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?

The slip part was a slip of paper. So they've never had a pay slip. They've had a pay statement. Thinking about it, in all the conversations with my youngest DD, she's always just referred to, getting paid, or working out her pay, or being skint. My Mother used the expression 'on the bones of her arse'. I should have said that most of my family were self employed and not from the UK. It might horrify you, but stub has also been used. Here, in Liverpool and in my life, the words we use come from all cultures, none more than our signature dish, Scouse, so we'll carry on with your non approved list of words for things. Perhaps leave the English to it.

A slip of paper is exactly what a payslip is. Leave the “English” to it? Are you xenophobic? 😬

I agree about the poor standard of language on the BBC but it is also using a lot of American vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and slang, even in news bulletins.

Exactly, my children or me have never had a pay slip. It's you who are policing other people's language and are upset that we are using different words from different cultures and even regional sayings. I don't think of myself as English, I'm a UK citizen from immigrant background, so no, I'm far from xenophobic, but your xenophobia is showing.

When I was in America years ago someone said to me about the frigidaire. (Frigidaire is a brand, I believe). That's what we call the fridge, or rarely, refrigerator.

Ok. Can’t be arsed with you taking a thing about a payslip to a hyperbolic level. Take care.

The American use of 'likely' in place of 'probably' is deeply annoying, as 'likely' means 'probable'. This has even spread to the BBC, FFS :(

My DH tuts every time someone says “what do we got?” on an American TV show. It doesn't really bother me!

I say paycheck to paycheck. To me payslip is the piece of paper I get, which I receive earlier in the week than my pay, but the paycheck is the actual money. But, I would just say "oh I'm getting paid today" as opposed to using the word salary or wages.

Yea it’s a brand - never heard someone say that before.

But we have staturory SICK pay, SICK days off work, and used to have SICK notes that all cover more than vomiting.

What do you call a day off work when you’re poorly (which is the word I would use before ill)?

Aren’t you sat at a table in a restaurant? So they were both sat there and sitting there? Unless it was a fast food joint where you find our own table…

They use both in the States.

Many of these complaints are not of the whole country and are regional like other word usage here.

I feel cross at the very existence of the term ‘British English’. I’d love someone to lay out an explanation that could make me stop feeling cross about it but fear this may never happen

Why are you cross by the existence?

Are you cross because of the reason why there is American English and Australia English?

Saying "pissed" instead of "pissed off". It's so annoying and American. It also changes the whole meaning of a sentence and it's confusing.

The main issue is that American English is seen as a 'dumbed-down' (is that an Americanism????!!) version of the language, whereas Australian English is not.

Australian English is also seen as adding colourful slang to the language, which can be endearing. In any case, Australian English hardly has the spread of its American relation.

Yes, i think theres a definite element of snobbery / superiority involved in the sneering about american english.

A worldwide language (mentioned by pp above) would be great imo

But only if it was English, @YerMotherWasAHamster

Joke ... JOKE, before the incoming starts (!!), though actually it's so widely spoken already that it could easily become the case

Goes both ways though funnily enough. I know Americans who are starting to use British slang like 'bonkers' (cracks me up though)

You are seated there. Or last week you simply sat there. Not am/was/were sat.

Genuine question, is it wrong to say “I sat him down and told him”?

I might also say to a waiter, “sit them over there” instead of “seat them over there”. Is that also incorrect?

I’ve always assumed I was sat meant someone sat you there (ie told you to sit there).

I could care less

No you’re seated. Sat is a doing word. A verb. I sat, you sat, he sat, she sat, they sat.

“Sat him down” has an element of violence. 🤣.

Absolutely! It’s an entirely different meaning got “I seated him and had a word”, which makes me think it must have evolved into correct grammar in some way…

But seat is also a verb, so I’m not sure your logic on the last post follows:

I seat [the couple by the door], you seat, he seats, etc. It just need a direct object (I think it’s a transitive verb), like to lay, or to bring.

This thread is amusing. I have an American Jewish friend so she mostly taught me Yiddish phrases and words not American ones.