More "divided by a common language" stuff

[Nanohedron]

He pronounces it really clearly, in the way that everybody here in the UK pronounces it: "wor-ter".

Is that rhotic /r/ or non-rhotic?

I would confidently lay odds on non.

[benhall.1]

He pronounces it really clearly, in the way that everybody here in the UK pronounces it: "wor-ter".

Is that rhotic /r/ or non-rhotic?

I would confidently lay odds on non.

Definitely non.

[Nanohedron]

Although I would bring us back to the Cornish waiter who, in her struggles with matching my pronunciation of "water", at one point slapped a couple of decidedly and painfully drawn-out rhotic Rs on one of her attempts: worrr-dorrr. I remember it still; one might have thought she had been struck with a devastating neurological condition. For the life of me I had no clue where those Rs came from, especially that first one, because it wasn't from me. Still we got it ironed out, and I was pleased with my abilities as an amateur speech coach, but it was just a momentary distraction in a waiter's day; of course she had no interest in abandoning her accustomed speechways. And that was fine with me; when you're British and in the middle of Bloomington, MN, as soon as you utter a word you're exotic, and that can be useful.

[Nanohedron]

I would venture that most native-born US folks have a hard time distinguishing between UK, Australian, and New Zealand accents. And that's narrowing it down. Now, I've got an ear, if I may be so immodest in saying so, yet I too have had a lot of difficulty separating those with ease. After many years I've only just started getting the differences, but to me they're more subtle than glaring. This difficulty is common in the US. Conversely, I would have thought that at least a Scottish accent would stand out for what it is, but a local woman was trying to place a Scottish friend's accent, and she hit every country in the Commonwealth BUT Scotland. And he was wearing a knit hat sporting St. Andrew's saltire, and in case that wasn't enough, the word "Scotland" was on it for all to see, too. Such helpful cues were too obvious not to despair at one's own.

There was a woman that I thought was definitely German, only to find that she was from Galway. And here I thought I knew an Irish accent when I heard it.

[Nanohedron]

Here's a headline I can't decipher: "Infra woes brew, Chemistry lab turns kitchen at govt school in TN" (from New Indian Express). TN here means Tamil Nadu. What is this "infra"? I've heard it in British speech - might've even had it explained - but it has no retained meaning for this Yank. It's not Left Pond idiom at all. Google's no help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Never mind. Reading the article, I'm pretty sure "infra" here means "infrastructure". I think I was confusing it with "infra dig" (which I had to look up again), neither of which are remotely of Left Pond idiom: In my experience, when we mean "infrastructure", we invariably spell it out in full (headline economy be damned), and when Yanks mean "infra dig", we say "beneath one's dignity" as Noah Webster intended. Maybe the Canadians are different; for all we have in common, they continually surprise me. In any case, you're super-unlikely to hear either "infra" formation in my stomping grounds; in normal circumstances they would only elicit blank stares, and mine among them.

[Tunborough]

Maybe the Canadians are different; for all we have in common, they continually surprise me. In any case, you're super-unlikely to hear either "infra" formation in my stomping grounds; in normal circumstances they would only elicit blank stares, and mine among them.

No difference here. You can have infrastructure, infra-red, infra-sound, ..., but infra doesn't stand on its own.

[chas]

This isn't likely a "divided by a common language" thing, but it's something that bothers me.

I saw a movie a month or two ago, can't remember the name. It's about a team that goes out to look into a space ship that's gone incommunicado. There's some sort of scientist who helped design the lost space ship. Everyone calls him "doctor". Not "doctor such-and-such", just doctor. I would think on a ship, the only person with a one-word title would be the captain.

I went to college where the use of "doctor" varied by department. The physics professors all went by their first names, while in chemistry they went by doctor till you got to know them. Graduate school was just weird, where some went by doctor, although the official policy was that professors didn't use doctor because "Mistuh Jeffuhson didn't have a PhD."

Where I work now, most of the staff have PhDs, and some have Dr or PhD in their signatures, but not most. One time, a colleague was on a nationwide broadcast about nanotechnology. The other guest was a professor in a medical school (not an MD). The host called my buddy by his first name and the other doctor. There was even one question addressed to "John and Dr Jones."

We've been watching Yorkshire Vet on TV recently. I've noticed that most of the clients call the vets by their first names. We've had animals all our lives, and my daughter works in a vet practice, and nobody ever calls a vet by the first name unless they're personal friends.

What's normal across the pond? Is anyone with a doctorate "Doctor", anyone with an MD "Doctor", one or the other or neither?

[Moof]

I've known and worked with quite a lot of D Phils, and none of them have ever used Dr except on their CV or academic ID. Those who teach are always known by their first name to staff and students. Of the ones I know well, I think they'd either be a bit embarrassed to be addressed as Dr, or not respond at all because they assumed the speaker was talking to somebody else.

Vets aren't called Dr in Britain, they use ordinary courtesy titles. At the animal hospital I've always used, some do introduce themselves by their first name, others just get straight down to the business of the appointment. They wear badges with their first name on, though.

Doctors of medicine always use Dr in the course of their practice and professional work. Professors of medicine usually are doctors of medicine, but the second title supersedes the first (an honorary title would be retained, i.e. Professor Sir Joe Bloggs). Surgeons here don't use Dr, but obviously some of them become professors of surgery and would be addressed as such. Same with psychologists. Psychiatrists are doctors of medicine and use Dr.

Happy Christmas everyone!

[chas]

Thanks Moof!

[david_h]

What Moof says matches my experience. Some extra observations.

The vet practice we use have always offered first names but at least to start with have used Mr or Mrs to us. The dental practice I use has first-name-only staff badges (I think that, in a way, this gives them some privacy). When I phone for appointments the receptionist uses the dental surgeon's first name. From listening in the waiting room I think they address clients in the way they anticipate clients would like to be addressed. Medical doctors are usually Dr Jones or whatever but where GPs live in the community "Dr Peter" or "Dr Mary" is not unheard of. In the places I have worked (public and private sector) it has generally been first names except in formal introductions to visitors or (in the government job) when addressing people several grades up the ladder.

On a ship might 'doctor' be an alternative to 'sir'?

Seasons Greetings