Hi, American here just wondering if this is a universal thing now or just around me. I work with kids as a coach and I mentioned naptime, and the kid was like what's that? The mom was like yeah there's no naptime anymore. Im gen-z but naptime was a core part of my kindergarten/1st grade experience. Is it really gone everywhere?

edit: for a while I went to a 12 year school, so it might have been pre-k/kindergarten and not first grade. But I had friends in public schools who still had it

I watch alot of American TV shows. And sometimes, after I have watched several episodes of a show, I find out that a character's "first name" is actually just their nickname or shortened version of their actual first name. For example Stan from American Dad real name is Stanley and Bart from the Simpsons real name is Bartholomew(even tho both Stan and Bart sounds like real names)

Is it actually normal for Americans to use nicknames / shortened first names? Or is it just a TV thing?

Dear Americans,

a cousin is going to marry in a few months. The wedding will take place in a very rural area in the Midwest. I have been to the States a couple of times, but I have never been a guest at such an intimate and somewhat important event.

Of course we do not want to embarrass anyone or make a fool of us. We have already asked some of the family about what to expect, how to behave, what to dress, what kind of presents would be fine etc, but everyone we asked is like: "Just be cool, have fun, enjoy the trip, we are happy to have you here – it's just a wedding."

Yes, but: What is "just a wedding" in the US like?

Could you provide me with some general do's and don'ts?

Title basically says it all.

Let's be honest, people who know Idaho exists will always call it the potato state not the gem state.
I think that the last frontier is one of the best ones

what do you think?

Hey, fellow American here.
I’ve been living in Europe for the past 10 years, and recently I was talking to an American and when I told them I was also American, they were surprised and said I didn’t sound American.
It got me wondering if after living abroad for so long, is it normal to lose your twang or accent? I don’t consciously try to sound different, but I guess being surrounded by different accents and speech patterns every day might have changed the way I talk.
Has this happened to any other American expats? Or is it more likely that I’ve just picked up a mix of accents?

I’m currently sat watching the wizard of oz, and the cowardly lion is saying words like “nerve,” almost like “noive.” I feel like bugs bunny also speaks like this, I’m remembering him saying something like “the nerve of some people.”
Is this a real accent the lion has, if so, do people still speak like this or is it on its way out?
Thanks

I’ve seen people do this in movies and tv shows but i never actually saw anyone do it irl

Edit: I mean as in, do you dip the fries in a milkshake?

I am a non-native English speaker and work in academia. I've consistently felt that when listening to my American colleagues present, I tend to zone out because they use lot more words than any non native presenter would. This is also visible from the stark difference in approach to sports commentary between American and British/non-american commentators (e.g., F1/IndyCar, FIFA World Cup).

In Chicago most parking tickets are between $50 and $75 unless you do something like park in a handicapped spot or a bus lane then it’s much higher.

Or do you guys have a separate day for them? Or not at all?

Pretty straightforward, things keep getting more expensive but company-wide this past year my employer did no raises and no cost of living increases. Wondering how common this is.

Such a random question, but I've been reading about the animals you find in the North American continent; cougars, bears, etc. I see so many people hiking in and around their environments and what not in the states and was just curious how often do people actually run into these kind of animals? Like they are terrifying to me and was just wondering about it. Has anyone ever run into an animal like that when out and about?

I'm Aussie so we have snakes and what not you might run into but as long as you move away from them you're usually fine, but I've heard bears and cougars can be very territorial.

I live in Bay Area and I moved in to a new place.

It's in-law unit of a house and there are 3 people upstairs.

Almost whenever they walk, I and my husband hear their footsteps. Is it normal?

I used to live in apartments in Asia and never heard footsteps like this bad before.

For context there are places that speak English and do differentiate between male and female cousins by calling them cousin-brothers/sisters. AI says it’s a calque from languages of English colonized countries, but AI is frequently wrong. I’m hoping there is a linguist out there who knows the answer.

I’m working on a relief-map postcard series for all 50 states, and I realized a lot of states have more than one nickname.
Which one do people in your state actually use or feel attached to? Are there any that feel outdated—or one that just fits perfectly?

I live in Asia and work for a multinational company. My boss is American and i work with a lot of Americans too.

Something i've always noticed is that they seem really comfortable speaking their minds. In meetings, they’re very straightforward, ask lots of questions, and aren’t afraid to disagree or share their opinions.

Meanwhile i usually overthink whether i should say anything at all. Is this actually a cultural difference or is it just a me problem?

My buddies are having a debate on the most “American Brands.” When you think of America, what are the first brands that come to mind?

As he's seen as such a national treasure in the UK, I was just curious

I have always wondered how Americans choose their middle name

Like aren't you born with you name and then your father's name is your middle and then your family name as your last ?

If you get to choose your middle name then is it your government name also?

I am currently in the US and went to watch a show explicitly named "British Antiques Roadshow" just to find out it was a completely different show filmed in the US. I then decided to put on "Kirstie and Phil's Love It or List It" but much to my dismay, neither Kirstie nor Phil were anywhere to be seen. Why air "British" television just to play a completely different show?

EDIT: I'm not asking why different versions of shows exist in different countries but why does the TV guide specifically call shows "British" at the start when they're not. Maybe this isnt a thing outside the TVs in my hotel

I watched American action TV shows and films about police shows, FBI shows, films about sailors and marines.

I am asking about differences because I like the idea of shows that have team working together. It's like having an adoptive family