Americanisms!

[Sriram]

Hi everyone,

Are Americanisms killing the English language?! A nice long article from BBC.

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170904-how-americanisms-are-killing-the-english-language

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So it turns out I can no longer speak English. This was the alarming realisation foisted upon me by Matthew Engel’s witty, cantankerous yet nonetheless persuasive polemic That’s the Way it Crumbles: The American Conquest of English. Because by English, I mean British English.

Despite having been born, raised and educated on British shores, it seems my mother tongue has been irreparably corrupted by the linguistic equivalent of the grey squirrel. And I’m not alone. Whether you’re a lover or a loather of phrases like “Can I get a decaf soy latte to go?”, chances are your vocabulary has been similarly colonised.

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Any views?

Sriram

[Shaker]

Don't get me started ...

https://youtu.be/om7O0MFkmpw

[jeremyp]

As a rule, I'm generally pretty meh about these things. In the 17th century, there was no separate American English, but since then British English and American English have both evolved and diverged. I don't think there's any reason to suggest British English is right and American English is wrong.

Having said that the "passed" euphemism for "died" does annoy me.

[Shaker]

Despite no apparent difficulties with words such as great, crane, train and the like, the American inability to pronounce the name Craig properly gets my goat.

And then there's the way they say basil. And mirror - bloody hell.

[jeremyp]

Despite no apparent difficulties with words such as great, crane, train and the like, the American inability to pronounce the name Craig properly gets my goat.

And then there's the way they say basil. And mirror - bloody hell.

You have reminded me that I also cannot stand the way they say "herb" without pronouncing the "h" and coupé without pronouncing the "e".

[Shaker]

You have reminded me that I also cannot stand the way they say "herb" without pronouncing the "h"

It's the same in Leicester so I'll let them off that one.

And then there's route.

And leisure.

As for this:

For a provocative glimpse of where this might all lead, it’s worth noting that Globish, a “sort-of language” (Engel’s phrase) created for business types by former IBM exec Jean-Paul Nerriere, consists of just 1,500 words. Jokes, metaphors and acronyms are verboten, being too fraught with potential for misunderstanding.

Newspeak, like so much else, has become a reality.

[Walter]

It's the same in Leicester so I'll let them off that one.

And then there's route.

And leisure.

As for this:

Newspeak, like so much else, has become a reality.

I can't stand Merkins!

[Owlswing]

I can't stand Merkins!

They itch worse that growing it back after a shave!

[ippy]

Referring to sideboards as sideburns, what happened to spanners?

The way they pronounce route, means utter and complete defeat, or something to do with woodworking.

Laid back for me beats relaxed any day.

ippy

[ekim]

And then there's route.

And leisure.

As for this:

Newspeak, like so much else, has become a reality.

... and anti missile missiles or missle missles

[Shaker]

Vehicle with three syllables.

Eye-rack (sounds like a high street optician chain) rather than Iraq - really?

[Rhiannon]

Vest and pants are underwear.

Eggplant is what happens when you fall over in an egg and spoon race.

[Shaker]

And zucchini is an opera singer.

Or something.

[Rhiannon]

It wasn't so long ago that it was predicted that a kind of cobbled together estuary english would replace our regional dialects thanks to EastEnders. Yeah, right...

[SweetPea]

The northern Californian pronunciation of you can be annoying .... yaw with an extended awww.

[Owlswing]

The northern Californian pronunciation of you can be annoying .... yaw with an extended awww.

And in football - we no longer have a season we have a "term", players no longer score from a pass the "net" from an "assist"!
The likes of Bill Shankly and Bobby Moore must be spinning in their graves!

[Steve H]

"I was mad about my flat". British translation: "I was enthusiastic about my apartment"; American translation: "I was angry about my puncture".

[Owlswing]

"I was mad about my flat". British translation: "I was enthusiastic about my apartment"; American translation: "I was angry about my puncture".

LOL!