Why do north Americans say "I guess" and Brits say "I think"?

Question

Why do north Americans say I guess as in (it will, it is, etc.) and Brits say It I think as in (it will, it is, etc) Would you say it sums up the difference between our two nations. They guess and we think. Take that last statement how you like.

Answer 1

because the british have brains that actually work and the americans have to guess as they dont quite know how

Answer 2

You may be surprised to hear that the expression "I guess" was used in English long before anyone had ever come across the Americas. It is used by Geoffrey Chaucer (1332-1400) in the Prologue to the "Canterbury Tales" in exactly the same way as an American would use it. Perhaps the difference is that the British have moved on and the Americans are still speaking mediaeval English, despite having missed out altogether on the Middle Ages.

Answer 3

Caicos Turkey was closest. American (now regarded by linguists as a separate language) owes more to Elizabethan English than our current tongue. In Elizabeth I's day 'I guess' and 'I reckon' were more common than today.
Another example is 'fortnight' which, although from Low German, was not in popular use during the Elizabethan age, i.e. when America was being populated with a language.
Did you know that, only by a slim vote, German is not the official language of the good ol' US of A?
Did you also realise that Thanksgiving Day was promulgated when the Americas were regarded as British and the settlers who started it off were English?
Hey! Ho!

Answer 4

Why do brits say Tele
and we say Television?
We are 2 nations seperated by a common language.

Answer 5

I even have on no account heard anybody say something like that - and frankly anybody who does is in simple terms an fool. We share lots with North u . s . of america, yet we are no longer North American. The lightbulb became invented by Swan AND Edison, yet Edison have been given the patent in first. the 1st efficient cutting-component automobile became invented by a Karl Benz (a German), Trevithic (British) invented the 1st doable steam powered automobile. Charles Babbage (British) became the 1st to create a mechanical calculator, the Antasoff-Berry computing device (US) became returned greater of a calculator, it may desire to basically do one element. the 1st one hundred% electonic, programable computing device became Colossus, geared up in the united kingdom in 1943. there are a number of inventors of the aeroplane - Cayley (British) invented the 1st passenger carrying glider, John Stringfellow (British) created the 1st powered variety airplane, Clement Ader (French) invented the 1st powered passenger powered airplane, and the Wright brothers invented the 1st controllable one. the internet became additionally invented by a lot of people, the two the U. S. militia and CERN (in Europe) performed key roles in its progression. The radio could desire to in step with risk be pronounced to have been invented in u . s . of america, besides the undeniable fact that it became achieved by Tesla, who became a Serb - and Marconi (Italian) became doing comparable issues on the comparable time. Logie Baird invented the 1st broadcasting television, yet Farmsworth became the single that created the 1st one hundred% digital television. in step with risk you may get some data right now. u . s . of america did no longer invent the twentieth century.

Answer 6

Winston Churchill said it best when he asserted that the, " "Americans and British are two countries separated by a common language."

Answer 7

Here we go again with the british inferiority complex!
Give it a rest folks!

Answer 8

Well, I think you just answered your own question, so why should we Americans reply with any guessed-upon answers? :)

Answer 9

British people have to remind themselves that, yes, they can in fact think. Although they can't always think for themselves.

Answer 10

Because we in the UK are right