upon firther consideration I have found the following britisms to be a problem for my ears:
knickers
Sod off. take some grass away from here? ok, no problem, whatever....
a quote from a brit
In rural Yorkshire I always liked, when addressed to people who jumped the gun, "Ye're a bit previous, love". Delicious. It speaks exactly to the Yorkshire ear. It is thus perfect. Do not be previous, dear readers.
and the following amerisms to likewise present a problem:
Happy Holidays - perhaps it is an inevitable result of America being the reciever of lost souls the world over, VS Britain which has the luxury of an "indigenous" culture. If we truly wanted to "Go American" we would be obliged to say ------insert native American phrase here--------. another point to be considered is that it arose first as a way of wishing someone BOTH a Merry Christmas and also a Happy New Year and was only later transferred for usage as a generic religious sentiment meant not to offend.
"Knowest thou not that tongues change with the passage of years?" What Englishman would have understaood the "Queens, or rather Kings, English" of the Middle Period? If there is a language that cannot complain about adoption of "foriegn" usages and words it is the english language, the mutt of the world. Comprised of Celtic, Norse, French and Latin words even before Shakesphere arrived on the scene, can anyone claim to speak the "original" English of England? And then we have all of the words we have inherited from our various colonial excercises - Barbeque, Voodo, ...........
American english has also picked up words from the BBC programs. Absolutely Fabulous and Little Britain among them. Not to mention Monty Python and friends... It's usually the "dregs" who pick up these words first - the gays and the druggies. They use them often enough that they eventually transfer over to "American."
Many Americanisms are simply hold-overs from the immigrants who brought Scottish and Irish style English to America, as are many of our "American" pronunciations. The Scottish very open "A" and "E"...
Americans have developed the art of cordial introduction to strangers because we are a nation of immigrants. and immigrants that, once settled, do not stay settled long, but often continue westward. When you have moved from a foriegn country, then to Northeast America (NY, Philly, Boston etc) and then later move to the South or Midwest or West Coast. You needed to develop politeness and common everyday courtesy even if it was insincere, just to survive in your new locale. it's still very common for American to move from one coast to the other "without thinking twice" about it. This move would be the geographical equivalent of moving from London to Moscow, so a friendly and informal means of communication is necessary unless one wants to languish in social exile for 20 years before the neighbors accept you as one of them.
a very common Americanism is to transfer a noun into a verb - such as "Meeting," "Gift," "Lunch," "Let's have a to-do" (party,) but is it so different from "Let's go for a run?" or "Let's have an outing?" i do agree that simply adding the suffix "-ize" to a noun does not make it an accepted usage.
Restroom. "Powder my nose"
"In 1898, when Otto von Bismarck was an old man, a journalist asked him what he took to be the decisive factor in modern history. He answered, "The fact that the North Americans speak English."
Pretty prescient for 1898.
English isn't the 'world language' because the Brits speak it. Its the world language because the Americans speak it. (Segue ... 'American' really means anyone from the Americas, but this plays to a point that I'm about to make. Language is what works in the ears of the listener, the eyes of the reader).
So if Americanisms (or Geordieisms or my native Yorkshireisms) transmit precisely to the listener the sentiment in the mind of the broadcaster the job is well done.
But lower, lowest, on the totem pole are the picky who think English is static, has much to do with England anymore. Who affect an unwarranted superiority by virtue of accident of birth. The English language is simply a tool most of the time - less importantly a study and even a delight for relatively few. Kinda like stamps. Or cow creamers.
Here's an economical example of perfect communication I enjoyed between married professionals in upstate New York some years ago. Each had returned to their home wherein I was a guest, exhausted from trying days in the world of psychology, their profession.
"Jeet?"
"Jew""
"Seat""
"Americans themselves ...generally admit that a British accent sounds smarter and more sophisticated)"
Some Americanisms are actually more faithfully "old-school" "British" than the modern current Britisms. For example:
More southern English - pronunciations etc.
As for the whole bathroom problem: May I partake of your chamber of Excremeditation?
Bushisms - there is no excuse.
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I will have more to say on this subject soon and will add a second post but for now....
I was inspired by an article in the UK based Telegraph concerning annoying Americanisms that the British cannot stand to write the following article:
First, the original article located here lists some rather lame "americanisms", one in particular that I myself have never heard. But it sparked off a very lively debate in the comments section.
First I will give my take on this subject and later I will include a few illuminating quotes from the comments.
My take:
I signed up as a member from all the way over here in New Jersey just so I could comment on this article :)
I actually found the examples of Americanisms and Britisms in the comments section to be much better than those in the actual article. (Sorry Toby.) As for those in the article I also have never heard "let's visit" - a better example would be something like "let's do lunch" - it captures the insincerity much better and is a common phrase among the "lady's who lunch" and American businesspeople who have no intention of ever having lunch with said invitee. Saying "You're welcome" is standard American usage and I was surprised to hear that it was grating at all - what does one say on your side of the pond in response to "thank you?" Perhaps in some shops and other crowded public places a non-response is normal? Maybe "Bitte" or "De Nada"?
I agree with our overly euphemistic "bathroom" used in place of toilet. But I must add that the Germans use WC for toilet because they learned the phrase "water closet" from the Brits - water closet is completely meaningless here in the states.
Some Americanisms I myself hate are:
"New and Improved!" used on advertisements - how can something be entirely new and yet also improved at the same time?
"I could care less" or "I could give a sh_t" - when it should say "couldn't care less"
"You's guys" - this one I don't hate but in fact cherish as a colloquial localism centered mostly around New York and New Jersey that Americans from other areas would also balk at. And I can concede that it would be grating on the ears of non-users. My friend Colleen moved from New Jersey to West Virginia (about a 2-3 hour drive, short for us!) and took a job as a waitress. She walked up to a table of older southern women and said "What would yous guys like?" Their silent look of bewilderment at the inappropriate gender usage cured her of that habit. However, within the NY/NJ area both "yous" (plural you - akin to the southern use of "ya'll") and "guys" for anyone of any gender are completely commonplace - and perhaps even a bit cutting edge "politically correct" (another Americanism I don't care for.)
And of course there are the various American pronunciations of words that set certain regions in the states against one another as well as against Britain. For example - one can immediately identify a fellow southern New Jersey/Philadelphia native by the pronunciation of water as "wooder." And there is the ongoing division of calling beverages such as Coca Cola either Soda or Pop. If you say pop in my region people would automatically inquire as to where you were from.
And the Britisms (and Australisms and Kiwi-isms and Canadian-isms) are:
"Bloody" - reminds me of "gosh" - too afraid to say "damned".
"Mate" - I know it's along the lines of a pair of gloves or shoes but it just makes Americans think of mating animals and thus carries a subtle homoerotic undertone.
"Care for a SPOT of tea?" - not really, I would prefer an entire cup, not just a spot accidentally spilled on the table cloth.
"Bonzer," "Walkabout," "Joey" and the many other silly Australianisms out there. I mostly hate these because there is a chain of restaurants here in the States called "Outback" that makes a big point of using these phrases in their marketing. If I actually met an Australian, like, for instance, Hugh Grant, and he said that he found me to be simply "Bonzers," I would probably melt on the spot as there is nothing sexier than an Australian accent (except maybe an Italian accent or perhaps French)to an American.
"Eh" and "Aboot" as Canadianisms.
...and I'm sure that's just the beginning as I could think of many others given a little more time.
for now,
Matt
p.s. let's do lunch some time ok?
The below mapto the left shows the percentage of Americans who list their ancestry as "American" on their census cards. Note that it has no correlation to native American populated areas but rather to the "hick belt" or "bible belt" and would probably indicate something along the lines of general education and sophistication.
ok, and here are some quotes i liked from the other folks:
"In 1898, when Otto von Bismarck was an
old man, a journalist asked him what he
took to be the decisive factor in modern
history. He answered, "The fact that the
North Americans speak English."
Pretty prescient for 1898.
English isn't the 'world language' because
the Brits speak it. Its the world language
because the Americans speak it. (Segue ...
'American' really means anyone from the
Americas, but this plays to a point that
I'm about to make. Language is what works
in the ears of the listener, the eyes of
the reader).
So if Americanisms (or Geordieisms or my native Yorkshireisms) transmit precisely to the listener the sentiment in the mind of the broadcaster the job is well done.
In rural Yorkshire I always liked, when addressed to people who jumped the gun, "Ye're a bit previous, love". Delicious. It speaks exactly to the Yorkshire ear. It is thus perfect. Do not be previous, dear readers.
But lower, lowest, on the totem pole are the picky who think English is static, has much to do with England anymore. Who affect an unwarranted superiority by virtue of accident of birth. The English language is simply a tool most of the time - less importantly a study and even a delight for relatively few. Kinda like stamps. Or cow creamers.
Here's an economical example of perfect communication I enjoyed between married professionals in upstate New York some years ago. Each had retruned to their home wherein I was a guest, exhausted from trying days in the world of psychology, their profession.
"Jeet?"
"Jew""
"Seat"
or in my hearing of the story - "jeet? no jew? i did, jew?"
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i came across this email exchange from the same folks who tried to pay thier bill with a drawing of a spider. this one starts out as per below and continues on and on and gets pretty darn great .
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 8 Dec 2008 11.04am
To: Matthew Smythe
Subject: R.S.V.P.
Dear Matthew,
Thankyou for the party invite. At first glance I thought it may be a child's party what with it being vibrant and having balloons but I realise you probably did your best with what little tools were available. I wouldn't miss it for the world. What time would you like me there?
Regards, David.
http://www.27bslash6.com/matthewsparty.html
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You are here, floating in the ocean all alone.
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first-off, the FBI kept a file on the movie's maker because they suspected it might be secret Communist Propaganda. http://www.wisebread.com/fbi-considered-its-a-wonderful-life-communist-propaganda
now a review of the film with an atypical take from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/movies/19wond.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss:
MR. ELLMAN didn’t tell us why he wanted us to stay after school that December afternoon in 1981. When we got to the classroom — cinderblock walls, like all the others, with a dreary view of the parking lot — we smelled popcorn.
...Mr. Ellman started the projector whirring. “It’s a Wonderful Life” filled the screen.
I was not a mushy kid. My ears were fed a steady stream of the Clash and the Jam, and I was doing my best to conjure a dyed-haired, wry, angry-young-man teenage persona. But I was enthralled that afternoon in Brooklyn. In the years that followed, my affection for “It’s a Wonderful Life” has never waned, despite the film’s overexposure and sugar-sweet marketing, and the rolling eyes of friends and family.
Lots of people love this movie of course. But I’m convinced it’s for the wrong reasons. Because to me “It’s a Wonderful Life” is anything but a cheery holiday tale.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is a terrifying, asphyxiating story about growing up and relinquishing your dreams, of seeing your father driven to the grave before his time, of living among bitter, small-minded people. It is a story of being trapped, of compromising, of watching others move ahead and away, of becoming so filled with rage that you verbally abuse your children, their teacher and your oppressively perfect wife. It is also a nightmare account of an endless home renovation.
the rest of this review is here.and then we have some trivia about the film from http://www.neatorama.com/2008/12/21/its-a-wonderful-post/
• You’ll never hear him referenced by name in the movie, but the script for IAWL says the head angel (not Clarence’s boss Joseph, but his superior) is named Franklin. Why Franklin? Well, originally, the head angel was going to be Benjamin Franklin. He was going to be shown up in heaven, tinkering away at one of his many inventions.
• The movie started as The Greatest Gift, a short story by Philip Van Doren Stern. RKO Pictures bought the rights to the story and started to rewrite some of it, but it was going nowhere fast. Ideas including Uncle Billy committing suicide and a “Good George” battling “Bad George”. Frank Capra loved the story, though, and used his own cash to buy the story from RKO. Although a few of the RKO scenes were kept, including the scene at the dance, Capra and his writers (including Dorothy Parker, who was never credited) rescued It’s a Wonderful Life and made it the classic it is today
• When you see the boys sledding near the beginning of the movie, there’s a lot going on here. First of all, all of them are wearing caps with skull and crossbones. That’s because they all belong to a secret club (boys only, I’m sure). And among the boys there are Ernie and Sam Wainwright. Ernie isn’t ever referenced in the movie, but you know it’s Sam because he gives his “hee haw” sign. Also, if you look close, you’ll see that they are trespassing on old man Potter’s territory. In an earlier version of the script, Potter let his attack dogs loose (”Smithers, release the hounds.”) on the boys, and when they started running, Harry fell through the ice.
• Donna Reed grew up just outside of Denison, Iowa (not too far from Des Moines) and won a bet with Lionel Barrymore, the actor who played Mr. Potter, when he bet her that she couldn’t milk a cow. Apparently she was also an accomplished baker - her rolls won a coveted blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair when she was just 13.
• Sure, the movie looks like it takes place in a snowy December setting. But it was actually filmed during a heat wave in California (that gym with the swimming pool under the floor is Beverly Hills High School). It got so unbearable that Frank Capra actually gave everyone a day off to recover from a hard, hot day of shooting.
• The FBI kept a file on Frank Capra because they felt that It’s a Wonderful Life was nothing more than Communist propaganda. Comments included the observation that the Mr. Potter character was obviously an attempt to discredit bankers.
• Zuzu’s name comes from ZuZu gingersnaps. Jimmy Stewart cleverly calls her a little ginger snap near the end of the movie, alluding to the origins of her name. Also, there used to be an all-girl band called Zuzu’s Petals - the lead singer of the band, Laurie Lindeen, is married to former Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg.
• Since Sesame Street first introduced our favorite Muppet odd couple, there has been speculation that they were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the cab driver from It’s a Wonderful Life. Not true, says longtime Muppet writer and puppeteer Jerry Juhl. It’s just a coincidence.
• And, finally, a bit of thievery from my mental_floss post on National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation - The Capra family must have Christmas in their genes. The assistant director of Christmas Vacation, Frank Capra III, is the grandson of the legendary Frank Capra, who directed It’s a Wonderful Life. The part where Clark “fixes” the newel post by sawing it off with a chainsaw is an homage to It’s a Wonderful Life – the newel post at the Bailey’s house was also loose. Also, Russ is watching It’s a Wonderful Life on TV when his grandparents arrive.
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UPDATE: Mellissa's own words regarding Rick Warren and Saddleback Chruch:
Brothers and sisters the choice is ours now. We have the world's attention. We have the capability to create change, awesome change in this world, but before we change minds we must change hearts. Sure, there are plenty of hateful people who will always hold on to their bigotry like a child to a blanket. But there are also good people out there, Christian and otherwise that are beginning to listen. They don't hate us, they fear change. Maybe in our anger, as we consider marches and boycotts, perhaps we can consider stretching out our hands. Maybe instead of marching on his church, we can show up en mass and volunteer for one of the many organizations affiliated with his church that work for HIV/AIDS causes all around the world.
Maybe if they get to know us, they wont fear us.
I know, call me a dreamer, but I feel a new era is upon us.
Melissa's full blog post here.
ok, and here is her wife's words:
let's say i am wearing a baseball cap. now what if i want to call it a yamaka? you know- it's basically the same thing, but one is missing the sun visor. i don't call my caps yamakas... cuz that is a religious name for a hat that is worn by religious people. now if i apply that thinking to this situation.... i would like to think of it as.... if they afford us the EXACT SAME RIGHTS, then who cares what it's called? my friend joel can wear his yamaka. i can wear my hat. joel can light his menorah, i'll light my candle. joel can eat his matzo ball soup, and i can break crackers into my soup. joel and hanna can have a piece of paper with the word MARRIAGE on it, and all 1200 rights... and i can have a piece of paper with who-cares on it, and all 1200 rights. the word marriage is a religious, holy, word that people who go to church on sundays are told belongs to them. like yamaka, menorah, or matzo.
rick is not a televangelist. rick is not falwell. rick spoke of some "stupid" things he's said (his word, not mine), some missquotes that were given, and lots of ammunition from the media. all excellent points. (we're all war-minded right now, you know. it's easy for the media to distract us by throwing us into our own verbal wars here at home.) ) what to do, what to do.... the rest of the public is given an animation of rick warren... and then my wife meets the man behind the projections, the quotes, the "OTHER SIDE". and he is warm, caring, effusive, and LOVES gays. since he nearly swallowed honey when he hugged her, i tend to believe him. he wants our gay marriages to be just as respected and embraced as the straight marriages. he just wants to wear his yamaka, and me wear my hat.
anway. hath hell frozenth over? rick warren was humble and kind. honey and i are to go to his church sometime soon. and honey invited him to our house for an afternoon, to be with our family. (w.t.f.) her full blog post.
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