Hockey is super big in my state, and even bigger in Canada. Is it popular anywhere else?? I honestly don't know.

And why would anyone outside the US choose to travel to our midwest? Don't get me wrong, I love living here, but I've come across travelers from Europe here and I always wonder, why here? Why not California, New York, or the Rockies??

Ok I have a very strange question for anyone outside the US... I say strange 'cause I'm not sure how you could answer it in writing... but I'm rambling again.

What do you consider the "standard American Accent?" Because to me if you take a person from Texas and a person from Long Island they sound and different as a person from Scotland and a person from Ireland. But since I live here and was born here I don't know what we sound like as a whole from another's perspective.

I'm not sure either. Some American accents, such as when we hear people like Barack Obama, or Bill and Hillary Clinton speak, are perfectly clear and understandable. On the other hand, Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie was fairly hard to understand. Is that what you meant by a Long Island accent? Sort of garbled?

I also have difficulty understanding movies like the Dukes of Hazzard, which I think is supposed to be set in Southern USA. It isn't so much the accent but the way they use the words - too many colloquial words and phrases, somehow. I don't mean the standard swear words.

In some cases it is possibly the sound quality, or my hearing to blame. Even in everyday life, I can't always tell the difference between an American accent and a Canadian accent.

If you want 'standard', go with people from Alaska. We have no accent whatsoever (unless you're talking with someone who is part or full Native Alaskan in which case, there's a very definent accent). Someone who is entirely or mostly Caucasian and was raised in Alaska has no accent (by no accent, I mean we don't have a drawl or anything that one automatically thinks of as an 'accent') so I'm guessing that would be 'standard'.

I also have difficulty understanding movies like the Dukes of Hazzard, which I think is supposed to be set in Southern USA.

Sort of like it's hard for us to understand accents from oop north? I've found the north country accents to be harder to understand than Scottish ones, even.

okay I'm probably going to ask a question that sounds really stupid (I have a talent for that it seems ) but in the US (or England...or anywhere else) is it really considered normal to give someone a dozen (12) roses?

Not normal in the sense it's an every day thing, but a dozen roses are a common gift given to someone special on valentine's, anniversaries, birthdays if the person likes roses, etc.

that's what I meant *makes a mental note to be more clear in the future* as when giving a gift or flowers to someone it is usually a dozen
It's just in Russia you never give even numbers of flowers to people, even numbers are for funerals so I was kinda shocked when I read in a few books about people giving a dozen roses as a gift

I kind of figured that's what you meant! But, yes, in my knowledge, usually a dozen flowers is the ideal. Sometimes just one or two is good, because roses are really expensive here.

Wow, that's really, really interesting that they give an even number of flowers only at funerals there! I love that tradition, it's so neat. What is the origin?

I'm not sure, it's just something that has always been done, it's like one of the many superstitions here (Russian are very superstitious people ) I'm not sure how or why, it's just the way things are

Ok this is mostly for Europeans. Is it true that you guys call "moose" "elk?" and if so what do you call the animals we call "elk?" (Also known as the wapiti here by the way )
And for everyone else outside North America and Europe what do you call them?
And for the Canadians do you guys use "elk" or "wapiti"?

Sorry this seems like such a random question

In Canada generally referred to as elk, though people familiar with the bush also know the word "wapiti".

AFAIK, there aren't any 'elk' (NA usage) in Europe, so I don't know what they'd call them.

True...

Though elk are closely related to the Red Deer species in Europe... and at one time were considered a subspecies, but they've been put into their own species after DNA analysis. (or at least that's what wiki says... they are close relatives though... same genus name)

One thing I've learned... deer and linguistics do NOT get along Hence why they created scientific names. But I will elaborate on that in a more appropriate thread [/ramble]

(And thanks for the answer Graymouser )

Deer me! Down under, when I was young, they were called elk. But now I am older, I think we tend to call them moose due to long exposure to American media reports. Not to be confused with chocolate or other flavoured moose (oops! mousse). Cruciverbalists are familiar with both sorts of deer, and so are National Park rangers who regard those deer little 4 footed friends running around ferally, who don't want to stay decently in zoos etc, as just another nuisance introduced species.

Oh deer! I really couldn't resist that.

Come to think about it, isn't the biggest of deer kind called an eland? Aren't they somewhat similar to a moose/elk? And could someone please tell me the difference between an alpaca and a llama? These cute domesticated animals crop up every now and then in strange Aussie places.

I've got a few questions for UK people. I get most of my English facts from BBC movies, and most of them are period dramas so they might not be true or true anymore. Lol! Sorry if these have been asked before.

1. I read somewhere that dessert was called pudding, even if it's not not really a real pudding. Do you guys really do that?

2. What is the most common mode of transportation to get to Ireland from England?

3. I also heard that people from England sometimes can't tell much of a difference between an American accent and an Irish one. I can sometimes hear a similarity but I've never been not able to tell the difference, so I'm doubting it a little.

4. And do you guys REALLY call eggplant aubergine, and zucchini courgette?

Whoa! What is this? I don't even...
3. I also heard that people from England sometimes can't tell much of a difference between an American accent and an Irish one.