To ask if do (or will) miss British English?

[daimbarsatemydogsbone]

License plate - Number plate
Driver's license - Driving licence
Windshield - Windscreen
Envision - Envisage
Bring (instead of take)

So much British English is being replaced with the US versions.

UK courtroom dramas now feature lawyers shouting "objection!" and judges saying "sustained" - something that never actually happens in UK courts but the writers have all grown up watching US dramas and films.

I know it's inevitable but I celebrated the little differences - they seem to become fewer and fewer each year.

Likely gets my goat. As in "covid variants will likely cause further disruption" (US) rather than "variants are likely to cause...."(UK)

I'm not sure why this one is my own bug bear, maybe because it's a more recent one. It will likely catch on, no doubt....

@CheeseCakeSunflowers

Language is something that has always evolved. If you read an old text from a few centuries ago there will be many words and phrases that are not used now. The King James translation of the Bible is a good example. When British people emigrated to the states centuries ago they would have spoken British English but over time the language in both countries has evolved differently. Now commuication across the atlantic is so easy the two versions of the same language have started to move closer again. I dont think it really matters what word is used as long as it can be understood, I see it as no different to people from different areas speaking with different accents.

I see what you mean - but I can't help feeling the "evolution" is actually 90% a gradual adoption of the modern US forms of everything. I know it's inevitable but I celebrated the little nuances.

notoneoffbritishisms.com/

Quite fascinating how much "American" English is actually preserved "real" English. It's us Brits who are out of step.

@AffIt

I work in a global organisation, and have a particular loathing of 'obligated' - obliged is fine, thanks.

In saying that, language is a fluid thing and it changes and evolves with time. I can't get too upset about these things.

I'm also Scottish, so the word 'outwith' is a standard part of my vocabulary and I pity the fools who don't use this lovely, lovely word.

@Afflt Bit thick of me but I can’t get a context for “outwith “ Can you put it in a sentence for me? Tx

@daimbarsatemydogsbone

I mean the usage, spellings and grammar habitually in use in the UK as opposed to the version from the USA.

So much of what MN despairs at for being 'American' English is actually from Scotland and Ireland.

So there is no Standard British English.

@Theunamedcat

Judge rinder has a gavel?

I've never been inside a court do English courts not have objections?

I vaguely remember watching court TV as a child that was English but it was so long ago I can't remember if it was real or a drama 😅 I remember wigs....

They do have objections of a kind (depending on the court) but no-one would just shout "objection", much less "sustained!". We've all been conditioned to imagine this must happen when in fact it's just the US.

@hotfroth

There's no such thing as 'British' English.

It's just English.

hth

I agree. My 'British' English will n doubt sound very different to others on here with a different accent and vocabulary.

Judge rinder has a gavel?

Yes, that's a bit of stage dressing, I'm afraid.

@DGRossetti

notoneoffbritishisms.com/

Quite fascinating how much "American" English is actually preserved "real" English. It's us Brits who are out of step.

Gotten is an excellent example of this; and one which seems to generate the most hatred on threads like these. Not only is preserved British English rather than an Americanism per se, but we do still absolutely use it in its derivations without even a whimper that we’re being infiltrated by America: begotten, forgotten, ill-gotten.

I think everyone uses American English without realising because it’s so prolific. I’d imagine it came part and parcel with the huge rise of American TV shows in the 90s(?). I grew up with Nickelodeon and nearly everything, if not all, was American so things slipped into my lexicon. I wouldn’t even notice it now.

But I also do agree OP that it’s a shame to lose some parts. I love the way language changes and adapts (even if it’s somewhat starting to evade me) but it would be sadden to lose some phrases and words.

So much of what MN despairs at for being 'American' English is actually from Scotland and Ireland.

So there is no Standard British English

Are any of the examples I gave from Ireland/Scotland? I am English but have spent a lot of time in Ireland and Scotland and I think they would apply equally but fully prepared to be told I am an ignorant sassenach.

I think everyone uses American English without realising because it’s so prolific

Thank you - this was the point I was making (badly).

@FourteenSixteenTwentyTwo

I think everyone uses American English without realising because it’s so prolific. I’d imagine it came part and parcel with the huge rise of American TV shows in the 90s(?). I grew up with Nickelodeon and nearly everything, if not all, was American so things slipped into my lexicon. I wouldn’t even notice it now.

But I also do agree OP that it’s a shame to lose some parts. I love the way language changes and adapts (even if it’s somewhat starting to evade me) but it would be sadden to lose some phrases and words.

I think we're undergoing a further revolution now with the rise of Youtube, Tik Tok and Twitter, as well as Netflix, Disney etc.

Of course US content will be dominant - that's inevitable, but we are losing our distinctive culture a little by adopting US language and idioms.

I can’t get a context for “outwith “ Can you put it in a sentence for me?

It is necessary to work outwith these hours.
She has lived outwith Scotland for 5 years.
It is outwith my area of responsibility.
Please use the other door outwith normal opening hours.
It is outwith the understanding of many on MN that there are different dialects across the UK.

@MajorCarolDanvers

I can’t get a context for “outwith “ Can you put it in a sentence for me?

It is necessary to work outwith these hours.
She has lived outwith Scotland for 5 years.
It is outwith my area of responsibility.
Please use the other door outwith normal opening hours.
It is outwith the understanding of many on MN that there are different dialects across the UK.

So like "outside of"? Interesting, I'd never heard of it before. Language is indeed always evolving, I read Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson and found it completely fascinating.

There's is English
And there's American

My kids who are constantly watching you tube are reminded of this often 😀

outwith = outside of

I can't see "burglarised" catching on over here to be fair I love the weirder American words. People on the knitting site Ravelry always write they find patterns "addicting" when they mean "addictive", that one I don't find endearing...

My youngest says tomAYtoes instead of tomatoes but as he is speech delayed we let him get on with it speech is speech unless it's swearing he is only eight after all

Yanbu. Of course languages changes / adapts / evolves. That’s a fact, and doesn’t say anything about the changes themselves or how they affect us. English is becoming increasingly homogeneous and I don’t think anyone who really appreciates language relishes that - I find it a bit soulless not to be bothered by it at all tbh! First we lost dialects and now we’re losing British English more generally. But then, I find any language dying sad (was reading about how Cantonese is threatened by mandarin the other day and was bothered about it - and I don’t speak a word of Cantonese!) so not surprising I’d be troubled about it happening to my own.

Examples I see on here all the time - store instead of shop, mad instead of angry, stroller instead of pushchair. I’ve even seen diaper recently.

And, yes, gotten. With the caveat that this is when said by those from a part of the country you’d never have heard it uttered twenty years ago. The argument that it’s the original word may be true, but it had fallen out of use in most parts of England at least. Let’s not pretend it’s not another American import.

Language does evolve, forsooth.

@AuntieStella

The words invite and quite have almost entirely epsupplanted the nouns invitation and quotation

Even the BBC is losing the 'against' when reporting on appeals against ruling

Pissed - most definitely means drink, and it's always a doubletake moment to realise an 'off' is missing.

It's almost worth taking up smoking so I can ask people if I can bum a fag.

We need more faggots (barely mentioned in a whole meatballs thread)

Back in my youth, we asked “can you crash me a cigarette?” No idea why!

I love the differences in language, and am very fond of good old Scottish words like fache and rammy.

I do hate people talking about “New Years”. Because it doesn’t make any sense. Are the talking about about Hogmanay/Auld Years Night or New Year’s Day?

we are losing our distinctive culture a little by adopting US language and idioms.

Name me three places where a British couple might go out together on a date. Assuming you include at least one of restaurant, cafe, cinema, theatre, gallery or (if the date goes really well) hotel, would you also say we’ve lost some of our distinctive culture to the French?

Gotten is used in Ireland and Scotland and never fell out of use.

@Mittenmob

I hate the lack of 'the' in dates. "This film is out September third" yuck.

I hate the ‘can I get’ with no please or thank you, when ordering things in cafes/coffee shop. Americans don’t seem to like saying please or thank you. It’s very rude.