: So, how on Earth would
: fellow American members describe the season. ie. 'It's really
: Wintery/Summery out there'.. 'It's very Autumnal today'... so
: what would replace 'Autumnal' ?

Don't know, but would imagine it would be something along the lines of fall-like. The antonym of autumnal is vernal, but how often would you use that compared to springlike?

As a linguist (or someone with a language degree at least), I find languages and how people use them differently really interesting. And it puts you in something of a quandary sometimes - I remember ordering a pizza in NYC once (spinach and basil, very nice considering I've largely found New York pizza disappointing given its reputation) and pondering beforehand whether to pronounce basil in UK or US-style. Or ordering Southern Comfort in Germany, in German - do I suddenly drop the German pronounciation for the English words as a native English speaker or approximate a German accented "Southern Comfort"? I opted for the latter but only because I was confident enough I could do it without sounding like I was taking the p**s!

I disagree with many of the changes promoted by the Simplified Spelling Board in the US, I think they lose out a lot on the nuances of the digraph and diphthong use in English, but at least some of the more facile ones weren't adopted ("cof" for "cough" anyone?). But equally, some English usage doesn't make a great deal of sense - why are pants and underpants the same article of clothing here (rather than underpants being an additional layer for the incontinent perhaps!)? Still, I wouldn't want to swap the word "trousers" for "pants".

I love different languages and the variation within a given language too, it's all part of the appeal of travel. Like you Stewart, I've only been to one part of the US but on the opposite coast but there is a lot of variation as Mr Fry ably demonstrated. When I watch Moto GP, I often wonder how Nicky Hayden sounds to Americans who aren't from Kentucky (or nearby) - he's not inarticulate as motor racers go, but that accent makes him come across as a little... you know... slow to me. Try as I might, I always tend to think a little bit of "Deliverance" when he's talking - yes, I know that's in Georgia (Jeff's current home state!) rather than Kentucky but I just get that sort of feel from how he talks.

There is one word where the US pronounciation always irritates me though, and that's "herbs". Why oh why is it said with a silent h?!! Makes no sense to me, morphologically if you're going to pronounce herb like that, then "hotel" should also have a non-voiced h. But it doesn't. If that pizza had been spinach and herb, then without hesitation I would have voiced the h :)