People using "Americanisms"

[Croesy Blue]

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.

[xsnaggle]

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?

[xsnaggle]

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'.

[Croesy Blue]

French maybe?

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.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

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)

[Taunton Blue Genie]

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'.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

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.

[Wash DC Blue]

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 😁

[life on mars]

Deplane is the laziest I've heard ,and its lacks a plainness

[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?

[Pearcey3]

I'll give an example:

"I'm looking forward to the new season of Line of Duty..."

Hate it. It’s ****ing series.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

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'?

[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?

[jon1959]

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'!

[Taunton Blue Genie]

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?

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'.

[splott parker]

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

[RichardM]

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".

[blue matt]

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?

" Can i Get " appears to be the norm now, even staff ask " what can i get for you "

[RichardM]

" 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".

[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” .

[the other bob wilson]

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?

[Freitag 4.17]

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.

[the other bob wilson]

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.

[Freitag 4.17]

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..

[Freitag 4.17]

..by the way I want to make clear I am not some God awful life coach or anything like that , I work with people in abject crisis, mainly refugees.