To hate Americanisms...?

[Groof]

I think maybe because it feels like all English-speaking cultures are becoming boring and homogenous.

New ones I've noticed that people in the UK didn't routinely say five years ago but are now EVERYWHERE:

• birth control (instead of 'contraception' or 'the pill')
• wait list (instead of waiting list)
• reach out

Which ones do you hate or AIBU?

I don't think I've ever heard anyone other than an American say it.

Thinly veiled discrimination.

@Whydoeseveryonewanttoargue

I'm not sure whether you're being deliberately dim but what I'm talking about is British, non-Americans, starting to pick up and use the American pronunciations and spellings.

Who exactly is being discriminated against? Or are we not allowed to dislike the creeping uptake of American pronunciations and words by Brits?

I agree. I don't see anyone being discriminated against. People are just stating what @CagneyAndLazy says about the loss of British and, in my case, Scottish words.

Are British words being used in the US to the same extent- I doubt it.

Thanks @RaraRachael

(By the way, my absolute favourite Scottish word is 'outwith' and there will be hell to pay if anyone messes around with that! 😁)

Are British words being used in the US to the same extent- I doubt it

No, but American English is heavily influenced by other cultures which is why you see such a difference in regional phrases and pronunciation. For instance -in Texas and Arizona you'll hear a lot of blended Spanish-American pronunciation and grammar.

I think it's futile to resist what I'd call the globalization of the English language in today's media-influenced society, but I do understand the desire to preserve traditional regional language as well.

Oh yes @CagneyAndLazy I agree that outwith is a great word. It wasn't until I taught in England that I realised it was particularly Scottish.

From a strictly linguistic perspective there is a homogenisation process going on and yes it's sad to see distinctive usages and accents fading and disappearing. It happens within America as well, thanks in part to mass media. If you see clips from the 1990s or even a bit later, regional accents are so much stronger than now. Go back to the 1970s or before and you'll be shocked. But it does get somewhat irritating that it always comes back to the USA. Of course there's going to be influence; it's the largest single country with English as the primary language. But sometimes it feels rather reflexive like hating on historical usages that the US preserved.

I do believe there's some Scottish influence in Western Pennsylvania as Appalachia in general is heavily Scots-Irish and I think the "needs washed" construction exists in other parts of northern Appalachia. Pittsburgh and surrounds is a fascinating mix due to immigration and being cut off from the major cities of the East Coast. I'm from London and can't remember if I've heard the construction from Scottish people before.

Is it really a loss of British words or British words that were more common centuries ago here being brought back?

Every time this whole “hate” for Americanism comes up, there is an argument from posters from other countries within the UK about how they grew up with so-called Americanism for years and have heard older family members use them.

Even the first two examples in OP’s post of what they consider British are both used in the States.

Many Americans know British words and phrases, the same way Brits have learned some American phrases through tv and social media. I’d also add a third for Americans learning British words and that’s through school. English in primary and secondary schools involve reading books by British authors.

From a strictly linguistic perspective there is a homogenisation process going on and yes it's sad to see distinctive usages and accents fading and disappearing.

It's not all going in that direction. There are far more regional accents to be heard on the BBC now than there used to be.

I think it's entirely possible to understand 'global English', and use it when appropriate (eg meetings with a multinational team) whilst retaining your own dialect and accent for using in your local area, and appreciating other regional variations too when you travel or see films etc from other regions. It's a hell of a lot easier than what those outwith the Anglosphere have to do, learning (global) English as a second language!

I’d also add a third for Americans learning British words and that’s through school. English in primary and secondary schools involve reading books by British authors.

And of course that works both ways round (literature in general not just school). I could easily work out what 'recess' meant from its usage when reading Little Women as a child, for instance. And nowadays if there's an unfamiliar word we can look it up so easily!

And nowadays if there's an unfamiliar word we can look it up so easily!

I love that we can do this so easily now!

I started reading British crime fiction/police procedurals in the early 1980's and had to rely on context when running across an unfamiliar word. Most of the time that was easy enough to do, but occasionally it wasn't so obvious. The word "jumper" always conjured up visions of a female character in a pinafore-style dress which could be quite comical in certain situations.😂

I've heard both versions. I couldn't tell you specifically what Scottish Vs English people said though.

I live in the central belt, and I definitely hear it more here than the Highlands and islands where I was before.

I’m not sure if you are being deliberately rude…..starting a post like this won’t elicit a response.

@CulturalNomad - ah, I knew 'sweater' is the usual term in the US but I'd no idea 'jumper' might be unknown. What about 'woolly'?

I loved it when my american children started using words I had only read as a child in books like Little Women or What Katy Did.

Was it Oscar Wilde who said of USA and UK "two countries divided by a common language"

Was it Oscar Wilde who said of USA and UK "two countries divided by a common language"

I think Shaw... obviously the Irish are the authority on such matters.

A jumper is a pinafore here (I had the opposite problem to you when I moved here Culturalnomad - wondering why someone was described as wearing just a sweater with a turtleneck under it!). Woolly isn't really used. A wool sweater would be what people say near me.

I think it's entirely possible to understand 'global English', and use it when appropriate (eg meetings with a multinational team) whilst retaining your own dialect and accent for using in your local area, and appreciating other regional variations too when you travel or see films etc from other regions.

Completely agree with this, and it's one of the reasons I hate the criticism of language and in particular regionalisms on here. Most of us code switch to some extent and it's a rare person who speaks in the same way with their best friend as they do with an important client.

I think many Americans would recognize "jumper" as a sweater now, but back in the 80's it was mostly unknown. When the young Princess Diana became a near constant feature in US tabloids more fashion terms crossed the pond.

"Woolly"? Can't say I heard that in New England, but maybe in use in certain other regions tbough.

It would most likely be termed a "wool sweater" as opposed to woolly.

A lot of the books by American authors that I had read as a child made sense to me on several new levels when I got to the US. Many details of Little Women and Huckleberry Finn, in particular, had left me puzzled.

Wrong on all counts there, hun.

And "torch." I also developed an early love as a young teen for British crime novels, and I remember wondering why people were going about indoors with something on fire to light their way.

I didn’t realise that flashlight was British and torch was American.

I'm pretty sure that it's the other way around. Flashlight is American English; torch is British English. (I'm American.)