Recherche parmi différents professeurs en Anglais…
Lily
Is the distinction between tin/tinned and can/canned made in the UK and the US? For instance, how would you refer to tuna, paint, beans, etc.? A tin of tuna/tinned tuna in the UK and a can of tuna/canned tuna in the US?
13 juil. 2020 20:25
Réponses · 10
2
A can of tuna/canned tuna in the US? Yes. In North America, the only word used in this context is 'can'. I was curious as to whether there was such a thing as a 'tin' for AmE speakers, so I asked this question a while back: https://www.italki.com/discussion/221704. The unanimous response was 'no' - it's always a 'can'. The only American 'tin' anyone could come up with was a tin of cookies (with a reclosable lid) at 'holiday' time. A tin of tuna/tinned tuna in the UK ? No. Not necessarily. You are just as likely to hear 'can of tuna' in the UK. For British English speakers, both terms are used equally often. For tuna, soup and so on, the terms are completely interchangeable for BrE speakers - I'd happily say either 'a can of beans' or 'a tin of beans' and I'm fairly sure that most British English speakers wouldn't even notice which one you were saying. There really is no difference. For drinks, though, we always say 'can': a can of beer, a can of Coke and so on.
13 juillet 2020
1
In the United States, we would almost always say “can”. In years past, it was more common to hear “tin can”, but tin is rarely used anymore. Since the second half of the 20th century, cans have been manufactured with aluminum or other metals. The same goes for “tin foil”, which I still hear occasionally, instead of aluminum foil.
14 juillet 2020
1
See Ana Kazoka's response in comments. It's correct :-)
13 juillet 2020
Thank you so much for your answer, Ana :)
25 juillet 2020
Yes, exactly. The full word is actually "tin can" but for foods etc. the word"tin" is used in British English and "can" in American English. On the other hand, for drinks, the word "can" is used in British English, and of course it's can in American English too (a can of Coke in both)
13 juillet 2020
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