Cheers, Mate?

Bharti Paryani, India

"Welcome to the UK!" I exclaimed to myself the minute I landed at Manchester Airport. I had prepared myself well to start afresh in this new country and was looking forward to meeting a whole range of new people, new cultures and new foods. Little had I known that I should have prepared myself for something more obvious - ENGLISH!

No, English is not an alien language to me. On the contrary, English is the first language I learnt to speak, read and write (which probably makes it my mother tongue). Despite that, my attention has been caught by the everyday expressions of English used by the British.

To start off, while holding open a door for a classmate to enter, she appreciated my friendly gesture by saying, "Cheers". Back home, the usual expression would have been "Thank you" or "Thanks". "Cheers", on the other hand, would be used while making a toast or celebrating.

Next, on meeting a hallmate in the corridor, she asked, "Are you all right?" I looked at her confusingly and answered, "Yes, I'm all right. Why do you ask? Do I look unwell?" She giggled, "No, I didn't mean that. 'Are you all right' is an expression to ask you how you've been doing." There I was, turning red with embarrassment.

Unfortunately, my embarrassment doesn't stop here. While discussing about different types of mobile phones with a group of friends, I pronounced Nokia 3210 as "Nokia-Three Two One Oh" instead of "Nokia-Thirty-Two Ten". A friend teasingly mocked at my American accent by replying, "And where do you come from? Beverly Hills - Nine Oh Two One Oh?!" Laughter followed and I wanted to find a hole to bury myself in!

Of course, I've come across other expressions (which fortunately, have not led to any further embarrassment) such as using the word "chips" for "French fries", "aye" for "yes", "mate" for "friend" and so forth.

All the above incidents have opened me up to a complete new world of British colloquialism and dialect. In fact, I am very much looking forward to using them someday. Perhaps when I return home, I would greet my friends with "I've missed you, mate! Are you all right?"

Bharti Paryani, India