Americanisation of the UK

Interesting discussion- I'll maybe come back later.

Talking of McDonald's outfits, France has more McDos than the UK! Not much resistance there.
Most French people I know use the term le fast-food.

Yes, it’s ‘films’ not ‘movies’.

And it’s ‘holidays’ not ‘vacations’.

But of course, ‘annual leave’ pops up all the time now also.

I can remember my husband telling me we were going to try this "new" American hamburger restaurant before went to the cinema (to see "The Sweeney", I think).

We spent ages trying to find the cutlery, and were horrified when we were told there wasn't any!

"Well, how ridiculous-this won't catch on"

we said.

We’ll just have to keep a stiff upper lip…

Oh,wait, that’s an Americanism, first used in this country by Dickens in All The Year Round in 1870, , in an article called’Popular American Phrases’ in which to ‘keep a stiff upper lip’ was explained as meaning ‘to remain firm to a purpose, to keep up one’s courage’.

On the other hand, 20 years ago a micro-brewery in Michigan ran radio adverts claiming their beer was free of ‘additives and other bollocks’ which was possible despite strict broadcasting rules because nobody knew what that meant. I’m assured it’s commonly understood in much of the States now.

Why does it matter? I can't understand why anybody is bothered by this. You can't preserve a society in aspic and customs, culture and language all evolve.
If you prefer to say "film" and "biscuit" etc., then do so - and nobody is compelled to eat KFC (thank goodness).

"I think much of these new phenomenons exponentially gathered momentum when MacDonalds hit our shores. Yeah! I blame the Golden Arches"

I blame Netflix and its output of substandard American drivel which showcases the American way of life and modern customs.

(Not anti American btw, my daughter lives there)

I think it matters because American big businesses are everywhere, causing smaller businesses to fail, I imagine even in Outer Mongolia there will be a MacDonalds and people drinking Coca Cola. In many high streets shops are boarded up but you can bet there is a MacDonalds, a KFC, and a Starbucks. Perhaps China will now do the same. Who knows?
Brexit was all about seizing back control from Europe but they had it wrong, it should have been about seizing back control from the US.
Perhaps it will all end with kids swearing allegiance to the Stars and Stripes.

I live in Ireland and so many young people born and bred here now speak with an American accent. They pick it up from TV and films. I have to say it really grates on me.

sassysaysso

"I think much of these new phenomenons exponentially gathered momentum when MacDonalds hit our shores. Yeah! I blame the Golden Arches"

I blame Netflix and its output of substandard American drivel which showcases the American way of life and modern customs.

(Not anti American btw, my daughter lives there)

No am in no way anti American, we also have relatives there, tbh they are not happy with how things are over there anyway, and when they visit prefer not to see anything typically American but something typically British.
And I agree about the US offerings on Netflix and elsewhere, totally banal, tbh there are some great Spanish offerings on there.

Mostly I let it wash over me but my DGCs laugh when I wince at Americans pronouncing, Van Gogh, herbs, compost and Djokovic (to name but a few)

And we don’t have janitors….We have caretakers!

I am fine with Halloween, Proms, movies and all the other transatlantic imports. The one thing that puts my teeth on edge is the word "like" , drives me insane !

merlotgran

Mostly I let it wash over me but my DGCs laugh when I wince at Americans pronouncing, Van Gogh, herbs, compost and Djokovic (to name but a few)

And we don’t have janitors….We have caretakers!

Beg to differ. Janitor meaning the person in a building, especially a school, who has charge of the cleaning, heating can be found in early 18C and 20C Scottish documents:

The Education Committee..had recommended that a janitor be appointed, and that he be responsible for all janitorial and cleaning work at the school, including maintenance of the gardens. Source: Aberdeen Press and Journal

Caretaker is much more general and has only been in use for someone who takes care of a thing, place, or person since the mid 1800s.

I agree that some American celebratory customs are now becoming commonplace in the UK but promenading is nothing new c/f our Proms music series and its origins. Prom night in colleges seems to have originated at Princeton in the early 1900s; Baby showers were given by American church ladies, again in the early 1900s. These customs have taken a long time to get here.

Language is another matter. I think cookies and biscuits has been discussed before with cookies very much a Scots term that was taken to America.

Knickers is interesting as it originates in America via a novelist and a Dutch colonist.

Knickers is a colloquial contraction of knickerbocker(s) - a loose fitting garment gathered at the knee. Knickers is now used in the US for the shorts worn by boxers and footballers. The Liverpudlian kecks for trousers derives from knickers or knickerbockers.

Harmen Jansen Knickerbocker was a Dutch colonist most associated with Albany, New York.

American writer Washington Irving (1783-1859) used the surname to create the fictitious Diedrich Knickerbocker, the pretend author of Irving’s novel A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty published in 1809. The character dresses in baggy-kneed trousers referred to as knickerbockers, later shortened to knickers.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diedrich_Knickerbocker

Knickerbocker is also used to refer to people who live in Manhattan and the short-form adopted for the city’s professional basketball team who are called the Knicks (and wear knickers to play in).

In 1900, The Times reported The Imperial Yeomanry.. in their well-made, loosely-fitting khaki tunics and riding knickers.

The earliest written British use of knickers for womens’ undergarments was in 1882. I recommend flannel knickers in preference to a flannel petticoat. (From The Queen - an illustrated journal that was published from 1861 to 1970.)

Pants comes from mid 14C to early 17C Middle French panatalon - also the Italian dramatic character Pantaloon (pantaleon) who worn long, straight close-fitting breeches.

Pants became trousers of any kind. In early use, the word was applied to men's trousers, but in the 20C extended to include those worn by both men and women. Panties were men's or boys’ short trousers.

Panties for women's or girls' underpants; especially short-legged pants with an elasticated waist - is a relatively modern term first used in the early 1900s in Australia.

In summary: Pants is French. Panties comes via Australia. Knickers comes to us from American fiction via a Dutch colonist. It’s all very international but if you insist on knickers as the correct term you were already using a word that originated in America.

Septimia

Learn Mandarin? At least all the Chinese at the Olympics looked happy and friendly (I'm not saying the Americans didn't).

Did they have a choice though!!!

And we don’t have janitors….We have caretakers!
We have always had janitors in Scotland. Schools couldn't function without the jannie.

I was surprised to find that the nursery in rural-ish Co Durham GC went to had a "Graduation". It was done with one "graduation" garment and hat swapped between the kids leaving for photo purposes. So did the village primary school, same idea, photos for parents. Kids loved it mostly. But weird.

merlotgran

Mostly I let it wash over me but my DGCs laugh when I wince at Americans pronouncing, Van Gogh, herbs, compost and Djokovic (to name but a few)

And we don’t have janitors….We have caretakers!

We have janitors here in Scotland - or 'jannies' as they are usually called up here! The school janny is usually a much-loved member of staff.

It’s mostly tacky and I hate it.

Whitewavemark2

What happens when China becomes dominant?

China will not dominate ( well not for a very long long time )
They are on a downward trajectory.

In Eastern Europe a lot of young people speak with an American accent, why, they learn their English from American films.

The fabled "Special Relationship", unfortunately, only seems to work one way. Not ours.
And if I had Magic Wand I would wish away baseball caps.

MissInterpreted

I hate it, I have to say. I loathe the creeping Americanism into our language, the culture etc.

I don't like the language changes either - but I do know they speak an "older" English than I do.

I suppose their language is more English than mine is!

Baggs

Go along with the bits (if any) that you like. Don't go along with the bits you don't like. It's the same as fashion: no-one has to wear the latest fashion just because that's what it is.

Wear what you like, use diction that you like, eat food that you like, etc. We could hardly have more choice!

Back in the nineties I was amazed that even in a non-tourist part of Thailand where I was working, KFC was opening stores. Why would a Thai or a Malaysian person want to eat KFC when their own version of fried chicken was so much better?

That said, change is constant – culture, climate, fashion, you name it – and adaptability is a great thing too and the reason why human beings have been so successful.

Even more mad than this when we holidayed in Jamaica they had the biggest Pizza Hut in the world attached to a large KFC!

Their street food was amazing! Why?

America is the unacceptable face of capitalism. An entire country entirely centred on money. No thanks.

I notice it with my 3 school age GC ....I blame youtube .....they call a dummy a paci....a wardrobe , a closet....they say trash for rubbish .... I could go on...Iim 59 , I've never been a baby shower despite being invited ...just think they are too 'grabby'..... have no desire to ever visit US although been Canada a few times