Americanism and British English - still surprised xxx xoxo?

American English and British English are only slightly different, but I learn new things constantly.


An English author was asked by the copy editor to leave out xxx on the end of letters (mail and email) because Americans would not understand this mean kiss, kiss, kiss.


Americans and some Europeans think it means x rated. Readers are puzzled.

I have noticed but never understood xoxo. Apparently Americans use this to mean kiss hug, hiss hug.

What about Canadians?


Canadians follow British language habits more closely than the Americans.

I already knew what I thought were most of the Americanisms from living in the USA as well as the UK.

British English - American English
bargain basement/bargain shop - thrift store
condom/Durex - rubber
kindergarden - preschool
lorry - truck
Mum - Mom
nappy - diaper
primary school - elementary school
public school - private school
rubber - eraser
secondary school - high school
tip - hack
turn right - make a right

American English - British English
elementary school - primary school
eraser - rubber
hack - tip
high school - secondary school
make a right - turn right
Mom - Mum
on consignment - sale or return
preschool - kindergarden
private school - public school/fee-paying school
public school - state school/council school
truck - lorry
thrift store - bargain shop

Well, love to all of you.
xxx
xoxo

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Advantages Of Being Bilingual

You might choose to be bilingual in English and French, or English and Mandarin, or to send children to learn in a bilingual school.

Canadians learn English and French easily. but speaking French is the norm in Montreal. In Toronto when I went there, a backlash against promoting French to the exclusion of English caused people to demand that a tour guide spoke in English.

Such a pity. Such an advantage for everybody to be bilingual. Being bilingual is required in government jobs in the capital, Ottawa.

Over in Singapore, the Canadian school teacher pupils in English and Mandarin. How handy.

The website of the Canadian School in Singapore sums it up nicely. It is easier to learn when you are young. When you are an adult, being bilingual gives opportunities for higher pay.

When travelling, in Singapore, on the MRT trains you will hear the four official languages, English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. In the USA many signs are in both English and Spanish. It is easy to cross the border at Niagara Falls and tour Canada where people are bilingual in French and English in the capital, Ottawa.

As an expat, you will find many bilingual schools for your children, and schools which teach a useful second language.

You can start or brush up your vocabulary and simple sentences for free online with Duolingo.
A system for Chinese is Chineasy, which has books and a couple of free videos to get you interested and started.

Chineasy.

USEFUL WEBSITES
https://www.cis.edu.sg/chinese-english-bilingual?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=discovery&utm_campaign=bilingualoblookalike&utm_term=Expats+in+SG%3A+6+benefits+to+enroll+your+child+in+a+bilingual+programme

CANADA
visit-canada.com

SINGAPORE
visitsingapore.com

UK
visitbritain.com

USA
visittheusa.co.uk

DUOLINGO
Free internet courses in English and French and Mandarin on
duolingo.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have several more posts on learning languages. Please share links to your favourite posts.

The World's Best Journeys

Problem
Where should you go next? What are the world's best journeys? A Canadian company, Flight Network, asked more than 500 experts in the field of travel, bloggers, journalists, editors and others, to choose their three favourites trips and give the reasons why. I was one of the people whose opinions they canvassed.

From the suggestions, the top fifty were selected. Now the 2018 results are out, and you can see photos and panoramas of the places chosen and read the reasons why.

Are any of your favourites in the top 50? How many have you already seen and done?

How many are new to you?
Will you choose one of them for your next trip? The company is second in Canada after Expedia, and they don't just operate from Canada for travellers starting in Canada but also all over American and from London. Read all about what they can do for you on their website.

Here are some of their selections:
1 Antarctica.
In case you have trouble remembering which is the Arctic and which is the Antarctic, The Arctic is in the north and includes Alaska - and cruising to Alaska comes in the list later, at number seven.

 The name Arctic comes from the Greek word for bear, and the Arctic is the home of the Northern Star and the white polar bear (and the white snowy owl).

The Antarctic, of course, is the opposite end of the world, the south. The starting off point is the tip of Argentina.
Places to visit include Penguin Island. The Antarctic has Emperor Penguins, the largest penguins.  The smaller ones in the picture are youngsters. Yes, penguins live in the south and bears live in the north.
Look at the fabulous photos on the FlightNetwork website.

I was one of the judges submitting suggestions for my top three.  Canadian company FlightNetwork canvassed more than 500 travel experts to draw up a shortlist and choose the top 50 journeys. 

Go to the

USEFUL WEBSITES
Blog and Journeys
https://www.flightnetwork.com/blog/worlds-best-journeys/

Journeys and Judges
https://www.flightnetwork.com/blog/worlds-best-journeys-judges/

Flight bookings
https://www.flightnetwork.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DiscountFlights

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker

Second Cup coffee shop in Harrow, Middlesex

Second Cup coffee shop is to the right of St Ann's shopping mall. You can sit outside if you want to smoke, or inside in the warm. Signs say more seating upstairs.

Here's the counter. Festive lights and a tree - raising funds for a a charity.

Second cup, alas, does not mean that you get a second cup for free. (Check my earlier post or on the net to find which places offer a second cup of coffee free. I think one of the pub chains does so at breakfast time.) The name second cup means they want to evoke an image of a cup of coffee so delicious that you want a second cup. A piece of smart marketing.

Ask for the loyalty card if you intend returning. They punch a hole in your card each time you order a coffee so eventually you get a free cupful of coffee. Interesting and initially baffling that I nearly said a free cup but had to change it. A free cup is not the same as a free cupful of coffee. The 'cup' stands for the contents.

Coffees
We ordered double espresso with cream. Fine. The website is really good. It shows all kinds of teas and coffees and gives calorie counts. You might want to read it and make your choice before you go there.

Teas
A wide selection of teas was shown on a chart on the counter top.

Cakes
I liked the look of the triple deck chocolate cake - with sparkle. Then I saw the carrot cake.

The red velvet cake was appealing. What was it? They said it was beetroot.

The New York style baked cheesecake looked both moist and solid. However, it was nearly lunch time, so I opted for something more sensible.

Sandwiches
I hesitated between the chicken sandwich, which had something green, lettuce I think, and the smoked salmon and cream cheese. I had chicken at home so, despite feeling I ought to have some vegetable, I opted for the salmon and cream cheese. It was good, filled me up, tasty with pepper or poppy seeds or both.

I checked their website and found that the company started in Canada and they have franchises.
More information from:
www:secondcup.com

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 2016.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Oops - I missed pancake day! Quick - where's the maple syrup?

Oh, dear, I missed pancake day. I'm supposed to be on a diet and this would have allowed me to eat pancakes. I love pancakes, especially with maple syrup. One hundred percent pure Buckwud Canadian maple syrup. Yummy.

In England traditionally we would eat maple syrup with strawberry jam or lemon and sugar or lemon and honey. Countries all over the world eat pancakes. The French have large thin pancakes with Grand M a r n i e r (spell check keeps inserting Mariner) served around Mont St Michel. The Americans eat tiny round thick pancakes, like the slice off the top of a muffin.

The Russians have pancakes with savouries, as do many European countries. Blinis, with sour cream.
The Italians have cannelloni, a tube or spiral of pasta around spinach (Florentine) or meat in white sauce, with a white cheese sauce on top.

The Indians have pancakes, or sweet breads. Masala dosai with potato - my favourite.

The Chinese serve Peking Duck with shredded spring onion and soy sauce, wrapped in wafer thin savoury pancakes.

Pancakes, Shrove Tuesday, were originally a way of using up last year's flour before lent when you gave up eating goodies.

The basis, the origin, is supposed to be the Jewish festival of Passover, (Jesus's last supper), when matzoh or unleavened bread is eaten.

A Discovery Channel programme went through the ten plagues afflicting the Egyptians when Moses said, 'Let my people go'. The angel of the Lord passed over the houses of the slaves but the firstborn of the Egyptians died. Why? What was the mysterious illness and why did it affect the firstborn? How could so many have died or been poisoned in heavy guarded homes the slaves could not enter?

The answers were:
St Vitus's dance, is a widespread poisoning of wheat when it grows mould after a long rainy season. The cure is to clear out all the old wheat before the next harvest to ensure the new flour is not contaminated. The firstborn died because they were always treated to extra portions of food.

I gave up pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. I'm running late this year. Can I celebrate with pancakes at the weekend? For anybody who doesn't follow tradition, but just like celebrating seasonal customs, why not eat pancakes all week. The latest commercial idea is matching pancakes with wines. A sweet wine?

An amusing idea. But for those of us who eat pancakes for breakfast, and didn't' drink before the working day ends at six, it's just pancake with maple syrup. Delicious!

Useful websites
https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/buckwud-100-pure-canadian-maple-syrup/538317-197920-197921?gclid=Cj0KCQjwtOLVBRCZARIsADPLtJ1RnHSwL9f-5muxQySjmeGHzfhWDTVkjs42nH-ZAggT4sn6XKcCJAEaAuxcEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CN3rtdPMitoCFcmi7Qod_64JbA

https://www.facebook.com/buckwudmaplesyrup/

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.