Americanisms

[Differentforgirls]

Is “pay check (not cheque for some reason) to pay check” a thing in the UK now. I keep seeing this on here. Surely it’s “payslip to payslip” or “wage to wage”.

Context is being skint. So you live wage to wage.

AIBU to think we’re losing our language to Americanisms?

Language evolving and changing is fine. But there's absolutely no need to exchange a British English word for an American word when they mean exactly the same thing. Doing that adds to value to the English language and actually reduces the number of words.

For example: film-movie, fringe-bangs.

Well how about when you greet someone and say ‘are you alright’ because to a North American it mean ARE YOU ALRIGHT???? as in has something happened?

And Brits will say Hoover which is a brand not what they are doing. How about ‘can’t be arsed?’ What does that have to do with you arse? Slag someone off - well slag does have a different meaning so….etc etc

My point is there are things that are said on both sides of the pond that may not make sense in the same language but it doesn’t make them wrong.

I say 'I'll go get' and SHOCKER, I say mom, not mum. Mom is NOT an Americanism before anyone starts!!! I never say 'payslip to payslip,' or 'wage to wage.' I do say paycheck to paycheck.

Saying 'you're sick' (if you are unwell) is perfectly fine. Most people know it means you're ill. The vast majority of people say they were off sick from work if they're off because they're unwell. People generally don't say they were 'off ill.'

People go off 'on the sick' too, not 'off on the unwell' or 'off on the ill.' 😆

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So what do you call your wages? Your salary?

I live in the US and the “paycheck” is the deposit of the money, as opposed to the accompanying document. That’s called the earnings statement or pay statement where I live.

I’m sure it is just a lingering thing from when people were paid with actual cheques. Pay slip to pay slip does sound weird, I haven’t had a physical pay slip for about 20 years, just log into an HR system and there the statements are. Payday to payday makes more sense to me.

Lend 😬

Try Scotland. We get our “wages”.

I think it’s difficult to complain about Americanisms creeping into British English when even on the BBC we see the most shocking language. Poor grammar, poor vocabulary, liberal use of slang (not the worst crime but sometimes it’s out of sheer laziness).

Definitely “and get”.

Agree.
HOWEVER: my least favourite (ex English word which now seems to be coming back into fashion "thanks" to American English) is egregious. I HATE HATE HATE this word because it seems/ed to be used for any slight.
When a US colleague said it to me about 20 years ago I had to remember to be polite. Apparently cc-ing him rather than directly putting him in the response was "egregious" (I spent 11 minutes listening to his tirade - put it on loud speaker so the entire office could enjoy the nonsense).
Okay, he was an idiot. But I have rarely met an "egregious" user who is a sane human being.

Yes! The BBC now talk about "surgeries" when they mean operations (medical). Why? There's no need. It doesn't add or improve anything. It actually makes things less clear as "surgeries" means something different in BE.

Pay cheque to paycheque just sounds so much better than “wage to wage” or “payslip to payslip”.

I don’t see the hostility towards Americanisms. Things cross cultures, language shifts. That’s normal.

So do Scottish people. Also saying, “I dropped it on the FLOOR, when they actually dropped it on the ground considering they were outside when they dropped it.

🤣

Pissed/pissed off is the one that annoys me. Pissed has a meaning in the UK which is different and distinct from its US usage.

Thank you! This is what I mean.

When I was a kid we'd say im going t'park, im going t'shop. And often even the t' was replaced by a sort of gug in the throat. So it would be ahm goin (weird throat thing) park.

So when I hear people say im going ... and they miss out the word to the, I hear it anyway. Its an accent thing.

Maybe im missing the point but I think what matters in language is being understood. A worldwide language (mentioned by pp above) would be great imo. The world is getting smaller and smaller. It'd be nice for everyone to properly understand each other.

Here’s the thing about that. Do you call lunch you’re dinner and your dinner you’re tea?

Whit?

❤️

Breakfast, lunch and dinner for me. I grew up in Wales.

Yes. A woman giving a presentation kept saying that she was pissed. I wasn’t the only one to be distracted by hilarity

See, I would just say “thank god we’re getting our wages today.

What’s the difference? Genuinely.

I would say “tae” the park.