Britishisms and the Britishisation of American English

[Sheilbh]

I don't really see what the big concern is.  It is the nature of English speakers to coopt as many words and phrases from other languages/dialects/regionalisms as possible.

I don't think there's concern, but it's interesting to see.

[Valmy]

I don't think there's concern, but it's interesting to see.

Eh it is a result of all these British movies and actors we get over here.  Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones (even though an American wrote it...sigh) as well as non-nerdy more mainstream stuff I know little about were going to leave some sort of cultural impact.

[garbon]

I don't think there's concern, but it's interesting to see.

Eh it is a result of all these British movies and actors we get over here.  Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones (even though an American wrote it...sigh) as well as non-nerdy more mainstream stuff I know little about were going to leave some sort of cultural impact.

Yeah here's articles with the opposite that also happens for the same reasons:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/14130942
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14201796

Though again, all of it seems to be people whinging.

[derspiess]

One of my best friends-- the one that's married to the Indian-Brit-- likes to slip Britishisms into conversations with me, as if it were going to confuse me somehow.  I think he's begging me to ask what each expression means so he can demonstrate his worldliness. 

I've flat-out told him to knock it off because I've been watching Monty Python and other Brit TV shows for most of my life and I've known all those expressions longer than he has.  I'm going to see that jackass this weekend.

[Ed Anger]

One of my best friends-- the one that's married to the Indian-Brit-- likes to slip Britishisms into conversations with me, as if it were going to confuse me somehow.  I think he's begging me to ask what each expression means so he can demonstrate his worldliness. 

I've flat-out told him to knock it off because I've been watching Monty Python and other Brit TV shows for most of my life and I've known all those expressions longer than he has.  I'm going to see that jackass this weekend.

Ask for tech support.

[garbon]

I don't really understand, if D already knows them - then it should be trivially easy to negotiate the conversation with his buddy - leaving no need to ask him to knock it off.

[The Brain]

I like to think I make some Americans use more Swedish words and phrases.

[Tonitrus]

The only Swedish I ever picked up from popular culture is "bork bork bork".

[derspiess]

I don't really understand, if D already knows them - then it should be trivially easy to negotiate the conversation with his buddy - leaving no need to ask him to knock it off.

You don't know this guy.  He makes gratuitous use of Brit words & phrases, trying to talk over my head, so to speak.  Even if that weren't necessarily the case, they sound a bit off in his slight Appalachian accent.  That's annoying in & of itself.

But he's a great guy & all.  We all have our quirks.

[MadImmortalMan]

And some words which Brits regard as typically American - including "candy", "the fall", and "diaper" - were originally British, but dropped out of usage in Britain between about 1850 and the early 1900s, says Kory Stamper.

Ha! Told you!   



Anyway, this is always worth repeating:

English is the largest of human tongues, with several times the vocabulary of the second largest language -- this alone made it inevitable that English would eventually become, as it did, the lingua franca of this planet, for it is thereby the richest and most flexible -- despite its barbaric accretions . . . or, I should say, because of its barbaric accretions. English swallows up anything that comes its way, makes English out of it.

[The Brain]

No sane person believes English became the lingua franca because of its vocabulary, structure or similar.

[Valmy]

And we have the bloody Danes to thank for it.

Oh shit I just said 'bloody'.

[Valmy]

No sane person believes English became the lingua franca because of its vocabulary, structure or similar.

It is because of the superior intellect and good looks of English speakers obviously.

[derspiess]

I like to think I make some Americans use more Swedish words and phrases.

You people already have a foothold in the upper midwest.  Pity we don't really have any posters there for you to expand the influence.

[Malthus]

And some words which Brits regard as typically American - including "candy", "the fall", and "diaper" - were originally British, but dropped out of usage in Britain between about 1850 and the early 1900s, says Kory Stamper.

Ha! Told you!   



Anyway, this is always worth repeating:

English is the largest of human tongues, with several times the vocabulary of the second largest language -- this alone made it inevitable that English would eventually become, as it did, the lingua franca of this planet, for it is thereby the richest and most flexible -- despite its barbaric accretions . . . or, I should say, because of its barbaric accretions. English swallows up anything that comes its way, makes English out of it.

Or more succinctly, this old quote:

"English: A language that lurks in dark alleys, beats up other languages and rifles through their pockets for spare vocabulary."