viscountdriver Loc: East Kent UK

Much of American usage of the English language is logical but I cannot understand the term for car fuel being gas.The fuel is a petroleum product so we Brits call it petrol.

whitewolfowner

Gas is good. Everything comes from gas!

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Gas oline? maybe.

kschwegl Loc: Orangeburg, NY

I think it was George Bernard Shaw that said, "America and Great Britain, two great countries separated by a common language".

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Blame it on the English.

http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2012/04/the-origin-of-gasoline/

You're right about "gas" being confusing. If a "car fuel" delivery station calls the fire department to report a "gas leak," what would that mean? Liquid of gas?

FrankR Loc: NYC

Bob's exactly right, it's short for gasoline. Why is that hard to understand? It's actually a far more specific term than petrol, which is short for petroleum, the source of car fuel and many other products. Petrol is too general. Are you talking about car fuel, cooking fuel, paint remover, home heating oil?

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Cars do not run on petroleum, they run on fuels extracted or distilled from petroleum such as GASoline, or a highly refined form of kerosene referred to as diesel, or propane, all of which come from crude oil extracted from the rocks below, thus the name from the Latin words, Petra (rock) and Oleum (oil). Based on this I'd say America has a better grasp of the English language than the British do.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

A gas leak here would normally refer to a domestic premise where GAS is a fuel for many central heating systems or cooking ranges. If a car fuel delivery station (petrol station / garage) reported a leak it would be a fuel spillage.

HOHIMER

Another interesting word is PARAFFIN.
In the US it is a solid wax (at room temperature) used to seal jars of jelly or to make candles.
What does Paraffin mean in the UK?

Shakey Loc: Traveling again to Norway and other places.

Ouch, rmorrison! America is not the home of the English language as many think. At college and university we study English: Shakespeare, Dickens and other British writers along famous American writers. To accuse the English of not understanding their own language, based obviously on a few idioms, is outrageous. Get over it, we speak our version of their language, just like the Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans and many other nationalities do.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

Paraffin in the U.K. usually refers to a liquid fuel used in heaters. It was always coloured (for tax reasons I think) Esso Blue or Pink Paraffin being the two most popular and were often dispensed by the Paraffin man. Not much used now, as far as I know, so I expect the two uses of the word will merge again, especially as we can buy Paraffin Wax etc.

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

Very True!! and American English (we actually speak American) is a derivative of Primarily English but in addition many of the words we commonly use come from the other languages of people that have settled in the United States. Much of our language comes from Spanish (including the Central American and South American versions), Portuguese, German, Dutch, and most of the other European languages. There are even words from Israel (and Jewish), not to mention the various American Indian languages and some Asian languages and African words and sayings. American English is like Americans themselves, a conglomeration of other parts of the world.

viscountdriver Loc: East Kent UK

Not to worry.In a few years time you will be speaking Spanish and we will all be speaking Urdu.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Reply from a forty-year teacher of American English:

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

I never insinuated America is the home of the English language. English, like Norwegian, is a germanic based language that was also heavily influenced by the languages of Rome and what is present day France, both romance languages with roots in Latin. There are three major versions of the English language, British, American and Australian. Each language influenced by the languages of the people who settled there. Interestingly, American English, in certain parts of the country, is more influenced by the Scottish language than British English. Many dialects of American English exist, all influenced by the native language of the areas predominant settlers. I've been to places in the USA where I barely understood what they were saying and they were speaking English, their own local version that is.

I also never accused anyone of not understanding their own language. Just because American English words are usually more etymologicaly correct doesn't mean British equivalents are incorrect, for example, bonnet and hood, both something worn on the head, both the same part of an automobile.

It's not nice to say I said what I didn't, or maybe it's just a matter of interpretation. Have a really good day...!