| Dec 2, 2005 @ 5:22 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language
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Xavier0777
Posts: 186
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My name is Dredge and one of my friends Q has asked me to go with him to England for a spell. I have never been out of the states before and ofcourse have all these questions as to what England is like. He has been helpful in trying to answer my questions though he himself has been in the states awhile, so it is like a tourist helping out a tourist at times.
I was wondering if there were any sites that could go to or books to read or certain movies I could look at or for that matter some of you who are from England I could talk too. I figure if I engross myself in a people and make some friends that through this exprience I can make my stay in England more of a fruitful one.
I realize this is a dating board in essence though I have already made so many killer frieds from all over the globe it would just so rock to make a few more in England.
Any takers ???
- Dredge
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| Dec 3, 2005 @ 2:56 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language |
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Alectryon
Posts: 145
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England? You must be mad! It's a dreadful place full of surly Ukrainian waiters who can't speak a word of English, appalling, tasteless food, wall-to-wall rain and damp and Tony Bliar.
Stay away!
Only kidding. 
Ask away, I'm sure you'll get some replies.
Question to any other subjects of Her Divine Majestiness Queen Liz II lurking on here (or the mods): what's with this bollox about 'London - Colney' or 'London - Olney' in the location section of one's profile? There's no such place, squire!
The only 'Olney' I know is in Bucks (Buckinghamshire). I don't know 'Colney' from 'Colonic.' FWIW I live in London. Not 'London - Colney' or even 'London - Olney' - just Lunnun tahn. OK, I live in a certain area but I'm not about to reveal that on here. 
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| Dec 5, 2005 @ 4:09 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language
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willibob3000
Posts: 11
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Posts: 55 England? You must be mad! It's a dreadful place full of surly Ukrainian waiters who can't speak a word of English, appalling, tasteless food, wall-to-wall rain and damp and Tony Bliar.
Stay away!
Only kidding.
You are? Sigh, not a northerner then are you?  I have developed sign language to enable me to buy cigarettes from the local shops since half of the people working there can't understand a word I'm saying. Can't understand half the phone calls I get either and just hang up when they call me sir. Can't say the food I eats appalling or tasteless or that Tony Blair sightings are common but the wall to wall rain and damp is true! lol.
Xavier, if you're planning on travelling while you're over here then hire a car. Public transport is a nightmare experience! It's bad enough when you use it regularly in just one area and know where you're going and what bus to get. It's even worse if you don't.
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| Dec 5, 2005 @ 6:12 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language |
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devonguy
Posts: 463
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Dredge!
A few of our ways may be somewhat confusing to you when you come over, So I will try and explain some of them to you!
The whole country works on a class system, witch you are born into and can never escape from. At the top of the heap are the upper classes (the Knobs) they run the country, own most of the land, and sit in the House of Lords.
In the middle are the middle classes that ‘think’ they run the country. They are the doctors, bank workers, teacher’s etc!
Then strangely the next class down is the ‘working class’ they as the name says, do all the work! Brick layers’ motor mechanics, tradesmen, labourer’s etc!
No mater how much money you make or how successful you become you remain in the class of your birth as I told you at the start. Unless you become a ‘pseudo snob’! They are people who have made money and then try to move up the social ladder by buying a big flash house and car etc! These people are generally despised by all classes!
Next! England is divided into north and south! Northerners have flat caps and keep ferrets in their pockets at all times, and distrust southerners who they regard as shandy drinking softies! (And quite rightly too).
The English, Scots and the Welsh hold etch other in equal contempt, but are united in disliking the French
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| Dec 5, 2005 @ 10:51 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language
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Alectryon
Posts: 145
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Willibob3000 wrote: Not a northerner then are you?
Leave it aht mate! Born and bred in the Smoke. Never been further north than Watford Gap and I needed to recuperate for three weeks after that ordeal. They keep coal in the bath, eat Mushy peas and playfully slip ferrets into their strides 'Op North' don't they?
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| Dec 6, 2005 @ 2:03 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language |
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willibob3000
Posts: 11
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They keep coal in the bath, eat Mushy peas and playfully slip ferrets into their strides 'Op North' don't they
I don't know about everyone else but my family doesn't lol. How are you supposed to have a bath if it's filled with coal?
Northerners have flat caps and keep ferrets in their pockets at all times, and distrust southerners who they regard as shandy drinking softies!
:::hides flat cap under sofa::: all wrong!! Unfortunately I don't know anyone who even owns a ferret let alone keeps one in their pocket. Cool animals though. I wasn't aware I was supposed to distrust southerners. Guess I slipped up there, oh well.
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| Dec 6, 2005 @ 3:44 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language
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Alectryon
Posts: 145
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Willibob3000 wrote:I wasn't aware I was supposed to distrust southerners. Guess I slipped up there..
Where have you been. Who do you think is running this country (into the ground)- northerners? We're all lyin' cheatin' scumsucking bastards down here; ask a London cabby.
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| Dec 6, 2005 @ 4:03 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language |
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SparklyStarRainbow
Posts: 6
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Dredge,
You're best off talking to people since books and films are not all that realistic. I've speak to a guy from America and the first thing he said when he heard my voice, was that he expected me to sound like the queen. 
Olney is quite near where I work. Its not too far from Milton Keynes.
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| Dec 6, 2005 @ 4:06 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language
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Alectryon
Posts: 145
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re: Olney. Yes, I know. Very nice market town in Bucks. But wtf has it got to do with London? I've still to receive a satisfactory answer from the Manglement as to why the only options in one's profile for choosing London are 'London - Olney' and 'London - Colney,' neither of which exist. Well, not in the city I live in.
[Edited on 12/6/2005 4:07 PM]
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| Dec 6, 2005 @ 4:11 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language |
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SparklyStarRainbow
Posts: 6
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Does London not have enough places that they have to nick new ones from up norf? Not that it's that far north to be fair.
Only thing I can think of.
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| Dec 6, 2005 @ 4:19 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language
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Alectryon
Posts: 145
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Good question. Don't ask me, ask the manglement who run this site. If they're anything like the average American their grasp of geography beyond their own borders is tenuous at best.
And I wouldn't call 'Olney' 'op norf'. It's less than fifty miles from London and the last time I was there (less than two weeks ago) most of the inhabitants spoke no differently to the way people speak down here. In fact I heard more 'Estuary English' there than I hear where I live in London.
[Edited on 12/6/2005 4:20 PM]
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| Dec 6, 2005 @ 4:24 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language |
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devonguy
Posts: 463
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"he expected me to sound like the queen"
Well lass! I sound like t’qween! Now buy us a beer and I’ll prance about like a reel queen! 
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| Dec 6, 2005 @ 4:29 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language
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devonguy
Posts: 463
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BTW I have just looked up Alectryon on Googol and he is bent as a nine bob note, so your wasting your time there girl!
Er ‘hi’ Alectryon!
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| Dec 6, 2005 @ 4:31 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language |
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SparklyStarRainbow
Posts: 6
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Olney looks a bit posh to me. I've only passed through on my way to MK though.
Accents are a weird thing, when I went on a night out in Manchester, the people I knew from there thought me and my friend sounded posh, when we go to London we get told we sound a bit northern, and we're only about 70 or so miles north of London.
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| Dec 6, 2005 @ 4:32 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language
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Alectryon
Posts: 145
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Absolutely spot bollock, matey.
I'll save anyone else the trouble:
A Greek youth who Ares posted as a guardian by the door when he visited Aphrodite. Alectryon fell asleep during the night so that their lovemaking was discovered by Helios. As punishment, the boy was turned into a c*** which since then never stops to announce the arrival of the sun.
It's the 'c***' bit that fits. Well, prick really.
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| Dec 6, 2005 @ 4:42 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language |
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Alectryon
Posts: 145
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Sparkly-er-um-drop-dead-gorgeous-um rainbow thingie wrote:
Olney looks a bit posh to me. I've only passed through on my way to MK though.
It is and it isn't. It's a funny place. Almost divided into what I'd call 'old yokels' on the one hand and 'rich young things from dahn sarf.' Lots of BBC film producers, models and other assorted coke-snorting 'B-list' celebs and Game show wannabes. I kid you not. I have a client there who's in the pubslashing biz, hence my infrequent visits. The two 'camps' don't mix that much. In addition there are a lot of ordinary commuters from MK who basically just sleep in Olney and that's it.
Accents are a weird thing..
Sure are. Often, as you describe, they depend on perception. I've been told I sound 'posh' by people from the north or even the midlands, whereas my speech is really just accentless, like a lot of reasonably well educated Londoners. Think Angus Deayton rather than Jeremy Paxman. Not that I look like the latter or have the dubious habits of the former. I also have a girl friend (as in friend who happens to be female rather than a lover) who is German but she's lived here for donkey's years. For some strange reason a lot of people think she's Irish!
p.s. Are these UK forums hotting up at last?
[Edited on 12/6/2005 4:43 PM]
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| Dec 7, 2005 @ 12:59 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language
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devonguy
Posts: 463
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It looks like Dredge! Has had a second thought about visiting dear old England!
(Hats off, God save the Queen and all the Corgi’s)
Pity as I was looking forward to lesson two!= How the good people of Yorkshire consider anyone from Lancashire to be a possible spy from the house of Lancaster. And why its not a good idea to ware a red rose in your lapel in a curry house in Bradford on a Saturday night after the pubs have all turned out!
BTW the North/South divide starts at Birmingham IMHO! (Ex Preston lad hear) 
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| Dec 7, 2005 @ 2:12 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language |
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willibob3000
Posts: 11
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BTW the North/South divide starts at Birmingham IMHO!
Ah, is that why there are so many delays at Birmingham New Street when you travel by train? They don't want people crossing the divide. Everyone I know hates that station.
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| Dec 7, 2005 @ 2:58 PM |
Can You Help Me With The Language
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devonguy
Posts: 463
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Ahhhhh new street station! The numbers of trains I have missed in that underground warren, by going into the only refuge for smokers (the pub) is beyond believe!
I was once on a train puling out of the station, when I spotted a guy who I vaguely knew from some ware! We had a conversation with me hanging out of the window, and him shouting with cupped hands on the platform, until we ware out of sight/ear shot! I still don’t now to this day who the hell he was!
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| Dec 11, 2005 @ 12:20 AM |
Can You Help Me With The Language |
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ongolo
Posts: 8
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You english are too bloody funny and witty.
I am from Africa, not a spammer and Sean Connery looked a bit like me when he was in his best years.
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