Obligated or Obliged?

[Mandalin]

My mother insists that saying one is "obligated to do something" is an Americanism, but to me it seems a logical extension of having an 'obligation', whilst 'obliged 'seems more suited to saying one "is much obliged" as an expression of gratitude.
What do you think?

Obligated is American English. Obliged is correct English English.

"much obliged" is vulgar!

OBLIGED!!!!!!!

Sorry for shouting, but this is very important!

I tend to use "obliged" but have been known to use "obligated", depending on the sentence. Never thought about origin so didn't know it was an Americanism.

Mind you, I remember reading "Mother Tongue" by Bill Bryson who considers several different "Americanisms" and explains how they actually originated in the UK even further back.

For the language pedants among us, I could also recommend his book "Troublesome Words" which looks at words that people often confuse with other similar ones e.g. "flaunted" and "flouted".

surely they are different words entirely

obligated to do something = one must do something, one is under an obligation to do it

I am much obliged = I am very grateful / thankful

OBLIGED

Obliged. Have only ever heard 'obligated' from US commentators on news bulletins.

I always thought they were used for different meanings.

Found this online:

Oblige implies the operation of authority, necessity, or moral or ethical considerations: ?Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do? (Mark Twain). Obligate applies when compliance is enforced by a legal contract or by the dictates of one's conscience or sense of propriety: I am obligated to repay the loan.

"Much obliged" means "I am obliged to be grateful" surely?

Obliged doesn't mean grateful

Right, Collins says the following:

obligate:

1. to compel, constrain or oblige morally or legally
2. (in the US) to bind (property, funds etc) as security
3. (biol) able to exist under only one set of environmental conditions

oblige:

1. to bond or constrain (someone to do something) by legal, moral or physical means
2. to make indebted or grateful (to someone) by doing a favour
3. to do a service or favour to (someone) "she obliged them with a song"

isn't obligate a horrid 'verb from a noun which already has an existing verb?'

i am obliged to
i have an obligation to
then...
i am obligated to

like ...'gifted'?

apols punctuation lack of.

isn't obligate a horrid 'verb from a noun which already has an existing verb?'

i am obliged to
i have an obligation to
then...
i am obligated to

like ...'gifted'?

apols dreadful punctuation.

lack of/dreadful which was better? couldn't decide, clearly.

oh yes it does Tommy

echos: oh no it doesn't Magrat

does

doesn't

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