Two other countries separated by a common language

[Wilson Gray]

So, the South African's "rather not pay" was meant to be interpreted
as a polite way of saying "will not pay."

-Wilson

On 9/29/07, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Two other countries separated by a common language
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> That reminds of a similar problem I had with a South African. He was
> advertising for a job and said he'd rather not pay for someone to fly
> there. Evidently he got a number of responses from the US, including me,
> as Americans interpret that to mean that he might pay for travel there. BB
>
> Wilson Gray wrote:
> >
> > Something like that. The question,
> >
> > "Can you use one of these?" ["Would you like to have one of these?"] in American
> >
> > was re-interpreted as:
> >
> > "Do you have the ability to use of one of these?" in Australian.
> >
> > -Wilson
> >
> > On 9/29/07, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> >
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
> >> Subject:      Re: Two other countries separated by a common language
> >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> I have heard that in England questions such as "Do you know where the
> >> subway station is?" are considered yes/no. Is this the same issue? BB
> >>
> >> Wilson Gray wrote:
> >>
> >>> An American has a handful of wallet-sized, plastic calendars given
> >>> away as a form of advertising by his bank.
> >>>
> >>> The American, proffering a calendar to an Australian friend, speaks:
> >>>
> >>> "Can you use one of these?"
> >>>
> >>> The Australian, after pondering the American's question and briefly
> >>> examining the calendar, returns it and, answering the question with a
> >>> question, replies:
> >>>
> >>> "You just look at it, don't you?"
> >>>
>
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--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
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