Independence Day-We Have Evolved

Today marks my first Independence Day back in America after living in Britain for three years. It will be fun to indulge in the good old American barbecue and we are going to celebrate as we had before we moved, by going to Rhode Island for a party at the shore house my in-laws own.

Before going over to England, we thought it would an exciting adventure to live in a country with so much history, beautiful gardens, lovely tea and especially the same language, though pronounced with a cool accent. We really enjoyed all those things while there (though towards the end my daughter, Thing 1, would announce that she didn't want to "go anywhere historical today"), but we learned quickly that in fact the language was not at all the same.

In actuality the language was similar enough to get you by, but always keep you guessing, or sometimes laughing at the way they said things. I always got a good chuckle when one of the BBC broadcasters would say the word "controversy." They put the emphasis on the second vowel, instead of how we put it on the first. It sounds really really funny. Maybe that was how the whole move towards American independence started, those pilgrims came over hear and came to their senses, and announced "look, we don't want to fight about it, but from now on it is controversy, you ninnies."

Somewhere along the way those pilgrims, or their successors decided to adopt more efficient spelling techniques than employed in England. They wisely decided to drop the letter "u" from the words "colour", "flavour" and a whole bunch of what we would recognize as words ending in "or." However, curiously while they were being real efficient and getting rid of those pesky silent "u"s they somehow lost the plot (to use a brit term) and decided to add the word "the" to the british terms "going to hospital" "was taken to hospital," etc. The Brits are very efficient about getting to the hospital. More so than we are, by three letters at least, to say nothing of the geographic distance.

Another funny difference in terminology is the term for "moving." We Americans just state matter of factly that we are moving and assume that the listener understands that we are moving from one apartment to another, one house to another, or whatever. However, the Brits call it "moving house," Perhaps they don't want anyone to think they might be moving their bowels instead? Speaking of houses, I bet the painters in this country would be jealous if they learned that the painters over there go by the lofty title "decorators."

After three years living there, I could go on and on about the differences in language, particularly the names of certain things, like "beetroot" for beets, "loo roll" for toilet paper, "bap" for a type of sandwich, and of course a favorite of mine, "fags" for cigarettes. But probably the word whose different meaning I will never forget would be "revise."

One day shortly after we moved over, my daughter came home from her new British school and sat down to do her homework. She asked me to explain what she had to do. I took a look at the instructions and it said "Science Homework, revise text, pages 14-19." I looked at the "text" which was really a notebook of science facts and information, etc. prepared by the school. I looked it over in detail and couldn't see any glaring errors. I had no clue. I had expected the British education system to be more advanced than the American system, but revising text? So, in exhasparation, I said, I don't know (a very American emphasis on the "I"), I guess you need to read this and see where anything is wrong or could have been said better and change it, I have to go make dinner." Thus, I escaped into the kitchen.

The next day, she came home and informed me that all they were supposed to have done was read over that section of the notebook. Go figure, to the Brits revise means simply review. To the Americans it means edit and make better, like our version of history. Happy Independence Day.