UK publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (26-6-1997)
From Ross Clark@21:1/5 to All on Sun Jun 30 12:25:45 2024
(Gotta get caught up! No time for Harry **** Potter...)
But wait:
"Why should the publication date of this book...deserve a place in a
Language on This Day?" (Crystal, odd wording there)
Because the American edition (1998) not only replaced "Philosopher's"
with "Sorcerer's" in the title (wtf??) but also made more than 70
alterations, replacing words and expressions that were "too British"
with American (rough) equivalents.
This is a perennial topic on a.u.e., so repeating Crystal's entire list
of examples may not be a waste of time:
UK / USA
cooker / stove
crumpets / English muffins
dustbin / trashcan
football / soccer
fringe / bangs
ice lolly / ice pop
jelly / jell-O
jumper / sweater
letter-box / mail slot
motorway / highway
mummy / mommy
packet of crisps / bag of chips
queuing / lining up
roundabout / carousel
rounders / baseball
sellotape / scotch tape
set books / course books
toilet / bathroom
trainers / sneakers
also...
next day / the next day
(and from The Chamber of Secrets)
"Bit rich coming from you!" / "You should talk!"