We speak the same language, don’t we? In my 1/17/06 posting American vs. British English I noted numerous differences between the two countries’ use of the language. Here is another example.

In 1985 I went to Papua New Guinea as a consultant for the World Bank, out of Washington, to investigate and report on the financial status of that country’s government development bank. Many developing countries have such entities to contribute to the funding of local industries which provide goods and services and employ local people. The World Bank contributes capital and managerial assistance to those national development banks.

The executive director of the Papuan development bank was a native of that country; I only saw him once at a dinner to which I was invited. The executives who actually ran the operation were all expatriates from Britain or the British Commonwealth.

The chief financial officer was Scotch. During a conversation with him, he referred several times to a local company which I understood to be "Table Beds." Although the name, as I understood it, was rather awkward, I assumed it be a furniture manufacturing company. However, when I saw its name in writing, I learned that it was "Table Birds," a company that raised and processed poultry for the consumer retail market.

Aye, those Scotch, they do have a wee bit of an accent.