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.

[quote Anonymous48]@SarahAndQuack

"A Texan senator" would be jarring for me (living in the US). But also, it would change the meaning. The Texas senator (i.e.. the senator representing the state of Texas) wouldn't necessarily be Texan. He could be from New York, for example, so calling him Texan would be inaccurate.[/quote]
Ahhh, that's interesting. I could be wrong but I don't think I would make an equivalent distinction. If I heard someone refer to 'a group of Welsh MPs' I would assume they were members of parliament for Wales, but wouldn't necessarily presume they were all born-and-bred Welshwomen (or men).

find it a bit soulless not to be bothered by it at all tbh!

Well I'm not British so I'm happy to be soulless in this regard.

International English is already the lingua franca and will only increase in dominance but British English retains a high status as a prestige form despite the relatively small number of native speakers. This is likely to remain the case for some time.

I believe Ted Cruz was born in Canada so I suppose he's not a Texan senator. Although he'd probably hotly deny it.

@Stillcrikey

Speaking of ‘without’, I remember learning the correct meaning when quite small and going to church regularly with my grandma. I was a bit confused by ‘there is a green hill far away, without a city wall’ and wondered why this was even a thing. Surely hardly any hills have city walls. Grandma put me straight.

I thought of that hymn too! It's meaning is obvious when. as an adult, you stop to think about it.

I have enough of a battle getting my 4 year old to say "castle" instead of "carrrstle" without worrying about Americanisms.

Words like "fall" instead of "autumn" were actually originally British English which often confuses people.

English as wot is spoke and writ seems to be in rude health - if you consume US media and that's part of your life, then you are more likely to pick up "international English" and Americanisms.

Its a handy thing, international English, but pretty dull to use, little idiom and lacks wit.

'Addicting' has me muttering 'addictive' every time.

I agree with you, OP. But I edit for a US company. And English is not my first language, but I am very attached to British English. Spelling-wise, it is our spelling that changes a lot. The US still uses a lot of spellings we used to use (all the -ize endings and words like "fall"). But other words (everything ending is -st, such as whilst and amongst) are considered archaic. I do prefer their punctuation though -- it's very helpful to a reader.

Interesting to see most people out there don't even notice the difference.

@GertrudeBElion

Language does evolve, forsooth.

Surely, language “doth” evolve

One of the greatest things about the English language is that it has never been constricted by an academy of language.

It morphs and evolves and no two counties let alone countries use it in the same way.

I overheard a conversation today where one person complained about an Australian saying eggplant rather than aubergine, which is marvellous Why would we use an English word when there is a perfectly good French one that we have absorbed into our language?

Beowulf wæs breme blæd wide sprang,
Scyldes eafera Scedelandum in.
Swa sceal geong guma gode gewyrcean,
fromum feohgiftum on fæder bearme,
þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen
wilgesiþas, þonne wig cume,
leode gelæsten; lofdædum sceal
in mægþa gehwære man geþeon.

Bring back proper English.

[quote Anonymous48]@SarahAndQuack

"A Texan senator" would be jarring for me (living in the US). But also, it would change the meaning. The Texas senator (i.e.. the senator representing the state of Texas) wouldn't necessarily be Texan. He could be from New York, for example, so calling him Texan would be inaccurate.[/quote]
Well, he'd have to be a resident of Texas at the time he/she was elected. That's a Constitutional requirement. But you're right, he wouldn't necessarily be 'a Texan'.

Saying one is 'a Texan' (or any other state) generally implies that one was born in that state. People can say they're a Texan/Californian/Vermonter but chances are they'll be eyed askance by true native-born unless they've lived most of their lives there or have made some sort of 'contribution' and the state wants to 'claim' them.

I live in California, native born. It's amazing to me the people who are in the Californian 'Hall of Fame' that weren't born here and didn't live here for very long. But because they are famous for something, 'we' have claimed them as our own.

Homicide. I've noticed that one sneaking in over the last few years, and it even appears in TV news reports now. Does the UK have a "homicide" crime? I though it was variants of "murder". It bugs me.

@FGSWhatNow

Homicide. I've noticed that one sneaking in over the last few years, and it even appears in TV news reports now. Does the UK have a "homicide" crime? I though it was variants of "murder". It bugs me.

Murder is a type of homicide.

There are British words that are sneaking into American usage, although not as many as vice versa.

Brilliant (great), bum (butt), gobsmacked (stunned), bin (trashcan), flat (apartment), lift (elevator), sweets (candy) are words I'm hearing more frequently.

I blame Harry Potter. 😆

In Scotland 'culpable homicide' is the equivalent of manslaughter.

Makes me so pissed.
(Did you see what I did there?)

Daughter says garbage instead of rubbish. Naw darlin, yer scoattish, no American, speak proaper 🤣

@hotfroth

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

It's just English.

hth

Of course there is! There's also US English, Australian English, Canadian English, Indian English - lots! And each has its own spelling, punctuation and grammar rules, idioms and so on.

I'm a copy-editor.

The jawbone of an ass - that was what Samson used to kill 1000 Philistine soldiers, @daimbarsatemydogsbone ...

I corrected an essay today that was desperate to convince me just how impactful a passage from a novel is.

The adjective made me twitch so badly that I couldn't focus.

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

Used in Northumberland/NE England too. Used it just today when I said to FIL "don't buy DS any sweets because he's gotten wrong this morning for not brushing his teeth".

We say Santa too (and sometimes even... Santy ) and always have, my mum has a childhood diary from the 60s where she refers to Santa. I think you'll find that the Americans pinched Santa Claus from us when immigrants took their dialects over there, not the other way around.

We have always done dressing up and trick or treating at Halloween too, that also isn't an Americanism.

Muphry's, I imagine.
As are many of the subsequent posters.
Either Muphry or Dunning-Kruger.
Are you always this pompous?

never mind the 'gotten'

Got wrong for..... is a very N East type of saying. It also reminds me of a friend living in Scotland and the children would come asking for 'a piece'. A piece of what, she wondered.