The Americanisation of English

How about 'dove' as the past tense of the verb 'to dive'? He 'dove into the lagoon', or he 'dove into the steak and kidney pie'?
Surely he 'dived'?

Obviously not in the actual toilet cubivle - but an adjacent room!

I know some old WCs in fancier shops had those when I was a girl though...

What about "restroom"?

Musicgirl

I get irritated by the use of the word bathroom instead of toilet creeping in as well as the use of season instead of series when it comes to television programmes - for example season 5 of All Creatures Great and Small where we would generally say series 5.

I was irritated enough by toilet instead of lavatory, and am doubly irritated by bathroom!

Our 7 y.o. L’il Miss plays Barbies with me. She talks about ‘going to the Mall’. I blame YouTube. It makes me laugh!

It’s gotten out of hand of you ask me.

Some “Americanisms” are actually things which they adopted from the many languages of the immigrants who settled there. For example, “hopefully” instead of something like “I hope” is a direct translation of the German “hoffentlich” and it arrived here as an Americanism and used to annoy my mother! “Gotten” is an example of an older English word which went over and came back after having been mostly discarded on this side.

Thank you flappergirl. Maybe it’s just here in the North-East then!

I do get worked up about it. They took our language and changed it around skipping the u in many words.

Wheniwasyourage

The word "gotten" has lasted in some areas of the country, and I think the West Country as well as the North-East of Scotland is among them. Perhaps someone from the West Country can confirm that (or not).

The ones which annoy me as I now see them so often are the use of "fit" and "knit" instead of "fitted" and "knitted". For example: "When I was slimmer it fitted me" which is now very often "When I was slimmer it fit me". Also " a knit hat", as opposed to "a knitted hat".

I can absolutely confirm that "gotten" is not used in the West Country. It is increasingly used by younger people here who have picked it up from social media but that's a different matter and it annoys me no end.

RosiesMaw: ill gotten gains isn't what we're talking about.

My grandson says “if I would have” which I believe is American English for “if I had”. It doesn’t worry me.

We don't have bottoms now, we have butts and things we don't like suck.

I get irritated by the use of the word bathroom instead of toilet creeping in as well as the use of season instead of series when it comes to television programmes - for example season 5 of All Creatures Great and Small where we would generally say series 5.

Magsymoo

Best not to get annoyed about American spellings and pronunciations coming into English - what will be will be. Language is in constant change otherwise we would all still be talking Chaucer or Shakespeare’s English. If a change catches on it will stay. If it doesn’t it will disappear. Language change is always driven by the young as they are traditionally more socially and geographically mobile. And resistance to change always comes from the old.

Americanisms are relics of English from a few centuries ago. We've progressed since then!

Wheniwasyourage

The word "gotten" has lasted in some areas of the country, and I think the West Country as well as the North-East of Scotland is among them. Perhaps someone from the West Country can confirm that (or not).

The ones which annoy me as I now see them so often are the use of "fit" and "knit" instead of "fitted" and "knitted". For example: "When I was slimmer it fitted me" which is now very often "When I was slimmer it fit me". Also " a knit hat", as opposed to "a knitted hat".

Having lived in Devon and married a Devon boy, I can't say I ever heard it used in general conversation.

Best not to get annoyed about American spellings and pronunciations coming into English - what will be will be. Language is in constant change otherwise we would all still be talking Chaucer or Shakespeare’s English. If a change catches on it will stay. If it doesn’t it will disappear. Language change is always driven by the young as they are traditionally more socially and geographically mobile. And resistance to change always comes from the old.

The word "gotten" has lasted in some areas of the country, and I think the West Country as well as the North-East of Scotland is among them. Perhaps someone from the West Country can confirm that (or not).

The ones which annoy me as I now see them so often are the use of "fit" and "knit" instead of "fitted" and "knitted". For example: "When I was slimmer it fitted me" which is now very often "When I was slimmer it fit me". Also " a knit hat", as opposed to "a knitted hat".

A book I read recently, by a British author, set in Devon, kept using the word 'gotten
Do you object to the term “ill-gotten gains” ?

petra

MissInterpreted

sodapop

I find it particularly irritating when I'm playing a word game on line and the American spelling is used. Always feels like a bit of a cheat.

Oh yes, same here!

You can change the spelling to English in your settings.

But then you might have too many letters!

A book I read recently, by a British author, set in Devon, kept using the word 'gotten'.
Most irritating.

petra

MissInterpreted

sodapop

I find it particularly irritating when I'm playing a word game on line and the American spelling is used. Always feels like a bit of a cheat.

Oh yes, same here!

You can change the spelling to English in your settings.

Depends on the game. Not all will allow you to do that. The one I play most doesn't.

MissInterpreted

sodapop

I find it particularly irritating when I'm playing a word game on line and the American spelling is used. Always feels like a bit of a cheat.

Oh yes, same here!

You can change the spelling to English in your settings.

Hot Flashes is not an Americanism.
In the GoodBook review it gives a link to her explanation.

sodapop

I find it particularly irritating when I'm playing a word game on line and the American spelling is used. Always feels like a bit of a cheat.

Oh yes, same here!

I find it particularly irritating when I'm playing a word game on line and the American spelling is used. Always feels like a bit of a cheat.