The Terminology in London vs America

   In every culture, communication is a huge aspect of life. It is how people interact with one another or get around the area. Every culture is different when it comes to language or terminology. As a class we have been meeting for over several of weeks trying to prepare ourselves for our trip to London. One class period that really stuck out to me was learning the terminology for the basic sayings in London terms. The first step in adapting to the culture is to learn the slang that they use.

   The most common phases that should be learned before traveling anywhere is: where is the restroom, where is a restaurant, where is a telephone, and where can I get help? In London terms to try to find the bathroom, I would have ask "where is the loo?" It is more common in London to have restaurants  be referred to as pubs or cafes. To find the location of a telephone, I would simply have to ask "where is the bowler?" The last common phrase has to do with finding help or receiving help. In the United States we reach help by calling 911. However, in London we would have to all 999. Even though all of these phrases are simple, just knowing the correct terminology for the British culture makes a few things in our London trip go smoother. 

     There is a lot of different terminology just between British and the United States communication. The top ten different terminology that I got the kicked out of the most were the following: hole in the wall means ATM, return stands for a round trip, wad stands for money, posh frock stands for best dress, and trainers means sneakers. The next five in the list continues dealing with just food: afters means desserts, nutty means sandwich, fairy cake stands for cupcake, joint means a piece of meat, and scoff stands for food. Even though we are traveling to London and do not have to learn another language, we need to know the different terminology because if we do not, the British are going to have no idea what we are trying to say. Wish me the best of luck remembering all the terminology. Who knows - it might just stick and when I return to the United Sates no one will have the slightest clue what I am saying.