Gotten or Got

It never went away in some parts of the country, Grantanow!

'Gotten' is Elizabethan English and remains correctly common in the USA. UK English evolved to 'got' but 'gotten' has resurfaced, probably from US films and TV programmes influencing us.

'Nice' used to mean well judging, discriminating, tasteful. Jane Austen had a little rant about its indiscriminate use in Northanger Abbey 200 years ago. She was onto a loser then, and so were our last century English teachers 😆

I often say to my friends 'oh, you look nice' when we meet up and they are wearing something particularly eye-catching. I'm now reminded of my teacher saying nice should be avoided as it was insipid and pretty well meant nothing. Dear me. How could I forget?!

It is an attractive American usage I think. (was going to say "nice").Not commonly used in the midlands when we were young but did hear it used occasionally, almost whimsically.Probably copying Laurel & Hardy.

Everyone over on Mumsnet is "lovely" including neighbours, children, workmates and so so. I find it difficult to believe that ALL those people are beautiful or attractive (the actual meaning of lovely) rather than pleasant, friendly, thoughtful or whatever.

My English teacher also deplored the use of nice. She said it was a mediocre word to describe unremarkable things.

Yes I think it is American, too. They hang on to some of the very old English words I notice. My school didn’t like the word, ‘got’ or ‘me’ or ‘my’. One should use ‘one’. Haha - did they think we were princesses or something ?
outofthiscentury.wordpress.com
I found and that backs my theory up !

Also, I have spent time with family in the West Midlands and the North West and have never heard it there, either.

I don’t like gotten at all - it is in the same category as go get - bearable (just about) in the USA but not here. Thankfully, I have not heard anyone say it, either in East Anglia, where l used to live, or the East Midlands, where I now live.

Pedants of GN unite! We have nothing to lose but our semi colons!

Women don't have hair any more; they have "locks" or "tresses" which are usually "flowing". They all seem to be writing for 4 year olds
Oh yes, I got into terrible trouble a while back here on GN for taking issue with a thread about “grey white or silver locks”
I thought hair a acceptable enough word and in no need of a synonym!

grumppa

The only acceptable use for me is in "ill gotten gains".

Ah yes, the archaic word has remained but only in that expression I believe. I can't think of any others.

flappergirl

Thanks again everyone for the further replies. Actually I was going to say that "got" was a forbidden word at my school and in front of my mother too (as was nice) but I didn't want to sound like a pedant.

Oh yes! Woe betide you if you used the words got or nice in an English essay!

The only acceptable use for me is in "ill gotten gains".

Aveline 😂

Thanks again everyone for the further replies. Actually I was going to say that "got" was a forbidden word at my school and in front of my mother too (as was nice) but I didn't want to sound like a pedant.

Gotten is an American affectation. Never heard it in Wales……yet

I am not 'snobby' about language use but I am snobbish!

Redhead56

It’s an Americanism

It was taken to America by early migrants but is no longer in general use here.

I never heard anyone in the Midlands using it nor was it taught in schools as far as I know. However, Midlands dialects and accents vary.

I know there was a lot of argument about this on Facebook recently. My feeling is that, as it was an English word taken over to America by the early settlers, it can't really be described as an American import. As English evolves all the time there's no reason why an archaic word can't come back into use.

The thing that annoys me far more is the dreadful language in headlines from certain publications on line. People are continually described as making "sweet" gestures or saying a few "sweet" words every time they open their mouths. Women don't have hair any more; they have "locks" or "tresses" which are usually "flowing". They all seem to be writing for 4 year olds,

Grammaretto

People can be snobby about words, as we know.
When DMiL had read Nancy Mitford's noblesse oblige published 1956 she sent her small son, DH, to the newsagent to ask for the Daily Looking Glass. It was her idea of a joke but poor lad!

🤣

I thought ‘gotten’ was used mainly by Americans !

Language has always and changed and evolved over the centuries. That is why we no longer speak Anglo-Saxon and their literature is read by us only in trasalation.

Foreign words have always been absorbed from Norman French, Danish, and Latin, although not until the 16th century. then there are the words from the mpire bungalow and khaki, to name but two.

Just go with the flow.

People can be snobby about words, as we know.
When DMiL had read Nancy Mitford's noblesse oblige published 1956 she sent her small son, DH, to the newsagent to ask for the Daily Looking Glass. It was her idea of a joke but poor lad!

The use of 'gotten' is anathema to me. The teachers at my school in Scotland would have fainted if they even heard that word!
We were not allowed to use the word 'got' at school and I remember the grammar exercises we did to practise alternatives to that word..