THE REASON WHY AMERICANS SAY MATH AND NOT MATHS - a Blog Post by spunkycumfun

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11/1/2021 9:54 am

THE REASON WHY AMERICANS SAY MATH AND NOT MATHS

When I visited New York for the first time in the 1980s, I went to a bookshop and was amazed that there were American English dictionaries on sale. On browsing a dictionary, it dawned on me how different American English is to British English.

Since I started blogging years ago, this difference between American English and British English became even more apparent. I’ve had to become bilingual in reading American people’s blogs to fully understand them and in writing my own blog to ensure I’m understood by Americans.

I always knew Americans spelt things differently. Organisation becomes organization; centre becomes center; programme becomes program, behaviour becomes behaviour, colour becomes color, grey becomes gray, and pyjamas become pajamas. I’ve put this down to the whimsy of Americans. But American spelling of English words often means less letters to type out so their whimsy makes a lot of sense as it saves time.

Some American words, because of American films and music, have become mainstream here. People often say movies to mean films, apartments to mean flats, mail to mean post, truck to mean lorry, and ass to mean arse.

But I still sometimes get confused with the many different words used to describe the same thing. For example, here in the UK, we generally say Autumn not Fall, toilet not restroom, bum not fanny, university not college, prison not penitentiary, trade union not labor union, full stop not period, maths not math, mobile phone not cellphone, queue not line, lift not elevator, underground not subway, holiday not vacation, nappy not diaper, rubber not eraser, waistcoat not vest, trousers not pants, jumper not sweater, trainers not sneakers, pissed off not pissed, bill not check, postman not mailman, probation officer not parole officer, doctor not physician, postcode not zip code, shop not store, chemist not drugstore, off-licence not liquor store, torch not flashlight, crisps not chips, chips not fries, biscuits not cookies, sweets not candy, jelly not jello, aubergine not eggplant, courgette not zucchini, sweet corn not maize, cooker not stove, tin not can, rubbish not trash, dustbin not garbage can, wardrobe not closet, garden not yard, motorway not highway, caravan not trailer, bonnet not hood, boot not trunk, car park not parking lot, petrol not gas, and definitely football not soccer.

What American-English or British-English words confuse you?
Do you say Maths or Math?
Have you become more bilingual in American English and British English on blogland?

But there are few words when used could lead to major misunderstandings depending where you are. If an American asked me for chips, I’d give them fries when they really wanted crisps! If an American told me they were pissed, I’d think there were drunk and not angry! If an American asked me to look inside their trunk, I’d enjoy myself rummaging around their suitcase! If an American wanted a cookie, I'd say that I haven't got that type of biscuit and offer them a custard cream biscuit instead! If an American admired my wife’s fanny, I’d think my wife must have flashed her pussy at them! And if an American asked to borrow my pants, I’d ask for money if they so badly wanted to satisfy their kinks by wearing my game-worn underwear!

My only bugbear about American English is when Americans say math and not maths because mathematics is a plural word. But, having said that, the Americans are yet again saving a letter from the word being typed out. It saves time; the reason why Americans say math and not maths is because they are very busy people in a hurry!