Americanisation (the) of our language

Thanks. Elegran, I would like to think that your clear light of reason would put an end to the ill-informed anti-americanism of some posters, but it probably won't. Why don't we all just agree that as long as we know what is meant, it matters not a jot if there's more than one word for the luggage compartment of a car?

Onstrike The storage compartment of a car began as a box strapped to the back - in French a box is a "boite", (said as bwat) which became "boot". You could also strap on your trunk. The UK says boot, the USA says trunk.

Freedomfromthepast "In Scotland and Ireland, young people took part in a tradition called guising, dressing up in costume and accepting offerings from various households. Rather than pledging to pray for the dead, they would sing a song, recite a poem, tell a joke or perform another sort of “trick” before collecting their treat, which typically consisted of fruit, nuts or coins." They still do. They don't dress up a stuffed effigy of Guy Fawkes and ask for a penny for the guy, they dress themselves up and sing, recite or tell jokes for their payment of (these days) sweets. No tricks.

“fell pregnant” We also say "fell ill" They both imply that the fall was sudden and accidental. It is only since the invention of the contraceptive pill that pregnancy has become an optional result of intercourse. Before that it was pretty much a certainty that sooner or later a baby would appear. However, pregnancy was still very often a surprise when it occurred, and not something carefully planned.

Is this xenophobic thread still festering on ?!

garnet25

"Oftentimes" makes me cringe as do most Americanisms

Why?

It's old English, not an 'Americanism'

Some of our language is still very dyed-in-the-wool and very misleading to those who are learning the English language.

I much prefer cell-phone to mobile phone though.

I love England, the home of my ancestors, and the people there. I just can't seem to understand some of the nomenclature. I mean, why would a car have a boot and a bonnet? Not sure what a lorry has but I think it is what we would call a truck. Chips go with fish just as well as fries. Beans at breakfast? Not so much. I hesitate to mention spotted dick in polite company.

Then there are the pubs in parts of London where the spoken language (reported to be English), but is undecipherable to my ears. Slang can be a challenge just as it is here. Some of the Texan or Creole slang in the States is strange, but at least you'd be able to understand the words.

It is more interesting and fun if we can remain, as Shaw put it, "two countries separated by a common language."

It is not the Americans (or Australians) who are to blame for all these words and phrases we dislike it’s is our own media who has popularised them, and ourselves, asa culture/society for copying them.
There are a growing number of internetisms I dislike.

TOO late!
U.S. spelling is on here courtesy of the software program writers.
It is annoying having to correct back to one's native spelling, and still get the red underline.

boogaloo: Not sure why you would hear that the UK has always had that tradition because it is not true.

Many, many American's also despise Black Friday and wouldn't wish it on anyone. Thankfully, it's impact has been diluted quite a bit with the evolution of the internet. Most stores now start sales in early November and many customers wait to shop until Cyber Monday.

It is no longer the big deal it was when I was a kid.

Haha - - Quite. Germanshepherdsmum.

How COZY sweetpeasue!

Just come back from lovely meeting with sister at The Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge, Yorkshire moors. Yes, the one that gets snowed in!
Tomato ans BAZIL soup on menu. ?

Americanisation of our language is only to be expected given the way we're swamped by their culture.
Its ridiculous to say 'bathroom' when there is only a toilet in it.

"Oftentimes" makes me cringe as do most Americanisms

I must add to my above post I wasn't talking about Halloween Celebrations, I was talking about Trick or Treating. I do remember bobbing for apples. Trick or Treating is big business here in the US with the sweets, cards and the ready made costumes.

Nannarose

Boogaloo - when I was young, we did have Halloween celebrations, and we also went round for Guy Fawkes, asking for 'a faggot' - wood for the bonfire, which had pretty much evolved into being given money. We said 'if you don't give us one, we'll take two, better for us, worse for you!'
I always assumed that evolved into trick-or-treating. Although I have to say we were always told that it was just a rhyme, we weren't to 'take' anything!

I grew up in England and I remember the boy's 'Penny for the guy' but that was November the 5th. No trick or treating going on. In the 1980's my American son who's very sociable, was staying at his grandparents in England for a few months and was shocked to discover the English kids didn't Trick or Treat on Halloween.

Another American custom that has taken hold in the UK is Black Friday. It's been going on here since I moved here almost 50 years ago. Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day here and traditionally Americans start their Christmas shopping the day after - today. There are big sales everywhere. I won't be surprised to hear one day soon that the UK has 'always had a Thanksgiving tradition on the forth Thursday in November' and that is why you have Black Friday.

It's not just American words that are being used in the UK but American traditions as well.

Because that is not what the article is about.

It is about the start of All Souls Day in 1000 BC. The reader does not need to know that Christianity started in the 5th century, just that it was adopted by 1000 BC when the church declared All Souls Day a holiday.

You are welcome to contact the author of the article and report your displeasure, however he is going to tell you the same thing I am. You comprehension of the article is incorrect because you are falsely trying to make the subject of the article Christianity when the subject is, in fact, Halloween.

Freedom from the past.
Why not say by the 6th Century then. That would have been more correct.

maytime2

Freedom from the past. I have only now read your post of the 23rd November. I'm sorry but I must point out an error that you've made. I don't know what Celtic people you were referring to when you stated that they welcomed Christianity in the 9th Century. The people of Wales and Ireland and become Christian long before then. St. David, our patron saint, lived in the 6th Century and St. Patrick, who was Welsh by birth, lived in the 5th Century.

The sentence says BY the 9th century, which means that it was happening before the 9th century.

If the sentence said IN the 9th century, then it would be incorrect because, as you state, Christianity had spread through Celtic lands as far back as the 5th and 6th century.

Christianity was mentioned only briefly because the main topic of the article was the origins of Trick or Treating. There was no need for the author to delve into the history of Christianity in the area, other than to say that BY the 9th century, Christianity had spread in the area.

mumski Culpable homicide is used in Scottish law.

Freedom rofl

Freedom from the past. I have only now read your post of the 23rd November. I'm sorry but I must point out an error that you've made. I don't know what Celtic people you were referring to when you stated that they welcomed Christianity in the 9th Century. The people of Wales and Ireland and become Christian long before then. St. David, our patron saint, lived in the 6th Century and St. Patrick, who was Welsh by birth, lived in the 5th Century.

Now you two have me wondering...

I actually laughed out loud at myself this evening. Was having dinner with my husband and I started a sentence to him with : yea, no.

Then he wondered if I had gone crazy since I was the only one laughing.

??

Alegrias1

Speaking as a Celt ? guising has nothing to do with "tricks".

This is very unsettling, Alegrias. I find myself agreeing with you yet again! ?