About the Author

Jerry Seinfeld (birth name Jerome Seinfeld) is a writer, actor and — first and foremost — a comedian. He has won many awards for stand-up comedy and acting from starring in the hit television show Seinfeld, which aired in the United States from 1989 to 1998. (The Facts.) Seinfeld has also recently aired in Finland.

Seinfeld published SeinLanguage in 1993 and it placed number one on the New York Times Bestseller list (Seinfeld).

SeinLanguage

SeinLanguage does not have a plot in the sense of a story with events, which happen chronologically. Instead, it is simply about life and all its amusing little details. Chapter names in the book include titles like Freeway of Love, Paldom, Shut Up and Drive and The Thing is the Thing. Seinfeld describes ordinary experiences and concepts in everyday life. In fact, he also describes some humorous linguistic factors, such as the following:

“…Electrocute. That’s another word that’s kind of strange when you break it down. Electro-cute. What’s cute about it? ‘Would you mind putting on this cute little metal hat for me? This is going to be just the sweetest 50,000 volts you ever felt.’ Electro-cute. It’s like, ‘Oh no, we’re not going to hang you. We’re just going to do this little thing we call rope-dee-doo.’” (Seinfeld 64)

American vs. British English

There are many examples of words which are different in American and British English. In the following examples, a definition is first given for these words, mostly as obtained from the on-line version of The Cambridge Dictionary of American English.The American term is then followed by its British equivalent(s).

In the first untitled section of SeinLanguage, Seinfeld shortly describes his childhood. The following words are included:

• Truck — “A large vehicle with an open or covered space in the back to hold a load of goods”. This is the equivalent to a lorry or wagon in British English (Moss 77).

• Sneakers — “A light shoe that has a top made of cloth and a bottom made of rubber, worn esp. for sports.” British equivalents include gym shoe (Moss 69) and trainers (Rekiaro 997).

The following word is from the section titled Introduction. Cash register (2) — “A machine in a store or other business that records sales and into which money is put.” The British equivalent is a till (American-British).

The title of the first proper chapter, Freeway of Love (5), contains in itself a typically American English word, freeway. It can be defined as “a wide road for fast moving traffic traveling long distances, with a limited number of places at which drivers can enter and leave it”. (Cambridge Dictionary) The British equivalent would be a motorway (Moss 29).

Within that same chapter, under the section titled The Sex, the following word is found.

• Druggist (18) — Also recognised in The Cambridge Dictionary of American English as a pharmacist, a druggist is “a person who is trained in the preparation of medicines”. Moss does not give a direct British equivalent, but American English drugstore, which is used within the same paragraph, is used as an equivalent for British English chemist (23, 99).

The following words are found under the section titled The Relationship.

• Muffler (21) — “A device on a vehicle which reduces noise.” According to Rekiaro, the British equivalent is a silencer (906).

• Trunk (21) — “A closed space at the back of a car where things can be stored.” The British equivalent is boot (Rekiaro 1037).

• Hood (21) — “The metal cover over the engine of a car.” The British equivalent is bonnet (Rekiaro 835).

• Gas (21) — “A liquid obtained from petroleum, used esp. as a fuel for cars and other vehicles.” The British equivalent is petrol (Moss 30).

• Tuxedo (22) — "A man's short formal jacket, or a suit of clothes including [ this]." (Oxford 1088) Its British equivalents would be a dinner jacket or dinner suit (Moss 77).

The next chapter is titled Personal Maintenance. Its untitled introductory section includes the following word.

• Condominium apartment (29) — “An apartment in a building in which each apartment is owned separately by the people living in it, or a building having such apartments.” Moss defines this as “an owner-occupied flat” (18), but does not give a one-word equivalent in British English. The British flat is an apartment in American English (Moss 112).

In the chapter Out and Back, under Watching Out, the following concept is found.

• Movie theater (137) — According to Moss, a movie theater is a cinema. There is a difference in spelling as well as the name, because theater would be spelled theatre in British English. (50)

Americanisms

There are numerous Americanisms in SeinLanguage, especially American brand names.

In the untitled first chapter:

• Ed Sullivan Show — Rekiaro defines this as “a famous television show, which aired from 1948 to 1971. It was hosted by the stony-faced Ed Sullivan who introduced, among others, Walt Disney, Bob Hope and the Beatles to the American public.” (771)

• In Freeway of Love, under The Relationship:

• Have a ball (22) — This is defined in Rekiaro as “to have a lot of fun, to enjoy something very much” (268).

• Impeach (23) — According to The Cambridge Dictionary of American English, this means “to formally accuse (a public official) of a serious crime in connection with their job”.

• In Personal Maintenance, under The Upkeep:

• Chrome-domus (33) — This is derived from chrome dome, which Rekiaro defines as “a Kojak-hairdo, which means the same as bald” (723). The reason for its unusual form becomes evident from its context, where Seinfeld discusses the absurd technical terms of cosmetic-surgery procedures, such as rhinoplasty for nose job:

• “When someone goes in for a hair transplant, they don’t say, ‘We’re going to perform a cueball-ectomy on you, Mr. Johnson. We’re going to attempt to remove the skin-headia of your chrome-domus… These are technical terms, of course.” (Seinfeld 33)

• Wino (34) — “A person who drinks a lot of wine or other alcoholic drink and is often drunk, and who lives on the streets” (Cambridge Dictionary).

• B.O. (38) — According to Rekiaro, this is short for body odour. (63)

In the introductory section to Paldom:

• MCI (51) — “A long distance telephone operator.” (Rekiaro 891) Within the same sentence, MCI’s well-known ‘catchphrase’, Friends and Family, is also mentioned: “Ever look at that MCI ad they have, ‘Friends and Family’?” (Seinfeld 51)

In Shut Up and Drive, under Look, up in the Air!:

• Comet (78) — “A brand of cleaning detergent.” (Rekiaro 732)

In Job Security, under Office Space:

• Danish (89) — “A pastry.” (Rekiaro 747) This can also mean something originating from Denmark, but in its context, the meaning is clear:

• “Frankly, I don’t believe people think of their office as a workplace anyway. I think they think of it as a stationery store with Danish. You want to get your pastry, your envelopes, your toilet paper, six cups of coffee, and you go home.” (Seinfeld 89)

• DMV test (97) — “Department of Motor Vehicles, which organises drivers’ tests… Lines to renew a driver’s licence and other services are notoriously long.” (Rekiaro 756)

In The Thing is the Thing, under My Money’s not Working:

• I.R.S. (107) — “Internal Revenue Service is the authority, hated by all, which audits people by random tests.” (Rekiaro 848)

• Toys ‘R’ Us (107) — “A chain of self-service toy stores with a selection of more than a million toys. The R is written the wrong way around in the store’s logo.” (Rekiaro 1034)

The connection between the pronunciations of I.R.S. and Toys ‘R’ Us are clear in the context of their use: Even though I.R.S. kind of sounds like Toys ‘R’ Us, they’re not fun people. (Seinfeld 107)

In Out and Back, under Dining Out:

• Doggie bag (130) — “A doggy bag is a small bag that a restaurant provides so that you can take home any food you have not finished.” (Cambridge Dictionary)

In The Ride of Your Life, under Cycle One:

• Dixie cup (157) — “A disposable cardboard cup. Ice cream was sold in these cups in the 1920’s, and any kind of ice cream could be called a Dixie Cup. Currently the meaning has turned back to its restricted form, meaning only the cup, not the ice cream.” (Rekiaro 756) However, the context in which the word is used in SeinLanguage implies the previous meaning of the ice cream:

• “If they did a study I think they’d find every time a kid gets a Dixie cup from an ice cream man it’s the equivalent of smoking two packs of Luckies.” (Seinfeld 157)

• Luckies could also be seen as an Americanism as it is the name for a certain brand of cigarettes.

In the same chapter, under Homestretch:

• Spring Break (178) — “A school vacation in the spring.” (Cambridge Dictionary)

Conclusion

SeinLanguage by Jerry Seinfeld is a very good example of American English and Americanisms. Both are used generously, but most probably also Britons and other people unfamiliar with the culture of the United States would understand the book. However, it is highly likely that quite a lot of the unique humour in SeinLanguage would be lost. This would certainly be a darn shame as anyone reading the book would surely have a ball.

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Works Cited:

• American-British Dictionary on TravelFurther.net. Last viewed on 23 November 2002.
• The Cambridge Dictionary of American English On-line. Maintained by Cambridge University Press. Last viewed on 23 November 2002.
• The Facts - Jerry Seinfeld. E! Entertainment Television web cite. Last viewed 23 November 2002.
• Moss, Norman. British/American Language Dictionary. Passport Books, 1984.
• Rekiaro, Ilkka. All-American - Amerikkalaisuuksien sanakirja. Juva: WSOY, 1998.
• - - - . Whaddyacallit - Amerikanenglannin slangin ja amerikkalaisuuksien sanakirja. Juva: WS Bookwell Oy, 2002.
• Seinfeld, Jerry. SeinLanguage. New York: Bantam Books, 1993.