I called my relatives, and since they are British, their word choice and accent are different from those who were born and lived in America their whole lives.

I noticed they tend to use the word “pail” more than they use “bucket” even though they use both. When they answer the phone, they don’t say “What’s up?” or “What’s good?” Instead they’ll say “You alright?” That’s the way people in England also greet each other even when they aren’t on the phone. Usually they won’t say soda or pop, and they’ll say fizzy pop instead. They never use “hella,” but they did tell me about some interesting slang from England. My cousin told me when people are typing online, they will use “babes” a lot. Saying the words “crap” and “piss” in England is worse than saying them in America. When describing something that belongs to them, instead of using “my,” they will tend to use the word “me.” For example, when we were talking about school, my cousin said “I almost left me bag in the house.”

When my family in England pronounce “pool” and “pull,” and “feel” and “fill,” the words sound really different. When they say “bad” and “bat,” the words sound similar, but “bot” sounds different. “Caller” and “collar” sound pretty similar.

Through my visits to England and conversations on the phone with my relatives, I’ve noticed the word choice between Americans and the English can differ a lot.

-Meg Collier