Mike Mooney <m.j.moo...@bradford.ac.uk> wrote: > "Mark Barratt" <mark.barr...@enternet.hu> wrote in message > news:2qb0otFtik1bU1@uni-berlin.de... > > Goofy wrote:
> > > Should I say 'half hour' or 'half an hour'? For example, I waited half > > > (an) hour to get on the bus.
> > I would say "(for) half an hour", here.
> > > Or there is half-(an)-hour break before the class.
> > This one would be "a half-hour break".
> > The difference seems to be whether the expression is being used as a > > noun or as an adjective.
> > > For this matter, also 'half second' or 'half a second', 'half minute' or > > > 'half a minute', and 'half day' or 'half a day'?
> > The same applies.
> I think it's largely pondial:
> AmE: a half-hour
> BrE: half an hour
Not simply pondial, though. I say both and hear both in the US. It depends on the phrase Some quick googling suggests that both sides say "for half an hour" but the US is more willing to say also "for a half-hour" than is the UK.
-- Best -- Donna Richoux An American living in the Netherlands
Donna Richoux wrote: > Mike Mooney <m.j.moo...@bradford.ac.uk> wrote:
>> I think it's largely pondial:
>> AmE: a half-hour
>> BrE: half an hour
Dead wrong!
> Not simply pondial, though. I say both and hear both in the US.
Dead right!
> It depends on the phrase Some quick googling suggests that both sides say > "for half an hour" but the US is more willing to say also "for a > half-hour" than is the UK.
The reason for that might be the prevalent UK (Southeastern England) pronunciation of "half hour" as [Af a:], no? UK speakers might be trying to avoid wondering whether to use "a" or "an".
Coop wrote: >>I don't think the usage of either is just AmE usage. Both "It's a >>half-hour show" and "I'll be there in half an hour" would be used >>here. Tom wrote: > Can I say "I'll be there in a half-hour" or "I'll be there in half > hour"? I'm in the States.
First off, you get Oy!ed for using that expression "the States". This is a deprecated usage outside of military and diplomatic contexts. Odd thing is, the British think Americans commonly use "the States" (they don't), and the Americans think the British commonly use "the States" (they do, but only because they mistakenly think that's what Americans commonly do).
Second off, in American English, you can say:
I'll be there in half an hour. or I'll be there in a half hour.
But the first one is more likely, at least in my dialect. The second one sounds sort of awkward for some reason.
On 9 Sep 2004 16:31:18 GMT, Areff <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
>First off, you get Oy!ed for using that expression "the States". This is >a deprecated usage outside of military and diplomatic contexts. Odd thing >is, the British think Americans commonly use "the States" (they don't), >and the Americans think the British commonly use "the States" (they do, >but only because they mistakenly think that's what Americans commonly do).
Naturally. We have mandatory weekly meetings to discuss how Americans have improved our language, and how we might ape them. It's the main topic of conversation on the Clapham Omnibus.
Can I say "I'll be there in a half-hour" or "I'll be there in half hour"? I'm in the States.
Areff responded: First off, you get Oy!ed for using that expression "the States". This is a deprecated usage outside of military and diplomatic contexts. Odd thing is, the British think Americans commonly use "the States" (they don't), and the Americans think the British commonly use "the States" (they do, but only because they mistakenly think that's what Americans commonly do).
Which brings up the question about what term USA people do use while they are not in "The States". UK and Australian people can play as well, and indeed may be better judges.
-- --------------------------------------------- Richard Maurer To reply, remove half Sunnyvale, California of a homonym of a synonym for also. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [a subthread of Half hour or half an hour]
Richard Maurer wrote: > Tom wrote: > Can I say "I'll be there in a half-hour" or "I'll be there in half > hour"? I'm in the States.
> Areff responded: > First off, you get Oy!ed for using that expression "the States". > This is a deprecated usage outside of military and > diplomatic contexts. Odd thing is, the British think Americans > commonly use "the States" (they don't), and the Americans think > the British commonly use "the States" (they do, but only because > they mistakenly think that's what Americans commonly do).
> Which brings up the question about what term USA people do use > while they are not in "The States". UK and Australian people > can play as well, and indeed may be better judges.
A lot of them use "the States" when speaking to UK, etc. people, because they mistakenly think that's how UK people etc. commonly refer to the US.
It's really a bizarre case of mutually-reinforcing double-error traditions.
Richard Maurer wrote: > Tom wrote: > Can I say "I'll be there in a half-hour" or "I'll be there in half > hour"? I'm in the States.
> Areff responded: > First off, you get Oy!ed for using that expression "the States". > This is a deprecated usage outside of military and > diplomatic contexts. Odd thing is, the British think Americans > commonly use "the States" (they don't), and the Americans think > the British commonly use "the States" (they do, but only because > they mistakenly think that's what Americans commonly do).
> Which brings up the question about what term USA people do use > while they are not in "The States". UK and Australian people > can play as well, and indeed may be better judges.
Oh, after a while abroad I'm usually ready to go back to the States. -- Skitt (in Hayward, California) www.geocities.com/opus731/
>Richard Maurer wrote: >> Tom wrote: >> Can I say "I'll be there in a half-hour" or "I'll be there in half >> hour"? I'm in the States.
>> Areff responded: >> First off, you get Oy!ed for using that expression "the States". >> This is a deprecated usage outside of military and >> diplomatic contexts. Odd thing is, the British think Americans >> commonly use "the States" (they don't), and the Americans think >> the British commonly use "the States" (they do, but only because >> they mistakenly think that's what Americans commonly do).
>> Which brings up the question about what term USA people do use >> while they are not in "The States". UK and Australian people >> can play as well, and indeed may be better judges.
>Oh, after a while abroad I'm usually ready to go back to the States.
I talk about 'back in The States' or 'in The States...', but one can never say such things as 'The States declared war on another country today'. I first heard it from US military people in Germany, often in a context where someone was expressing a desire to get back to 'civilization' or to the shopping centers or to where a good slice of pizza can be found. That sort of thing. Sergeant talk more often than officer talk, it seemed to me, but only somewhat so.
Charles Riggs wrote: > I talk about 'back in The States' or 'in The States...', but one can > never say such things as 'The States declared war on another country > today'. I first heard it from US military people in Germany, often in > a context where someone was expressing a desire to get back to > 'civilization' or to the shopping centers or to where a good slice of > pizza can be found.
>>First off, you get Oy!ed for using that expression "the States". This is >>a deprecated usage outside of military and diplomatic contexts. Odd thing >>is, the British think Americans commonly use "the States" (they don't), >>and the Americans think the British commonly use "the States" (they do, >>but only because they mistakenly think that's what Americans commonly do).
>Naturally. We have mandatory weekly meetings to discuss how Americans >have improved our language, and how we might ape them. It's the main >topic of conversation on the Clapham Omnibus.
What? You've cut down the meetings to once a week? Are we no longer respected over there?
>>>>> > Should I say 'half hour' or 'half an hour'? For example, I waited half >>>>> > (an) hour to get on the bus.
>>>>> I would say "(for) half an hour", here.
>>>>> > Or there is half-(an)-hour break before the class.
>>>>> This one would be "a half-hour break".
>>>>> The difference seems to be whether the expression is being used as a >>>>> noun or as an adjective.
>>>>> > For this matter, also 'half second' or 'half a second', 'half minute' or >>>>> > 'half a minute', and 'half day' or 'half a day'?
>>>>> The same applies.
>>>>I think it's largely pondial:
>>>>AmE: a half-hour
>>>>BrE: half an hour
>>>>Mike M
>>>I don't think the usage of either is just AmE usage. Both "It's a >>>half-hour show" and "I'll be there in half an hour" would be used >>>here.
>>Can I say "I'll be there in a half-hour" or "I'll be there in half >>hour"? I'm in the States.
>This detail of difference holds even less interest for me than the >hairball, if there is one, in my belly button.
You can eliminate that problem by not letting the cat sleep on your stomach. When you do, you'll be like the rest of us and only accumulate lint in your belly button.
>Richard Maurer wrote: >> Tom wrote: >> Can I say "I'll be there in a half-hour" or "I'll be there in half >> hour"? I'm in the States.
>> Areff responded: >> First off, you get Oy!ed for using that expression "the States". >> This is a deprecated usage outside of military and >> diplomatic contexts. Odd thing is, the British think Americans >> commonly use "the States" (they don't), and the Americans think >> the British commonly use "the States" (they do, but only because >> they mistakenly think that's what Americans commonly do).
>> Which brings up the question about what term USA people do use >> while they are not in "The States". UK and Australian people >> can play as well, and indeed may be better judges.
>Oh, after a while abroad I'm usually ready to go back to the States.
Navy types talk about returning "state-side". I don't know if this also an expression used by the other services.
_mau...@yahoo.com wrote... > Tom wrote: > Can I say "I'll be there in a half-hour" or "I'll be there in half > hour"? I'm in the States.
> Areff responded: > First off, you get Oy!ed for using that expression "the States". > This is a deprecated usage outside of military and > diplomatic contexts. Odd thing is, the British think Americans > commonly use "the States" (they don't), and the Americans think > the British commonly use "the States" (they do, but only because > they mistakenly think that's what Americans commonly do).
> Which brings up the question about what term USA people do use > while they are not in "The States".
...
It would depend on which part of the world I was visiting. In some places I wouldn't mention where I was from (not that they wouldn't notice anyway).
> Tom wrote: > Can I say "I'll be there in a half-hour" or "I'll be there in > half hour"? I'm in the States.
> Areff responded: > First off, you get Oy!ed for using that expression "the > States". This is a deprecated usage outside of military and > diplomatic contexts. Odd thing is, the British think > Americans commonly use "the States" (they don't), and the > Americans think the British commonly use "the States" (they > do, but only because they mistakenly think that's what > Americans commonly do).
I guess that puts people like me --- expatriate --- into the diplomatic category. I use "the States" all the time and have for the past 20 years. It's only youse guys who actually live there what don't use "the States". I think the same goes for terms like "the continent" for Brits and Europeans, and "the mainland" for Taiwanese and mainlanders.
> Which brings up the question about what term USA people do use > while they are not in "The States". UK and Australian people > can play as well, and indeed may be better judges.
It all depends on how I feel and what my brain forces out of my mouth. "The States", "the US", "the USA", "America", "the United States", "the Great Satan" (when I'm being iranic), and possibily other minor usages.
-- Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor For email, replace numbers with English alphabet.
>> Which brings up the question about what term USA people do use >> while they are not in "The States". UK and Australian people >> can play as well, and indeed may be better judges.
> A lot of them use "the States" when speaking to UK, etc. people, > because they mistakenly think that's how UK people etc. commonly > refer to the US.
I can't agree, Richard. I don't think about what others might call the US. I use "the States" because it's always been available to me. I don't think my two UK officemates ever use "the States", but I could be wrong about that.
> It's really a bizarre case of mutually-reinforcing double-error > traditions.
-- Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor For email, replace numbers with English alphabet.
>It would depend on which part of the world I was visiting. In >some places I wouldn't mention where I was from (not that they >wouldn't notice anyway).
>Usually, I would say "back home".
While they're technically "states", people in Hawai'i say "the mainland" when they mean the 48 contiguous states, and in Alaska they refer to "outside"....r
R H Draney wrote: > While they're technically "states", people in Hawai'i say "the mainland" when > they mean the 48 contiguous states, and in Alaska they refer to "outside"....r
