"But think about the "plantation accent" or the "high-Southern" accent. That in and of itself is closer to British English in both word pronunciation, phraseology, and word choice than any other accent. "

Like the "Gone with the Wind" types? ... ok I can see your point there.

Yep, George Bernard Shaw said it best: "Two peoples separated by a common language"

"Maths" is short for "Mathematics".

In the US, is the full name of the subject "Mathematic" ?


@ BZD: "I was accepted into Mensa last year..."

Mensa is just a club for smug people.

@philcore: Just pointing out that "there wasn't any cockney expressions" should be either "there wasn't any Cockney" or "there weren't any Cockney expressions". No slight intended.

@FOB (great name, btw): I'm a Scot (from that place near England) living in the Middle Kingdom (aka China, the place near Hong Kong).

@thecleverguys: Well done, all! I'm flabbergasted to be in such exalted company.

@Jamie -- its because "Mathematics" is alternately a plural and singular noun. Officially it is a plural noun, describing a variety of subjects and topics; in reality, at least in American english, however, it is used as a singular noun describing a field of subjects, which is why we say "Mathematics is my best subject", or "Math is my favorite".

I'm sure it sounds silly to a Brit, but when you think about it, except at the university-level, Math is pretty much one monolithic subject, at least that's how its taught in America.

Surely you should say "Mathematic is my best subject", then?

Nice work.

No, because "Mathematics" is both a singular proper noun for the "field" or "science" of Mathematics (Americans also do this with Physics; but in reality it's no different from saying Chemistry, History, Literature, Mathematics -- all singular propers), as well as a plural noun describing a group of subjects within the field.

So, while History is a field of study, there are many "histories" which people study within that field.

Besides, "mathematic" is in no way a noun of any sort recognized by Oxford or Webster, nor is it, as far as I can tell, a proper adjective (the adjective being "mathematical") -- of course, I see that the OED has an alternate entry for "mathematic", so maybe its a Britishism, but that would be funny since, according to Merriam-Webster, the Middle English word its based on is "mathematicalle".

No, FOB - what I mean is that "Maths" is "Mathematics" shortened. It is directly derived from the word Mathematics, with "ematic" taken out - thus:

Math______s

Then you close up the gap, leaving "Maths", and NOT "Math".

No, Jamie -- what I mean is that "Math" is "Mathematics" shortened as a singular noun. It is directly derived from the singular noun Mathematics in American English, with "ematics" taken out -- thus:

Math________

Then there's no gap when referring the Mathematics as a field or science, leaving "Math", without the need to use the plural form of the verb "to be", such as -- Maths are, but rather, Math is.

According to American English, you are incorrect, just as according to British English, I am incorrect.

American English is like British English, only wrong.

This is honestly just a color/colour situation, and let's face it -- American English is the dominant mode of communication where English is spoken outside of the former British Empire (for instance, in Asia, South and Central America, and in many parts of Europe); in addition, the cultural significance of American English over the past 60 years brings obviates your ability to claim that British English is superior or more important.

American English is like British English, except people (outside of the British) don't make fun of it as much, and American English carries more cultural and political cache.

It's still wrong. The language is called "English". Where is England? Britain or America?

Hahah, neither -- its in Narnia.

Its called "American English" (as in American English Dictionary) -- because we took the shitty product y'all put out and made it light years better.

FOB - did you really claim American English has more cultural cache than British English?

I would lol, but I fear you meant it.

I fear he meant cachet...

Guys, this argument makes you all look stupid.

FOB said, correctly, that "Midwestern flatspeak" is globally the most widely heard accent in the English language, thanks to the huge production of music, TV, and movies with that accent. And, as I listen to Paul McCartney do his best to sound like an American singer, I think he has a point--especially since, this morning, I was listening to a BBC World presenter with a Welsh accent.

@Jamie - @ BZD: "I was accepted into Mensa last year...", Mensa is just a club for smug people". Actually its a club for those with a high enough IQ to enter!

But i do agree with "American English is like British English, only wrong".

@BZD - Welcome to the society. Although I'm told there are other societies with stricter requirements, MENSA is pretty much the most well known organization.

@Draug -- Namely Phi Beta Kappa (of which I'm a member), since you actually had to put in hard work AND be naturally smart. I could sit on my ass all day long and bubble in a few answers with a No. 2 to join MENSA

“Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't.” - Margaret Thatcher.

Substitute intelligent for powerful and Ms. Thatcher neatly sums up my opinion on this subject.

The problem with a club, who's only requirement is an IQ score, is that that's the only thing people associate with it. And that does, honestly sound a bit corny.
"Hey I'm in Mensa" ... "Hey me too" ... "wow you must be smart" ... "you too" ... "ok bye"

It's like joining a club for people over 6'6" - Hey look at us, we're all taller than the average person. But what now? Let's play basket ball? the mensa version would be chess? I bet there are as many tall people who would rather play chess as there are high-IQ people that would rather play basketball

I don't know, I'm not knocking it, I just don't understand why anyone would join. The fact that no common interests are involved, means that the only thing people have in common is a test score. You'll probably have a fair amount of people interested in the "typicall" smart subjects such as math and science, but I'd bet there's also many who found that they hated math in school and were never any good at it. Instead they like cooking, so the went to culinary school. Well what the hell are these people going to talk about at their MENSA meetings? The chemistry of the maillard reaction?

I'd be willing to bet that in any math or physics club about 75% of the members would qualify for mensa, because they joined a club based on an interest, that requires a level of intelligence to do at any significant level. I'd also bet that less than 1% of these people actually join mensa because they dont care what their IQ is, they care about their interests.

Then again, maybe I'm wrong. But all the same, congrats to both of you for being tall ... or smart I might have confused myself

All this talk of Mensa has made me want to set the bar high for my own accomplishments:

I went to the bathroom without wetting myself today.

Beat *that*, big brains!

When I saw the number of replies to the thread, I knew instantly it had been hijacked. The only mystery in my mind before opening it was how it transformed into a religion vs. atheism thread. =P

I don't understand why people argue the nitpicky details of the English language, when it's clear that the whole thing is so riddled with exceptions, regional variations, and adoption of foreign words that you can hardly call the thing structured or sensible. It's hardly a phonetic language any more. There's no such thing as THE English language, just accept that its different in different places.

From the top of my head, MENSA is the top 2% of the population right? 1 in 50? That's still an accomplishment, to be sure, but I will never respect people who practically introduce themselves with their IQ. I think it's a perfectly legitimate gloat in a thread that calls for gloating though.

Oh, what?! A Great Lakes english accent just used gloat as a noun!

Is it really an accomplishment though? I mean the whole point of IQ is that it's your inherent intelligence. That's why Marilyn Vos Savant held the world record for taking the test when she was like 10, I think. Getting a Physics degree is an accomplishment, having the inherent brainpower necessary is not. Getting on your college basketball team is an accomplishment, having the height potential is not.

you haven't accomplished anything by being born with some inherent attribute. You accomplish something when you work hard for it

"Intelligence is not a privilege, it's a gift, to be used for the good of mankind."

Phi Betta Kappa is only for students. Get real. I'm talking a society anyone with the skills can join. Just ebcause I don't choose to have a bachelors or be a lifelong student shouldn't preclude me from a real society. It does from Phi Betta Kappa. So epic fail, Okra, for choosing to present a academic only society on the same par as MENSA.