Topic: Cinema vs Theatre

[Dr. Hasslein]

Yes, it's a very nice day. I'm off to my cousin's wedding in a hour. Have fun at archery.

[Blair]

For me, it's:

I'm going to the movies. (taking action)
We can meet up later at the movie theater. (describing the location)

... and then ...

I have tickets to go to see a play at the theater.

[Critter]

 

While reading this thread I thought heaps of you were spelling theatre wrong by saying 'theater' instead. I just googled it though and apparently it's another one of those words where the spelling was changed from English to American English. Haha, good thing I googled that one before accusing anyone of anything. I didn't even know that it had a different American spelling until now.

[DJ Doena]

I didn't even know that it had a different American spelling until now.

There are a few words that have switched from -re to -er. Centre/center for example. Calibre/caliber another.

And then there's this whole ou/o issue as in colour/color and the s/z and in realise/realize.


I use whatever looks better.

[dfmorgan]

For me here in Herts. England I go to the cinema to see films, I go to the theatre to see live action plays/musicals etc. unless it's something really different like tomorrow evening I'm going to the Royal Albert Hall to see a Classical Spectacular. Sometimes though it could be that I'm going to the West End to see a show or a film and it will be just a case of saying I'm going to the West End to see .... Where the West End is a part of London based around Leicester Square where there are loads of cinemas, usually showing the latest releases or premieres, and loads of theatres.

Shoppingwise I go down the village to our local town shopping cntre or else I''l go to Brent Cross/Galleria/Lakeside/Bluewater for the Mall type experience

[Critter]

I didn't even know that it had a different American spelling until now.

There are a few words that have switched from -re to -er. Centre/center for example. Calibre/caliber another.

And then there's this whole ou/o issue as in colour/color and the s/z and in realise/realize.


I use whatever looks better.

Yeah I was just reading about that before. And also saber/sabre etc. I honestly don't see the point of changing it, they sound the same and they seem like such small minute changes that I don't get it. I'm sure there must be some reasoning behind it though. Either way I will always use UK English as that's how I was raised. If I ever wrote 'color' or 'theater' on an assignment while I was in High School I would have been scolded by my teachers.

[Najemikon]

I don't know anyone in the UK who would refer to a cinema as a theatre. I think the distinction is important...

I didn't even know that it had a different American spelling until now.

There are a few words that have switched from -re to -er. Centre/center for example. Calibre/caliber another.

And then there's this whole ou/o issue as in colour/color and the s/z and in realise/realize.


I use whatever looks better.

Yeah I was just reading about that before. And also saber/sabre etc. I honestly don't see the point of changing it, they sound the same and they seem like such small minute changes that I don't get it. I'm sure there must be some reasoning behind it though. Either way I will always use UK English as that's how I was raised. If I ever wrote 'color' or 'theater' on an assignment while I was in High School I would have been scolded by my teachers.

s/z is actually acceptable either way. The other examples are typical differences between American English and correct English... 

Specifically with 'theatre', that suits the pronunciation better, which should be something like 'thay-a-ter'.

[DJ Doena]

Yeah I was just reading about that before. And also saber/sabre etc. I honestly don't see the point of changing it, they sound the same and they seem like such small minute changes that I don't get it. I'm sure there must be some reasoning behind it though. Either way I will always use UK English as that's how I was raised. If I ever wrote 'color' or 'theater' on an assignment while I was in High School I would have been scolded by my teachers.

It's just how language develops. In german there the 26 standard letters, the three umlauts äöü and then there's the ß (it's not a greek beta). It's still used in Germany but the Swiss have decided to get rid of it. So where we write Straße (street) they write Strasse.

And don't start to think that mexican spanish and spanish spanish is the same, or brazilian portugese and portugese portugese.

[dfmorgan]

And then there's this whole ou/o issue as in colour/color and the s/z and in realise/realize.

s/z is actually acceptable either way. The other examples are typical differences between American English and correct English... 

In many cases the z is the correct english, it all depends whether the word is from Greek or Latin roots.

[Critter]

Yeah I was just reading about that before. And also saber/sabre etc. I honestly don't see the point of changing it, they sound the same and they seem like such small minute changes that I don't get it. I'm sure there must be some reasoning behind it though. Either way I will always use UK English as that's how I was raised. If I ever wrote 'color' or 'theater' on an assignment while I was in High School I would have been scolded by my teachers.

It's just how language develops. In german there the 26 standard letters, the three umlauts äöü and then there's the ß (it's not a greek beta). It's still used in Germany but the Swiss have decided to get rid of it. So where we write Straße (street) they write Strasse.

And don't start to think that mexican spanish and spanish spanish is the same, or brazilian portugese and portugese portugese.

Hmm, I suppose I mainly find it strange because many countries speak English, and they all seem to speak UK English except for the US which had to make their own version of it. I did read though that it might be because of America's early independence... or something like that. Which I suppose makes sense.

[DJ Doena]

and they all seem to speak UK English

You should read the e-Mails from and listen to our indian colleagues from Bangalore.

[Critter]

Indians? Most of the Indians here seem to speak UK English. Melbourne especially has a massive Indian population, and every single University here is almost mainly Indian students. My Mum actually teaches nursing at a local TAFE college and has whole classes of Indian students. I sometimes help her mark exams etc and they all write in UK English.

[Kathy]

When I write "theatre" my computer says its spelled wrong...so "theater" must be right.  

 

[Najemikon]

And then there's this whole ou/o issue as in colour/color and the s/z and in realise/realize.

s/z is actually acceptable either way. The other examples are typical differences between American English and correct English... 

In many cases the z is the correct english, it all depends whether the word is from Greek or Latin roots.

Usually the dictionary will list the "ize" as also acceptable though. I just checked "Analyst" and it specified both. Side note, while flicking through the "A" section of that 1964 Oxford dictionary, I spotted "anime" to my surprise. 1964? British dictionary acknowledging Japanese cartoons? "Indian varnish", apparently...  

Yeah I was just reading about that before. And also saber/sabre etc. I honestly don't see the point of changing it, they sound the same and they seem like such small minute changes that I don't get it. I'm sure there must be some reasoning behind it though. Either way I will always use UK English as that's how I was raised. If I ever wrote 'color' or 'theater' on an assignment while I was in High School I would have been scolded by my teachers.

It's just how language develops. In german there the 26 standard letters, the three umlauts äöü and then there's the ß (it's not a greek beta). It's still used in Germany but the Swiss have decided to get rid of it. So where we write Straße (street) they write Strasse.

And don't start to think that mexican spanish and spanish spanish is the same, or brazilian portugese and portugese portugese.

Hmm, I suppose I mainly find it strange because many countries speak English, and they all seem to speak UK English except for the US which had to make their own version of it. I did read though that it might be because of America's early independence... or something like that. Which I suppose makes sense.

It's both, Sophie. Modern UK English incorporates development from not only European/Latin roots, but Celtic as well; Scottish, Welsh and Irish. When the immigrants settled in America, they would have still been using a more traditional language than they do now, especially Irish, so they would have developed in a slightly different way.

Indians? Most of the Indians here seem to speak UK English. Melbourne especially has a massive Indian population, and every single University here is almost mainly Indian students. My Mum actually teaches nursing at a local TAFE college and has whole classes of Indian students. I sometimes help her mark exams etc and they all write in UK English.

Don't complicate things! India still has a strong connection with Britain and so many people there are educated to a very high standard in British English, but I think as Karsten mentioned, Bangalore and neighbouring Pakistan would not be like that.

[lovemunkey187]

I tend to say "I'm going to pictures" when I'm going to watch a film.

And as it's such a rarity I will specify the name of the play/musical I'll be watching.