11 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

So please, how do the meanings of Pavement and Footpath differ in English, not American?

I am guessing that a Pavement is along the side of a road, wheras a Footpath could be along the side of a canal, and not paved as such.

I've never used the word pavement, always footpath.

2 hours ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Wrong! Ask a Thai is it short hin or long been. It's the former (as checked with my wife)

It is 'E' as in 'he', not 'I' as in 'in'. The length of Thai syllables is usually the same.

BTW, "as checked with my wife" is not a good reference. Is she a linguist? Or does she come from Issan, and Lao is her first language? You realise that Thailand also has regional accents.

My reference in speaking Thai was up to 4000 of my Thai clients – one company I worked for had a holiday villa for staff in Hua Hin, and they frequently corrected me – it's a rising tone.

Many foreigners, when they get familiar with a name, tend to use Western Stress patterns and introduce the "schwa" sound. They don't hear the rising tone on Hin (and Hua)

2 minutes ago, kwilco said:

BTW, "as checked with my wife" is not a good reference. Is she a linguist? Or does she come from Issan, and Lao is her first language? You realise that Thailand also has regional accents.

Correct. Mostly speak Lao Isaan at home and most with a year 8 to 10 education. Also heavy accent. I knew a guy who lived in Thailand for 8 years, Thai wife could not even say his wife's name correctly. I learnt how to say it on day 1 of meeting her.

12 minutes ago, Rimmer said:

Multiple flames and personal attacks have been removed, you need to stop these attacks on other members, @Rockyroad

And he has the audacity to put an Agree emoji on his warning.

16 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

You said you were 69 about two years ago.

Please show the post you are quoting. Thanks.

2 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

Please show the post you are quoting. Thanks.

Searching back 20 months is a bit much.

On 6/8/2026 at 11:57 PM, HappyExpat57 said:

The one that really gets to me is when ANYONE (not just Brits) pronounce Pattaya pa TIE ya.

That’s how the Thais pronounce it.. at least the ones that I know. Not once did ever any of them pronounce it Pattaya.

On 6/9/2026 at 8:18 AM, mark5335 said:

I'm curious why the "t" is some words is silent. For example:

water is war-uh

bugatti is buga-ee

That's native to the accents in the South-East part of England (includes London = Lannan).

In these USA-type pronunciations, "t" or "tt" is mapped to "d" rather than being omitted. Why is that?

daughter = daugh-der

computer = com-pu-der

water = wa-der

heater = hea-der

letter = le-der

settle = se-dle

bottle = bo-dle

Maybe off topic, but when did the common USA intonation that makes so many sentences sound - to the British ear - like a question start, and where did it originate? I have a personal, untested theory that most of an accent can be described by analysing vowel sounds.

It's happened. A call from Missy Harter, or, to be more accurate, a call from Janit Slotnick. 'This is Janit Slotnick? Miss Harter's assistint?'

'Yes yes.'

'Well, sir, there's certainly a lot of excitemint here today at Hornig Ultrason.'

'There is?'

'We know we're paying megamoney for it.'

'You are?'

'Mm-hm. The new book on the death of John Lennin!'

...

I was already romping and tumbling in the zeros of a paperback or book-club deal when Janit said: 'She's pregnint!' But I never did get through to Missy Harter. The computer screwed up and twenty minutes later Janit called and said that Missy would soon get back to me, which she hasn't.

On impulse I said, 'Janit? Say spearmint.' 'Spearmint.' 'Now say peppermint.' 'Peppermint.' "Thank you, Janit.'

London Fields - Martin Amis

Sangad was her name. Husband called her Sand-Gad. She told me it was Sa-nguht which sounds like sungaht.

40 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

About talking quickly, why the eff do most radio ads, and some on TV, end with someone reading T&Cs as quickly as possible. I know it is the equivalent of the 'small print' but sometimes it gets riduculously fast. The Advertising Standards in UK need to address this, especially on ads aimed at older people. Rant over!

40 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Yes, I agree, really annoying but it must be some legal requirement to cover themselves. Not just UK by the way, the American TV channels do the same.

I think it's for legal cover. What is spoken is usually on screen as very fine print. Read out to avoid being sued by those who were not watching/ cannot read. Rapid reading is probably both to increase the chances the side-effects are not comprehended (don't want to scare the customers so much they don't demand prescription drugs from their doctor) plus ads are charged by the second so reading quickly reduces cost.

2 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Both the US and UK use silent letters in many words. No one holds any title as both forms of English are correct, for them.Silent letters actually started in Germany, France and also Latin origins

True but if you want to define the defacto standard of modern English it is the UK varient

31 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

Please show the post you are quoting. Thanks.

Some don't have a good memory and confuse things. I'll be 70 in August.

3 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

True but if you want to define the defacto standard of modern English it is the UK varient

I always give credit where due. England got it's language from Germanic tribes and Americans adopted the English from England and others.

AI explains it...............Separation and Divergence: Once populations are separated, languages change independently. Both British and American English developed new slang, spelling, and pronunciation rules over the centuries.

1. The Melting Pot: The US absorbed populations from all over the world, bringing speech patterns from Ireland, Scotland, Africa, Germany, and the Netherlands, which influenced American vocabulary and grammar.

2. Indigenous and Local Influences: Settlers encountered new landscapes, animals, and plants that didn't exist in Europe. They adopted words from Indigenous American languages (like coyote, squash, and chipmunk) and other colonial languages (like the Spanish canyon or the Dutch coleslaw).

3. Deliberate Reform: After gaining independence, American linguists like Noah Webster actively sought to create a distinct national identity. Webster published altered dictionaries to simplify spelling and distinguish American English from the British standard (e.g., colour to color, centre to center).

4. The "R" Sound: Early 17th-century English was heavily "rhotic," meaning speakers clearly pronounced their "r"s. American English largely preserved this trait, whereas British English (particularly in southern cities) started dropping the "r" at the ends of words in the 18th century.

4 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Some don't have a good memory and confuse things.

Signs of early dementia.

4 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I'll be 70 in August.

What are you saying here? Age 70 is a bit young to have confused memory things going on.

48 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

I've never used the word pavement, always footpath.

Then you are probably from Australia, New Zealand, India, and Ireland or even northern England

50 minutes ago, kwilco said:

It is 'E' as in 'he', not 'I' as in 'in'. The length of Thai syllables is usually the same.

BTW, "as checked with my wife" is not a good reference. Is she a linguist? Or does she come from Issan, and Lao is her first language? You realise that Thailand also has regional accents.

My reference in speaking Thai was up to 4000 of my Thai clients – one company I worked for had a holiday villa for staff in Hua Hin, and they frequently corrected me – it's a rising tone.

Many foreigners, when they get familiar with a name, tend to use Western Stress patterns and introduce the "schwa" sound. They don't hear the rising tone on Hin (and Hua)

I'll tell my wife a farlang (thinks he) knows more about Thai pronunciation than she does 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Edited June 11Jun 11 by Bredbury Blue

18 minutes ago, novacova said:

Signs of early dementia.

What are you saying here? Age 70 is a bit young to have confused memory things going on.

Fred forgets things a lot. I told him 10 times I have a gf and he still forgets.

1 hour ago, wil iam not said:

So please, how do the meanings of Pavement and Footpath differ in English, not American?

I am guessing that a Pavement is along the side of a road, wheras a Footpath could be along the side of a canal, and not paved as such.

The difference between a footpath and a pavement comes down to location: a pavement runs directly alongside a road, whereas a footpath is a trail or right-of-way that is often completely separate from a road, such as a countryside or park trail – in UK they are usually a public right of way

 

Sidewalk use is mostly in North America; it is a literal geographical description. It’s a “path” constructed on the side of a road reserved entirely for pedestrian walking. Used to be raised up away from the mud and <deleted>e of horses.

 

Pavement – is an older expression coming from Latin, meaning a hard, level floor beaten or rammed firm. In came to mean the hard-surfaced material of a roadway, such as asphalt or concrete.

However in British English, (and other versions around the world), it means a pedestrian walkway.

 

You’ll see the expression “paved road” used in both British and American English to mean a road with a hard surface rather than a dirt road.

 

Two points…

Firstly the English language in general has more words than any other language in the world – (the next is German with about 60% of the size of English) – this means we can have several words for one object but using different words have slightly different meanings.

E.g., footpath, sidewalk and pavement can all be used to describe a pedestrian way but are used in slightly different circumstances. Examples – Pavement, Sidewalk, Footpath, Footway, Walkway

  

Secondly, people overemphasise the differences between American and British English – for the most part, they have the same written form, vocabulary and grammar; the difference is usage – e.g., 'automobile' and 'car' are both understandable on both sides of the Atlantic, as are 'fridge' and 'refrigerator' or 'icebox'. The automobile was used a lot more in the States. Many of the words people deem “American” are in fact older English words that have fallen out of use in Britain. Americans do tend to articulate their words more formally than in British English – where the schwa sound and glottal stop are king

 

Vocabulary arises out of need, and both countries have taken on new words that suit their needs – it’s estimated that between 1,000 and 6,000 new words enter the English lexicon every year.

 

Here’s a list of some old English words that, while still in use in America, have fallen out of use in the UK:

 

Fall (for autumn)

Gotten:

Mad (meaning angry):

Trash (for rubbish):

Sick (meaning ill):

Faucet:

Loan (as a verb):

Guess:

 

55 minutes ago, pacovl46 said:

That’s how the Thais pronounce it.. at least the ones that I know. Not once did ever any of them pronounce it Pattaya.

I Googled the pronunciation based on the Thai spelling and it returned puh TIE yah.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

On 6/8/2026 at 6:11 PM, flaming dragon said:

Especially Brit Youtubers consistently call it 'Jontiem'. Is it a form of dyslexia? They seem to be the only nationality that consistently screws up such a simple word.

We don't send our best!

3 minutes ago, kwilco said:

The difference between a footpath and a pavement comes down to location: a pavement runs directly alongside a road, whereas a footpath is a trail or right-of-way that is often completely separate from a road, such as a countryside or park trail – in UK they are usually a public right of way

 

Sidewalk use is mostly in North America; it is a literal geographical description. It’s a “path” constructed on the side of a road reserved entirely for pedestrian walking. Used to be raised up away from the mud and <deleted>e of horses.

 

Pavement – is an older expression coming from Latin, meaning a hard, level floor beaten or rammed firm. In came to mean the hard-surfaced material of a roadway, such as asphalt or concrete.

However in British English, (and other versions around the world), it means a pedestrian walkway.

 

You’ll see the expression “paved road” used in both British and American English to mean a road with a hard surface rather than a dirt road.

 

Two points…

Firstly the English language in general has more words than any other language in the world – (the next is German with about 60% of the size of English) – this means we can have several words for one object but using different words have slightly different meanings.

E.g., footpath, sidewalk and pavement can all be used to describe a pedestrian way but are used in slightly different circumstances. Examples – Pavement, Sidewalk, Footpath, Footway, Walkway

  

Secondly, people overemphasise the differences between American and British English – for the most part, they have the same written form, vocabulary and grammar; the difference is usage – e.g., 'automobile' and 'car' are both understandable on both sides of the Atlantic, as are 'fridge' and 'refrigerator' or 'icebox'. The automobile was used a lot more in the States. Many of the words people deem “American” are in fact older English words that have fallen out of use in Britain. Americans do tend to articulate their words more formally than in British English – where the schwa sound and glottal stop are king

 

Vocabulary arises out of need, and both countries have taken on new words that suit their needs – it’s estimated that between 1,000 and 6,000 new words enter the English lexicon every year.

 

Here’s a list of some old English words that, while still in use in America, have fallen out of use in the UK:

 

Fall (for autumn)

Gotten:

Mad (meaning angry):

Trash (for rubbish):

Sick (meaning ill):

Faucet:

Loan (as a verb):

Guess:

 

Why did you waste your time with this? To put it simply: a foot path is for walking whether it’s on a concrete slab, asphalt or dirt trail. Pavement is just that, a paved slab of whatever.

Edited June 11Jun 11 by novacova

34 minutes ago, pacovl46 said:

That’s how the Thais pronounce it.. at least the ones that I know. Not once did ever any of them pronounce it Pattaya.

The problem that English speakers have is that their native tongue is a STRESS-formed language. The word "revolution" has a different stress on each syllable – re-vo-LUT-ion; the stress always falls before "tion" in English (in British English, "ion" is reduced to a "schwa" sound too) – in French, there is equal stress re-vo-lut-ion. Thai has almost universal stress on each syllable; in fact, most words are just one syllable, and syllables are of equal length – the change is in the tone.

Westerners, in particular English speakers, have great difficulty in not imposing their own stress patterns on Thai words and have even greater difficulty in recognising tones – when it comes to things like city names then over time an English version on that name becomes the norm in English, e.g., the Mekong River and the River Kwai are two common "anglicised" pronunciations, along with mant town names

14 minutes ago, novacova said:

Why did you waste your time with this? To put it simply: a foot path is for walking whether it’s on a concrete slab, asphalt or dirt trail. Pavement is just that, a paved slab of whatever.

Because I'm interested in the linguistics and not some petty inaccurate definition you've made up, largely not from an American perspective but from the UK, Australian, etc. perspectives. You are ignoring the usages.

I might add that in the expression "paved with gold" – in Dick Whittington the story referred to the entire street - as paved, and "pavement" then referred to the whole street or road, as it does now in America – in the UK, since the 16th/17th century, there has been a linguistic shift to using "pavement" to mean the side of the road but "paved" still means the whole road

Edited June 11Jun 11 by kwilco

Because I'm interested in the linguistics and not some petty inaccurate definition you've made up.

That was nothing more than a bunch of fluff no one is interested in.

1 hour ago, BeastOfBodmin said:

I think it's for legal cover. What is spoken is usually on screen as very fine print. Read out to avoid being sued by those who were not watching/ cannot read. Rapid reading is probably both to increase the chances the side-effects are not comprehended (don't want to scare the customers so much they don't demand prescription drugs from their doctor) plus ads are charged by the second so reading quickly reduces cost.

I do not have a screen on my radio. 555

Same as all the blurb you get with medicines, if you read them you would not touch the stuff.

Or ALL financial ads end with "You could end up with less than you invested" said so quickly you cannot tell what they say.

Do they find voice-overes who can speak that fast, or is it computer generated?

27 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

I Googled the pronunciation based on the Thai spelling and it returned puh TIE yah.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

that's Japanese.

54 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

England got it's language from Germanic tribes

With quite a few words stolen from the French and the Vikings.

55 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I always give credit where due. England got it's language from Germanic tribes and Americans adopted the English from England and others.

AI explains it...............Separation and Divergence: Once populations are separated, languages change independently. Both British and American English developed new slang, spelling, and pronunciation rules over the centuries.

1. The Melting Pot: The US absorbed populations from all over the world, bringing speech patterns from Ireland, Scotland, Africa, Germany, and the Netherlands, which influenced American vocabulary and grammar.

2. Indigenous and Local Influences: Settlers encountered new landscapes, animals, and plants that didn't exist in Europe. They adopted words from Indigenous American languages (like coyote, squash, and chipmunk) and other colonial languages (like the Spanish canyon or the Dutch coleslaw).

3. Deliberate Reform: After gaining independence, American linguists like Noah Webster actively sought to create a distinct national identity. Webster published altered dictionaries to simplify spelling and distinguish American English from the British standard (e.g., colour to color, centre to center).

4. The "R" Sound: Early 17th-century English was heavily "rhotic," meaning speakers clearly pronounced their "r"s. American English largely preserved this trait, whereas British English (particularly in southern cities) started dropping the "r" at the ends of words in the 18th century.

but it is much less than people think

PS - there are also loan words mispronunciation and misspellings – language is not static, is EVOLVES every day

8 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

With quite a few words stolen from the French and the Vikings.

And Spanish. Casino is Spanish.

11 minutes ago, kwilco said:

Because I'm interested in the linguistics and not some petty inaccurate definition you've made up, largely not from an American perspective but from the UK, Australian, etc. perspectives. You are ignoring the usages.

I might add that in the expression "paved with gold" – in Dick Whittington the story referred to the entire street - as paved, and "pavement" then referred to the whole street or road, as it does now in America – in the UK, since the 16th/17th century, there has been a linguistic shift to using "pavement" to mean the side of the road but "paved" still means the whole r

37 minutes ago, kwilco said:

The difference between a footpath and a pavement comes down to location: a pavement runs directly alongside a road, whereas a footpath is a trail or right-of-way that is often completely separate from a road, such as a countryside or park trail – in UK they are usually a public right of way

 

Sidewalk use is mostly in North America; it is a literal geographical description. It’s a “path” constructed on the side of a road reserved entirely for pedestrian walking. Used to be raised up away from the mud and <deleted>e of horses.

 

Pavement – is an older expression coming from Latin, meaning a hard, level floor beaten or rammed firm. In came to mean the hard-surfaced material of a roadway, such as asphalt or concrete.

However in British English, (and other versions around the world), it means a pedestrian walkway.

 

You’ll see the expression “paved road” used in both British and American English to mean a road with a hard surface rather than a dirt road.

 

Two points…

Firstly the English language in general has more words than any other language in the world – (the next is German with about 60% of the size of English) – this means we can have several words for one object but using different words have slightly different meanings.

E.g., footpath, sidewalk and pavement can all be used to describe a pedestrian way but are used in slightly different circumstances. Examples – Pavement, Sidewalk, Footpath, Footway, Walkway

  

Secondly, people overemphasise the differences between American and British English – for the most part, they have the same written form, vocabulary and grammar; the difference is usage – e.g., 'automobile' and 'car' are both understandable on both sides of the Atlantic, as are 'fridge' and 'refrigerator' or 'icebox'. The automobile was used a lot more in the States. Many of the words people deem “American” are in fact older English words that have fallen out of use in Britain. Americans do tend to articulate their words more formally than in British English – where the schwa sound and glottal stop are king

 

Vocabulary arises out of need, and both countries have taken on new words that suit their needs – it’s estimated that between 1,000 and 6,000 new words enter the English lexicon every year.

 

Here’s a list of some old English words that, while still in use in America, have fallen out of use in the UK:

 

Fall (for autumn)

Gotten:

Mad (meaning angry):

Trash (for rubbish):

Sick (meaning ill):

Faucet:

Loan (as a verb):

Guess:

 

We English still use Mad for angry, Sick, ill and poorly all mean the same, Lend not load as a verb, (dust) bin not trashcan,

While on about pronunciation, when did reVERB become REverb, reSEARCH become REsearch etc, and of course VINyl become VYnil.