 Re: The variety of English
Some specific examples are sometimes quite interesting.
Take the word "pavement". It simply describes something that is paved. Many years ago that often meant the entire road. Separate footpaths at the side of the road are a relatively new idea, and in the US they coined a new word, "sidewalk", reserving "pavement" for the rest of the road; in Britain "carriageway" refers to the part of the road the carriages used, which eventually had tarmac instead of paving stones, leaving the footpaths mostly still paved and still called "pavements" (although on official signs you will usually see "footpath").
Even within a country huge differences can occur. In Britain, for example, the special shoes children wear in the school sports hall are variously known in different parts of the country as "plimsolls", "gym shoes", "pumps" or, in Wales and a tiny part of south-west England where I come from, "daps".
And if you really want to know the meaning of the phrase "impassioned debate", log on to a message board dominated by Americans from all over the US, and ask whether the correct term for a carbonated drink is "pop" or "soda".  |