When You (Almost) Speak the Same Language

I always knew it was going to be interesting having an American friend. As the quotation says; Britain and America are two nations divided by a common language, and heaven knows I've found that to be true since I've been friends with Mandy. Don't get me wrong, we understand each other perfectly well, but every now and then, when I least expect it, she'll slip one of those words or phrases, peculiar to the United States, into the conversation and I'll look at her like she's suddenly started speaking Swahili.

For instance, 'mirrrrrrorrrrrrr', what's that about? Clearly the word is 'mirror' but for some reason my lovely American friend insists on pronouncing it like she's doing an impersonation of a cow asking an awkward question.

Then, of course, we have the whole writing thing. As both Mandy and I are writers you'd expect us to speak the same language. Not a bit of it. The letter 'Z' for example. I say 'Zed' while she says 'Zee'...

...and then there's what I know as a 'Full Stop' and Mandy calls it a 'Period'. That was a rather embarrassingly awkward conversation I seem to remember, when she told me every one of her sentences ended with a period.

Ultimately we understand each other perfectly. Both of us laughing at the other's language differences, both of us convinced they are correct, but of course we both know …

I’m right.

Andrew likes to think he is always right. He is British after all. However, I’m not so sure that is always the case. For instance, when one is talking about a waffle here in the States, they are generally referring to a breakfast food with perfect vessels for syrup. Andrew however, could be talking about the fact that he’s been talking for ten minutes straight, or something to do with potatoes. I’m never quite sure which one!

He likes to laugh at me when I say things like squirrel, or mirror, or car … Wait, maybe he just likes to laugh at me. Either way, he ends up breaking into his “faultless American accent” midway through a sentence. Don’t tell him, but I’m pretty sure he’s sounding a little bit more ‘American’ every time we talk …. Though he was secretly hoping he would teach me to speak “correctly” and I would start sounding like him.

Let’s be real here, folks, we all know which one of us is actually right …. ME! Always…

I'm right.