American English isn't proper English, whereas pretty much every country in the world where people learn English learn it the proper way. Which would explain why you can understand English (I'm assuming your 2nd/3rd language) being spoken by a German (as you're both speaking proper English, rather than bastardised American 'English')

Here in Poland, I can recognize an American instantly if I hear them make absolutely any vocalization, even if I can't understand it (my hearing is bad) because even the tones differ.

I'm told I speak in the right note, but I still look like a foreigner.

I remember an old anecdote about some German soldiers spotting an American who was hiding in a cafeteria; they spotted him immediately because of the way he held his silverware.

There's a plethora of little mannerisms you can spot if you know what to look for. Obviously referring to our way of walk as "confident" reflects some bias and pride, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a difference of some kind.

Seeing as these mannerisms and details do exist, you might also be able to spot them without a checklist if you just recognize them "subconsciously". Brains are recognition machines - or at least it's a key feature.

This ties with your cultural background because these things are learned behaviors. They're not genetic. An ethnically Chinese American will absolutely wind up American mannerisms if that's where he grew up. Same as accent.

Having been raised in Oregon, I could easily tell Mexican-Americans apart from Mexicans. They seemed to assimilate 100% after a generation.

Accent is definitely discounted. I moved to Oregon when I was 2 and was raised there, and people could still tell I was from the South because a few words here and there ('pajamas', 'route') were pronounced different, even though I articulated vowels in the front of my mouth like a yankee or a German. (Southerners, Aussies, Brits articulate in the back of the mouth.)

Quote:Original post by AndyEsser
American English isn't proper English, whereas pretty much every country in the world where people learn English learn it the proper way. Which would explain why you can understand English (I'm assuming your 2nd/3rd language) being spoken by a German (as you're both speaking proper English, rather than bastardised American 'English')

That made me giggle. You brits are so funny!


Living in Sweden, everybody attempts to speak Swedish to me. Although I am tall and have blonde hair so, that could have something to do with it. I think it's pretty much impossible here to tell the difference between nationalities. Except you can usually tell a Swede by their haircut and rolled up pants.

Quote:Original post by AndyEsser
American English isn't proper English, whereas pretty much every country in the world where people learn English learn it the proper way. Which would explain why you can understand English (I'm assuming your 2nd/3rd language) being spoken by a German (as you're both speaking proper English, rather than bastardised American 'English')

Not so. Most of the poles I've met learned American English. There's also a lot of borrowings from American English such as 'frytki' ('fries') and chipsy ('chips', as in the thin flat ones).

You're also wrong about who bastardized what. American English is closer to what it was when we split than yours.

The Appalachion people practically have it in a time capsule.

America is fairly homogenous, so I guess you guess have less-tuned nationality radars, but I can tell in a few seconds of non-verbal observation, with quite high accuracy what western country someone is from. Scandinavians are hard to tell apart, and further east my accuracy goes down too. But german, english, french, spanish, italian, or american (westside and eastside) are often quite obvious.

And no, that isnt racist. It isnt by definition of race, and besides, I dont go along with the trend of trying to expand the meaning of racism to include making empirical claims.

Quote:Original post by JoeCooper
There's also a lot of borrowings from American English such as 'frytki' ('fries') and chipsy ('chips', as in the thin flat ones).

Hang on a minute when did these become American English words! ?

Quote:
You're also wrong about who bastardized what. American English is closer to what it was when we split than yours.

So American English is closer than Queens English ?

Madness, madness I tell thee.

Quote:Original post by CmpDev

Quote:Original post by JoeCooper
There's also a lot of borrowings from American English such as 'frytki' ('fries') and chipsy ('chips', as in the thin flat ones).

Hang on a minute when did these become American English words!

Using those terms for those snacks is American. Brits, for contrast, would call them 'chips' and 'crisps', respectively.

Quote:Original post by JoeCooper

Quote:Original post by CmpDev

Quote:Original post by JoeCooper
There's also a lot of borrowings from American English such as 'frytki' ('fries') and chipsy ('chips', as in the thin flat ones).

Hang on a minute when did these become American English words!

Using those terms for those snacks is American. Brits, for contrast, would call them 'chips' and 'crisps', respectively.

How silly of me. Taking a French word with English spelling makes it American.