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Pedants' corner

Americanisms creeping in

(156 Posts)
Vintagegal13 Mon 29-Jul-19 07:14:12

There seem to be an overflow of Americanisms creeping in, which I cannot abide - my pet hate is 'can I grab' as in 'can I grab a coffee' - I feel like saying, I'm sure you can. Why do we find it necessary to copy such phrases? Is tv the big influence? and what phrase is your pet hate?

rosecarmel Sat 04-Jan-20 22:59:07

And in New Jersey coffee pronounced cawfee .. smile

Joanny Sat 04-Jan-20 21:57:19

So and so is a real, “Smart cookie.” My answer? Yeah they are a real biscuit for sure.

jeanie99 Sun 17-Nov-19 20:27:38

I realize this can be annoying perhaps for some people, but it doesn't bother me.
I can't think of any expression that would. The spelling can be different also.
I understand that new words are being added to the Oxford English Dictionary all the time.
I think we have to realise that language evolves, we don't speak like we did a 100 yrs ago.

NfkDumpling Sat 09-Nov-19 19:20:23

Oooh, I do agree with that one boody.

boodymum67 Thu 07-Nov-19 15:34:15

I hate the `can I `get` a coffee`...grrr!

NfkDumpling Thu 07-Nov-19 15:18:31

I just wish my new laptop would stop reverting to an American Spell Checker every time it does an update.

grandtanteJE65 Thu 07-Nov-19 14:16:14

Yes, no one talked of cabs in Glasgow in the 1950s. We took taxis.

grandtanteJE65 Thu 07-Nov-19 14:13:16

Actually, there are lots of catch phrases going the rounds that are not actually Americanisms - someone already mentioned "no worries" - typical Australian English.

Happily, a lot of these annoying expressions go out of fashion again. Does anyone still say that something is "dead nice"? I remember being told off for using that one when I was six.

My father's generation "dropped a clanger" if they were ex-RAF, my grandmother having won an argument had "put her neighbour's gas on a peep" and I am sure these expressions annoyed others in their day.

BradfordLass72 Thu 07-Nov-19 09:09:32

Gosh and gee willakers! I don't wonder you're all stressed out if little things like this throws you into a conniptions fit smile

And I suspect every one of you repeats, without even being aware of it "you know" when you're in conversation.

I once recorded a friend of mine who absolutely insisted she never said "you know" and even bet money on it = 10 cents for every "you know".

I made $2 in 30 mins grin

InnocentBystander Wed 06-Nov-19 17:33:30

I was seated on an aircraft awaiting departure on one occasion in the 1970s when the PA system announced that we would "...be taking off momentarily". On arrival the passengers were advised to "...prepare to deplane...". These messages were delivered in an American accent despite the airline being Japan Airlines! The infection spreads worlwide...

lovebeigecardigans1955 Mon 21-Oct-19 14:46:43

What about 'way more' instead of much more? Hate it.

boodymum67 Mon 21-Oct-19 14:39:18

caregiver...hate it!

widgeon3 Fri 27-Sep-19 13:50:59

I NEVER buy anything that says Only or Just,! That is for me to decide not the people selling the stuff

Magpie1959 Thu 26-Sep-19 15:32:28

I read somewhere that the popularity of Peppa Pig has led to English accents creeping into American kindergardens.
I think that's really sweet!

Its a family joke in our house - I am often hear saying "Never underestimate the power of Peppa Pig"!!

LondonGranny Thu 26-Sep-19 15:21:06

Thought of this thread listening to Miriam Margoyles reading Bleak House. Dickens talks about 'foot passengers'. Pedestrian was used to mean dull. I don't know when pedestrian in its current usage became more common in BrE usage or whether it was AmE usage but I bet loads of people hated the loss of 'foot passenger' and shook their cross little fists at an imagined Americanism.

LondonGranny Wed 18-Sep-19 16:37:18

The American spellings came in after Independence because (I think) Noah Webster wanted a distinct form that was different from British English. It might have been another American dictionary chap though, my memory is a bit hazy these days.

Scribbles Wed 18-Sep-19 16:31:34

I've always liked American spellings. Generally, they seem simpler and more logical than their English counterparts.

LondonGranny Wed 18-Sep-19 16:28:04

jura2 she's on twitter too as Lynneguist

jura2 Wed 18-Sep-19 16:21:10

Londongranny- thanks for that. Great.

jura2 Wed 18-Sep-19 16:20:45

Perhaps more a problem for me, is the use of grammar. I spend ages teaching the difference, for instance, of 'well' and 'good' - and then my students hear 'how are you'' 'oh I'm good thank you'.

Beckett Wed 18-Sep-19 16:18:27

I don't have a problem with Americanisms as such, but I do find myself getting annoyed at American spelling, color for colour etc.

LondonGranny Wed 18-Sep-19 16:01:55

There's an American professor at Sussex University who does a great blog on this. As it happens many Americanisms went across the Atlantic with Brits long long ago and as language evolves (no-one writes 'shew' instead of 'show' these days, although my granny did) we tend to think of these old UK usages as horrid new-fangled Yankee abominations.

Link to the Prof's blog separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com

Minniemoo Wed 07-Aug-19 15:43:36

Meh!

ffinnochio Wed 07-Aug-19 15:41:38

?

purplepatch Wed 07-Aug-19 14:45:06

Just to cheer everyone up that the traffic is not all one way, some Americans are disconcerted by Anglocreep.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19929249

www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/10/are-you-anglocreep/322654/

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/britishisms-in-american-english_n_5b69a9ede4b0b15abaa73cff