Which americanisms would you like to see erased from the english language?

Have you read Mother Tongue Spusty Ranner? It is actually a good read (though could do with a few new chapters to take into account some of the rapid changes that have taken place this century). It’s about the best Bryson book I’ve read.

My boss is American, though she’s more like my American “Mom” than my manager. My nearest team member is in Ottawa & we enjoy subtly ribbing the other team members while on conference calls. Our current favourite conversation topic is about how we”re planning to go to Cuba. Winds them right up.

I do find the way my team-mates speak to waitresses, bar staff, in fact anyone who is serving them, thoroughly cringe- worthy. They’re hospitality staff, not something you’ve stood on.

To my previous post, I’d like to add “vacation”.

Yeah, DD, big Bryson fan.

Love books on language – just about to start ‘The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language’ by Mark Forsyth.

Just finished ‘Filthy English: The How, Why, When And What Of Everyday Swearing’ by Pete Silverton.
**** excellent read. 🙂

A few American words in your language is a small price to pay. 🙄

If it wasn’t for us Americans, you’d be speaking German! 😡 😈

Edit – and the Germans say “zee” not “zed!” 😉

“The” preceding a month or season

Are we going to eliminate all the words we have borrowed from other languages as well then? Like thug (Hindi), tea (Chinese), beef (old French) , berserk (Old Norse) robot Czech) etc. Or is is just the USA there is an irrational prejudice against?

Are we going to eliminate all the words we have borrowed from other languages as well then? Like thug (Hindi), tea (Chinese), beef (old French) , berserk (Old Norse) robot Czech) etc. Or is is just the USA there is an irrational prejudice against?

Just the Yanks, possibly the Australians if they start getting above their station.

They’ve started saying “pissed” at work to mean annoyed

No no no no no

Oh, and these bloody adverts for new films

March twenty three indeed. Stop it. It was a British voice too.

Not sure if it’s an Americanism but I’ll blame them.

Starting sentences with “so”.

My understanding is ‘Heads Up’ is a militarism rather than specifically an Americanism

‘In back of’ as the opposite of ‘in front of’ makes sense

I don’t mind most of them, but “I just wanted to reach out to you” in emails is unlikely to get a response.

If it wasn’t for us Americans, you’d be speaking German!

And if it wasn’t for the French you’d be speaking proper English!

Yes I know about Lafayette, Rochambeau, de Grasse, the Siege of Yorktown, the Battle of the Chesapeake, and the American War of Independence 🙂

jools182 – Member
Oh, and these bloody adverts for new films
March twenty three indeed. Stop it. It was a British voice too.

This drives me nuts!

http://www.BBC.co.uk/news/magazine-19929249 30 of your Britishisms used by Americans

Does this make anyone feel any better?

Hello is not a made up word, it’s a variant of hallo which comes from middle German and a hatful of other places according to Wiki.

I don’t know why people complain about American English replacing British English. American English IS British English, really. The number of differences words really is tiny, and even then it’s only a few simple substitutions with words which are just used somewhat less frequently. Given how much the cultures have diverged since the 17th century I think it’s amazing how consistent they are.

If someone posted on here in Scots, most English would have to read it pretty carefully and still might not catch on. I hear a lot of people complaining about not being able to understand Geordies or Glaswegians. And yet we understand Americans perfectly, and when they post on here it’s generally undetectable. They have to identify themselves.

30 of your Britishisms used by Americans

Er, their entire language is a Britishism!

They’ve started saying “pissed” at work to mean annoyed

I’ve seen some pillocks do that on here too. PISSED MEANS DRUNK.

The only Americanism that actively irritates me is writing numerical dates the wrong way round, for example yesterday (3/31/14). Fortunately that hasn’t made much headway anyway else.

You sound a bit pissed* DezzieBee.

*in the American sense.

When I lived in the States I adopted a shortest word possible philosophy. So trash went in the bin, I stuck with lift and torch*, but adopted laundry and gas station.

*except in cases where suggesting I had a flaming object rather than a flashlight could be misconstrued.

When I’m in the US I try and stick to my British words unless I’m talking to people I don’t know in a shop or restaurant or similar. People in the provincal Mid West seem not to have come across many foreign people before so it confuses them – I just switch to speaking American 🙂

like alot of them, except the ‘bunch of everything’. Bunches are for grapes. ‘There’s a bunch of different frames’ aaaggghhh

maybe US citizens use UK words that annoy their own – having watched a UK film.

When I’m in the US I try and stick to my British words unless I’m talking to people I don’t know in a shop or restaurant or similar.

I had more of a problem with accents than words. Once took me ages to order pasta & tomato sauce, I’d to resort to “tomaydo” to get it across.

Someone should write a song about that.

maybe US citizens use UK words that annoy their own – having watched a UK film.

That’s actually quite an interesting point. I guess it’s less of an issue in that we’ve less cultural saturation over there than the US does here, but I’ve never come across “creeping Britishisms” being an issue. My experience of the non-tourist areas’ idea of “Britishism” is to go into a bar with pictures of shamrocks and Guinness posters on the walls and do their best Dick Van Dyke impression. Cor blimey guv’ner, bollocks, (popular onanism term that gets caught in the swear filter).

I wonder idly if it’s in part down to attitude. The US think they’re right, the UK thinks everyone else is wrong. (-:

I ordered a pair of forks from the states recently. I received an email asking if I wanted two forks or one, please confirm!

It’s just a bit of fun to those who are getting serious, I am quite sure we provide equal amusement to them.

The only two that really winds me up are “could care less” and “or no?” instead of not. The latter is just lazy while the former makes no sense.

‘Feds’ and ‘Brother’ – seemingly always used by pseudo ‘gangsters’ who do nothing more naughty than smoke a bit of weed and drive around a bit quick in their ‘souped up’ Corsas.

‘Fall’.

Heard here on a few occasions.

When corresponding with american friends I make a concious effort not to be influenced by their use of language or spelling, and to use the Queen’s english as much as possible. They appear to appreciate it as they regard us as “cute” and “quaint”.

‘Feds’ and ‘Brother’ – seemingly always used by pseudo ‘gangsters’ who do nothing more naughty than smoke a bit of weed and drive around a bit quick in their ‘souped up’ Corsas.

And tragic mockney Jamie Oliver.

Agree with you on the could care less. Kitty corner is another one that just makes no sense (means diagonally opposite)

‘Sandbox’

Film adverts that say “comingmarch10th” in one long quick sentence.

It should be “coming out on the 10th of March”

And it’s Series, not season

My dad used the expression ‘Katy cornered’.
Still in use up north, hear old folk saying it now and then.

Kitty corner is fairly useful. As for making no sense – have a listen to your own language for a while 🙂

singletrack
mountainbiking

The only two that really winds me up are “could care less”

To be fair though, that’s not really an Americanism. It’s a Stupidism.

To be fair though, that’s not really an Americanism. It’s a Stupidism.

True, but I’ve never heard anyone say it except my numerous American friends. Read into that what you will 😛

My bad. My wife tells me she first heard it on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I’ve heard it used many times in day-to-day life and it annoys me greatly.

(as does the phrase “Annual Leave” instead of a day off – but I can’t point my finger at anyone, because I don’t know from where it originated)

jonjones262 – Member
Film adverts that say “comingmarch10th” in one long quick sentence.

the don’t even use the ‘th’ bit, March ten, arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggghhh

(as does the phrase “Annual Leave” instead of a day off – but I can’t point my finger at anyone, because I don’t know from where it originated)

That’s for clarity – there are many ways to have a ‘day off’, but annual leave means a day out of your annual leave allowance.