Newsgroups: sci.lang,soc.culture.british,soc.culture.europe,soc.culture.usa
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From: dave@esatstyc.estec.esa.nl (Dave Bass)
Subject: Re: Differences between American + British english
Message-ID: <D7A4tq.Hr@yc.estec.esa.nl>
Sender: dave@esatst (Dave Bass)
Date: Wed, 19 Apr 1995 11:20:13 GMT
References: <795681149snz@duntone.demon.co.uk> <3mensc$1ko@netnews.upenn.edu> <797633329snz@psyche.demon.co.uk> <1995Apr13.181319.24740@inca.comlab.ox.ac.uk> <D78Gzt.E9v@yc.estec.esa.nl> <3n0hqu$a1c@netnews.upenn.edu>
Organization: ESA/ESTEC/YCV, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
Lines: 22

In article <3n0hqu$a1c@netnews.upenn.edu>, dbowie@mail2.sas.upenn.edu (David Bowie) writes:
> Dave Bass (dave@esatstyc.estec.esa.nl) wrote:
[Ehrlich munched]
> : What is supposedly taught in school and what people speak are two completely 
> : different things. My experience of American speech is quite limited in terms 
> : of real examples, but includes a lot of television stuff. In the latter case 
> : there does not appear to be a consistent use of grammar.
> 
> Just one point--actually, US American usage doesn't contain "a lot of
> television stuff."
[munch]

Sorry, but that is not what I was trying to say.

I was trying to say that my knowledge of the way Americans speak is derived 
primarily from listening to American TV programmes, not that Americans learn 
to speak from listening to the TV. It is likely that one learns to speak initially from imitating those around you.
I would postulate that many 'verbal mannerisms' are picked up from the TV, 
but this will occur later, when you watch more of it.
-- 
David Bass,  ESTEC/YCV, Postbus 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands
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