Why do Americans (not all, but lots of them) find these basic facts to be confusing? (catholic church, county)
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Hmm. Maybe a Brit living in the States? I don't think so though. I swore I saw a post saying he/she'd feel alien living in a country other than America. Talks about Pennsylvania a lot, too.
I do agree with you though.
5? 0.5 miles is all that separates us. You've got me scratching my head though on the last bit. lol You referring to the OP...or me?? lol
The OP motown(Detroit). I know Windsor is in Canada I've been there.
This may have been brought up but I don't feel like going through 8 pages!
The Amish/Menonites being referred to as "Dutch" (as in Pennsylvania Dutch) has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Netherlands. It is a corruption of the word "Deutsch," which means German.
As far as calling thr UK England goes, that is probably often true. But, so what? As someone whose ancestry (much of it anyway) comes from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, I usually say UK, Great Britain, or the specific country.
Really? Because I looked at their past posts and there was some British word usage. Okay. Still, if the OP is an American, surely growing up in the US the OP would know that not all people are so confused.
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Originally Posted by motownewave
Coming from a small town in Louisiana
Would I find the Delaware Valley a culture shock? How long should I expect to get to know all the town names and major roads? As a person with conservative-leaning beliefs, will I be an "outsider" to the younger folks in the Delaware Valley? What should I know to not seem like an outsider to the natives? Also where should I shop for groceries? And what about for beverages?
Can I expect the natives in any particular spot in the five counties (Phila, Delco, Montgomery, Chester, Bucks) to be able to tell me about the character of any given town in either their county or any of the five others? I ask this because I am leaving Houma which I'm sure is a small world to you guys, but I am hoping to acclimate to the Philly way of life without any big obstacles.
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Originally Posted by motownewave
As for my job, I am going to be a receptionist at a special needs agency, so I want to speak the same way as the locals (for the most part) and know the five counties well.
People tell me the traditional Caucasian accent of Philadelphia is very similar to the Yat dialect of English spoken in New Orleans. One of my parents is an Italian American Yat, but the other is a Cajun and therefore speaks more traditional Southern dialect. So perhaps I should lean more towards using Yat language (with an ear for learning Philly expressions) while ditching my Cajun side, once I move up here?
Anyway I am looking to find a more cosmopolitan life than I have in Houma, but so far have only stayed at a friend's place in Ambler (friend is now deceased) for five days when I was in Pennsylvania. I am looking for people who have socially conservative values, but I am non-religious. Have been to downtown Ambler, Media, and Philadelphia and was asked out of the blue if I was pro-choice (on abortion) and to sign a petition saying I was! Needless to say I said something to the tune of "no way" every time and continued walking down the street, minding my business.
I absolutely apologize for bringing up a topic from the political debate forums, but needed to post under Philadelphia to get advice about that city and its many surroundings.
Also, I have blurry memories of the supermarkets in and around Philly as generally being relatively small, dirty, and expensive. What chain around here is least like that? And what chain should I stay away from? Also I seem to remember the supermarkets in the area not having alcohol, but never bought alcohol up here unless I was at a restaurant/bar. My deceased roommate once said something about buying alcohol at retail in PA being "a total pain in the *****" but I don't remember why. My spell in Ambler was in 1992 and I was only there to see a golf tournament in NJ. Also I was 23 then and was loving the Southern lifestyle at the time, but in the past year I have started to long for something more exciting.
Location: Northern Ireland and temporarily England
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skelaki
This may have been brought up but I don't feel like going through 8 pages!
The Amish/Menonites being referred to as "Dutch" (as in Pennsylvania Dutch) has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Netherlands. It is a corruption of the word "Deutsch," which means German.
As far as calling thr UK England goes, that is probably often true. But, so what? As someone whose ancestry (much of it anyway) comes from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, I usually say UK, Great Britain, or the specific country.
I don't think you realise how offensive it is to someone from say Scotland when an American assumes that they are English. It's like saying Canadians are American!
I don't think you realise how offensive it is to someone from say Scotland when an American assumes that they are English. It's like saying Canadians are American!
Very very annoying!!
Most Americans can pick up a Scottish or Irish accent. Welsh is tough and confuses people. There are also a couple of different English accents Americans can generally pick up, like Liverpool(Thanks Beatles)
I can pick out quite a few different English accents and a couple of different Scottish ones, but that's because of how many British friends I have and how often I visit.
Of all the British accents I know the Glaswegian one is the toughest to understand. Geordie is tough and I cannot understand my friends Yorkshire accent when he drinks or talks fast.
How many variations of American accents can you pick out? Can you differentiate say, NY from Boston. Philly from Chicago?
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Okay. Still, if the OP is an American, surely growing up in the US the OP would know that not all people are so confused.
