I got a Garmin NUVI for nearly free, and while I was setting it up I selected English. So imagine my delight when I was driving down the road and it began speaking to me in English. NO, not American English but what they speak in the UK! She speaks in such a commanding tone; almost compelling me to say "Yes Mum" when she has finished.
When she is speaking American English, I feel like I can say "NO" when she gives me directions I don't like, but when espeakin da queens English, I wouldna dare. It would be the ruler on my bottom it would.
Jolly good.
K
Comments
One of my friends
One of my friends has a couple of years old Tom-Tom GPS. The British voice on it is John Cleese of Monty Python fame. He is hysterical in that droll, dry understated British way!!
"At the present time, you are .7 miles past your destination. It would be good if you could find a place to turn about and retrace you path 1.1 miles. Assuming of course that you still wish to go to your original destination. If not, never mind. Just enter a new destination, if you are so inclined."
CaroL
CaroL
My English Housemate.
A year ago, a young English woman from the North of London came to stay with me for about two months. When she arrived, I was in very bad shape, but she would not put up with it and eventually got me out of my shell. We became very good friends. She is back in England now; Wales the last I heard. Cathy and she would make a team with Cathy's envronmental stuff and her Sustainability. I miss her so. It is unbearable at times.
The voice on my GPS sounds much like her. :)
K
Wales and England are
Wales and England are different countries. I realise that many Americans get confused about this and I'm sure many Scots and Welsh people must be fed up this error. I was trying to think up an analogy that could refer to America but the nearest I could come up with would be calling a Texan a Californian.
And I thought Texas...
...was in California. Isn't that the case?
A bit cranky are we?
Good Heavens, sorry miss, of course I knew the difference. I shall endeavor to be more careful next time. :) Does this involve a visit from the plod?
Khaduuj
England and Wales
Bear in mind that for centuries the English have been trying to subjugate the Welsh and erode the identity of the country. The Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 (created after Edward I's conquest of the territory - which included building an "iron ring" of fortresses) replaced Welsh criminal law with English law; but Welsh law was still used for civil cases until the Laws in Wales Acts in 1537 and 1542, which officially annexed Wales to England. The Wales and Berwick Act 1746 meant that in all future laws, 'England' would by default include Wales (and Berwick-upon-Tweed). This was later repealed in 1967 (for Wales, but not for Berwick) and current laws use "England and Wales" to refer to the legal entity. Welsh speakers were specifically prohibited from office until 1887. The rest of the Laws in Wales Acts were only repealed in 1993 and 1995 - but the legal entity "England and Wales" still exists.
So bearing in mind that until 1967, in legal terms "England" actually meant "England and Wales"...
(Amazing what you can find out with a sketchy background knowledge + Wikipedia...)
EAFOAB Episode Summaries
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Satnavs!
I used to have one of those but it kept taking me to silly places the wrong way.
Eventually I decided I knew enough about Britain to find my way around without one. Now I'm retired I don't need one. Getting lost is half the fun.
It puzzles me that if you stick a mobile phone to your ear you're committing an offence but if you're programming your satnav and taking your eye off the road, or choosing a radio station, that's OK
As to the accent giving directions, It would have to be a lady's voice for me. Dont feel safe with men.
Beverly.
Never leave home without one
OK, so I do drive around the corner without taking it, but if I'm going to (say) the next town, I'll usually take it. Every now and again, there'll be an accident, blocking the road and Jane (that's my girl) will easily find a way around it. OK, it may be through a farm yard, but she'll certainly take me places I never knew existed.
My friend has an iPhone, with satnav on it. Wow! That's what I want!
Incidentally, before these magnificent devices became available, I used to drive with a road atlas perched on the steering wheel. Now that is dangerous! With Jane, once she's programmed you can sit back and follow her instructions. But with the road atlas, you have to keep your finger on the place on the map, and continually try to work out where you're next turning. And it helps if occasionally you look at the road ahead!
I love my Tom Tom, and have
I love my Tom Tom, and have it set with an English woman's voice, too. I love accents! ;) I also have it set to metric, which drives my Mom crazy when I'm using it to give her directions! (I'm the navigator on our camping trips because I hate driving my Mom's big pickup truck. It's not only big, but it has crazy acceleration!)
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
Crazy how?
Details, girl! ^_^
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
I Thot You Were In The "UK"?
Your Mum takes you places? I want a driver? Well, I actually had one for a while but they got bored. It seems that my driving was so bad that he refused to allow me to drive if he was with me. So, then I improved.
Khaduuj
Nope, I'm a California girl.
Nope, I'm a California girl. And most of the time I drive but we always take my Mom's truck for camping. I get car sick pretty easily, so I'm not usually adverse to being the driver (I never get car sick if I'm driving).
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
I did hear of a SatNav
that would direct you from London to Birmingham via France and Ireland. Imagine going from Boston to New York via Austin Tx - by road. It might be scenic but it would take a while.
And there's nothing quite like being told off by an English Lady; 'that look' could freeze a glacier.
Susie
Sounds like a story from the Daily Mail...
...or one of the other tabloids.
Simple moral, don't believe everything you read in the press - gutter or otherwise.
Told off? I don't know what kind of sat nav you have, but mine never loses her cool, even when you blatantly ignore what she's saying. Quite like the idea of that John Cleese voice though. I bet he tells you off, and probably slaps you around the ear as well, as he used to with Manuel.
Yes, she does sound a bit like a Nun.
I did notice that "Jane" dispenses with the extra instructions, and is quite blunt at times. She does expect her instructions to be obeyed. I would not dare offend her on purpose. LOL Her American counterpart talks about twice as much.
Khaduuj
Does this guy even have a GPS?
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/07/16/computer.voice...
He's so far missed the point. Sigh!
K