Obligated or Obliged?

[Mandalin]

My mother insists that saying one is "obligated to do something" is an Americanism, but to me it seems a logical extension of having an 'obligation', whilst 'obliged 'seems more suited to saying one "is much obliged" as an expression of gratitude.
What do you think?

[seeker]

Obligated is American English. Obliged is correct English English.

"much obliged" is vulgar!

[tissy]

OBLIGED!!!!!!!

Sorry for shouting, but this is very important!

[MsHighwater]

I tend to use "obliged" but have been known to use "obligated", depending on the sentence. Never thought about origin so didn't know it was an Americanism.

Mind you, I remember reading "Mother Tongue" by Bill Bryson who considers several different "Americanisms" and explains how they actually originated in the UK even further back.

For the language pedants among us, I could also recommend his book "Troublesome Words" which looks at words that people often confuse with other similar ones e.g. "flaunted" and "flouted".

[Magrat]

surely they are different words entirely

obligated to do something = one must do something, one is under an obligation to do it

I am much obliged = I am very grateful / thankful

[SchnitzelVonKrumm]

OBLIGED

[wessexgirl]

Obliged. Have only ever heard 'obligated' from US commentators on news bulletins.

[TenLordsaLapin]

I always thought they were used for different meanings.

Found this online:

Oblige implies the operation of authority, necessity, or moral or ethical considerations: ?Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do? (Mark Twain). Obligate applies when compliance is enforced by a legal contract or by the dictates of one's conscience or sense of propriety: I am obligated to repay the loan.

[Tommy]

"Much obliged" means "I am obliged to be grateful" surely?

Obliged doesn't mean grateful

[TenLordsaLapin]

Right, Collins says the following:

obligate:

1. to compel, constrain or oblige morally or legally
2. (in the US) to bind (property, funds etc) as security
3. (biol) able to exist under only one set of environmental conditions

oblige:

1. to bond or constrain (someone to do something) by legal, moral or physical means
2. to make indebted or grateful (to someone) by doing a favour
3. to do a service or favour to (someone) "she obliged them with a song"

[onebatmotherofgoditschilly]

isn't obligate a horrid 'verb from a noun which already has an existing verb?'

i am obliged to
i have an obligation to
then...
i am obligated to

like ...'gifted'?

apols punctuation lack of.

[onebatmotherofgoditschilly]

isn't obligate a horrid 'verb from a noun which already has an existing verb?'

i am obliged to
i have an obligation to
then...
i am obligated to

like ...'gifted'?

apols dreadful punctuation.

[onebatmotherofgoditschilly]

lack of/dreadful which was better? couldn't decide, clearly.

[Magrat]

oh yes it does Tommy


echos: oh no it doesn't Magrat

does

doesn't

does

doesn't

does

n't

[onebatmotherofgoditschilly]