+134 British people have cooler cuss words then Americans. Like twat and wanker. amirite?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

One time my friends and I (we're American) took a trip to France and met 3 British guys and we talked for hours about slang and cultural differences. That's when I learned Brits can't do very good American accents.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Don't worry, you had to find out sooner or later. Just like when we found out about 50 years ago that Americans don't do good British accents...except Gwyneth paltrow and Renee Zellwegger

by Anonymous 11 years ago

They were actually impressed with our British accents.. not great of course, but not terrible either. Americans get more British media, and Brits understandably don't take in much American media.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Oh dear lord please tell me you were HIGH when you wrote this. Who is "they"? You hardly ever hear of Americans commended for superb British accents. But the isolated examples are quite superb. And what's this? More British media than American media in the UK. You're crazy if you think that. Why do you think the British are inifintely more knowledgeable on what is British or American English. Because we have the most knowledge of both...THROUGH MEDIA.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

That was unnecessary. I'm just telling you about my experience and what we talked about. These were the conclusions we came to, and I'm sorry if you disagree, but you were not a part of that original conversation so obviously you do not know what we all talked about.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Nice question dodging

by Anonymous 11 years ago

And also, to stick up for Brits with good American accents --- Hugh Laurie, Damien (something...the guy from Homeland), Marc Warren...I think I've made my point...

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I didn't realize Hugh Laurie wasn't American until I saw him on Jay Leno. It was weird hearing his real voice.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

It was a little peculiar for us to hear him sound so convincing as an American

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Fuck off you britfag. I'll stick a dildo up your cunt.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

interesting how you've named yourself after a great genius, but are clearly a total fucktard

by Anonymous 11 years ago

That's weird because I thought the post was on the subject of british profanity. Following suit of the OP, I contributed some popular American profanity to the post. ...bitch hehe

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Following suit of the OP would be adding British profanity. What you are doing is CHANGING suit...knob'ed

by Anonymous 11 years ago

The post says British profanity is better. Albert assumes the role of an American that disagrees vehemently, and therefore uses AMERICAN profanity. Also, "fucktard" isn't exactly the word to use when you're trying to demote someone for using American profanity... you come off as a hypocrite

by Anonymous 11 years ago

^

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I GOTCHU MAN

by Anonymous 11 years ago

AMERICAN BROFIST

by Anonymous 11 years ago

BROFIST RECIEVED AND RETURNED

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I don't believe "fucktard" belongs to anyone. It's neither here nor there. It's more of a Swiss insult in that regard --- unprincipled and horrible. Plus we've heard all the American profanities before...yawn...go buy yourself the little book of being rude, you'll know how awesome British swearing really is. Such a rich part of island heritage. Smarmy git.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

nevertheless it's profanity often used in America, which is the country whose profanity you're trying to demote. regardless of the fact that it is also used elsewhere, it is still encompassed in the general group of American profanity, therefore you're still hypocritical in saying that, regardless of how much "classy profanity" you use in your response

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Who says it's an American profanity? Have you never read the short story "A Beijing Commute" ? It's used in there and that's by a British author. I'm interested to know how you definitely define that under American profanity as opposed to neutral. At any rate, it's well noted among the American expat community here that US cussing is lacking, hence the tidal wave of Britishisms sloshing into the American vernacular in recent years.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I'm not saying American profanity is better (by far it isn't). Nor am I saying that "fucktard" is EXCLUSIVELY American. It is, however, a word thoroughly integrated into American society, therefore can be called American profanity

by Anonymous 11 years ago

So, if McDonalds is thoroughly integrated into Chinese society (which it is. KFC too), can i therefore call McDonalds or KFC Chinese?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I believe so, as long long as the context does not imply that you mean strictly Chinese

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Oh, we're adding qualifiers now? That's a new feature. Look, if the word comes from a place, then that's just where it comes from. Some words are more obvious than others. But the fact is, "wanker" and "twat" are british words, now widely used in the American vernacular too. Doesn't mean you can say they are "american" words. Just as I can't say KFC is Chinese, even though they sell congee and crullers as part of their breakfast.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

So then it just comes down to the fundamental point I mentioned below (on the other comment stream)

by Anonymous 11 years ago

For some reason I never realized "wanker" was limited to Brits.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I'd say that twat is a cussword over here in America too.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Really? I never here it anywhere. What city do you live near?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Houston

by Anonymous 11 years ago

It is NOW, many Britishisms have sloshed into the American vocabulary in recent years. Many Americans just don't realize where the words come from

by Anonymous 11 years ago

That wasn't in question. I'm just saying that it's a cuss word in America, regardless of where it originated.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

So what? It's still a Britishism...and I wasn't answering a question, i was just telling you.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Same way he was telling you that it was not a question, regardless of the fact that you didn't ask if it was a question or not.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

My point is that saying it's now used in the States doesn't detract from what the OP saying, which is that it is a British cuss word. Musicisagift and Roomforonemore are missing the point, saying that it is used in the states now. The OP makes no comment in the post regarding who uses what, just that the ones from the UK are better.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

You aren't wrong, but you make a lot of disagreeable points that stem from an agreeable point (the post itself), no offense. They are of British origin, but if they are integrated into other cultures, then they belong to that culture as well

by Anonymous 11 years ago

disagreeable? you mean the facts? Sure, facts are annoying because they slap us in the face and we can't do anything back except rant and rave. My comments were in agreement with the OP - the British insults are better - saying that they are now in the american vernacular does nothing to make them less british. High tea is now part of many countries afternoon, does it mean that it is no longer a British thing? What about "jerk"? If we use it in England now does it mean it's no longer American? What's to be disagreed about. Wanker and Twat are Britishisms, period. But we're delighted you like them and use them too. As we use many Americanisms!

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I think that you're trying to say it's still British, and we're saying it's also American too. WE'RE BOTH RIGHT Also, about the disagreeable points, I meant primarily your insults of Albert_Einstein. Also, the vast majority of Americans realize where British profanity comes from (you never said otherwise, I just wanted to clarify)

by Anonymous 11 years ago

If the vast majority truly knew where popular britishisms came from, I doubt that Yahoo, CNN and other media outlets would have done whole pieces on them with the angle "did you know...?" And...it IS british...Americans using it doesn't change the fact that it's British. Adopted words don't change what they are. Rendezvous for example is a french word...that's just a fact...but it's integrated into the English language and the pronunciation bastardized to make it more acceptable to us. But failing to acknowledge that it's french is just ignorance. Just like McDonalds and KFC being integrated into Chinese society doesn't make them Chinese.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

So here is a fundamental point we seem to disagree on (correct me if I'm wrong): Does a word's culture of origin define it, or does the cultures it is used in define it?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

If this is the point we disagree on, then I think we should conduct an experiment: you make a post in favor of the former, and I of the latter (worded as closely as possible, and at the same time), and we compare results. Whaddya say? Sounds like an interesting thing to try, doesn't it?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

No, because this site is about opinion, not fact. Twat and wanker are british words - fact. They are now widely used in other english-speaking countries - fact. They are still british words - fact. That's all I've said so far. Them being used in another culture does not make them belong to that culture. Kung Pao Chicken is widely eaten globally - would you argue it wasn't Chinese? Post that up on here, I'll get 1.7 billion people to NW you. It would be a new record I think.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

But they are no longer ONLY British. They're still British, but they're also a part of all the cultures that accepted them. Not exclusively, but still part. Meat can be called an American food, as long as the context makes it clear that it isn't exclusively American. Where the hell did I ever say that it wouldn't be Chinese by that reasoning?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Of course they are exclusively british. If that word comes from Britain, then by definition it is a british word. It being used in another vernacular does not detract from its britishness. Being exclusively British doesn't mean it is exclusively used by the British. Why would you think that it does? A west-end show shown on Broadway with American actors is still a British show...because that's where it came from. Kung Pao Chicken is a Chinese dish, even though it's made now in countries all over. You can't just say it's American too. It's Chinese - fact. But not eaten exclusively in China. You're not making a required distinction here.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

There is a difference between "embraced by a society" and "integrated into a society". All your examples were the former. You don't seem to believe that something of another culture can be truly integrated into another.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Of course I do, but integration isn't tantamount to changing where it comes from or what it really is. The concept you are talking about is not universal to all things. If an immigrant integrates into American society, gets a passport, green card and whatnot, then they can justifiably call themselves american. One has the power to change their nationality. However, words, foods etc in their original form cannot just be changed willy-nilly. If, for instance, you modified the word into a slightly new one, then this new word you could call "american". But wanker is a british term, and you can't change that no matter how hard you try.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

How does this sound for a post: "A word's nationality is not defined by its origin, Amirite?" Do you think that encompasses the fundamental point (meaning, do you think the exact opposite)?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

No I don't think it does. You are saying that it's fine to change the nationality of a word. I disagree. Making its use international is not the same as changing where the word comes from. Make whatever post you like, it's not going to convince me on this. As far as I'm concerned, you may as well be trying to convince me that China is the smallest country in the world. I don't regard what you're saying as a matter of opinion. I've only stated what I know to be facts so far. Twat - british term. Now used in the american vernacular - doesn't change the fact that it's a british term. Having said that, me saying it's exclusively british doesn't mean no one else uses it. It just means that only the British came up with it.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I'm not trying to change your mind. Sorry, I just don't find that a worthwhile goal. I'm trying to isolate what you disagree with and find out if other people do too.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Observe the difference, as I see it: You: Twat and wanker are american terms too - this is true because we now widely use them too Me: Twat and wanker are british terms, but now also widely used in other vernaculars, especially the american one. By your way of thinking, the concept of "british" and "american" english is meaningless. Is that what you believe? (out of interest)

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I don't quite believe they're American for the reasons you say. For this example, it does not apply (funny enough). Being widely used is not the same as being integrated into a culture. If it's used only in association to the other culture, then they aren't integrated no matter how much they're used. The difference is that being integrated means it's used without association to another culture

by Anonymous 11 years ago

wanker is just a derogatory term, it doesn't have the cultural connotations you might imagine. but whatever the case, it's a british word that has been adopted into the american vernacular. for me, this is fact. it was a british word, it is a british word and always will be a british word. But we really are delighted to see our words exported so well. It's about the only thing Britain CAN export these days.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

the words dude and jerk-off, for instance, are american terms that are integrated into the British vernacular. but there isn't a soul who would suppose that these terms aren't american. We use them without wanting to make reference to america, and yet we also know they are not from our own vocabulary. But we use them, because we like them.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Why do you think that somebody would assume those terms aren't American? I just think that that phrase has no place in this debate. I won't get back to this for a while

by Anonymous 11 years ago

so you're saying that it's fine to have an exclusively american term but not british? I'm sure that's not what you mean but that's what it sounds like. According to you, these words dude and jerk-off can be called british because they are integrated, IE used without cultural connotation. Right? That's what you're saying. What I'M saying, is that regardless, these terms ARE american, but we use them now in our own vocab as well. In the same way that Kung Pao Chicken is chinese, but i eat it as part of my regular diet in england.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Calling them British doesn't mean they aren't American. It only acknowledges that they are British too, even if they didn't originate there. In Britain, it would make more sense to call them American because that is where it originated, but on a global scale, the word can be seen as American and British. It is still more American than British, but I think that because it has been integrated into British vernacular, it is then British as well (even though it's difficult to find context where it makes sense to call it such)

by Anonymous 11 years ago

final point - as the aforementioned media outlets reported, many britishisms are being used in the american vernacular now without being known as such. Americans would hear wanker from their fellow americans and not know that it is actually a britishism. This doesn't detract from the britishness of the word, just that people didn't know where it came from. Same can happen the other way round too. I for example, found myself using american words not knowing they were american.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I'm starting to get the feeling you disagree with me...

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Assimilation of words, ideas, foods, and other aspects into a society like America does not make that thing American. It just becomes present within the grand casserole of nonsense. Same in the UK. In the UK, we embrace American culture, but we do not call it our own. Seeing Hollywood movies, eating fast food, seeing broadway shows in london...these are American things that we love in Britain. You may take the word wanker and use it because you like it. It doesn't mean it is now to be known as an "american" word, but rather "a british word that has worked its way into the american vernacular" - there's a difference.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

And I think that any word in the American vernacular deserves to be called American. Is an origionally British person that spends half of every year for 10 years in Britain and the other half in America more British than American? Yes. Does that mean he isn't American too? I think not, and you don't have the omniscience to say the answer for a fact.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Yes I can. If we're talking technical I certainly can. I've spent 95% of the last 8 years in China. Does it make me Chinese - not in the slightest. And anyone who would think it does is kidding themselves. I know a lot about China, and I call China home, doesn't mean I actually AM Chinese. Even if I FEEL like one, doesn't mean I am. And no, you do not have the right to call the words "american" - you are changing their identity by doing so. You can say that they are used in the american vernacular, but you cannot deny they are British. In the same way, I would never claim words like "dude" to be British, even though they are used extensively in the British vernacular.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

That's because you've been embraced by China, but not integrated into it you do not change a word's identity by calling it by a different nationality of its origin, you simply acknowledge that it has been integrated into the society whose nationality you refer it to

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I'm sorry, no, but calling wanker "american" is misleading, inaccurate and down-right wrong. It's like me calling the word rendezvous a British word. It's not. It's part of the English language now, but it remains a french word. Kamikaze is a word used in the English language, but it's a Japanese word. Wanker is a British word, full stop! You can't just refer to it as "american" - that's being cavalier with language, and it's ignorant! It's fair to say that it is a widely used term in america, or that americans use it as part of their slang now. However, you cannot just give it a green card and call it American.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

So you clearly don't think a word can be associated with multiple nationalities, am I correct to understand such?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

The word itself, no. But the usage of the word? Yes. I've said that all along. I'm making the distinction that you are failing to make.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

you put so much bias in saying "a distinction that you are failing to make". Can't you see that I don't think the distinction needs to be made? Can't you, for the sake of not looking totally condescending, speak to me as an equal? Not for my sake, but for your own reputation. You look arrogant when you feel the need to tell me I'm wrong, as if I don't know you think so already. I've made the post, and I gotta go to bed

by Anonymous 11 years ago

If I think you're wrong, I will say so. I do so out of respect for you, since I won't lie to you or sugar-coat anything for you. If you don't like that well tough. That's how I talk. I'm an equal-opportunities offender you might say. You have just as much as chance of anyone else of being offended or not giving a shit. I leave that up to you. I've made it quite clear that my belief in your error is just that MY BELIEF. I believe I'm talking about facts, and that you're ignoring an important distinction based on that. No one is forcing you to agree. In fact I'd encourage you to disagree. It makes the conversation more interesting. There's nothing I hate more on amirite than an annoying yes-man! If I come across as arrogant, that will be a mistake on the part of other people, because I'm not thinking that way at all. I'm just dropping the poker face and telling you EXACTLY what I think. Plus what you are saying works both ways. I clearly believe that the distinction DOES need to be made. Is my opinion less valid?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Well almost none of that came across from how you get your points across, sorry. your opinion certainly isn't less valid. good night (probably not night for you)

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Unless the word itself has strong connotations of a collaborative effort. I'm sure there are examples of that too...none leap to mind, but I'm sure someone else could find one if they bothered to try.

by Anonymous 11 years ago