Americanisms

[SecretsInSpitalfield]

I have family in the US. I love going there. Since lockdown my DS’s (9 and 11) have said ‘OMG’ and ‘like’ about a thousand times a day!

Do our lovely cousins across the pond have this with their DC? Is it normal?

@springydaff That is one of the things that annoy me about the UK on here. It is a yard, not a garden. A garden, to me, is a rockery bed with flowers. Whenever someone says they are standing in their garden, I immediately picture them standing right in the middle/on of daisies and other planted flowers. I wish people on here would get out of that habit and use proper terminology. It is back yard or front yard. Not 'garden'. You can have a garden in a back yard. You can't have a back yard 'in' a garden. Lawn, is not actually a garden. A garden is planted flowers in groups. You wouldn't play in a garden, would you? You'd be standing/destroying flowers. Some people just have a couple of tall trees, a shed and swings/trampoline in their back yard, and no actual flowers. So it cannot, logically, be called a garden. It is not a garden. It is a yard.

My DS13 says 'Hella good' a lot, particularly when eating something tasty. He has worryingly also started to refer to rubbish as trash

When you are in the UK it's a garden. A yard is something concreted or tarmacked over, usually small, with at best a tub or two of shrubs. You do not have tall trees in a yard.

You would most definitely play in a garden, but on the lawn, not trampling through the flower beds.

Do the words snob/snobby have slightly different connotations in the US?

Thinking that might be the issue here. Snob in the States is someone who sees themselves as better than others.

But it isn't a garden. It's a yard. In a yard you have trees/tall trees. You don't have tall trees in a flower bed. A yard contains lawn, trees, trampoline and shed maybe, and a garden/flower bed (or rockery). So I wish the UK would miscalling it a garden when it's a yard. They do the same with 'loo'. It's a toilet. Not a 'loo'.

No, it's a garden. Yards are small things.

Yes, it's a toilet but the polite euphemism is "loo".

But don't start quibbling about that when you get American's talking about a row of toilet cubicles as "bathrooms". Don't tell me that this isn't said, because this is a direct quote.

TealWater That's a very specific definition of a garden. Possibly a general US one, possibly just your own.

But in the UK a garden contains any and all of lawn, shed, play equipment, flower beds, trees, shrubs, chairs, swings etc etc. It might not be your definition but it isn't wrong!

Snobbish means the same; looking down on someone. Although, some Brits use 'snob' almost interchangeably with 'upper or upper middle class', whether or not the person is actually being snobbish. I find that irritating. it's often a form of inverted snobbery.

I've lived in houses with yards. Always terraced houses in urban areas (tiny cottages have gardens). Yards are tiny and paved. They do not have lawns. They might have a small flowerbed down one side, often just a few plant pots. Often an old coal shed and a shed that once housed an outdoor loo too.

This is a typical Aussie backyard.

This, is cricket played in the backyard.
www.crookwellgazette.com.au/story/4374500/your-guide-to-backyard-cricket/

This, is a garden.

As to 'loo' I've always found it vulgar and crass, not polite. But that's just me. Toilet sounds politer.

Bike yard
Car yard
Scrap yard

Non of those have lawns.

Most of us are not in Australia. The first two are a garden, mostly laid to lawn, and the last is a flowerbed.

What exactly is a car yard?

Yard and lawn is used interchangeably in the States, another thing depending on the region.

Most of us are not in Australia. The first two are a garden, mostly laid to lawn, and the last is a flowerbed

Exactly. That may not be how a garden is defined elsewhere but it is in the UK and it's daft to say we're wrong to call gardens gardens!

Car yard is a place where second hand cars are sold.

They're not often called that anymore but it's still in use.

I have nothing to add language wise, we have different words - that's great, it's interesting.

The only thing I really dislike is the vocal fry. More noticeable in American women I've found. If anyone has seen the Uncle Ben advert lately it's how she talks. Gah it's honestly grating.

Off of, have we had that one yet? Argh, I could scream whenever I see or hear that one.

My garden is most of my outdoor area. My flowers are in my borders.

At the moment it's Americanisms that are infiltrating British English. If French or Japanese was seen as equally cool we'd have a thread about "Frenchisms" or "Japanesisms". There's no need for Americans to feel offended by this thread.

Coal yard
School yard

Coal yard - yes. Not many of those these days, but a place where the coal merchant operated from.

School playground.

Yard and lawn interchangeable - but it sounds very odd to our ears to hear about someone mowing the yard!

Off of, is regional English, I think. I don't say it, but have heard plenty of people in the south east who do.

On the whole, people aren't saying they can't grasp the meaning, just that they find the phrasing odd, grating, awkward or just weirdly out of context

I fully believe they do understand me here but the amount of times I've said something understandable but American (like takeout instead of takeaway in a place that does food to take home) and I've gotten the head tilt and look like I'm an idiot from the person leads me to believe that many Brits are having a good time being condescending. Which is why people saying our voices and speech are grating (which...what? We're all different) is especially insulting.

You get this with regional accents though, francienolan. Nor do I believe that American's don't occasionally do the same to British people who use expressions which they can understand, but don't use themselves.