'Gotten'

[JollyGiraffe]

WHY has this awful word made its way over here from?!

Past participle of 'to get' is 'got'!!!

Like it or not, YouTube etc is slowly but surely making these words completely normal to us and our dc.

My 6 yr old always says " closet " now instead of wardrobe. I don't care!

We share a language so why not share some words within that language? It's hardly a big deal.
There are many more pressing issues in the world right now then the word "gotten" getting on someone's tits

It's an olde English word but I don't like it and never use it.

I’ve also recently noticed a lot of (English) friends using “mom” instead of “mum”

I've often wondered about fanfic. What's the point? Why not just write your own original stuff?!

Because it's so much fun to take characters that you know and create your own stories for them.

For example, I like to read filthy smut stories where Harry and Draco are in a relationship but I'm unlikely to find that in any possible sequels from JK Rowling

BeAlert, is 'gotten' taught in Scottish and Irish schools or is it just used colloquially? Genuine question, I am interested.

Foxy, you are right, and of course language does evolve. I think I should probably start putting 'lighthearted' in the thread title!

This thread is in no way an attack on Americans. I have also lived in America, and have American friends. It is a lighthearted and well known debate/argument between Brits and Americans about the use of certain words and spellings of others.

I've often wondered about fanfic. What's the point? Why not just write your own original stuff?!

Who the fuck has time and energy for that? I thought you people had kids

It's way easier. I hate having to world build. By the time I've created backdrop for the story I've completely lost interest in the idea. Besides you don't do it because of the writing, you do it for the love of a particular fandom.

I’ve also recently noticed a lot of (English) friends using “mom” instead of “mum”

Mom is used widely in the Midlands so that definitely isn’t an Americanism!

My mum is from the West Midlands and has always said mom.

Bloody awful.

Gotten is horrid, simply horrid.i can’t imag ever using it, nor can I imagine saying”can I get a coffee”. I don’t know anyone who would speak that way.

I would say “Please May I have a coffee”. I wouldn’t call the young man serving ‘Bro’ either.

Gotten is nowhere near as bad as other things I've seen. Disinterested for uninterested really annoys me - and funnily people don't talk about something being disinteresting...

One from the US that I can't get my head around is I could care less, to mean I couldn't care less. It doesn't even make sense!

Another US one I've seen creeping in with children is something being 'addicting' rather than addictive. It really annoys me, I don't know why!

Agree it is horrible.

As is referring to the third season of the year as the Fall (the only The Fall we should have any interest in is a Manchester band), having black Friday, and celebrating Halloween.

We should celebrate our unique ways and not become the 51st state of the US.

OP spoken English is not the same as written English regardless or the region of the U.K. you are in.

So “gotten” may be used in spoken Scottish and Irish but not in written language. It’s a hangover from a deliberate quashing of the cultures and language in those areas.

Forallsaints “Fall” was used widely in the U.K. until the 15th century when we switched to the Latinate “Autumn”.

We added u’s to many of our spellings around the same time. The American spellings are mostly the original British spellings.

YANBU I hate it too.

I'm not sure Halloween was a huge commercial affair back in 1791!

So while you are right there, the massive commercial aspect of it seems very much American.

I like it, it's a useful word. I'm too self-conscious to use it though, other than ill-gotten. It only sounds odd because it's been out of favour for so long.

I've got the phone number/I've forgot the phone number.
I've gotten the phone number/I've forgotten the phone number.

It's interesting how many words we resist as 'americanisms' are in fact older versions of words that originated in the U.K., have emigrated and now are coming home again. I bet there are lots of studies that have been done that link language change to migration. I used to work with a chap who had worked in Denmark for several years and had noticed lots of same/similar words to Yorkshire and Tyneside local dialects and words.

I did wonder how long it would be until mom/mum made an appearance on this thread!

The Nicene creed has the word ‘begotten’ in. It is something religious but I can’t remember what it is. Must be old though.

(Stunned to remember anything from religion classes at school eons ago)

The one I hate the most is "sat" as in "I was sat on the sofa". It seems to have crossed into accepted language in the UK.

But that didn't come from America. I had never "I was sat" before I stumbled across a message board that was mainly British.

Yanbu.