From “doing as the Romans do” to your date insisting on “going Dutch,” there is no shortage of international idioms in English. People from all walks of life — William Shakespeare, Italian saints, and American emigrants included — have played a role in coining these well-known expressions.

It’s All Greek to Me

Current usage: To not comprehend something.

William Shakespeare popularized this phrase in Act 1, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar, first performed in 1599. It is spoken by Casca:

Cassius: Did Cicero say anything?

Casca: Ay, he spoke Greek.

Cassius: To what effect?

Casca: Nay, an I tell you that, I’ll ne’er look you i’ th’ face again. But those that understood him smiled at one another and shook their heads; but, for mine own part, it was Greek to me.

In these lines, Casca describes a speech that was deliberately given in Greek so not everyone could understand it. Ancient Romans were usually bilingual in Latin and Greek, but Greek usage had declined by the Middle Ages. Around this time, the phrase “Graecum est; non legitur” — “It is Greek and therefore is impossible to read” — began popping up. Eventually, “Greek” was used to refer to anything that couldn’t be understood. The idiom was translated from Latin into English, and by the 16th-century Elizabethan era, it was a popular phrase that would have been understood by anyone watching Shakespeare’s play. Today, other languages have adopted the idiom and made it their own, with a few tweaks.

International equivalents of “It’s all Greek to me”:

• Czech: To je pro mě španělská vesnice — “It’s a Spanish village to me”
• German: Das kommt mir spanisch vor — “That seems Spanish to me”
• Greek: Εμένα, αυτά μου φαίνονται Κινέζικα — “To me, this appears like Chinese”
• Bulgarian: Все едно ми говориш на патагонски — “It’s like you’re talking to me in Patagonian” (But Spanish is the primary language in the Patagonian countries of Chile and Argentina.)

Pardon My French/Excuse My French

Current usage: To apologize for using profane or offensive language.

Why don’t we say “Pardon my Spanish” or “Excuse my Italian”? This idiom originated in the Middle Ages, when the French-speaking Duke of Normandy — better known as William the Conqueror — invaded England in 1066 CE and brought the French language with him. French influenced many aspects of English because it was seen as the fancier language, and everyday words were flipped into terms of prestige — “house” became “mansion,” “pig” was “pork,” and “offspring” was “progeny.” So, in everyday conversations, English speakers were saying “Pardon my French” in a literal way, to highlight their use of French.

By the mid-18th century, the phrase was used more metaphorically instead of literally. An example of this is found in an 1895 edition of Harper’s Weekly in a discussion with an American tourist: “‘Do not the palaces interest you?’ I asked, inquiringly. ‘Palaces be durned! Excuse my French.’”

Nearly 100 years later, one of the most memorable modern uses of the phrase was in the 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, when Cameron (Ferris’ best friend) says, “Pardon my French, but you’re an a**h***!” while on the phone with the dean of students, Ed Rooney.

When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do

Current usage: To embrace local customs and habits in an unfamiliar place or situation.

Often shortened to “When in Rome…,” this idiom is usually said lightheartedly while trying new things. Unsure about trying that unfamiliar regional food delicacy during your vacation? “When in Rome…” The expression is not exclusive to Rome, though — it’s used to refer to new places and experiences around the world.

The phrase might have been coined in the fourth century by St. Ambrose (of Milan) during a conversation with St. Augustine, who had just arrived in Milan and was unfamiliar with the local customs. He was reportedly shocked to find that the clergy did not fast on Saturdays (as they did in Rome). St. Ambrose gave him a bit of advice: In a new place, it is essential to adapt to the local customs. The phrase as we know it first appeared in English centuries later, around 1530.

Going Dutch

Current usage: To split the bill; to pay for yourself.

If you go to the movies with a friend and both pay for your own ticket, you could say you’re “going Dutch” — but the phrase likely has nothing to do with Dutch people from the Netherlands. It actually originated in the U.S. from the phrase “Dutch treat” (or “Dutch lunch/supper”), after the Pennsylvania Dutch (immigrants from Germany and Switzerland, not the Netherlands) tradition of bringing their own food to potlucks. The idiom “going Dutch” is slightly newer, dating to at least 1914.

Featured image credit: Tanya Dol/ iStock

A dialect is a regional variety of a language. It features not only different pronunciations and accents but also a divergence in vocabulary and grammar, meaning that the same language will sound quite different in various dialects. English is a prime example of the vast differences displayed between dialects — it is the most-studied language in the world, with around 1.5 billion people speaking 150 different English dialects. While mass media is bringing down borders in some ways and exposing people to all varieties of languages and dialects, research shows that English dialects are actually diverging more than ever before, with new dialects evolving and emerging around the world.

The Birth of the English Language

Old English dates back to the fifth century in Britain, and it’s part of the Germanic language family (as opposed to the Romance languages including French, Italian, and Spanish). It looks very different from modern English and changed even more thanks to the addition of the French and Latin words that the Normans brought to England during their 11th-century conquest. This transformed the language into Middle English, which continued to evolve until the 16th century, at which point the printing press was invented. Once printing technology was widespread, language and spelling became more standardized, resulting in the earliest modern English dialect: British English.

British English: The First English Dialect

As the oldest modern English dialect still spoken, British English remains hugely influential — around 70 million people use it today. British colonization spread English around the globe beginning in the 16th century, and for this reason, all English dialects are descendants of British English, from Jamaican and Canadian to Australian and South African.

Key Characteristics of the British English dialect:

• “R” is only pronounced when it is followed by a vowel (“bright” vs. “start”)
• Groups of people take a plural verb form (“The team are taking a time-out”)
• The letter “z” is called “zed”
• “U” is paired with “o” in the spelling of many words (“colour” and “flavour”)
• “T” is used to create some past tense words (“learnt” and “dreamt”)

American English: The Most Widespread English Dialect

Today, more people study and speak American English than any other English dialect — around 350 million people can speak it, and around 250 million use it as their first language. American English took shape during the colonization of what is now the East Coast of the United States in the 17th century. It retained many words and grammar rules from British English but also adopted words and pronunciations from languages all over the world as new settlers moved to the continent. Many German, Yiddish, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, and Indigenous American words entered the American English lexicon because of this “melting pot” of languages.

In the U.S. alone, there are more than 30 distinct American English dialects, also known as “accents.” This is why someone who speaks Californian American English uses different pronunciations, slang, and grammar than someone who speaks Cajun (in Louisiana) or New England English. Other common American English dialects include Southern, Midwestern, Pacific Northwestern, Hawaiian, and various East Coast accents, including the notorious Boston American accent (“Tell yah fath-uh to go pahk the cah”), in which the “r” is dropped in most words.

Key Characteristics of American English

• American English is less formal than British English (“Can I…” vs. “Might I…”)
• A “t” sound in the middle of a word sounds more like “d” (“wadder” vs. “water”)
• Simple past tense is commonly used (“I ate dinner” vs. “I have just eaten dinner”)
• The “r” sound is usually pronounced (“car” and “start”)
• Many loanwords are adopted from other languages

While both come from the same origin in Old English, British English and American English dialects have diverged enough to merit plenty of linguistic analysis:

Why Do Brits Use ‘Ou’ and Americans Just Use ‘O’ in Words?
8 Words Americans Pronounce Differently
9 British Slang Words You Should Be Using
15 Americanisms You Won’t Find Anywhere Else

14 Words English Stole (Borrowed) From Other Languages
14 British Words That Don’t Match Up to the American Versions
British Slang Terms to Listen For Across the Pond
How To Speak English — In Great Britain

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