 Abundant Use of the Word "Advert", ...in the SR4 core book. |
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 Nov 28 2005, 06:41 PM
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#1
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Target  Group: Members Posts: 29 Joined: 29-March 05 Member No.: 7,258  |
This is an odd question, perhaps. But I noticed ALL instances of the term advertisements were referred to as "adverts" in the SR4 book. This is, chiefly, a British term. So I wondered, how many developers are from the UK? I had assumed that the authors/editors/contributors were mostly Americans. Rather... that is until I read the word "advert" in various places. ;)
In America, they're called out fully as advertisements, or ads, for short. As an American, certain British terms make me cringe, just as certain American terms make the British cringe. [ Like "anyways" ] So, I guess my real question is, why did they use a British slang term when they could have just used the word that we all (English speakers) use: advertisements? |
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Nov 28 2005, 06:47 PM
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#2
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,219 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Lofwyr's stomach. Member No.: 1,320 |
'Cause Brit-speak is awesome!
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Nov 28 2005, 06:59 PM
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#3
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 207 Joined: 3-November 05 From: KCMO Member No.: 7,922 |
My guess is that they were aiming at showing how the world keeps getting smaller. Eventually, we'll start sharing each other's slang & one term will win out over another. Maybe, in this world, advert won out over ad.
Think about it. I've heard the term "wonky" more in the last year---in mainstream media, in everyday conversation---than I did in the 10 years previous, excepting only the time I went over to London for a week. |
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Nov 28 2005, 07:18 PM
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#4
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Target Group: Members Posts: 29 Joined: 29-March 05 Member No.: 7,258 |
Well, that might make sense when used in flavor text, and such. But I'm referring to actual usage in-line with the game rules. I'm fairly sure it's used in both. |
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Nov 28 2005, 09:44 PM
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#5
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Ain Soph Aur Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,477 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Montreal, Canada Member No.: 600 |
What, no one outside britain can use the term "advert"? He HAS to be british to want to use that term?
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Nov 28 2005, 10:32 PM
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#6
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Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,718 Joined: 14-September 02 Member No.: 3,263 |
Yes. |
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Nov 28 2005, 10:40 PM
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#7
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Running, running, running Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,220 Joined: 18-October 04 From: North Carolina Member No.: 6,769 |
practical reasoning: advertisment used too many times over ran the lettercount, however, saying ad ran it too short. Advert, however, managed to fill the allotted space.
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Nov 28 2005, 10:41 PM
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#8
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
That almost makes perfect sense.
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Nov 29 2005, 01:20 AM
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#9
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Prime Runner Group: Retired Admins Posts: 3,929 Joined: 26-February 02 From: .ca Member No.: 51 |
I didn't know that British people weren't English speakers! ;-) All uses [that is to say, all two of them ;)] of the word 'advert' are courtesy of Rob, who isn't British. |
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Nov 29 2005, 06:36 AM
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#10
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,651 Joined: 23-September 05 From: Marietta, GA Member No.: 7,773 |
Oh, snap.
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Nov 29 2005, 06:48 AM
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#11
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 715 Joined: 4-September 05 From: Metaplane GEPLK136 (The one with the lizards. You remember the lizards, don't you?) Member No.: 7,684 |
Closet british maybe? Personally, I can easily understand a bit of british influence when writing. My old software coding group used to harass me during peer review because I used the british spellings of so many words (colour, behaviour, etc.) Really, I just don't like American dictionaries, so I don't use them. Webster's dictionary was an attempt to separate english from "british english" by replacing 's's with 'z's and other such nonsense. The American Heritage dictionary tends to be... well, wrong. Just plain wrong; when it even has the word I'm looking for. The Oxford English Dictionary is the only one I trust (for english, at any rate.) So as a result, much of my spelling is british. The rest of it is spelled wrong for ANY language :) (Note, it's just my spelling that tends towards british, not the slang or word choice. If you tell me a story about changing your trousers riding a lory, I've not a clue of what you speak) Interestingly, PHP spell used on this site accepts colour, but not behaviour. Then again, it doesn't recognize "I'm." |
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 Nov 29 2005, 06:59 AM
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#12
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,000 Joined: 17-November 05 From: Halifax, Canada Member No.: 7,975 |
I find it interesting that none of you took in consideration any possible Canadian influences in writing the book. You want to see Advert used alot (outside of the UK), take a jaunter up to Vancouver.... Seattle and Vancouver are pretty darn close, in fact I've known people who live in BC to work in Seattle.
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Nov 29 2005, 07:04 AM
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#13
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Freelance Elf Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 7,324 Joined: 30-September 04 From: Texas Member No.: 6,714 |
Right. How silly of us not to immediately think of Canada as a world-shaping, civilization-changing, global powerhouse. If "eh" was the next slang term to take the world by storm, we'd all point North and go "ah hah!" As it is, we'll not.
Canada is, like, half elven. Europeans think of them as American wannabes, Americans think of them as eurotrash wannabes. They're in between, tolerated by both and loved by neither. Blech. |
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Nov 29 2005, 07:08 AM
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#14
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 934 Joined: 26-August 05 From: Earth - Europe - AGS - Norddeutscher Bund - Hannover Member No.: 7,624 |
Actually most Europeans not living on small islands see the Canadians as the better Americans... ;)
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Nov 29 2005, 07:41 AM
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#15
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,000 Joined: 17-November 05 From: Halifax, Canada Member No.: 7,975 |
What kind of Yankee trash have you been following? The only time I hear that pompous crap is from our 'friendly neighbours' down south. (Unless you live in Toronto, Ontarians are the closest to american mindset than any other.) The fact that most Americans know little more than whats beyond their own doorstep though is well known. What is a fact though: - Most Canadians still use the old Imperial Spelling. Those who don't are either too lazy, or own a Websters dictionary. - There are more Canadians in the entertainment industry than most people realise. (leading me to believe that assimilation of cultures has some minor balance - if taken on a per capita level ;) ) - Americans have been known to sew Canadian flags on their lugguage when travelling abroad in order to be better greeted by foreigners. (This last fact more than proves that Europeans think much higher of us Canucks than they do the people you say we wanna be like) Last of all, I never said that Canada is world-shaping civilization-changing.. merely pointed out that there was most likely Canadians in the writing/editing team - seeing how many people work cross-border in areas were cities between our two country meet. |
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Nov 29 2005, 07:58 AM
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#16
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Freelance Elf Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 7,324 Joined: 30-September 04 From: Texas Member No.: 6,714 |
Heehee.
That riled 'em up, good. Heehee. |
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Nov 29 2005, 11:16 AM
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#17
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Target Group: Members Posts: 29 Joined: 29-March 05 Member No.: 7,258 |
That's actually not correct at all. Are spellings like 'privatize' and 'organize' Americanisms? Answer: "No, not really. British spelling has always recognized the existence of variant spellings using the suffix -ize..."
I'm not quite sure what you meant by that. I have definitely heard British speakers use the word advertisements. They do tend to pronounce it differently than Americans do, though. British Pronunciation: ad-vert-iz-ments American Pronunciation: ad-ver-tize-ments
I didn't know that they used the word "advert" in Canada -- at all. This is probably the most convincing point for actual in-character usage that I've read (so far) in this thread. Thanks. |
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Nov 29 2005, 11:59 AM
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#18
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Mystery Archaeologist Group: Members Posts: 2,906 Joined: 19-September 05 From: The apple tree Member No.: 7,760 |
Nope most of us on the small Island see them as the better americans to. Just don't listen to our politians. And would the americans stop bitching about advert being used, we use it and it our damn language. |
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Nov 29 2005, 12:10 PM
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#19
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Freelance Elf Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 7,324 Joined: 30-September 04 From: Texas Member No.: 6,714 |
Right, because the thread starter was "bitching."
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Nov 29 2005, 12:55 PM
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#20
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Mystery Archaeologist Group: Members Posts: 2,906 Joined: 19-September 05 From: The apple tree Member No.: 7,760 |
Damn it I there is so much sarcasm round here I didn't think smileys were needed.
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Nov 29 2005, 01:05 PM
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#21
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Target Group: Members Posts: 29 Joined: 29-March 05 Member No.: 7,258 |
Heh. Smileys are always needed. ;) And I think I might switch to your spelling of smileys over smilies. It's much less cumbersome. |
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Nov 29 2005, 01:29 PM
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#22
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Great, I'm a Dragon... Group: Retired Admins Posts: 6,699 Joined: 8-October 03 From: North Germany Member No.: 5,698 |
At least they're still a monarchy. That's cool. :D |
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Nov 29 2005, 01:40 PM
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#23
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,486 Joined: 17-March 05 From: Michigan Member No.: 7,180 |
And the legal drinking age is 19... which is very convenient for Americans on border-states who are under-age.
Go Canada! You Rox0r! |
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Nov 29 2005, 01:45 PM
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#24
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 934 Joined: 26-August 05 From: Earth - Europe - AGS - Norddeutscher Bund - Hannover Member No.: 7,624 |
Pft! Just come and visit the paradise of alcoholism: Drinking age - 16 for beer and wine!!! Welcome to Germany!
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Nov 29 2005, 03:09 PM
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#25
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,651 Joined: 23-September 05 From: Marietta, GA Member No.: 7,773 |
That's it, I'm tired of all of the fighting around here. I'm going to go tell my president that all of you have WMDs so he can launch another crusade in the name of world peace.
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