Americanisms

4291

4291

Well-Known Member
My particular bugbear is the use of program when referring to a TV programme.
It is being used consistently by prominent posters, even when the word is spelled correctly in a previous post!
It is infectious!
 
You might want to reconsider your use of bugbear, which implies a degree of irrationality!
 
I agree with 4291 but the problem is not one of Americanisms but of American spelling where there is a standard English version - usually well-grounded in French (and thence Latin) but that is another bugbear.

Martin
 
4291 said:
It is being used consistently by prominent posters, even when the word is spelled correctly in a previous post!
Click to expand...

Hopefully, not me!

I completely agree about the use of americanisms but with the amount of US and Canadian TV watched by youngsters it's a challenge for them. My own children are beginning to become aware of the language differences but so many of their peers (and teachers!) get it wrong that they sometimes find it difficult to distinguish.

A few of my bugbears...

Administrate instead of administer;
Bring when it should be take;
Assuming that license is always wrong (American) when in English English it's the verb form, the noun being licence..
Missing words in phrases "write me", "go see"...

Posted on the move; please excuse any brevity.
 
What about the way that youngsters speak nowadays?

"I was like" or "He was like" or "She was like" or "They were like"

Where did they come from?
 
Youngsters are always looking for a simile, like.


Posted on the move; please excuse any brevity.
 
Headlines in American (particularly technical) papers frequently replace "and" or "or" with a comma, leading to a difficulty parsing, eg (here's one I prepared earlier):

"Rare Earth Magnets: Enabling Technology, Future Millstone?"
 
And don't forget the double negative; "I didn't do nothing", "I don't want none" ...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
..... radio instead of wireless, hoover instead of vacuum cleaner, Dyson instead of shoddy plastic junk.

Ok so the last one's British.
 
af123 said:
Hopefully, not me!

I completely agree about the use of anericanisms but with the amount of US and Canadian TV watched by youngsters it's a challenge for them. My own children are beginning to become aware of the language differences but so many of their peers (and teachers!) get it wrong that they sometimes find it difficult to distinguish.

A few of my bugbears...

Administrate instead of administer;
Bring when it should be take;
Assuming that license is always wrong (American) when in English English it's the verb form, the noun being licence..
Missing words in phrases "write me", "go see"...







Posted on the move; please excuse any brevity.
Click to expand...
I wasn't going to mention it, but as you have asked, there have been a few slips.

Unecessary; occurence; similie; anericanisms. ;)
 
Bring when it should be take
Click to expand...
This is an interesting one - they use this form in Ireland (the republic, anyway), as I am often reminded by my wife using it.
Also, a literal translation from Spanish usage gives this form.
 
I had an English teacher who has a pet saying that went "In this instance you take, you don't bring, Unless you're Irish", it wasn't a racist comment, simply that they use 'bring' differently in Ireland
 
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