As more and more time progresses in my English year abroad I have begun to notice some small changes in my vocal patterns. I’m pretty sure I DON’T have an accent, or at least not a traditional one. But sometimes it does slip out, especially if I’m asking a question. Not quite sure why…

One thing I am sure of however is how my vernacular has changed. For a while now I’ve adopted the generic slang in England. Saying “cheers” or “ta” in place of thanks. But now that has deepened. I often hear myself saying words like “slag” (As in “to slag someone off” meaning discredit them or make fun of them, belittle them). I now say “proper” in place of the word “real” or “genuine.” For example: “I’d give my left eye for proper Mexican food, not this bland imitation they try to pass for it.” Another change is using the word “meant” in meaning “supposed.” For example: “Are we meant to be in here? I thought I saw a restricted access sign…”

Or a favorite of mine: “I can’t be bothered.” Why I like this one is because it can mean a lot of things. It could mean that you are feeling too lazy to do something, or that for any number of reasons you merely don’t want to do it. Or replacing “real” with “well” in sentences like: “That’s well cool!” or “I’m well knackered, I’ll just lie down for a quick kip.”

There are a few that I don’t say though I have become comfortable with them, such as the awkward placements of the word “do.” Instead of saying: “Yes I can,” the Yorkies will sometimes say: “Yeah, can do,” or instead of “I will” they will say: “I will do.” Or “in’it” which is unnecessarily tagged onto the ends of sentences as more-or-less a word whisker. It is a gross abbreviation of “isn’t it?” or “isn’t it true?” Another is “sumat” which is “something like that.” Such as: “You want to see a film or sumat?”

I think the times that these words and phrases slip out the most are at work. I’ll say things that are blatantly English like: “Hi’ya mate, you sorted?” Meaning; “have you been helped/served?” And perhaps this causes the confusion for people as to where I’m from. I’m gotten Irish a few times, French once (and no they weren’t drunk, just a bad guesser), and only after talking for sometime will people start to guess that I might be American. It’s like I’m in some sort of ambiguous nationality middle ground.

Further changes have been: thinking of the temperature in Celsius rather than Fahrenheit, kilometers rather than miles, kilos or stones rather than pounds, and just generally using the metric system. The chipper on the corner that used to turn my stomach with its smell of deep fried oil now has me as hooked as the fish they serve once were. I now expect the bread of my sandwiches to be buttered, my tea to have milk in it, and my biscuit to be a sweet cookie. I have no problem in knowing the difference between chips and crisps, nor in knowing that pickle is a chutney garnish and not a gherkin. When someone says football I never think of what Americans play.

I don’t have to question what “chuffed” means, and I no longer have to have someone translate for me when I receive a text message that looks like: “I gathered it woz u Yeah il gi it t u 2mo im busy 2nite n il av t find it.” or “wot ya doin afta? wer goin out on the nite bout 6 but 4t we cud all go 4 drink sumwer afta 4 bit or u arranged sumat?” Both being exact copies of actual received texts.

All and all, I think I’ve become pretty adapted to the English way of speaking with only a few exceptions. The letter “Z” being pronounced “zed.” The letter “H” being pronounced “hach.” “Buoy” pronounced “boy” rather than what they think is the hilarious version we Americans use. Pants meaning underwear, or braces meaning suspenders and inversely suspenders meaning the equivalent of garter belts. Or schedule, cell phone not mobile, and aluminum. But these things small rebellions from speaking “English” help me remember where I’m from.