My first AIBU! The word 'gotten'

[MollyHuaCha]

Why is this creeping over the pond into our language? AIBU to be bothered about this?

Iirc "English" only really exists as it does because the French in France took the piss out of our French ancestors using old "unfashionable" French cause they were stuck in England and couldn't keep up with Parisian language fashion. The French, a few thousand years later, blew a fortune trying to stop English phrases from creeping in to the French language. They failed.

At the time the French were ridiculed by the English for being "snobs".

And yet here we are.... 🙄

There's nothing wrong with American English as used by Americans. There is also nothing wrong with using American terms that enhance the language as used in the UK. It is however silly to use American terms just because you think that makes you seem trendy - it doesn't work.

Donkey: It may have been correct here once, but it's not now, and it's irritating.

Love this!

Just because 'gotten' was used back before the Pilgrim Fathers left doesn't make it acceptable in British English now. Affectation.
I remember a history teacher, back in the Stone Age, who had a fit when anyone wrote 'Jail'. "We are not in the Wild West, dear child". It had to be "Gaol". She always called someone 'dear child' if she was very cross. (And now my spell-checker is telling me I must mean Goal or Gail)

Whoops from me, I must be pissing off people left right and centre when I talk. But in my defense I spent most of my adult life in the US so do tend to talk that way, even though my accent is pretty much gone. It comes back when I'm very tired I'm told.
You're all or should I say Ya'll making me very feel so self conscious when I go out and speak to the locals.

YANBU. I cringe.

One of the best, and fun, things about English is that there are no language police to tell us off. So, we can say what we like and it isn't wrong. And, we can start a sentence with any word we like and people still understand us. But, some people still get irate when others boldly split an infinitive or use constructs such as "Me and Chloe" rather than "Chloe and I". (Apparently they have equal validity.) There are even people who think "thou" rhymes with "cow"...

"WorraLiberty

Something else that makes me irrationally annoyed lately, is the amount of people who are starting sentences with the word 'So'."

Something that annoys me is the number of people who use "amount" when the noun is countable...

"He was gotten in drink: is not the humour conceited?" Nym, Merry Wives of Windsor

Been about a while...

didofido - I don't quite get which side you're on!

Your first paragraph is saying that we shouldn't accept an "Americanism" because it's fallen out of modern use, but your second paragraph is mocking your old History teacher for not tolerating an American spelling?

Or have I got mixed up there?

"And, we can start a sentence with any word we like and people still understand us. But, some people still get irate"

Actually, I was taught never to start a sentence with And or But. Weren't you?

"He was gotten in drink: is not the humour conceited?" Nym, Merry Wives of Windsor

If everyone starts talking in Shakespearean doggerel they WBVU and I will buy an uninhabited Ireland off the coast of Cork to escape.

I work in a sandwich shop/deli in a university town. I'm also over fifty. "Can I get" and "I'll have" instead of "Please may I have" would drive me to an early grave if I let it. Mostly I can ignore it but sometimes I can be heard muttering my preferred wording when I'm the the back room

I find it annoying but I think YABU. Language changes. Back in 1832 people were finding the word "talented" an obnoxious americanism... And there are lots of words & phrases that the UK has exported to the US (like "gutted", "gone missing", "uni") - for more see here: britishisms.wordpress.com/

It's a two way process that ultimately enriches English :)

YANBU. It drives me nuts. I am forever jumping up and down and howling, 'You're not an American!'

(For the delicate: I have nothing against Americans. I visited and very much enjoyed both place and people. One or two semi-ironic phrases came back with us, like 'step on the gas!')

It also irritates me when I'm told, 'We're studying glayshers in geography at the moment.' Glayshers? 'Oh, you mean GLA-SEE-ERS!'

I mean we're not French with an official language academy killing any spontaneity & creativity in our language now are we?

Actually, I was taught never to start a sentence with And or But. Weren't you?

Indeed I was. That is why I put those words in bold, to emphasise I was doing it deliberately. But, I'm pretty convinced it isn't wrong. Because, English is a very flexible language. "Correct" English is the way people actually speak. This is so (much) fun.

YY Leonard, down with the prescriptivists!

YANBU

also the use of 'hi guys' in youtube videos, it grates on me

Actually, I was taught never to start a sentence with And or But. Weren't you?

Those "rules" we were taught are based on the construction of the classical Latin language, which actually bears little resemblance to the English language. So although we were all taught those rules at school, there is no real reason for them to exist.

I may be channeling Bill Bryson's "Mother Tongue" here. Fascinating book - I can really recommend it

Oops. I've been saying 'Hi guys' to mixed groups for more than thirty years.

I'm Irish and we all use "can I get" and "sorry for your loss"!

I saw the word habitating yesterday. Shouldn't it be inhabiting?

The use of the word "gotten" is generally a surefire way of telling an American from a British writer, but now gotten is being used by UK people it doesn't work so well anymore.

I read a lot of some fanfiction, where Americans are writing for example in the Sherlock universe, or Harry Potter, and no matter how much research they have done or how good they are at British spellings, they always always use the word gotten, which is disconcerting. However much you may argue it is correct and OK in British English, I can't see it being used by Sherlock. Or Dumbledore.

They also often have trouble with British swear words.

I'm with you, OP.

And, yes, WorraLiberty, so true! Once you pick up on it, that's it!

Personally, I can't stand "OFF OF". Drives me bonkers.

So, I've totally been, like, noticing the thing about starting sentences with "So"?

And, I've also noticed that we are getting confused about me, myself and I because we know it's confusing so we're trying to sound like we know what we're doing and get in an even worse pickle. We know that "John and me are hungry" is wrong, but then we say "This cake is for John and I," when it should be John and me. I was taught to take out the other person and see which one works when it's just you. Therefore, "I am hungry" "This cake is for me." But then I wonder if 'myself' gets used because we think it sounds a bit more educated or refained? This means we "A coffee for myself, please" or, in customer service sing-song voice "Is it for yourself?" And know I'm thinking I hear it so much I hardly know when you should use 'myself'

OK, back to the Grammar Police Station for a nice cup of tea for I.