I think lexical differences are really interesting because they say a lot about the cultural divides between different groups, whether it's geographic (as we're mostly interested in) or between groups of different ages or social classes.
Over time the lexicon changes, and I find it interesting that one word from my parents' generation's slang that has remained in ours (though it has been added to) is the word "cool." My grandparents (who speak fluent English though they grew up in India) would not automatically understand the word cool to mean something generally positive. My parents, on the other hand, do understand this from their own context growing up, and it is still used today.
Speaking geographically, I like Sadie's example of bubbler because moving to Wisconsin although I didn't hear THAT many people use bubbler and not understand water fountain, there were definitely a few and it caused some serious problems. There is also a significant lexical difference between Indian and American English, and some of this might have to do with the British colonial influence that's much more immediate in India. One example that comes to mind is the verb "stay" which in Indian English has a connotation more of "live" (i.e. "Where do you stay?" = "Where do you live?"). The biggest difference I have noticed is that it is very American to say "I'm okay" for "no thanks" or " I'm fine the way I am." For example, my aunt asked me if I wanted a glass of water, and I said "No, I'm okay," but instead of accepting that she asked again, "Oh, no, I asked if you wanted a glass of water." I was implying "No, I'm okay without the water," but she didn't understand this. That has happened to me on more than one occasion, and I came to realize that it was a lexical difference.
Over time the lexicon changes, and I find it interesting that one word from my parents' generation's slang that has remained in ours (though it has been added to) is the word "cool." My grandparents (who speak fluent English though they grew up in India) would not automatically understand the word cool to mean something generally positive. My parents, on the other hand, do understand this from their own context growing up, and it is still used today.
Speaking geographically, I like Sadie's example of bubbler because moving to Wisconsin although I didn't hear THAT many people use bubbler and not understand water fountain, there were definitely a few and it caused some serious problems. There is also a significant lexical difference between Indian and American English, and some of this might have to do with the British colonial influence that's much more immediate in India. One example that comes to mind is the verb "stay" which in Indian English has a connotation more of "live" (i.e. "Where do you stay?" = "Where do you live?"). The biggest difference I have noticed is that it is very American to say "I'm okay" for "no thanks" or " I'm fine the way I am." For example, my aunt asked me if I wanted a glass of water, and I said "No, I'm okay," but instead of accepting that she asked again, "Oh, no, I asked if you wanted a glass of water." I was implying "No, I'm okay without the water," but she didn't understand this. That has happened to me on more than one occasion, and I came to realize that it was a lexical difference.
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