Thursday, 22 March 2012

Day 75, 22 March: British-American Slang Translations

No_____ _______, Day 75. British-American Slang Translations

            [For the list, skip to the bottom. Otherwise, read on:]
            Yesterday’s entry, or rather this morning’s, was forgotten last night in the mist of the late-hour bedtime. I was sickly, torn over the estranged ending of my first essay and wondering what the twat I was going to do for my second one. All the while knowing that I have until Friday night to finish solid drafts of both.
            The day proved to be sunny, in sky and spirit. The morning seminar for 19th Century was the last one, focused on Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. I remember a moment, looking at a passage being discussed: ‘I was looking down at the sounding-pole…when I saw my poleman give up the business suddenly, and stretch himself flat on the deck, without even taking the trouble to haul the pole in’ and suddenly it dawned on me that the unnamed narrator—narrating Marlow’s description (the double narration of Conrad for ya)—was depicting the poleman’s death. I felt a profound sense of ‘readerly’ distrust in the narrative voice(s), which led to the tutor disagreeing on that note, but nevertheless, I was engaged at that point on.
            The last Romanticism lecture was on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and despite a dull beginning with the historical context, I perked up at the talk of gender differences in Romantic writings: the male (Wordsworth, Percy Shelley, etc.) appealing to utopian ideals for the people vs. the female (Mary Shelley, etc.) appealing to domestic family unity for the people.
            The rest of the day went smoothly. It was nice talking to Stef and James after Romanticism—helped me realize that others were struggling with these overlapping essay deadlines too. I managed to find three literary criticisms on bildungsroman genre in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations within an hour. In the laundry room this evening, I got down a detailed outline. Dinner in-between was steak sandwich, chicken pasta, and broccoli. Midnight skype with my girlfriend Katya was refreshing.   
            Now for an interesting literary fact that sprang up randomly in my research today and the topic of this entry (in consideration of Katya’s upcoming arrival in London this weekend), a list of British-American slang translations.
Interesting fact: James Joyce received a letter similar to that which Pip in Dickens’ Great Expectations did. (For reference, Pip comes into a gentlemanly fortune in the novel from news written in a letter to his appointed guardian Mr. Jaggers, and given to him.) Joyce’s letter read:
Dear Sir,
We are instructed to write to you on behalf of an admirer of your writing, who desires to be anonymous, to say that we are forwarding you…a total of £200, which we hope you will accept without any enquiry as to the source of the gift’.
[It turns out it was the famous and successful ‘talent discoverer’ of famous 20th century writers T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway—and James Joyce, among others: Ezra Pound.]
            Now for the list of slang translations:
[British] = [American]
hiya = hey
you all right? = how are you?
it's okay = you're welcome (at least Jen used it this way)
petrol = gas
plaster = band-aid
fizzy drink = soda
the letter ‘x’ (on an IM/text) = the smiley face :)
‘zed’ = ‘zee’ (as in, the letter)
‘ ’ = “ ” (so quoting something is ‘this’ not “this”)
purse = (female) wallet
handbag = purse
trolley = shopping cart
hob = stovetop
telly/TV = TV
vest = tank top
waistcoast = vest
trainers = sneakers
pavement = sidewalk
jumper = sweater
trousers = pants
pants = underwear/underpants
fanny = [female front sexual organ]
flat = apartment
pudding = general dessert
[To give Stef an honorable mention for helping me finish the list, here is our dialogue:
Me: ‘Is cake also general dessert?’ Stef: ‘No, not everything is cake, only cake. (That will be my greatest quote ever.)’]
parcel = package
post = mail
shopping centre = mall

hoover = vacuum
wardrobe = closet
power socket/plug = outlet/plug
chocolate/sweets = candy (British don’t say ‘candy’ apparently…)
football = soccer
American football = football
twat = idiot
posh = rich
For the sake of sleeping, I will end the list there. If more come up, I shall post ‘em. Night. xx

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