in the New Year!
Come right in to the Shrieking Shack Arcade!
Shopping at the Cauldron Shop supports this forum!
IPS Driver Error

IPS Driver Error

There appears to be an error with the database.
You can try to refresh the page by clicking here