What's in a name

The English language fascinates me. What fascinates me about it, is how English speakers from around the world have very different names for the same items.  The origins of the language come from the the 5th century when Germanic tribes invaded Britain, and evolved as the area was invaded by the Normans in 1066.  Over subsequent years it further developed as people in Britain mixed more with others from around the world, and as the number of words required grew.  Enough of the history lesson.  

What is interesting to me though is that although the language spoken by all English speakers started in the same place, the words used can vastly differ depending where you live in the world.  Take for example the word thong.  If an Aussie tells an American they are wearing their thongs it might just seem like too much information.  What constitutes a thong is Australia is very different to what it is in the US.  In Australia thongs are the rubber slip on shoes known in other parts of the world as flip-flops, slippers or jandals. What is known in the US as thongs we in Australia call g-strings.  There are lots of other differences also.  There are footpaths and sidewalks, petrol and gas, autumn and fall, nappy and diaper, tap and faucet, mobile phone and cell phone - and the list goes on.  The differences have begun to blur over the years though as generations of Australians grow up watching American television and picking up the vocabulary.  Already we have changed from patty cakes to cupcakes. The last letter of the alphabet is now often pronounced zee rather than zed, thank you Sesame Street : ).  

Mind you in Australia  there are words that differ state to state.  I remember asking a visitor from Western Australia once if they brought their "togs in their port".  They looked me as though I had spoken Klingon.  They had brought their "swimmers in their suitcase" we discovered after a bit of explanation.  

I am sure that there are squillions of other examples from English speaking countries all over the world.  I have used only some that I am familiar with.  I also don't know if anyone else finds this interesting or whether I am just a bit weird.  I also have a fascination with accents and love listening to how people pronounce the same words from country to country, state to state. I could quite honestly sit and listen to someone on YouTube talking about nothing for hours if I loved their accent.  To me it is all just another example of how our similarities and differences make the world even more exciting and beautiful. 

On a personal note my other half and I will continue to fight it out every time we go to the fish and chip shop over whether the slices of potato fried in batter are potato scallops (I am a Queenslander) or potato cakes (she is a Victorian).  I of course will be right ; ).    


References:
http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm