The first language shock I received after relocating to the United States more than two decades ago happened almost immediately on arrival. To be clear, I have spoken the English language all my life, so I wasn't expecting a language difference.
Imagine how wrong that turned out to be!
The first encounter with this difference came soon. My employer then was Siemens, and my first assignment was working as part of a team of engineers on a project for our customer, Anheuser-Busch.
The majority of the work was being done out of one of the customer's buildings in downtown St. Louis, and my team had an administrative professional assigned to work with us. Her name was Pat.
One day, I approached Pat at her desk to ask for something I needed.
Me: Pat, can I please have some gum?
Pat: I'm sorry, Sunny. I don't have gum.
Me (looking confused): But I've seen it here on your desk before.
Pat: I think you're mistaken. There has never been gum on my desk.
Me (still not convinced): I see it there all the time! It's usually here on this corner of your desk (pointing to a spot on her desk). I even saw it earlier today, so I know it's always there.
Pat (now becoming agitated): I don't know what you're talking about, Sunny! There's never been gum anywhere on my desk. I don't chew gum. I've never chewed gum in my life, so I have no gum.
Me (now surprised): Chew gum? I'm not talking about the gum you chew! I'm asking for the one you use to stick or bond things together, like an adhesive.
Pat: Oh! You mean glue!
Me: Yes, glue. But where I'm from, we call it gum.
Pat: Really?! Then what do you call the gum you chew.
Me: Chewing gum.
That moment began my education in the differences between American English and British English. There were many more to follow over the years.
One time, I asked a taxi driver taking me home from the airport if his trafficator wasn't working because he wasn't using it as he weaved in and out of traffic. He responded with, "I don't have a trafficator."
"Your car comes with it. Is it broken?"
"No, I don't have it because I don't know what it is."
"It's that signaling light on the four corners of your car indicating the direction in which you're about to turn."
"Oh! You mean the blinkers!"
"You call them blinkers?! I guess that makes sense. They blink!"
Another time, someone saw me one day, and said, "I love your pants." I was mortified! How did she see my pants? Is it showing up because I didn't tuck in my shirt properly? I later found out she meant my trousers. What she called "pants", was to me, underwear.
And there were many more:
Queue vs. Line
Angry vs. Mad
Lorry vs. Truck
Lift vs. Elevator
Hood vs. Bonnet
Cooker vs. Stove
Nappy vs. Diaper
Sweets vs. Candy
Biscuit vs. Cookie
Flat vs. Apartment
Silencer vs Muffler
Curtains vs. Drapes
Spanner vs. Wrench
Holiday vs. Vacation
Wardrobe vs. Closet
Chips vs. French Fries
Braces vs. Suspenders
Pavement vs. Sidewalk
Windscreen vs. Windshield
Roundabout vs. Traffic Circle
Boot vs. Trunk (in case you're wondering, this is the rear side of a car)
Toilet vs. Restroom (I've always wondered who goes into a toilet to rest!)
These and many more were a source of frustration to me at the beginning. Now, more than 20 years later, I'm used to them. As a speaker with audiences around the world, I've found ways to speak to specific audiences using the terms they understand.
It also helps that most people outside of North America get the meaning easily when you use the American words instead of the British ones. The only few moments of trouble are when those British words hiding in my subconscious slip out of their hiding place to an American audience, and I get some blank stares in the room.
Usually, I quickly realize my mistake and correct it.
The process of change is difficult for most of us, especially when you didn't anticipate it. You thought you knew the language, but you really didn't! I can only imagine the magnitude of the change for those arriving in a country with a language that is completely different from the ones they've spoken all of their lives.
But many people have weathered that storm. If they can, we all can do it also. All we need is a little bit of patience and resilience. This is true for languages, and it's true for many of the changes we go through as human beings.
Still, even though it's not the same as trying to speak German when French is all you've spoken all your life, I still hold firmly to the belief that American English and British English are not the same languages.
If you disagree, I may have to ask my attorney to speak with your barrister!