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?

A bunch of.
Fine for things that come in bunches, flowers, grapes, bananas.
Not good as a general word for quantity.

Here we go again...

Many of these words and expressions were taken to the USA by emigrants from all parts of Britain and many are still commonly used in the various countries of Britain.

"Can I have" is used in Scotland and Ireland.
"Halloween" originated in Scotland and Ireland.
"Gotten" is from old English and Scots, and still used by many Scottish people.
"Candy" is 17th century Scots, as is "Candyman".
"Sydwalk" is a Scots word attested from the 17th century.
"Cookie" was used in Scotland from the 17th century, from the Dutch work "koekje".

Those complaining about the erosion of "British" culture should remember it doesn't exist. There is your local culture, and there is everyone else's local culture. Britain contains three countries with very different histories, languages and traditions, and some of us are quite at ease with some of the old words coming back, and are happy to embrace some of the new words that come our way.

So you speak your way, please, and stop complaining about those who speak their way.

N.B. I know Ireland isn't part of Britain - included it because it shares some traditions with Scotland.

The 'Fanny bag' instead of those horrible waist handbags that we call bumbags

A cooler is a box you take on a picnic or to an outdoor event with drinks/food in it. Not sure what you call it in the UK (I’m an American living in the US). The appliance in the kitchen is a refrigerator. Interestingly, I regularly see “American refrigerator” on here and I assumed it meant one that is made in the US and I wondered why that mattered enough to mention it, or how it would even fe viable in the UK due to the different voltage and outlets. But I eventually realized they were talking about what we call “French door refrigerators”.

It bothers me when people use Americanisms thinking they sound “cool” but they are using them incorrectly. I once saw on here someone posting about being comfortable on the couch watching the TV and her husband texted to say he would be home at x time and would like to have dinner when he got home. She then said “so I will have to haul ass off the sofa in an hour and into the kitchen”. I think she thought “haul ass” means to drag something bulky, and was being lighthearted about being heavy. But “haul ass” means to rush, move very quickly, like when you are late for work or something important. Not what she meant at all.

A couple things ...:
It's a couple OF things!

We call it a fanny pack.

And it's "in THE hospital," not "in hospital."

Getting a prescription filled.
Swap out
Plenty. As in 'He's plenty old enough to know better'.

@GulfCoast
And in the Uk, the 'Fanny' is your vagina, which is why it sounds so wrong to us Brits!

P.s. my DSIS lives on the West Coast USA and I love the USA! For balance, my favourite Americanism is that garden (yard!) tool known as a weed whacker - it's a strimmer here!

Yeah I think soda is more of a Midwestern thing (or at least it was when I was a kid). We called it a 'soft drink' in California back in the 80s. I don't really know if that's the case now. I just remember having this girl join my school. She'd moved from Minnesota and always used the word 'soda' which I thought was weird. And she had a lisp. So I always thought of her as the girl from Minnethota who drinks thoda. I know, it's mean. I was 11. Go easy on me.

They are a fashion abomination in any language😂

I think we can agree on that!

What's an example of 'noo' in a British context?

Noo year?
But there are British accents which pronounce 'new' as 'noo' anyway.

And thanks to Harry Potter, Americans now know that a jumper is not a pinafore dress.

But language can preserve culture and for children in particular, it is an important part of understanding personal identity. I have DC who are teens both young and late and Americanisms are not used to communicate with us or their friends and they don't use them in essays for college work or any other written work. In fact, it would be quite noticeable if they did and their friends would think it was a bit odd.

It may be because I didn't let them watch endless You Tube videos when they were younger but equally, the books I read to them were very relatable in terms of identity and cultural mores so many of the books written by Julia Donaldson, Peter Rabbit, Wind in the Willows. We had the Disney Channel for free (sky package) when my eldest was 2-3 and he did get obsessed with Handy Manny but it wasn't at all relatable, the way Postman Pat was for example. I have Scandinavian heritage on one side of my family and I very much understand my Grandma had certain traditions that she had inherited from her side of the family, we respected that and celebrated those differences, we didn't try to change her and erase those cultural references; it wasn't an affront to us or racist of her so I don't really understand what is wrong with a British person having those preferences and bringing their children up to have them.

When english influences use an American accent, pisses me off so much!

'Passed' instead of dead/died/passed away

I'm OK with most but 'could care less' for 'couldn't care less' should be banned forever.

I never got this one and everyone I’ve asked from the UK gives the stupid Eddie Izzard quote, “Because it’s got a fucking h in front of it.” So I guess you also use a hard h to say honor, heir, honest, homage, hour, etc?

I think you are right about that as I live in the south east of England and I don't hear any of the words you have listed being used on a regular basis except, 'Halloween' when it is Halloween.

Do you also pronounce school as “shool”? Or scheme as “sheem”?

Seasons instead of series

I don't really understand what is wrong with a British person having those preferences and bringing their children up to have them

Of course there's nothing wrong with having a preference that your British children not use American slang. My point is that in today's world where a twenty-something in Berlin may be following a lifestyle blogger based in Seattle, phrases and slang begin to cross cultural divides. Younger people have grown up with this and many/most of them will adopt language that resonates with them or amuses them. It's just the modern way.

A young Chinese man speaking English used the word "ya'll" when referring to me in a conversation. I just find it so interesting that certain words and phrases have become so ubiquitous! After all, the majority of Americans would never use that phrase; it's very regional and would sound awkward coming from someone in say Vermont.

Normalcy instead of normality - just why, we had a perfectly good word, we didn’t need to make a new one!

And yes to “momentarily” - a shop assistant telling me they’ll be with me momentarily means they will be there for a second and then disappear, which is the exact opposite of helpful!

I still fill forms in 🙋🏻

Also, when did making decisions become "taking" them? Nobody ran this by me!