Gotten

[WinniePig]

I’ve noticed many Americans using the term “gotten” and assumed it’s American English. Fine. But it’s not a word I would associate with good grammar on this side of the pond. Anyway, I’ve read a number of threads on here recently where the OP has written “gotten” in their original post (and each time I see it I shudder). Even worse…the dodgy verb crops up in this news article on the BBC (third para from end). The BBC (holds head in hands).

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-60789542

AIBU to despair at how this horrible little verb is infecting the English language…

I say this every time these threads come up I've always used it, my GM used it (born 1910). I've heard it used by Maggie Smith, the royal family and those interviews done as part of a royal documentary. As said, it's old English and just fell out of popular use for a while. It might be a word that some don't like, but it's English, grammatically correct and being used correctly.

@ThatsNotItAtAll

A lot of American English is actually old English or which didn't evolve but remained in the old form in North America, or regional/ dialect English which became mainstream. Gotten is actually the old form, so going "back" to gotten is de-evolution not evolution of language...

True. And people who moan about it are just showing their lack of knowledge about the English language tbf.

It's not as bad as "off of" as in "I got off of the bus". You just get off the bus surely

@SimpleShootingWeekend

You forgot Christmas after that, where that famous American Santa Claus will once more be poisoning our shores!

@PrettyVacancy

It gives me a clue to the nature of the person using the word. That’s all I’m saying …

That they know a lot more about historical linguistics than you?

@hangrylady, why y’all sure gotten your panties in a bunch ‘bout this 🤣🤣🤣

@PAFMO, sure bud, this ol forum’s fair crammed with historical linguists now ‘ain’t it? 🤣🤣🤣

I wanna no if its gonna getten worsen an worsen?

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles

I wanna no if its gonna getten worsen an worsen?

Do you know nothing? It's worser😂

[quote PrettyVacancy]@hangrylady, why y’all sure gotten your panties in a bunch ‘bout this 🤣🤣🤣[/quote]
So many questions. Are you American? Do you think I'm American and are attempting to take the piss? Why the laughing emojis? Are you drunk? I guess I'll never know.

Gotten is part of the pitmatic dialect too, spoken around various parts of Northumberland and Durham. We also use "off of", said to my own DC this morning when I told them "get off of that wall before you fall" - the 'of' is pronounced more like 'uv'.

Has always been in use in Ireland. Warms my Hiberno heart to see it cause such anguish on Mumsnet.

Definitely not Scottish as far as I know. My late dad hated it especially when used by siblings who'd emigrated to the US.

I agree - I hate it but think it is here to stay as agree language does evolve and change.

Yep, no issue with off of. Wouldn't write it but would certainly say it.

@DampSquid

It's not as bad as "off of" as in "I got off of the bus". You just get off the bus surely

Don’t get me started…

HNRTT but have you missed your calling to be French and run the Academie?

As PPs have said, you might want to select a pure foreign import or neologism to justify your argument. If not then perhaps understand a little more about English dialects, the evolution of English and the exchange with American where some historical English appears to have been preserved and the range of 'proper' current English usage.

It got James Brown started. Though he was American.

This mystified me when I first joined MN, and now it infuriates me.

Such angst over a perfectly normal, everyday word. If you don't use it that's fine, but your ancestors likely did and as others have said it never fell our of use in the US, Scotland and Ireland. Probably parts of England too.

Even if it was a pure Americanism, what's the problem with that? The hatred of all things American is a very ugly side to MN and must be very unpleasant for American users to read.

@ThatsNotItAtAll

A lot of American English is actually old English or which didn't evolve but remained in the old form in North America, or regional/ dialect English which became mainstream. Gotten is actually the old form, so going "back" to gotten is de-evolution not evolution of language...

Talking of which, in her novel Northanger Abbey Jane Austen wrote that her main character, Catherine, enjoyed ‘boys’ plays’ such as cricket and ‘base ball’ (two words). Presumably the one that turned into rounders here, and baseball across the pond.

There's nothing grammatically wrong with "off of". It jars because of the pronunciation more than anything- and the almost (but not quite) redundancy of the "of" particle. If you compare similar concepts like "away from" the almost redundancy of the second particle is still there, but doesn't cause any itching of teeth AFAIK.

YANBU, I really hate gotten.
And people on here will go on about old English, and language evolving etc etc, but actually we all know it’s only become fashionable because of the trend of adopting Americanisms. Kids watch American stuff on YouTube and tiktok, and pick up the words. And then adults adopt it to try and look cool. And sadly, it gradually becomes accepted. But it will make me wince to my dying day!

Addicting is the one that has me furious.

‘I find it addicting.’ No you do not. You find it addictive.

Don’t mind it at all. We still use this form in forgotten.

YABU. I would never write it as it's poor English

Whatever makes you think that it's poor English? If it's described as archaic (British) English, that still doesn't make it 'poor' English - very far from it - but even the designation of 'archaic' is subjective, and descriptive rather than prescriptive: just because a word or phrase falls out of popular usage doesn't mean that it's been banned or cancelled or that bullies will be waiting behind the bike sheds and demanding that you stop saying it.

It annoys me so much. I would never write it or say it.