British/Scottish vs American English

[Jada59]

I have noticed that British and Scottish writers are fond of using the terms "tiny bit" "wee bit". Such as, I felt a tiny bit uncertain", or "I was a wee bit drunk". But when I read the rest of what they wrote, I see no "tiny" or "wee" about it. They WERE uncertain or they WERE drunk.

I am reminded of the old Chinese cooking show called "Yan Can Cook". Yan was also fond of saying, "tiny bit". He'd stir fry something and say, "Then I throw in a tiny bit of onion", but he would put the whole onion in there!

Why do people say this if it's not what they mean?

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm American and I sometimes say "tiny bit." I never say "wee bit." If I did I'd think I was trying to do a parody of a Scot.

It's common for people to use excess words in their speech. In speech we often do that to soften the declarativeness with which we say things. Teenagers, for example, insert the word "like" in their spoken sentences. Adults talk this way too in a bunch of ways. We add qualifiers to things we say. We say indirectly what we could say directly. It's a common speech pattern.

I think it's better not to write this way in narration, but it's perfectly fine in dialogue because this is, in fact, the way people really talk.

 

[Jada59]

I'm American and I sometimes say "tiny bit." I never say "wee bit." If I did I'd think I was trying to do a parody of a Scot.

It's common for people to use excess words in their speech. In speech we often do that to soften the declarativeness with which we say things. Teenagers, for example, insert the word "like" in their spoken sentences. Adults talk this way too in a bunch of ways. We add qualifiers to things we say. We say indirectly what we could say directly. It's a common speech pattern.

I think it's better not to write this way in narration, but it's perfectly fine in dialogue because this is, in fact, the way people really talk.

Thanks!

 

[Bramblethorn]

British (and Australian) varieties of English often use deliberate understatement for comic effect.

PS - "British" includes "Scottish". "British and Scottish" is like saying "American and Texan".

 

[ElectricBlue]

British (and Australian) varieties of English often use deliberate understatement for comic effect.

Also, Aussies use expressions like "piston broke" to completely confuse Americans.

 

[Jada59]

Also, Aussies use expressions like "piston broke" to completely confuse Americans.

Oh no. I *am* confused now!

I once read some recipe online and the British cook said to finish it off with lashings of melted butter. I presumed that to mean a few thin drizzles, but when I looked it up, it meant a copious amount.

 

[stickygirl]

Irony
In the context of drunks "I think you've had a wee bit too much to drink" ought to be clear enough. I'm not sure if I've heard recipes describe in such a dangerous way, but your example may have been an exception.

I suppose 'wee' and 'tiny' ( though I think tiny might be an English rather than Scots idiom ) have their roots in the nursery. We'd say to a child ( or a dog ) "Gosh, who's a clever boy then?" or "Would you like a wee bit more pudding?" So there's a parental flavour to its usage.

I'm sure that Scots folk use the word without it carrying significant emotional weight, but an English person, with English accent, would use it for humorous or friendly effect.

I've got Scots rellies so I'm more familiar with wee than tiny and I wee regularly

ETA
Language often seems to be used to denote belonging to a particular group. Lashings and drizzles of honey, butter etc is a linguistic gateway to exclude people who don't share the same cultural background. Hence the yoof speek like or describing good things as sick.

 

[Rustyoznail]

“Yeah, look, just go down here for a bit, turn left after Bert’s shearing shed down the gravel track, and after a mile or so you’ll see Fred’s place on the left.”

Two hours later...

 

[sirhugs]

“Yeah, look, just go down here for a bit, turn left after Bert’s shearing shed down the gravel track, and after a mile or so you’ll see Fred’s place on the left.”

Two hours later...

In Canada, that would be twelve hours later...we have so much geography that a "a bit" might be a day's drive.

 

[oggbashan]

British (and Australian) varieties of English often use deliberate understatement for comic effect.

PS - "British" includes "Scottish". "British and Scottish" is like saying "American and Texan".

British understatement can have unfortunate consequences. During the Korean War the Gloucesters were defending against a massive Chinese army. The overall American commander spoke to the Gloucesters' commander who said: "Things are looking a bit sticky here".

A Senior British officer would have understood that what was meant was we are about to be overrun, or 'the shit has hit the fan'.

The American commander thought what was meant was that the position was difficult but coping and so didn't send reinforcements. 2,000 Gloucesters died.

 

[ElectricBlue]

British understatement can have unfortunate consequences. During the Korean War the Gloucesters were defending against a massive Chinese army. The overall American commander spoke to the Gloucesters' commander who said: "Things are looking a bit sticky here".

Similar to David Beatty during the WW1 Battle of Jutland: he is remembered for his comment that "There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today", after two of his battleships exploded.

 

[oggbashan]

Similar to David Beatty during the WW1 Battle of Jutland: he is remembered for his comment that "There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today", after two of his battleships exploded.

Battlecruisers, not battleships.

The battlecruiser concept was flawed from the start. They were supposed to be heavily armed and fast. Strong enough to beat anything less than a battleship and lightly armoured enough to run away from something with equal firepower.

But battleships got faster.

Another problem was that the Royal Navy put too much emphasis on speed of fire and neglected safe practices for handling shells and charges. They kept too much ammunition in the turrets and left flash doors open for speed of resupply. Therefore a hit on a turret would explode all the way down to the ammunition store. The Germans cased their charges and were meticulous at keeping safety doors shut. A similar hit on a German ship did not have such catastrophic consequences.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

British (and Australian) varieties of English often use deliberate understatement for comic effect.

PS - "British" includes "Scottish". "British and Scottish" is like saying "American and Texan".

Well, that's the way we think about ourselves, there is America and then there are Texans. Now we do know we are part of America, yet just a wee bit better.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Understatement does seem part of the English nature. Someone given a fine whisky will say, "It's not bad." If it's really good, he might add, "Not bad at all."

There's an apocryphal story about the early days in Vietnam, in which a South Vietnamese unit was under attack and asking for support from a US artillery unit within range. The senior US officer in the area asked the Vietnamese CO how many VC were attacking him.

The reply came back over the radio, "Many! Many!"

"How many is that?"

"Oh, many! Many!"

Unsure, he asked the CO to pass the radio to his US advisor, a US Army captain.

"OK, captain, what's going on out there? How many VC are there?"

"A whole fucking shitload, colonel!" came the instant, if perhaps simplistic, reply.

Artillery support, now officially justified, was soon on the way.

 

[SimonDoom]

British (and Australian) varieties of English often use deliberate understatement for comic effect.

PS - "British" includes "Scottish". "British and Scottish" is like saying "American and Texan".

There are some Texans, and Americans for that matter, that might bristle at the idea that they're included in America. But, then, I imagine there are Scots that think that way too.

 

[AlinaX]

If Scots bristle at anything, it's at people thinking Scotland is part of England...

I grew up Scottish/British/European. These days I have no idea what I am.

ETA. From https://www.buzzfeed.com/hilarywardle/scottish-sentences-that-will-confuse-the-fuck-out-of-ever
37. "Rab had a wee bitty too much to drink last night." – Rab punched a police horse and then shat in a bus shelter.

 

[Saintdragonslayer]

I have noticed that British and Scottish writers are fond of using the terms "tiny bit" "wee bit". Such as, I felt a tiny bit uncertain", or "I was a wee bit drunk". But when I read the rest of what they wrote, I see no "tiny" or "wee" about it. They WERE uncertain or they WERE drunk.

I am reminded of the old Chinese cooking show called "Yan Can Cook". Yan was also fond of saying, "tiny bit". He'd stir fry something and say, "Then I throw in a tiny bit of onion", but he would put the whole onion in there!

Why do people say this if it's not what they mean?

I'm afraid it's just part of the way we talk in Scotland. It is particularly common in Glasgow, where I come from, to exaggerate quantities in either direction. When I tell my wife that I might have a "wee" drink tonight, she will roll her eyes, knowing that means a few large wines with dinner, followed by a bottle of malt whisky.

It is the same for other quantities mentioned in a conversation. If I ask a workmate how many screws are left in the box, he might say "Hunners" (Hundreds) if it is more than twenty or "Millyins" (Millions) if it is more than one hundred.

Use of the word "Wee" is not limited to a quantity of volume,weight, height or numbers, however. It can also be used to imply that the thing in question is a treat of some kind. You might say "I'm going to have a wee pizza tonight" or "Why don't we go a wee holiday." The size of the pizza or the length of the holiday is not an issue, just the fact that it is something that you feel you deserve.

 

[oggbashan]

A wee bit of bother between the Police and (Rangers or Celtic) fans probably means running street battles for hours but both sides would refer to it as 'wee' and there would be no rancour afterwards.

The same thing in Detroit would have a quarter of the city in flames.

 

[Saintdragonslayer]

A wee bit of bother between the Police and (Rangers or Celtic) fans probably means running street battles for hours but both sides would refer to it as 'wee' and there would be no rancour afterwards.

The same thing in Detroit would have a quarter of the city in flames.

Indeed, the bother on the day of the game would be referred to as "wee", but the enmity will continue until Ragnarok...

 

[Voboy]

My wife does this too, and she's from New England.

"I'm going to go to a few stores. Be back in an hour" typically means I'm on my own for at least half a day.

 

[oggbashan]

Indeed, the bother on the day of the game would be referred to as "wee", but the enmity will continue until Ragnarok...

Maybe, but at Ragnarok, both Celtic and Rangers fans would be on the side of good versus evil. They love being on the losing side - it means more fighting.

 

[Handley_Page]

British (and Australian) varieties of English often use deliberate understatement for comic effect.

PS - "British" includes "Scottish". "British and Scottish" is like saying "American and Texan".

If you need to differentiate, try "English" and "Scottish"

 

[Bramblethorn]

There are some Texans, and Americans for that matter, that might bristle at the idea that they're included in America.

I understand there was a wee bit of discussion about this in the 1860s, yes.

But, then, I imagine there are Scots that think that way too.

There are plenty of Scots who would like to leave the United Kingdom, but Scotland is very definitely part of the island of Great Britain, and IME both Scots and Welsh take umbrage at the equation of "Britain" to "England".

 

[Lori_the_Hoosier]

Understatement does seem part of the English nature. Someone given a fine whisky will say, "It's not bad." If it's really good, he might add, "Not bad at all."

There's an apocryphal story about the early days in Vietnam, in which a South Vietnamese unit was under attack and asking for support from a US artillery unit within range. The senior US officer in the area asked the Vietnamese CO how many VC were attacking him.

The reply came back over the radio, "Many! Many!"

"How many is that?"

"Oh, many! Many!"

Unsure, he asked the CO to pass the radio to his US advisor, a US Army captain.

"OK, captain, what's going on out there? How many VC are there?"

"A whole fucking shitload, colonel!" came the instant, if perhaps simplistic, reply.

Artillery support, now officially justified, was soon on the way.

I think the English capacity for understatement is both enormously underrated, and annoyingly ingrained; case in point: Will spent several years working with Médecins Sans Frontières, UNICEF, Save The Children, HALO, and War Child in the waste spaces of the world, and I'll never forget the time he called me from hospital in Darwin, where he'd been airlifted to from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to tell me not to panic, but he'd be home later than he'd planned, because he'd been 'a little bit shot', while neglecting to tell me he had a hole in his chest you could drive a steer through without the horns catching on the sides; when I eventually got him home he apologized and remarked he probably should have ducked a little sooner, but on the plus side, he did get to see Darwin, which he'd always wanted to do, so not a complete loss...

 

[Bramblethorn]

I think the English capacity for understatement is both enormously underrated, and annoyingly ingrained; case in point: Will spent several years working with Médecins Sans Frontières, UNICEF, Save The Children, HALO, and War Child in the waste spaces of the world, and I'll never forget the time he called me from hospital in Darwin, where he'd been airlifted to from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to tell me not to panic, but he'd be home later than he'd planned, because he'd been 'a little bit shot', while neglecting to tell me he had a hole in his chest you could drive a steer through without the horns catching on the sides; when I eventually got him home he apologized and remarked he probably should have ducked a little sooner, but on the plus side, he did get to see Darwin, which he'd always wanted to do, so not a complete loss...

I hope he's learned his lesson. Just say no to being shot, Darwin's nice but it's not that nice.

(Relative of mine used to work in ER at Darwin. Apparently it was quite the experience. One of the other doctors made the NT News by getting drunk and swimming out to pose for a photo on a crocodile trap.)