-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
A Quiet Monkfish
A lot of 'Americanisms' are actually of English origin, having survived export whilst losing influence in the UK. Similarly with words like 'sidewalk' and pavement'. Sidewalk is English in origin, pavement French. As the song goes, you say 'Tomato' with an 'A' as opposed to an 'AH'. When British started colonizing America a lot of English in the provinces would have pronounced it the American way. It was in London and the upper echelons of society where Received Pronunciation was the norm, that the 'AH' sound in tomato spread to the general UK population. There's a really good piece on The Great Vowel Shift here :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOOAb7erAmE
Indeed, and as I stated in my first post in this thread. :thumbup:
One interesting factor is that the larger a population, the quicker the language changes. Hence what were once small colonies thinly spread over large distances retaining vocabulary since dispensed with by the linguistic 'mother' countries.
Conversely, those 'mother' countries are now in the minority regarding population numbers - and let's not forget the influence on American English by immigrants whose mother tongue wasn't English.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Taunton Blue Genie
Don't we sometimes use the decorative word 'Well' when starting a sentence when others say 'So'?
By the way, I am not a fan of the "I'm good" retort but it will probably be doing the rounds long after I expire.
The word 'nice' used to mean ignorant so it's a waste of time being too Canute-like regarding language.
Early this week I was reading about metathesis i.e. where consonant change places in a word e.g. bird was formally brid, foliage was previously foilage, wasp was previously wæps etc.
Metathesis exists both across and within languages.
Out of the ones I mentioned, back in the day and get go have been around long enough for children to hear them and think that they have always been around, therefore they're perfectly legitimate for them to use and they'd be right - I daresay, answering questions with so falls into the same category as well.
However, the three at the bottom of my message (north of, speaks to and moving forward) fascinate me because they're almost exclusively used by adults in my experience - if I had to guess where they originated, I think it may well be in a kind of media speak, because I barely hear them in face to face conversation,
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Can I get a coffee? Instead Can I have a coffee , that seems to be an Americanism or is it juts bad grammar?
I was on holiday once and an American in a bar asked a friend how long we were on holiday for, to which the English chap replied 'A fortnight'. The American asks 'What the hell is a fortnight' I had to explain to him in was 14 days and a shortening fourteen nights. He said ' Jeez you guys sure do have a strange language'!! Oh the irony.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cardiff55
Can I get a coffee? Instead Can I have a coffee , that seems to be an Americanism or is it juts bad grammar?
I was on holiday once and an American in a bar asked a friend how long we were on holiday for, to which the English chap replied 'A fortnight'. The American asks 'What the hell is a fortnight' I had to explain to him in was 14 days and a shortening fourteen nights. He said ' Jeez you guys sure do have a strange language'!! Oh the irony.
I don't see the irony. You understand what "can I get" means. Why would you have to use an archaic term to shorten "fourteen nights" when you can just say "two weeks".
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Skejool is the one that irritates me. I wouldn't mind so much if they changed the spelling from schedule.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Several "Americanisms" piss me off!
"Reaching out" when talking/contacting someone.
"I'll get a...." as opposed to "please can I have"
Plus spelling.
Z used in place of S, example colonize and colonise
S used in place of C, example offense and offence
Both examples used in this thread by, I assume, people educated in the UK..
Funnily enough though, the omission of the letter U in words like colour doesn't bother me. Hey oh.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cardiff55
Can I get a coffee? Instead Can I have a coffee , that seems to be an Americanism or is it juts bad grammar?
I was on holiday once and an American in a bar asked a friend how long we were on holiday for, to which the English chap replied 'A fortnight'. The American asks 'What the hell is a fortnight' I had to explain to him in was 14 days and a shortening fourteen nights. He said ' Jeez you guys sure do have a strange language'!! Oh the irony.
I think having a word for 2 weeks is quite a novel thing, I'm not aware of it in any other languages.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Staycation is another one which you'll never hear me saying.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cardiff55
Can I get a coffee? Instead Can I have a coffee , that seems to be an Americanism or is it juts bad grammar?
I was on holiday once and an American in a bar asked a friend how long we were on holiday for, to which the English chap replied 'A fortnight'. The American asks 'What the hell is a fortnight' I had to explain to him in was 14 days and a shortening fourteen nights. He said ' Jeez you guys sure do have a strange language'!! Oh the irony.
He would have understood if you said fortnite.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
the other bob wilson
Staycation is another one which you'll never hear me saying.
For sure.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
the other bob wilson
Staycation is another one which you'll never hear me saying.
I always thought a staycation was when you took time off work but stayed in your house but it now seems to be a holiday where you don't fly.
People were probably saying they'dl never use google as a verb 20 years ago, or saying they'd always say smiley rather than emoji. Language evolves and we start using them without realising it.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Croesy Blue
I think having a word for 2 weeks is quite a novel thing, I'm not aware of it in any other languages.
French maybe? :shrug: :hehe:
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
StraightOuttaCanton
Where did the use of ‘sick’ as being used to describe something as being great come from? Did it hail from some Germanic/French word? My American and Canadian colleagues use it every day... and now my kids do too ... Bloody Germans!!!
Some of the words younger people use that mean the opposite what they appear began I read, because of predictive text. A texter would start to type the word he wanted but the predictor put up something else which was not corrected. There was one word in particular that was commented on. I believe from then on it became the in thing , a bit like 'bad' and 'wicked'.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
xsnaggle
French maybe? :shrug: :hehe:
French is the one language I'm sure don't have it, they do use lendemain for the day after tomorrow, but we have overmorrow it's just never used.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Blue Dwr
Several "Americanisms" piss me off!
"Reaching out" when talking/contacting someone.
"I'll get a...." as opposed to "please can I have"
Plus spelling.
Z used in place of S, example colonize and colonise
S used in place of C, example offense and offence
Both examples used in this thread by, I assume, people educated in the UK..
Funnily enough though, the omission of the letter U in words like colour doesn't bother me. Hey oh.
The USA had a stab at making spelling more regular whereas we are left with anomalies such as:
practice (noun), practise (verb)
licence (noun), license (verb)
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
the other bob wilson
Out of the ones I mentioned, back in the day and get go have been around long enough for children to hear them and think that they have always been around, therefore they're perfectly legitimate for them to use and they'd be right - I daresay, answering questions with so falls into the same category as well.
However, the three at the bottom of my message (north of, speaks to and moving forward) fascinate me because they're almost exclusively used by adults in my experience - if I had to guess where they originated, I think it may well be in a kind of media speak, because I barely hear them in face to face conversation,
'North of' and 'South of' have a certain logic whereby those directions are related to up and down - just as we say 'up in Scotland' or 'down in Cornwall'.
However, wearing my cartographer's hat I would say that we have only considered 'North' as 'up' since maps were presented that way.
Historically, many maps used to have East at the top, hence the terms 'to orient', 'orient(at)ed', 'disorient(at)ed' etc.
In those days we would have perhaps said 'up in Norfolk' and 'down in Wales'.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
xsnaggle
But so means because, whereas Well indicates an answer to what was asked. As for 'nice' my understanding has always been that nice originally meant fine as in very slim, for example 'a nice distinction' between two points of view. But I believe that the word had several differing meanings.
The word 'nice' came to us via the Latin word 'nascire' and meaning 'not knowing' (or 'no science', as it were).
In due course it came to mean, in turn: ignorant, foolish, timid, fastidious, dainty, careful and, eventually, pleasant.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
I probably have quite a bizarre vernacular nowadays.
A hybrid of words, spellings and pronunciations.
I still have that smooth, melodious Newport twang though...Rewnd the Rewndabewt 😁
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Deplane is the laziest I've heard ,and its lacks a plainness
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
One I've noticed creeping in recently, is to say 'two times' instead of 'twice'. As in "I watched City two times last week". Why is that? It's easier to say twice, surely?
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
B. Oddie
I'll give an example:
"I'm looking forward to the new season of Line of Duty..."
:facepalm:
Hate it. It’s ****ing series.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
tforturton
One I've noticed creeping in recently, is to say 'two times' instead of 'twice'. As in "I watched City two times last week". Why is that? It's easier to say twice, surely?
But what about 'thrice'? :sherlock:
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
The season thing irks me, there’s only four seasons and they’re nothing to do with Frankie Valli either. I sometimes picture myself behind the counter or bar when someone says ‘Can I get?’, I’d love to reply ‘Course you can, it’s over there’. My daughter in law said to my granddaughter the other day, ‘Ask Bampy if he wants a cookie’, I didn’t hang about to see if it was a biscuit she was on about, mind you isn’t biscuit French?:hehe:
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
I have noticed a lot of Australianisms creeping into use in the past few years too - although they don't wind me up as much as the text speak and Americanisms that are more prevalent and insidious.
Where some Americanisms are genuine English usage from the 17th or 18th centuries that survived in America but faded away in Britain, most of the Australianisms are 1950s home counties speak played back today. Eddie Jones is the source of some. Australian soaps too. The main culprits are Australian cricketers and commentators who sat back with a satisfied smile when Botham started talking about crap performances as 'ordinary'!
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
splott parker
The season thing irks me, there’s only four seasons and they’re nothing to do with Frankie Valli either. I sometimes picture myself behind the counter or bar when someone says ‘Can I get?’, I’d love to reply ‘Course you can, it’s over there’. My daughter in law said to my granddaughter the other day, ‘Ask Bampy if he wants a cookie’, I didn’t hang about to see if it was a biscuit she was on about, mind you isn’t biscuit French?:hehe:
Biscuit is from French
Cookie is from a Germanic route. (The German word for cake is 'Kuchen')
Quiche is an interesting word as it's a French bastardisation of 'Kuchen'.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Taunton Blue Genie
Biscuit is from French
Cookie is from a Germanic route. (The German word for cake is 'Kuchen')
Quiche is an interesting word as it's a French bastardisation of 'Kuchen'.
Those bastard French:hehe:
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
I once said to my son, who has a degree in English Language, "that's not a real word, it's made up", his reply was "all words are made up, some of them recently, some a long time ago".
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
splott parker
The season thing irks me, there’s only four seasons and they’re nothing to do with Frankie Valli either. I sometimes picture myself behind the counter or bar when someone says ‘Can I get?’, I’d love to reply ‘Course you can, it’s over there’. My daughter in law said to my granddaughter the other day, ‘Ask Bampy if he wants a cookie’, I didn’t hang about to see if it was a biscuit she was on about, mind you isn’t biscuit French?:hehe:
" Can i Get " appears to be the norm now, even staff ask " what can i get for you "
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
blue matt
" Can i Get " appears to be the norm now, even staff ask " what can i get for you "
Staff asking "what can I get for you?" isn't bad, they are going to get it. The customer asking "can I get" irks me. "No, you can not get it, unless you come behind the counter and know how to work the coffee machine, that it not allowed. Tell me what you want and I will get it for you".
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
This whole debate always feels a little bit “swansea town syndrome” to me. Snobbiness, nothing more. English from england is pretty archaic and unfamiliar to a lot of people nowadays (apart from people in england and its neighbouring countries). I teach english, and unless someone is particularly interested in england english, I’ll emphasise the american option as it will likely be of more use to them in terms of culture, commerce or tourism. In the same sense, when teaching “british” english I’llntry to pronounce words like “year” or “tour” as an english person would.....as opposed my natural pronounciation of these words.
That said, I think “dude” and “stoked” sounds a bit “naff”. “Naff” is an england english word that also sounds a bit daft to my ears as does the english expression “it is what it is” or “ to chunder” or “non-plussed” .... “a property with great potential” ... the correct expression is “ a feckin tidy house like” .
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Divine Wright
This whole debate always feels a little bit “swansea town syndrome” to me. Snobbiness, nothing more. English from england is pretty archaic and unfamiliar to a lot of people nowadays (apart from people in england and its neighbouring countries). I teach english, and unless someone is particularly interested in england english, I’ll emphasise the american option as it will likely be of more use to them in terms of culture, commerce or tourism. In the same sense, when teaching “british” english I’llntry to pronounce words like “year” or “tour” as an english person would.....as opposed my natural pronounciation of these words.
That said, I think “dude” and “stoked” sounds a bit “naff”. “Naff” is an england english word that also sounds a bit daft to my ears as does the english expression “it is what it is” or “ to chunder” or “non-plussed” .... “a property with great potential” ... the correct expression is “ a feckin tidy house like” .
I don't get what's snobby about wondering why words and terms like more than or above, about or relating to and in the future or eventually are no longer considered good enough to serve the purpose they have done for centuries. Why are many adults so keen to refer to stuff like north of, speaks to and moving forward so keen to use those terms when they would never have come across them when they were growing up or do you, as an English teacher, feel these new terms are "more use" than the ones that it appears some want to replace?
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
the other bob wilson
I don't get what's snobby about wondering why words and terms like more than or above, about or relating to and in the future or eventually are no longer considered good enough to serve the purpose they have done for centuries. Why are many adults so keen to refer to stuff like north of, speaks to and moving forward so keen to use those terms when they would never have come across them when they were growing up or do you, as an English teacher, feel these new terms are "more use" than the ones that it appears some want to replace?
Some of the Americanisms just come naturally now - cultural exposure I suppose. I use the term going/moving forward quite a lot in my work. I work with people who really lack motivation and I find using language such as that reinforces with the client that our plans are positive and as we work through them we will be gong forward in time but also progressing their situation. The phrase you offered alternative to that - I can't remember what you said - but it doesn't do the same job.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Freitag 4.17
Some of the Americanisms just come naturally now - cultural exposure I suppose. I use the term going/moving forward quite a lot in my work. I work with people who really lack motivation and I find using language such as that reinforces with the client that our plans are positive and as we work through them we will be gong forward in time but also progressing their situation. The phrase you offered alternative to that - I can't remember what you said - but it doesn't do the same job.
I said "in the future" or "eventually", I can see the point you are making as "moving forward" might sound more dynamic to some people, but it just wouldn't have the desired effect on me.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
the other bob wilson
I said "in the future" or "eventually", I can see the point you are making as "moving forward" might sound more dynamic to some people, but it just wouldn't have the desired effect on me.
It's more subliminal I think - that you keep using words that encourage positive connotations..
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
..by the way I want to make clear I am not some God awful life coach or anything like that :hehe:, I work with people in abject crisis, mainly refugees.
-
Re: People using "Americanisms"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
B. Oddie
I'll give an example:
"I'm looking forward to the new season of Line of Duty..."
:facepalm:
You ought to try working for a huge American company 😱😳