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No, I'm not from New England. As mentioned in my previous post, I'm from Philadelphia. I think some of those words are pretty common in other places besides New England - fire engine, bureau, cellars (think that's common in the Midwest). But not so much billfold, pock-a-book or parlor (unless one is talking about an old home). My husband is from New England and he says "rubbish" for trash, which I think is also a British term.
Anyone else have examples of British terms that are unique to their state/region of the county?
The Traditional Boston accent also pronounces mom as mum and room and rum are synonyms like in Britain.
Anyone agree that some of those old, coastal cities in the South might feel a little British? Charleston, Savannah, New Bern, Wilmington, etc. Williamsburg, Virginia for sure. Pay Colonial Williamsburg a visit and you'll see what I mean. Really, it's all the former 13 colonies. However, whether the South Atlantic states feel more British than the Northeast, that's up to you.
This was the region that came to my mind first. Virginia has that "feel" to it, as does Maryland in my opinion. And yes, I've been to England. In fact, I'm sort of an Anglophile - love BBC programming, British artists, British humor, architecture, history, you name it.
I lived in Virginia and Maryland for about six years and one of the things I loved about that region was the strikingly British influence.
But there is no place on earth that's anything like London. London is it's own world. (It's also my favorite big city in the entire world.) Nothing comes close to mimicking it anywhere else.
The Traditional Boston accent also pronounces mom as mum and room and rum are synonyms like in Britain.
If I can get enough people to say "mum" where I live, will that make it seem more like Britain? My point....this is America, and how someone speaks, isn't going to change that, or make one feel more "British" because of it.
I've never been to England, but I just don't believe that New England is more similar to England than it is to the rest of the U.S. Seriously? I would even go as far to say that New England feels more like Mississippi than England.
What? New England does indeed have an English feel, as does the coastal Mid-Atlantic. Add to that the citie of Savannah and Charleston, although Charleston in particular has a Caribbean influence mixed in.
Last edited by Iconographer; 02-17-2018 at 08:05 AM..
I'm from the UK, and live in Boston. I find New England very unlike the UK. Parts if northern New England, as someone else mentioned, are somewhat closer. Maine, for instance, has a number of cities that remind me architecturally of Northern Ireland and other northern cities like Liverpool.
But, as also mentioned, Philly is the most architecturally like a British city.
Culturally, I find the Midwest is the most comfortable and familiar to me, as a Brit. But it is also distinctly American in terms of architecture and geography. Even culturally, I guess. But there is some kind of sympathy or resonance especially to do with politeness, I think that makes it seem comfortable for a Brit.
Canada is completely different. As soon as I cross the border I feel this sense of cultural familiarity which I don't get in the US. It is as silly as measuring the temperature on the same scale. I can literally feel myself relax mentally with familiarity when I travel to Canada.
Nowhere I have traveled in the South, including Virginia or Charleston feel anything like British to me. Not at all. DC feels a bit French, Baltimore too.
Interesting. No, I haven't lived in the UK but I have visited, had family living there, and plan to go back in a couple of months, this time to Scotland.
Nowhere in the US REALLY reminds me of the UK, but I would definitely say that the historic areas of NOVA, as well as Boston and Philly (not to mention other historical places throughout the east coast regions), have a British feel to them and a bit of a vibe. I'm sure it's mostly because of the colonial history that permeates these areas.
Also, I will add that my grandmother, who was of Scottish ancestry, cooked many meals that I would have told you were "southern" but when I visited northern England, I found very similar food there. In fact, I felt very at home in northern England. Looking forward to visiting Scotland to see if that sense of familiarity is as strong or stronger.
Of course, it helps that I watch BBC programming extensively, and am constantly reading up on British history, society, etc. So even the accents don't generally throw me.
Victoria (83% white) is less diverse than Vancouver (46% white). Of those whites, the fact majority are of British extraction.
In terms of accents, while I do admit that most Southern accents (particularly in the Carolinas) sound more British than most Canadian accents, I have heard some Canadian accents that sound more British than anything in the South. I met a man once from rural Manitoba, a couple hours north of Winnipeg, who sounded (to my ears at least) like he were from the UK.
I don't doubt the British influence in the South at all, but I suppose it has morphed into a district culture over the past 300 years, while Anglo-Canadian culture feels like it hasn't deviated away as much.
If we’re talking the total package - architecture, culture, vibe - then I think Victoria is the closest to U.K. The thing is it’s a relatively small city and the rest of BC doesn’t feel that British to me at all. As for an entire region, then definitely New England.
Anglo culture is so pervasive in the USA that this question is hard to answer - the answer really is "everywhere" and "no where" at the same time. The standard of Anglo culture used to be the UK, but now its America. It's easier to answer this question regarding any other ethnic group except Anglo/UK since its pretty much the "default" culture here.
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I think some of those words are pretty common in other places besides New England - fire engine, bureau, cellars (think that's common in the Midwest). But not so much billfold, pock-a-book or parlor (unless one is talking about an old home). My husband is from New England and he says "rubbish" for trash, which I think is also a British term.
