This, via my brother-in-law, Tony Sacker.
Apparently, he heard a dinner speaker point out that Americans and Brits use the word “momentarily” to mean different things.
In Britain, it means “for a moment.” In the US, it means “in a moment.”
This led to some moments of fear for some Brits when an American airline pilot announced “We will be taking off momentarily.”
That is great!
One wonders if Uk English and US English are two different languages.
Even though I am born and raised in the US, I consider that the Brits speak “real” English.
posted on July 2, 2006
I just came across Separated by a Common Language – http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/ – dedicated to observations on British and American English by an American linguist in the UK (via the Lord Celery blog – http://tinyurl.com/jtowt).
I’m enjoying it as a Canadian married to an American who spent his early childhood in England; I thought you and Kathy, and your readers, might get a kick out of it, too.
Quite the translation tool!
posted on July 20, 2006
Michelle Golden said:
LOL, that WOULD be disconcerting…funny that we use “momentary” for the British meaning
posted on June 30, 2006