steven36 Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 The latest study to confirm what many people have long suspected to be to be true has found that British sarcasm is 'lost on Americans'. Yes, according to leading polling company YouGov, while the US and the UK share an undeniably sturdy connection when it comes to language, there's one chasm that they just can't get over - the British tradition of passive-aggressive subtext in everyday phrases. It's what we do best. In the survey - hilariously titled 'Half of Americans won't be able to tell that a Briton is calling them an idiot' - it outlines how Americans would often miss the sarcasm in statements made by Brits. The report states: "It has been said that Britain and America are two nations separated by a common language. "Now a new YouGov Omnibus survey reveals how Americans might find themselves in a pickle for having failed to understand what Britons really mean when they make certain statements. "The survey is based on a humorous meme showing how foreigners don't understand the subtext of British English." With the meme in mind, YouGov Omnibus decided to ask a bunch of people from the UK and the US which translation they would take as being the correct one. According to their findings, the Americans who took part repeatedly had trouble translating some statements to what was really meant - the most notable being 'with the greatest respect'. "Here in the UK," the report states, "the vast majority of us (68%) know that someone saying this to you is in the process of calling you an idiot. By contrast, only 40% of Americans believe the same - in fact they are more likely (49%) to take the statement at face value and believe it simply means 'I am listening to you'." Similar outcomes arose for 'I'll bear it in mind' (aka I won't), 'I hear what you say' (aka STFU, I don't agree but let's move on) and 'You must come for dinner' (aka don't come for dinner, I'm just too polite to end this conversation on 'goodbye' alone). As is shown by the findings, Americans might have a very different perception of what a UK resident might mean when they say any of the above phrases. Perhaps they should bear that in mind next time they're talking to a sarky Brit - or they could just give themselves a masterclass in English sarcasm by watching all episodes of Peep Show back-to-back. That'll do it. Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matrix Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 One thing missing both Aussies and the British do very well is the use of slang for a more covert type of sarcasm that can even confuse there own country men so what chance do Americans have 😜 https://nomadsworld.com/aussie-slang/ https://go.smartling.com/blog/50-british-slang-words-phrases-you-need-to-know/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven36 Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 12 minutes ago, DonyMach1 said: One thing missing both Aussies and the British do very well is the use of slang for a more covert type of sarcasm that can even confuse there own country men so what chance do Americans have 😜 Aussies are easy to understand , The British are harder but once you talk to them for years like I use to in the voice chat you catch on, but if there from Scotland you may as well forget it, even people from the UK don't even understand them .The one thing the survey don't mention most people in the USA hasn't talked to people in the UK very much on forums and blogs its all typing . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeSmithG Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Well, I have an example of what is wrong with people from the U.S.A. I was at a games site and I had a huge win so I posted it so my friends could see. Some berk typed ''you're a dumbass''. It was not written as correctly as that it also contained profanity. So I replied with ''dumb means unwilling or cannot speak''. This berk typed ''no it means stupid''. Again coated in profanity. It's like the word ''gay'' has nothing to do with homosexuality, it means happy full of mirth et cetera. ''Queer'' also has nothing to do with homosexuality, it means odd. I blame the schmucks in America, b.t.w. I got a six (6) hour ''chat'' ban for typing that someone is a ''schmuck'', schmuck means ignorant, nothing to do with profanity. It seems Americans read stuff from wiki files or some other site and believe their definitions. Wiki is edited by the general public, so they can type what they wish. I know a lot of people from the U.S.A. they are on my friend's list, they are decent, unlike the trash, I am complaining about. When are some people in the U.S.A. going to realise the Sun does not shine out of their backsides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven36 Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 19 minutes ago, LeeSmithG said: Well, I have an example of what is wrong with people from the U.S.A. I was at a games site and I had a huge win so I posted it so my friends could see. Some berk typed ''you're a dumbass''. It was not written as correctly as that it also contained profanity. So I replied with ''dumb means unwilling or cannot speak''. This berk typed ''no it means stupid''. Again coated in profanity. It's like the word ''gay'' has nothing to do with homosexuality, it means happy full of mirth et cetera. ''Queer'' also has nothing to do with homosexuality, it means odd. I blame the schmucks in America, b.t.w. I got a six (6) hour ''chat'' ban for typing that someone is a ''schmuck'', schmuck means ignorant, nothing to do with profanity. It seems Americans read stuff from wiki files or some other site and believe their definitions. Wiki is edited by the general public, so they can type what they wish. I know a lot of people from the U.S.A. they are on my friend's list, they are decent, unlike the trash, I am complaining about. When are some people in the U.S.A. going to realise the Sun does not shine out of their backsides. Fell better now you got that rant out ? 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karlston Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 18 hours ago, steven36 said: Aussies are easy to understand We speak and write more slowly to help Americans understand us. In an Aussie forum I would have typed... WespeakandwritemoreslowlytohelpAmericansunderstandus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeSmithG Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 On 1/14/2019 at 7:00 PM, Karlston said: We speak and write more slowly to help Americans understand us. In an Aussie forum I would have typed... WespeakandwritemoreslowlytohelpAmericansunderstandus. I tend to find people from the U.S.A. are not the sharpest tools in the shed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogs Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 In the past British English was much more used around the world, people not natively English speaking used British English more. But with the dominance of USA in the field of IT US English has become more popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riorsf Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 I've had conversations with both Aussies and Brits before, and I must say Aussies are harder to understand. Aside from the accent, I found some of the slangs bazzare. Like Maccas, I thought it was some sort of local cuisine. Haha. They were fun though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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