Steve Cameron: Language problem isn't really a problem

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first of a three-part series dealing with an American moving home after living overseas.

I've been earning a living with words all my life, and suddenly I've got a problem with the language.

Oh, sure, I realized that after spending three of the past five years in Britain, I'd probably pick up the odd phrase here and there.

And, of course, most Americans know that English as spoken in the UK is not quite what we learned in school.

If you've ever visited Britain, you probably received a crash course upon arrival. The first time you needed an "elevator" and discovered it was called a "lift," well ...

From there, it's driving on the left side of the road and all the rest of it.

But truthfully, I've always thought of myself only as a Yank coping with the unique phrases I'd come across in England and Scotland.

The first road sign I ever noticed read: "Use Lay-bys to Avoid Queues."

(It actually means to pull over at provided spots on the road to avoid traffic backing up behind you.)

What I never saw coming was that I might begin to speak -- and even write -- in British idioms.

The first clue came I started saying: "Cheers" instead of "Good bye."

Now it's hard to stop.

Soon enough, you start to pick up common phrases like "suss" (to understand), "twee" (cute) and even my favorite, "chuffed" (very, very pleased).

Next come traditional Brit exclamations, like: "Right, and Bob's your uncle!"

Or closing an argument simply by saying, oh, "That's just the way it's going to be. End of."

I'd hear myself say "end of" and think: Where did that come from?

On top of everything else, most of my time was spent in Scotland, where there are some common words tracing back to a Doric dialect -- and they pop up in regular, everyday usage.

You can't live in Scotland without starting to say "Aye" or "Nae," for instance.

And what we'd call a stream or a creek is a "burn."

None of this stuff is very complicated, obviously, and I was always certain that once I stepped off the plane back in America, all those funny Brit words and phrases would disappear.

But ...

Just a day or so ago, I exchanged e-mails with Judge Marc Garcia -- who's first of all my friend but also shares a passion for English soccer.

Immediately I noticed that we were using British terms without even thinking about it -- I suppose because of the subject matter.

Example: In the UK, fans, athletes and journalists all refer to the ground as the "floor."

I'm not just talking about indoor sports.

In soccer, rugby, cricket, whatever -- the ground where you fall is the floor. Full stop (more Brit language).

Imagine my surprise -- not to mention the guy sitting next to me -- at a Fresno State football game, when I commented on a wide receiver who was obviously trying to con an official into a pass interference call.

"A tiny bump and the guy's rolling around on the floor," I said.

Hmmmm...

It's not just sports, either.

I thanked a clerk at Save Mart over the weekend by saying, "Lovely!"

She looked at me as though I'd done something completely insane, but "lovely" is quite a common form of wrapping up a sales transaction in the UK.

Really.

It's becoming clearer now that everything doesn't just empty out of your head. It's not like dumping the trash and putting in a fresh new bag.

In fact, I'm kind of caught between languages, and I suspect only time will cause the "bit of Brit" to fade away.

On the other hand, I talk to friends in Britain all the time and read English papers regularly. I even write for a Scottish Web site and a London-based magazine.

So maybe this transition won't be quite as smooth as expected.

It's going to take a "wee" bit of work.

Oops!

Steve Cameron is a freelance columnist for the Sun-Star. He can be reached at stevecameron@gmail.com.