America and England are two Nations divided by a common language

The other day I was in Payson’s local Home Depot looking for what I call a torch.  As usual, if one has an air of not knowing where to look, it is only a matter of moments before a sales assistant asks if he or she may help.

Me: Excuse me but do you sell rechargeable torches?

Sales Assistant: I don’t think so, Sir, you would be best advised to ask at the Information Desk.

A few moments later, at said Information Desk … Do you stock rechargeable torches?

The young girl types on a keyboard, looks up at the screen and replies … I’m sorry Sir, we don’t stock those.

Surprised, I get on looking for the other items that I need.

About 10 minutes later, halfway down an aisle I notice – guess what – a decent selection of rechargeable torches! Pleased, I make my selection and on the way out to the tills pass by the original sales assistant who came to help me.

Me: You see you do sell rechargeable torches!

Sales Assistant:  Ah, we call them flashlights!

The point of this rather mundane story is to point out that the differences in language between American English and UK English are much more involved than the famous ones such as rubber and condom!

In fact there are so many different terms in the D-I-Y arena that I have stopped asking for items in what, to me, is the

obvious name and now tend to describe the problem that I am trying to fix.

Thank goodness, most of the assistants in Home Depot, and the equally efficient Ace Hardware, now see me coming and know that I’m still learning to speak American!

Is there a deeper element to this language difference?

I believe so.  Because the assumption is that you are going to be understood straight off.  If one was in a country where the natural language was other than English then, without doubt, you would know that verbal communication was going to be strained, to say the least.

In America we just take the language for granted. In practice, I suspect that verbal communications are much less effective than one assumes.

Finally, it’s interesting to note that Jean, who was married to an American for 30 years, effortlessly switches to both an American accent and vocabulary as soon as she is talking to the locals.  Will I, too, make the switch over time?

(If you are in need of a rechargeable torch yourself, here is a Home Depot coupon. Good luck!)

By Paul Handover

P.S. The quote that started this article appears to have been originated by George Barnard Shaw and not Winston Churchill as I previously thought.