NationStates Jolt Archive

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardised beyond recognition by our American cousins?

I am an avid hater of the words 'Awsome' and 'Dude' and saying something 'Sucks'

Thankfully there are people in this world who don't talk like an extra from Bill and Ted.

The spelling of words pisses me off too, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:

I've seen far too many films to be immune from certain words, but certain spellings do annoy the crap out of me.

But what I hate most is people who use "could of/should of"... learn some fucking grammar people:mad:

Americans love offing the u's off of words, colour, like you said, armour, etc. I dated a girl from Australia and she would get so pissed at me when I would write something, such as helping her with Uni homework, and she'd say everything was misspelled.

I also prefer the spelling "theatre"

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardised beyond recognition by our American cousins?

I am an avid hater of the words 'Awsome' and 'Dude' and saying something 'Sucks'

Thankfully there are people in this world who don't talk like an extra from Bill and Ted.

The spelling of words pisses me off to, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:

English, regardless if from Americans or the Brits has bastardized many languages, when you come to think about it.

Alarming examples:
In Spain is acceptable to say "aparkeo" or "parkeo", from the English "parking".

You can say "jersei", from "jersey".

The "Real Academia de la Lengua Española", which is mainly a pain in the ass with what's acceptable and what isn't in the Spanish language, has deemed it acceptable to use "disquete", from English "diskette".

It has bastardized Japanese.

Alarming examples:

Biruidingu (BIRU)- building

kapetto- carpet

Boto- boat

TISSHUPĒPĀ- tissue paper

DOA- door

you're ok with "wanker" "tosser" though?

"hoody" "jumper" ?

And "banger" ? what the Hell does that describe?

just a few off the top of my head.

Americans find them curious. They certainly arent significant enough to "hate".

We just find them amusing,slightly annoying at best.

Thankfully, there are people in this world that dont speak with a "proper" Cockney accent either, like an extra from Oliver Twist or Mary Poppins.

Well think of us poor people in Sweden, we learn British English in school, watch American movies/tv series and sometimes we even know the English word but not the swedish. Many Tv commercials are also in English :P

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardised beyond recognition by our American cousins?

I am an avid hater of the words 'Awsome' and 'Dude' and saying something 'Sucks'

Thankfully there are people in this world who don't talk like an extra from Bill and Ted.

The spelling of words pisses me off to, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:

Oh the irony. Most "Americanisms" particularly those of spelling are actually the older spellings of words. Ya'll just adopted a lot of shit from romance languages that we didn't.

Now Noah Webster did alter a lot of previously unstandardized spellings, but many didn't catch on. Go visit Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_spelling_differences) for a more comprehensive listing of spelling variances and their root.

Well think of us poor people in Sweden, we learn British English in school, watch American movies/tv series and sometimes we even know the English word but not the swedish. Many Tv commercials are also in English :P

It's your own fault for being from such an unimportant country... :p

It's your own fault for being from such an unimportant country... :p

Haha, true true :P

I've seen far too many films to be immune from certain words, but certain spellings do annoy the crap out of me.

But what I hate most is people who use "could of/should of"... learn some fucking grammar people:mad:

Hmmmmmm.....I hate grammar police too...people have different styles of writing, I write alot...short stories, poetry etc and never ever watch my grammar...grammar is anally retentive...it puts you in a box...look at some of the great writers such as Will Self...grammar goes out the window!

Writing is about content not the logistics...grammar police are the accountants of the literary world...fact

And yes I have stated a sentence with 'And' And yes...I type silly dots after every point to emphasise it......see! ;)

To be honest now, I can deal with most of the spelling (although things like "tonite" do make me shudder), but what I find appaling is the pronounciation rather than the spelling.

It's genu-ee-ne, not genyuine, for heaven's sake!
And it's router (with a long "oo" sound), not "rawter. It comes from the word "route", I always thought that was fairly obvious.

Oh the irony. Most "Americanisms" particularly those of spelling are actually the older spellings of words. Ya'll just adopted a lot of shit from romance languages that we didn't.

Now Noah Webster did alter a lot of previously unstandardized spellings, but many didn't catch on. Go visit Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_spelling_differences) for a more comprehensive listing of spelling variances and their root.

The real Irony here is you are using Wiki as a reliable source haha! ;)

If I could speak entirely in Cockney Rhyming Slang, I would.

If I could speak entirely in Cockney Rhyming Slang, I would.

Like Brad Pitt in the movie "Snatch" ?

what the Hell was he speaking?

It was like Popeye on crack

If I could speak entirely in Cockney Rhyming Slang, I would.

Awight Guvnor wud you adam and eve it...lent my boy a pony and hes only bleedin spent the lot on a ruby murray...my trouble and strife will be doin her nut in!!

Like Brad Pitt in the movie "Snatch" ?

what the Hell was he speaking?

It was like Popeye on crack

hahaha He was playing an irish gypsy not a cockney!!

The spelling of words pisses me off too, things like Aluminum (Aluminium)

I thought aluminium was an american word bastardised by us

I thought aluminium was an american word bastardised by us

Hey Dundee...you support Dundee United?

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardised beyond recognition by our American cousins?

I am an avid hater of the words 'Awsome' and 'Dude' and saying something 'Sucks'

Thankfully there are people in this world who don't talk like an extra from Bill and Ted.

The spelling of words pisses me off too, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:

Meh it's langauge so it's bound to change, only snobs moan about such change. I use dude enough, but then I also use nowt, so like I said meh(and just where does meh come from I wonder).

so like I said meh(and just where does meh come from I wonder).

The Simpsons

Hey Dundee...you support Dundee United?

Nope i'm Northern Irish (a student here) so I support teams that are even worse than them :p

Strange to say that..

If you keep in mind that English itself is a mixture of western germanic (it originates from the anglo-saxons,juts who were germanic tribes who migrated to britain - you guys probably know all that better than I do), scandinavian germanic from the viking invaders, latin-descendants (predominantly a french dialect from the norman invaders:norman).

So you can't really talk about the bastardization of the English language, for the very simple reason that it was not that pure from admixtures in the first place. And Language localization(localisation:p ) is a pretty common and natural thing for a living and evolving organism such as language.

hahaha He was playing an irish gypsy not a cockney!!

same thing to us :p
sorta like Bill & Ted to you

English, regardless if from Americans or the Brits has bastardized many languages, when you come to think about it.

Alarming examples:
In Spain is acceptable to say "aparkeo" or "parkeo", from the English "parking".

You can say "jersei", from "jersey".

The "Real Academia de la Lengua Española", which is mainly a pain in the ass with what's acceptable and what isn't in the Spanish language, has deemed it acceptable to use "disquete", from English "diskette".

It has bastardized Japanese.

Alarming examples:

Biruidingu (BIRU)- building

kapetto- carpet

Boto- boat

TISSHUPĒPĀ- tissue paper

DOA- door

You are rather skimming over the Spanish bastardisation of English

Alcove, Rodeo, armada and barbeque.

The shame :(

Strange to say that..

If you keep in mind that English itself is a mixture of western germanic (it originates from the anglo-saxons,juts who were germanic tribes who migrated to britain - you guys probably know all that better than I do), scandinavian germanic from the viking invaders, latin-descendants (predominantly a french dialect from the norman invaders:norman).

So you can't really talk about the bastardization of the English language, for the very simple reason that it was not that pure from admixtures in the first place. And Language localization(localisation:p ) is a pretty common and natural thing for a living and evolving organism such as language.

Splitting hairs now...you know exactly what I mean...Im talking about the english language not its roots...anyone worth his salt knows where the language comes from, but when it was created I dont think anyone could envisage the word awsome..an anomaly best swept under the proverbial carpet...

Nope i'm Northern Irish (a student here) so I support teams that are even worse than them :p

Was going to ask you to lay down and die tonight if you were haha...im a hoops fan and we need to win for the title tonight!!

You are rather skimming over the Spanish bastardisation of English

Alcove, Rodeo, armada and barbeque.

The shame :(

All languages have bastardized each other. I was merely giving two examples related to the OP.

Splitting hairs now...you know exactly what I mean...I'm talking about the English language not its roots...anyone worth his salt knows where the language comes from, but when it was created I don't think anyone could envisage the word awesome..an anomaly best swept under the proverbial carpet...
Fixed grammatical errors.

Translation:
How dare you show that I'm an elitist snob by pointing out that the language that I want to protect from bastardization exists only through the bastardization of other languages and has been at no point a "pure" language.

I thought aluminium was an american word bastardised by us

It kinda was. I think it was originally named aluminum. But sometime in the 19th Century there was a move to standardise the metals to have the -ium suffix.

frex. Iron = Ferium, Silver = Argentium etc

Obviously it didn't work, but aluminium was the casualty.

I'm sure wiki covers it, but it isn't playing nice with my internet at work :(
It will probably be en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#etymology or something.

It kinda was. I think it was originally named aluminum. But sometime in the 19th Century there was a move to standardise the metals to have the -ium suffix.

frex. Iron = Ferium, Silver = Argentium etc

Obviously it didn't work, but aluminium was the casualty.

I'm sure wiki covers it, but it isn't playing nice with my internet at work :(
It will probably be en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#etymology or something.

Thats an interesting fact if true, but again, wiki is hardly the bible when it comes to hard truths.

All languages have bastardized each other. I was merely giving two examples related to the OP.

I know... that was kinda my point...

All this knicker twisting is kinda fun though.

But I would hesitate calling the use or loan words "bastardisation." I think to a certain extent they help enrich a language. Bastardisation is more slovenly and lazy use of language. Which debases and waters down words and users' vocabularies.

Or maybe that's just me.

Splitting hairs now...you know exactly what I mean...Im talking about the english language not its roots...anyone worth his salt knows where the language comes from, but when it was created I dont think anyone could envisage the word awsome..an anomaly best swept under the proverbial carpet...

Well the language was never created at some exact moment, it evolved from other older languages and so it seems to evolve still. Some view these changes as debasing, I would rather see them as a sign of vitality and creativeness of the users. Consider that in the early nineteenth century a word like handbook was considered as a "tastless innovation" and you might understand my opinion a little better.

Splitting hairs now...you know exactly what I mean...Im talking about the english language not its roots...anyone worth his salt knows where the language comes from, but when it was created I dont think anyone could envisage the word awsome..an anomaly best swept under the proverbial carpet...

That's the thing, though. Language always and inevitably evolves. Sure, we try to put it in boxes by creating dictionaries and grammar guides and teachers who whack us over the knuckles with rulers.
This is not to say I don't like, respect and have pet peeves about grammar: I can't stand it when people misuse homonyms and misplace apostrophes.
But I understand language is living, that through use it will change. Exposure to new things, whether other cultures or new technology, means the language has to find ways to describe those things. In addition, each generation finds its own words to distinguish itself from the previous generation. A hundred years ago, the phrase "hipster douchebag" would have been meaningless and weird, but today it accurately describes a cultural concept. Even the dictionary adds new words every year.
To be too loose with the language can create situations where your meaning is unclear, and to be too tight with it restricts the ways you can express yourself.
As Aristotle suggested, moderation in all things.

Fixed grammatical errors.

Translation:

American English is NOT a language derived from a completely different one, so your point is null and void.

As much as I loathe to say it, we speak the same tongue with the obvious horrible variants.

The germanic/french languages were unrecognisable from the English we speak today so for you to compare the two is ludicrous, I would have thought that you, a reasonably intelligent Grammar nazi would be able to do the sums and concede the point ;)

Awight Guvnor wud you adam and eve it...lent my boy a pony and hes only bleedin spent the lot on a ruby murray...my trouble and strife will be doin her nut in!!

I fuckin' 'ate pikeys.

This is not to say I don't like, respect and have pet peeves about grammar: I can't stand it when people misuse homonyms and misplace apostrophes.

IN HEAVENS NAME WHY??????!!

When you read a story are you really that bothered about the punctuation?

Granted the odd comma and full stop, question mark and exclamation mark don't go amiss but come on!

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardised beyond recognition by our American cousins?

I am an avid hater of the words 'Awsome' and 'Dude' and saying something 'Sucks'

Thankfully there are people in this world who don't talk like an extra from Bill and Ted.

The spelling of words pisses me off too, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that
English is as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words;
on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways, beat them
unconscious and rifled their pockets."

-James D. Nicoll

"English is the result of Norman men-at-arms attempting to pick up Saxon barmaids and is no more legitimate than any of the other results."
- H. Beam Piper

Quit your prattling chile'.

Am I the only one.....

No, you really aren't. You're about 100 years too late, when you're making an OP make sure it hasn't been said about a million times before.

American English is NOT a language derived from a completely different one, so your point is null and void.

The germanic/french languages were unrecognisable from the English we speak today so for you to compare the two is ludicrous, I would have thought that you, a reasonably intelligent Grammar nazi would be able to do the sums and concede the point ;)

Um, you know English is a Germanic language, right?

American English is NOT a language derived from a completely different one, so your point is null and void.

As much as I loathe to say it, we speak the same tongue with the obvious horrible variants.

The germanic/french languages were unrecognisable from the English we speak today so for you to compare the two is ludicrous, I would have thought that you, a reasonably intelligent Grammar nazi would be able to do the sums and concede the point ;)

My point was that languages change over time and that if you are going to complain about what Americans are doing to your language, you shouldn't make grammatical errors while doing so.

No, you really aren't. You're about 100 years too late, when you're making an OP make sure it hasn't been said about a million times before.

Oh the old 'million times' quote...like I havn't heard that a million times :rolleyes:

IN HEAVENS NAME WHY??????!!

When you read a story are you really that bothered about the punctuation?

If it gets in the way of the story, sure. Either through clumsy use or over-use of the dreaded "punctuation shaker." Which is more of a fantasy thing, so I don't come across it often.

Incidentally "awesome" was originally and English word. But admittedly, it had a decidedly different meaning to how it is used now (cf. Eddie Izzard)

Oh the old 'million times' quote...like I havn't heard that a million times :rolleyes:

If you don't like hearing it then I guess you need to start being more original...

My point was that languages change over time and that if you are going to complain about what Americans are doing to your language, you shouldn't make grammatical errors while doing so.

I write as I wish, and my grammar, or lack of it, is my own prerogative ;)

If you don't like hearing it I guess you need to start being more original then...

As should you with posts that lend more to content rather than hot air. ;)

It kinda was. I think it was originally named aluminum. But sometime in the 19th Century there was a move to standardise the metals to have the -ium suffix.

frex. Iron = Ferium, Silver = Argentium etc

Obviously it didn't work, but aluminium was the casualty.

I'm sure wiki covers it, but it isn't playing nice with my internet at work :(
It will probably be en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#etymology or something.

It was originally called Alumium by the guy who invented it (Humphry Davy I think). Then he changed his mind and went for Aluminum, but the Brits said it had to be -ium so called it Aluminium.

Um, you know English is a Germanic language, right?

erm? Is this what we have just been discussing?

Gun please?

Oh sorry...im in the UK...you will have to settle for a bitch slap :cool:

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardi[z]ed beyond recognition by our American cousins?



Too much Europe!

'Should of/Could of' are actually incorrect. Though surfing chat pages created by retarded, obese American six-year-olds may tell you otherwise, they actually mean 'could have/should have'. I should know; I lived in this infernal hellhole called the United States for 5 years :mad:. Still, American English is as acceptable as British English, and it would be very much like if a German back in Berlin criticized (yes, with a 'z') English for being improper German. The two 'English's split off 200 years ago! Come on, have some common sense!

If the Americans bastardized it beyond recognition, the Australians, Kiwis, Irish, South Africans, and other non-Britons (but not Canadians) have done the same. Many of my Australian friends say entire sentences I do not understand. What is "good on me"? What is "fair dinkum"? What is a "happy little vegemite"?

Even within the same country, some forms of English are unintelligible. It is linguistically fascinating.

'Should of/Could of' are actually incorrect. Though surfing chat pages created by retarded, obese American six-year-olds may tell you otherwise, they actually mean 'could have/should have'. I should know; I lived in this infernal hellhole called the United States for 5 years :mad:. Still, American English is as acceptable as British English, and it would be very much like if a German back in Berlin criticized (yes, with a 'z') English for being improper German. The two 'English's split off 200 years ago! Come on, have some common sense!


This Germanic/English comparison needs to be put to bed

Whilst English did indeed evolve from the aforementioned...it has no more in common with it now as chinese.

I write as I wish, and my grammar, or lack of it, is my own prerogative ;)

Does that apply only to you or to all people?:D
(I assume you notice the irony in it:P)

Okay, you may be right, BEEKER. Still, they are two separate dialects and should be treated as such.

Do you know those languages that some Flemish still speak? That are theoretically one language and many dialects, but they are not mutually understandable?

Anyway, it is one language until the grammar changes, and it hasn't yet.

This Germanic/English comparison needs to be put to bed

Whilst English did indeed evolve from the aforementioned...it has no more in common with it now as chinese.

Actually it has a lot more in common with German than it does with Chinese.

Does that apply only to you or to all people?:D
(I assume you notice the irony in it:P)

It applies to both me and my ego...anyone else is irrelevant and here to make up the numbers :cool:

Okay, you may be right, BEEKER. Still, they are two separate dialects and should be treated as such.

Do you know those languages that some Flemish still speak? That are theoretically one language and many dialects, but they are not mutually understandable?

Anyway, it is one language until the grammar changes, and it hasn't yet.

Is that right?

I thought there wasn't a broad consensus on a definite difference between dialect and language. Grammar or no...

"a language is a dialect with an army and a navy" as the saying goes.

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardised beyond recognition by our American cousins?

I am an avid hater of the words 'Awsome' and 'Dude' and saying something 'Sucks'

Thankfully there are people in this world who don't talk like an extra from Bill and Ted.

The spelling of words pisses me off too, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:

Listen ya'll, as long as people are communicating, why does it matter whats being said? I understand you brits are all hoo-haw about speaking properly because ya'll have some sort of caste-system (ahem) I mean class-system, and ya'll use the english language to judge other people.

But really, are you just as upset about how the Chongdu province of China has bastardized Mandarin? You know they say Zu instead of Tsao. That really pisses me off.

Is that right?

I thought there wasn't a broad consensus on a definite difference between dialect and language. Grammar or no...

"a language is a dialect with an army and a navy" as the saying goes.

In my opinion at least, it is. I mean, Aussies talk very differently, but the grammar is the same, and it is one language.

That's just my opinion, and I'm sure BEEKER would say I'm wrong.

The bastardisation of the language does not bother me.

However I would like to point out that the many Canadians, Aussies, South Africans, Kiwi's and many Europeans (epsc Germans) tend to use British English.

Obviously there are regional differences. There are differences in all languages. Northern Germans speak slightly different compared to Southern Germans. That's just one of the many examples. Just the scale of difference between British English, and American English is rather shocking.

Okay, you may be right, BEEKER. Still, they are two separate dialects and should be treated as such.

Do you know those languages that some Flemish still speak? That are theoretically one language and many dialects, but they are not mutually understandable?

Anyway, it is one language until the grammar changes, and it hasn't yet.

I can understand that...I also speak fluent Welsh, Originally from North Wales, Our dialect is completely different from that of our Southern Countrymen and at times it is almost impossible to understand one another.

I can understand that...I also speak fluent Welsh, Originally from North Wales, Our dialect is completely different from that of our Southern Countrymen and at times it is almost impossible to understand one another.

I'm not surprised. In America, most Okies would find it hard to understand New Yorkers, and vice versa. No one can understand Texans. :D

I'm not surprised. In America, most Okies would find it hard to understand New Yorkers, and vice versa. No one can understand Texans. :D

Texiansh is not English.

BTW, why the heck is "aussie" pronounced ozzy(ozbourne)?
Shouldn't it be ausie? Or pronounced awsee?

Texiansh is not English.
texiansh is not really a word:D

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardised beyond recognition by our American cousins?

I am an avid hater of the words 'Awsome' and 'Dude' and saying something 'Sucks'

Thankfully there are people in this world who don't talk like an extra from Bill and Ted.

The spelling of words pisses me off too, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:

We just improved the language, dude.

It is totally awesome now.

And all you Brits spell wrong.

:p

Texiansh is not English.

'My feller Texans, dem Pakis and Iranish peoples is tryin' tah gets some of those nukuylar weapons. We gots tah stops them or they am gonna to nuke us. They also is havin' oils which is we needed. Now lets going on a hunt to shoot dem mexicani people! Who am with me?'

We just improved the language, dude.

It is totally awesome now.

And all you Brits spell wrong.

:p
Lol, u rock dude:D

Teh Roxorz!!!11 (http://pixdaus.com/pics/HCn46rXvl5tnxU86Iy.jpg)

BTW, why the heck is "aussie" pronounced ozzy(ozbourne)?
Shouldn't it be ausie? Or pronounced awsee?


Owing to a strange peculiarity of english, it is, in fact, pronounced convict.

Owing to a strange peculiarity of english, it is, in fact, pronounced convict.

Good one. :D

Awight Guvnor wud you adam and eve it...lent my boy a pony and hes only bleedin spent the lot on a ruby murray...my trouble and strife will be doin her nut in!!
SPLENDID.

Since we started this whole linguistic talk,
is geeklish a digital dialect of english?:confused: :headbang: :sniper:

Since we started this whole linguistic talk,
is geeklish a digital dialect of english?:confused: :headbang: :sniper:
Roflolzomgbbq! Uv korse it iz!!!11!!!1!1! Duh thta iz obvouiois

*Bump*

*Bump*
Did you make that sound?

Ok, hopefully the thread was diverted to a less controversial issue:rolleyes:

Did you make that sound?

Ok, hopefully the thread was diverted to a less controversial issue:rolleyes:

Meh...

Meh...

I sense imminent post deletes:p

I fuckin' 'ate pikeys.

You do realise he was speaking cockney, pikey is another word for gypsy, and gypsy and cockney are incredibly different.

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardised beyond recognition by our American cousins?

I am an avid hater of the words 'Awsome' and 'Dude' and saying something 'Sucks'

Thankfully there are people in this world who don't talk like an extra from Bill and Ted.

The spelling of words pisses me off too, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:

One could just as easily say that Shakespeare bastardized the pure English of Chaucer. No one owns a language; it changes with geography and time, and there is nothing wrong with this. Incidentally, given the fact that you have expressed a contempt for grammar, you have no right to complain. Bad grammar is an error, use of a particular dialect is not.

Language constantly evolves.. no one correct... and so on

BUT

The American pronounciation of "route" is truly unforgivable.

Not only do I say 'dude' and sucks, but I use the following(among many others)on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis:

"I'm fixin' to____"

"might could"

"y'all"

"crik" (which is a channel of running water smaller than a river but larger than a stream)

and "nukular" as opposed to "newwcleer"

Language constantly evolves.. no one correct... and so on

BUT

The American pronounciation of "route" is truly unforgivable.

Just so you know, there is no "American pronunciation" of "route," seeing as that word's pronunciation varies within America. My friends from New England were astonished to learn that I (a Midwesterner) grew up saying "rowt," since they'd always heard it as "root." (Nowadays, which version I use depends entirely on context. The street I lived on as a small child is still quite definitely Rural ROWT 1, but I look for the best ROOT to my friend's house.)

I was very confused to read "an hotel" in a book written by an English author. But then I put on my best cockney impression and read it "an 'otel" and all became clear.

English, regardless if from Americans or the Brits has bastardized many languages, when you come to think about it.

...

It has bastardized Japanese.

Alarming examples:

Biruidingu (BIRU)- building

kapetto- carpet

Boto- boat

TISSHUPĒPĀ- tissue paper

DOA- door

I'm not sure how these are examples of American bastardization of Japanese since these words were borrowed from English, hence they are written in katakana.

... unless I'm completely misreading your point, in which case, carry on. :)

In any case, I don't find American spelling so much a problem (as English as a constantly evolving language has made dropping the 'u' and rearranging certain letters more or less acceptable). I do however, take issue with lazy English and people who don't bother learning proper grammar and punctuation and the basics of the language.

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardised beyond recognition by our American cousins?

I am an avid hater of the words 'Awsome' and 'Dude' and saying something 'Sucks'

Thankfully there are people in this world who don't talk like an extra from Bill and Ted.

The spelling of words pisses me off too, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:

man, i'm british and i use all those words. largely because i love Bill & Ted ;)

but i do spell em right :D



btw, do americans say "ill" - to mean being poorly or suffering from illness? it was in a book glitzi was reading recently (eg "oh he's a limey... i bet he says things like ill, and flat, and lift...")

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardised beyond recognition by our American cousins?

I am an avid hater of the words 'Awsome' and 'Dude' and saying something 'Sucks'

Thankfully there are people in this world who don't talk like an extra from Bill and Ted.

The spelling of words pisses me off too, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:

Need someone to call the waaaaaaaambulance?

If you can't preserve your own damn dialect, that's not our problem.

man, i'm british and i use all those words. largely because i love Bill & Ted ;)

but i do spell em right :D



btw, do americans say "ill" - to mean being poorly or suffering from illness? it was in a book glitzi was reading recently (eg "oh he's a limey... i bet he says things like ill, and flat, and lift...")

We don't use "ill" that often. Generally it means sick or it's used as part of another word ("ill-natured" being the only one that comes to mind). At least around here.

Keep in mind, the US is a very large country, so regional word use differs greatly.

To be honest now, I can deal with most of the spelling (although things like "tonite" do make me shudder), but what I find appaling is the pronounciation rather than the spelling.

It's genu-ee-ne, not genyuine, for heaven's sake!
And it's router (with a long "oo" sound), not "rawter. It comes from the word "route", I always thought that was fairly obvious.

route rhymes with out. router rhymes with outer. it's gen-U-ine. damn it.

[/okie accent]

btw, do americans say "ill" - to mean being poorly or suffering from illness? it was in a book glitzi was reading recently (eg "oh he's a limey... i bet he says things like ill, and flat, and lift...")

Around here we mostly say sick, unless it's old people and they talk about people 'falling ill' which is usually how sick you are right before you die.

btw, do americans say "ill" - to mean being poorly or suffering from illness? it was in a book glitzi was reading recently (eg "oh he's a limey... i bet he says things like ill, and flat, and lift...")

Around here (Missouri), we do say "ill" occasionally, but not nearly as often as "sick." "Ill" would generally sound slightly stilted or formal to us, but it's definitely a great deal more likely to be heard than "flat" or "lift." :)

route rhymes with out. router rhymes with outer. it's gen-U-ine. damn it.

[/okie accent]

Northern California accent seems to approach "route" the same way, but we say "gen-you-in"

See, that's what I don't like about this kind of thread. People seem to think that the US is some monolithic entity, when really, especially when it comes to how people speak, it's often more a hodgepodge of different regions who all (sort of) speak the same language.

man, i'm british and i use all those words. largely because i love Bill & Ted ;)

How can one not love Bill & Ted?




As far as "ill", I do say it occasionally myself, but I'm weird, and I love my crazy vocab.

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardised beyond recognition by our American cousins?

I am an avid hater of the words 'Awsome' and 'Dude' and saying something 'Sucks'

Thankfully there are people in this world who don't talk like an extra from Bill and Ted.

The spelling of words pisses me off too, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:

All your English language are belong to us.

:D

man, i'm british and i use all those words. largely because i love Bill & Ted ;)

but i do spell em right :D

Awsome was a typo...but it is just as obnoxious spelt correctly and to me represents a non word unrecognisable by anyone who values the worth of true speech and the written word... so to you in a nutshell.... I couldn't be arsed correcting myself ;)

All your English language are belong to us.

:D

Oh come on Gunny!! Thats just too nerdy for words haha!

10 out of 10 effort though ;)

http://www.fstdt.com/funnyimages/uploads/327.jpg (http://www.fstdt.com/)

English, regardless if from Americans or the Brits has bastardized many languages, when you come to think about it.

Alarming examples:
In Spain is acceptable to say "aparkeo" or "parkeo", from the English "parking".

You can say "jersei", from "jersey".

The "Real Academia de la Lengua Española", which is mainly a pain in the ass with what's acceptable and what isn't in the Spanish language, has deemed it acceptable to use "disquete", from English "diskette".

It has bastardized Japanese.

Alarming examples:

Biruidingu (BIRU)- building

kapetto- carpet

Boto- boat

TISSHUPĒPĀ- tissue paper

DOA- door

no no no no


you dont understand. english and spanish are mixing, forging a new language...the language of the furture SPANGLISH!

face it..and start learning it or youll be left behind.

But what I hate most is people who use "could of/should of"... learn some fucking grammar people:mad:

Just so long as we're clear that that's simple ignorance, rather than an Americanism. :p That one annoys me as well.

You do realise he was speaking cockney, pikey is another word for gypsy, and gypsy and cockney are incredibly different.

They'll both nick your wallet in a heartbeat though.

But what I hate most is people who use "could of/should of"... learn some fucking grammar people:mad:

Those are quicker and more comfortable to say the could have and should have in conversations.

Those are quicker and more comfortable to say the could have and should have in conversations.

What he was saying is that "should of" doesn't exist. There isn't a debate there. You're just misspelling "should've" if you're writing it that way, and saying "should've" if you're saying it aloud.

Anyway, an Americanism to me is a word we use here that other English-speakers don't use. "Color" without a "u" is a regional spelling, rather than an Americanism, for example, though the word can be used that way. Under my definition (which is also the definition used by dictionaries of Americanisms - yes, they exist), there haven't been any Americanisms used in this thread yet. :p Maybe someone can think of one.

I love it when people pretend that English is the ONLY language to EVER develope a dialect.

The spelling of words pisses me off too, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:

If you want to be technical It is the British side of the Atlantic that has "bastardized" the language or at least more so then we Americans have.
You see in the middle of the Great English Vowel Shift was when the north American Colonist were coming across the pond.
The British kept changing their vowels sounds and the spellings that accompany them, where as the Colonist kept to a more traditional pronunciation.

Now we both have changed the Language, but perhaps a study in linguistic history is in order before you accuse anyone of bastardizing the language.

Hey, so we're talkin' aboot language here, eh?

If you want to be technical It is the British side of the Atlantic that has "bastardized" the language or at least more so then we Americans have.
You see in the middle of the Great English Vowel Shift was when the north American Colonist were coming across the pond.
The British kept changing their vowels sounds and the spellings that accompany them, where as the Colonist kept to a more traditional pronunciation.

Now we both have changed the Language, but perhaps a study in linguistic history is in order before you accuse anyone of bastardizing the language.

By definition, the English can not have 'bastardised' their (our) own language simply because it is English. We have made changes which the Americans could have chosen to use but did not.

Those are quicker and more comfortable to say the could have and should have in conversations.

It is also quicker and more comfortable to mumble and slur your words (for me anyway).

That doesn't mean I should do it in conversations.

By definition, the English can not have 'bastardised' their (our) own language simply because it is English. We have made changes which the Americans could have chosen to use but did not.

It ceased to solely be your language when groups outside of england spoke it as a first language.
but hey lets have a vote.
population of england 50 mil.
population of USA 300 mil.
not to mention we have a much more uniformed accent.


Seems like it is our language now.

we would call it americanese but that just sounds weird.

Around here we mostly say sick, unless it's old people and they talk about people 'falling ill' which is usually how sick you are right before you die.

We don't use "ill" that often. Generally it means sick or it's used as part of another word ("ill-natured" being the only one that comes to mind). At least around here.

Keep in mind, the US is a very large country, so regional word use differs greatly.

Around here (Missouri), we do say "ill" occasionally, but not nearly as often as "sick." "Ill" would generally sound slightly stilted or formal to us, but it's definitely a great deal more likely to be heard than "flat" or "lift." :)


As far as "ill", I do say it occasionally myself, but I'm weird, and I love my crazy vocab.
that's really interesting, and surprising.... i never knew that! here "sick" typically means feeling nauseous, and ill is 'unwell'. oooohhh....

How can one not love Bill & Ted?
QFT :D

It ceased to solely be your language when groups outside of england spoke it as a first language.
but hey lets have a vote.
population of england 50 mil.
population of USA 300 mil.
not to mention we have a much more uniformed accent.


Seems like it is our language now.

we would call it americanese but that just sounds weird.

Your arrogance astounds me. Officialy in the UK (and I would hope in many other polaces in the World) the American version of English is named American English.

300 million speakers or not, your language is a bastardisation

having said that Several American spellings are much more logical for example the spelling of color and center (looking the way they sound).

having said that Several American spellings are much more logical for example the spelling of color and center (looking the way they sound).

I disagree...Color sounds wrong when spoken aloud...think about it...

Col-or

Thats not how its pronounced...its Colour pronounced with an 'uh' not an 'o'

As for center...ok it might sound right...but on the page?? It visually disgusts me ;)

Your arrogance astounds me. Officialy in the UK (and I would hope in many other polaces in the World) the American version of English is named American English.

300 million speakers or not, your language is a bastardisation

having said that Several American spellings are much more logical for example the spelling of color and center (looking the way they sound).

Bastardization denotes change. Our way of speaking is less changed from the original then yours.

Bastardization denotes change. Our way of speaking is less changed from the original then yours.


Its our language so therefore we do as we please with it, If you chose not to update the language you have decided to speak then you are nothing more than slang slingers

The Queens English is set in stone.

In other words...as far as OUR language is concerned...you dont have a leg to stand on. :cool:

Bastardization denotes change. Our way of speaking is less changed from the original then yours.

Ah well, I'll stop arguing with you now and concede lest i either annoy you to the point of /ignore or i flame you and make myself look even more of a retard in the process..

i'm still a bit miffed/pissed that a bunch of peasant farmers with a lil help from the French decimated the British ocupational force in the revolution :p

having said that Several American spellings are much more logical for example the spelling of color and center (looking the way they sound).

But then how do we differentiate between the noun and the verb! :eek:

But then how do we differentiate between the noun and the verb! :eek:

We umm, make another change to the language?? :p

Its our language so therefore we do as we please with it, If you chose not to update the language you have decided to speak then you are nothing more than slang slingers

The Queens English is set in stone.

In other words...as far as OUR language is concerned...you dont have a leg to stand on. :cool:

Forsooth.

Its our language so therefore we do as we please with it, If you chose not to update the language you have decided to speak then you are nothing more than slang slingers

The Queens English is set in stone.

In other words...as far as OUR language is concerned...you dont have a leg to stand on. :cool:

In stone you say ??
then why is it We seem to be the ones who's language has changed the least.
If you change your language ever King or Queen then it is far from set in stone.

We might as well all sound like yokels and speak the "President's" English if we were to follow your example.

MY Language seems to be the one spoken by the majority. and as a second Language it is spoken by more people in the world.

In stone you say ??
then why is it We seem to be the ones who's language has changed the least.
If you change your language ever King or Queen then it is far from set in stone.

We might as well all sound like yokels and speak the "President's" English if we were to follow your example.

MY Language seems to be the one spoken by the majority. and as a second Language it is spoken by more people in the world.


This is the trouble you see...no sense of decorum.

The bottom line is you are all descendants of our less than desirable citizens whom we shipped as far away as possible to avoid embarrassment, and you, like the Australians, seem to have created this unfounded delusion of grandeur which is a constant source of amusement to both me and the other residents of this fair isle, you see far from advance the morals and standards in both language and etiquette, you have eroded them so considerably as to force your superior distant relatives to denounce you as the devolutionary heathens that you are....

More tea?

Ah...I forgot...you drink coffee...just one more reason to ostracise you ;)

Officialy in the UK (and I would hope in many other polaces in the World) the American version of English is named American English.

WOW!!! Astonishing!
Now for something entirely different...
Guess what's the name for the British version of English.

What was your point again?

i get very annoyed, when installing software, being asked for the language and it only giving me an "English (US)" option. english =/= the US... why not just call it 'English', full stop (period), and not insult the British, the Australians, the Canadians, etc, etc:headbang:

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardised beyond recognition by our American cousins?

I am an avid hater of the words 'Awsome' and 'Dude' and saying something 'Sucks'

Thankfully there are people in this world who don't talk like an extra from Bill and Ted.

The spelling of words pisses me off too, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:
Dude, Americanisms are, like, totally awesome, like aluminum in the center of a color circle, or something like that...sorry, my description sucks.

But seriously, what's wrong with awesome and dude, or for that matter, alternate word spellings? You don't have a monopoly on the English language, you know. After all, what we speak now is hardly the original English--as you might recall, English changed quite a bit after the Danish/Viking invasions followed by the Norse invasion.

And of course you have whatever English itself might've changed from...

Really, though, the point is, no language is owned by anyone. Now, mind, I have a tendency to use British English spellings--and unlike most Americans, I say zed--but that's me doing my own thing. I hardly see why people spelling centre as center matters all that much.

Now, I can tell you one thing that does piss me off: the word anyhow. It's anyway, damn it! NOT ANYHOW. ANYWAY! WAY! :headbang:

route rhymes with out. router rhymes with outer. it's gen-U-ine. damn it.

[/okie accent]

Route sounds identical to root.
And Genuine rhymes with Bedhuine. :p

i get very annoyed, when installing software, being asked for the language and it only giving me an "English (US)" option. english =/= the US... why not just call it 'English', full stop (period), and not insult the British, the Australians, the Canadians, etc, etc:headbang:

Because usually in many software programs there is also an option for "English(British/UK/Whatever)" ect? You know, alternate dialects?

Hey Dundee...you support Dundee United?

All the cool people do

*Is cool*

All the cool people do

*Is cool*

haha Up the Hoops!!!

haha Up the Hoops!!!

lol boooooooo!!! Oh well, least it wasn't Rangers! Might have had to throw something then lol

You are rather skimming over the Spanish bastardisation of English

Alcove, Rodeo, armada and barbeque.

The shame :(

"Barbecue" comes from French, not English. It derives from "barbe au cul", which means "from the beard to the arse" - i.e., you shove the spit all the way through the pig before roasting it.

Then the French re-adopted the English word originally derived from French... It's enough to give anyone a headache. :p

lol boooooooo!!! Oh well, least it wasn't Rangers! Might have had to throw something then lol

Yeah now all we need is Queen of the South to beat them in the cup and my year will be made!!

Dirty Huns!! ;)

"Barbecue" comes from French, not English. It derives from "barbe au cul", which means "from the beard to the arse" - i.e., you shove the spit all the way through the pig before roasting it.

Then the French re-adopted the English word originally derived from French... It's enough to give anyone a headache. :p

Ha. That is pretty cool. I like it when stuff like that happens. (And I am one of those mutants that actually likes etymology)

But anyway, my list was more a quick and dirty list in response to the so-called "alarming examples." I may have been wrong, but I think the point remains intact.

"Barbecue" comes from French, not English. It derives from "barbe au cul", which means "from the beard to the arse" - i.e., you shove the spit all the way through the pig before roasting it.

Then the French re-adopted the English word originally derived from French... It's enough to give anyone a headache. :p

That's an etertaining story no doubt, but unfortunately just an urban legend. "Barbecue" is actually borrowed from Arawak it seems.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=barbecue&searchmode=none

Yeah now all we need is Queen of the South to beat them in the cup and my year will be made!!

Dirty Huns!! ;)

Exactly! I dont think i've ever forgiven them for beating us last month. We were easily the best team!

Go QotS! *waves flag*

Bottom line, every language has different dialects because people in different places are different (such a obvious and basic concept that it looks like a sentence fragment the first time you read it). You say thing your way, we say things our way. You might as well deal with it because crying about it will just get you laughed.

"Oh boo hoo they they don't spell color with a superfluous u that doesn't change the pronunciation at all. I'm going to complain on the internet and show them! They need to spell things MY WAY."

Without any way to back up the following statement, I honestly think part of the reason we simplified the spelling of so many words was because the British get their panties in a wad about it.

Bottom line, every language has different dialects because people in different places are different (such a obvious and basic concept that it looks like a sentence fragment the first time you read it). You say thing your way, we say things our way. You might as well deal with it because crying about it will just get you laughed.

"Oh boo hoo they they don't spell color with a superfluous u that doesn't change the pronunciation at all. I'm going to complain on the internet and show them! They need to spell things MY WAY."

Without any way to back up the following statement, I honestly think part of the reason we simplified the spelling of so many words was because the British get their panties in a wad about it.


We Brits don't wear panties, it's pants! and I don't mean trousers. And wad, thats like a great pile of cash innit!

i get very annoyed, when installing software, being asked for the language and it only giving me an "English (US)" option. english =/= the US... why not just call it 'English', full stop (period), and not insult the British, the Australians, the Canadians, etc, etc:headbang:

Because in the US we speak a different dialect of English. There are other countries that speak a slightly different version of another country's language. It's not that rare.

This is the trouble you see...no sense of decorum.

The bottom line is you are all descendants of our less than desirable citizens whom we shipped as far away as possible to avoid embarrassment, and you, like the Australians, seem to have created this unfounded delusion of grandeur which is a constant source of amusement to both me and the other residents of this fair isle, you see far from advance the morals and standards in both language and etiquette, you have eroded them so considerably as to force your superior distant relatives to denounce you as the devolutionary heathens that you are....

More tea?

Ah...I forgot...you drink coffee...just one more reason to ostracise you ;)

Delusion of grandeur? Um... I don't see how speaking a
different dialect of the English language is a delusion of grandeur. If you don't like the way we speak, don't fucking come here. Not my problem that you have your panties in a bunch over it.

Do the French bitch about how the French Canadians speak?

Does Spain complain about how Mexicans speak ?

Sheesh if we had know you english were going to get your knickers in a wad we would have made French the official language after independence.

Do the French bitch about how the French Canadians speak?

Oooooooooooh yes, definitely.


Does Spain complain about how Mexicans speak ?

Don't know, but I do know the Spanish make fun of how the Argentinians speak.


Sheesh if we had know you english were going to get your knickers in a wad we would have made French the official language after independence.

And be bitched at by the French? Really? Seriously?

Naah... your fragile psyche couldn't take that, I'm sure. ;)

Oooooooooooh yes, definitely.



Don't know, but I do know the Spanish make fun of how the Argentinians speak.



And be bitched at by the French? Really? Seriously?

Naah... your fragile psyche couldn't take that, I'm sure. ;)

now i am starting to remember the French talking about music, and how everything needs to be sung in French to truly be music. So perhaps they are picky about their language as well.

Making fun of is being different from being anal about things. We make fun of the British accents all the time we wouldn't dream of suggesting you change your spelling.

Do the French bitch about how the French Canadians speak?

Does Spain complain about how Mexicans speak ?

I think they do. Fairly sure for the former, not so much regarding the latter . But personal experience says yes, yes they do.

now i am starting to remember the French talking about music, and how everything needs to be sung in French to truly be music. So perhaps they are picky about their language as well.

Making fun of is being different from being anal about things. We make fun of the British accents all the time we wouldn't dream of suggesting you change your spelling.

No... you just generally assume your version will be accepted. ;)

No... you just generally assume your version will be accepted. ;)

well our version is the world standard.

well our version is the world standard.

Er... no, sorry.
Certainly not over here. And in school in Germany we got taught the English version. There was a 3-week module in grade 9 about American English, though, followed by 3 weeks about West Indies English, another on Indian English and one on Australian/New Zealand English.

Er... no, sorry.
Certainly not over here. And in school in Germany we got taught the English version. There was a 3-week module in grade 9 about American English, though, followed by 3 weeks about West Indies English, another on Indian English and one on Australian/New Zealand English.

Indian English is quite interesting.

IIRC it seems quite stylised, florid and slightly archaic.

I wasn't too surprised when told that apparently PG Wodehouse is one of the best selling authors in India.

Indian English is quite interesting.

IIRC it seems quite stylised, florid and slightly archaic.

I wasn't too surprised when told that apparently PG Wodehouse is one of the best selling authors in India.

I always found the Caribbean English (or Englishs, even) more interesting. The influence of French, Spanish and several African languages are fascinating.

Er... no, sorry.
Certainly not over here. And in school in Germany we got taught the English version. There was a 3-week module in grade 9 about American English, though, followed by 3 weeks about West Indies English, another on Indian English and one on Australian/New Zealand English.

China learns American english. As well as Korea(south) and Japan.

China pretty much out weighs anyone.

China learns American english. As well as Korea(south) and Japan.

China pretty much out weighs anyone.

Chinese speak and write Mandarin. That doesn't make Mandarin "world standard".

Chinese speak and write Mandarin. That doesn't make Mandarin "world standard".

Mandarin is the world standard dialect of Chinese Yes.
Though not all Chinese speak Mandarin. Cantonese and Hakka are two other dialects that come to mind.

learn some fucking grammar people:mad:

yeah, the worst is when they don't pronounce final e's and get the number of the vocative addresses incorrect, calling singular people "you" instead of the grammatically correct "thou" and saying love "luv" instead of "lu-vay". it really pisses me off when people say "aye" for I, instead of "ee" or "ich".

this new-fangled slang where you pluralize things with "s" instead of the more purely english "en" is pretty annoying, too. it's just a regional variant...hopefully it won't catch on since they still use the appropriate pluralizing "-en" for a few things (child -> children), though not nearly enough. damn foreigners...linguistic innovation needs cease henceforth! it doth mé rueth soré! besides, how can I arbitrarily better my own social standing without discriminating against the dialects of other classes?

language evolves, dude. get over it. there's not such thing as "correct". there's "understood" and there's "not understood". most of english grammar is an inane attempt to force adherence to latin grammar rules anyway...

Does Spain complain about how Mexicans speak ? they'd be pretty stupid if they did...Mexican Spanish is truer to the original pronunciation than Castilian Spanish is...Spaniards lisp...(though Mexicans leave out an entire gramatical form...so does all of modern english)

and oddly enough, there are large (though shrinking) pockets in the mountains of northern america where archaic english usage more closely resembles shakespeare and chaucer than anywhere in the UK. in some places american english more closely resembles the older language...and it seems pretty idiotic to bitch about spellings to me, as spelling wasn't standardized until well after modern english developed.

they'd be pretty stupid if they did...Mexican Spanish is truer to the original pronunciation than Castilian Spanish is...Spaniards lisp...(though Mexicans leave out an entire gramatical form...so does all of modern english)

No, we do not complain about how Mexicans speak their kind of Spanish. Not even the Spanish in Spain resembles the classical one. Spanish has evolved throughout the centuries as it has come into contact with other languages.

The Spanish of Spain and that of the rest of Central and South America differs in the fact that those countires also adopted words from the natives and from the slaves that subsequently came.

An example of what I'm talking about could be seen with the word "maíz". "Maíz" is the classic form of the word corn in Spanish. Now, take "maíz" and it's reference words in places like Mexico and Peru:

Elote- Mexico
Choclo- Peru

Both are adapatations of quechua and mayan or aztec dialects spoken in the region prior to the Spanish conquest. They use "maíz" too, after all, Spain invaded those countries and remined there for 400 years. Of course, it's more common for a Mexican on Peruvian to use the words I gave as an example to refer to corn. Those are idioms after all. Spain has them too, as does all of Latin America.

Mandarin is the world standard dialect of Chinese Yes.
Though not all Chinese speak Mandarin. Cantonese and Hakka are two other dialects that come to mind.

Mandarin is the Chinese official language. It's not the world standard of Chinese.

Mandarin is the Chinese official language. It's not the world standard of Chinese.

yes. it is what is generally taught in school unless your planning to do business in Hong Kong then you get Cantonese. Also the writing system can be somewhat read in Korea and Japan (cant speak it but they know the meaning).

yes. it is what is generally taught in school unless your planning to do business in Hong Kong then you get Cantonese. Also the writing system can be somewhat read in Korea and Japan (cant speak it but they know the meaning).

Aaaaand we've come round full circle. In that case, British English is the world standard of English, as it is taught in schools around the world.

You are rather skimming over the Spanish bastardisation of English

Alcove, Rodeo, armada and barbeque.

The shame :(

You cannot bastardize english....only improve it :p

Because usually in many software programs there is also an option for "English(British/UK/Whatever)" ect? You know, alternate dialects?
err... no. that was my point. i meant when there's only one option for English - English(US). it assumes there is only one dialect of English or that US english is the one one worth noting.

if there are English(GB), English(AU), etc, then that's just fine. but i tend to find that's not the case with most software i use/install.

Because in the US we speak a different dialect of English. There are other countries that speak a slightly different version of another country's language. It's not that rare.

maybe i made my point badly, cos you don't get it either.

Does Spain complain about how Mexicans speak ?


All the time... the morons even want to change the name of OUR country...

its MeXico, not Mejico... :upyours:

I've seen far too many films to be immune from certain words, but certain spellings do annoy the crap out of me.

But what I hate most is people who use "could of/should of"... learn some fucking grammar people:mad:

Well, grammar should change with the times... I mean who says "thou shalt..." in everyday speech

I've seen far too many films to be immune from certain words, but certain spellings do annoy the crap out of me.

But what I hate most is people who use "could of/should of"... learn some fucking grammar people:mad:

"Barbecue" comes from French, not English. It derives from "barbe au cul", which means "from the beard to the arse" - i.e., you shove the spit all the way through the pig before roasting it.

Then the French re-adopted the English word originally derived from French... It's enough to give anyone a headache. :p
I thought Barbecue came from a Native American language.

Not my problem that you have your panties in a bunch over it.

It's knickers in a twist!!

See what I mean!!

Completely miss the point of the statement...more bastardisation!! :rolleyes:

I suppose we could throw you a pity party, if we could find someone to bring cookies and chips, or would you prefer biscuits and crisps? We could get them delivered in a truck, unless you prefer we use a lorry, and they could be brought up in the elevator, unless the lift is working, then we'll use that.

And we'll have a lawyer and a solicitor standing by, just in case someone chokes on something and sues us.

To be fair British spelling doesn't exactly make sense either. By which I mean we're not writing our word's phonetically so we really shouldn't have the right to criticise american spelling. I mean why does "colour" make any more sense than "color"? Wouldn't it make more sense to write it "culler" as that's what it actually sounds like when people say it. And their spelling of "aluminum" makes sense for them since that's how they say it out there. And the "center" spelling is definitely more reasonable than "centre". Who do you know who pronounces that word "centRE"?

Another point, as I'm sure someone has pointed out (although I haven't even read the other responses) English is a complete mongrel language - we have words from a huge number of different places.

Last point - "Awesome" is far less annoying/embarassing than "Groovy".

Aaaaand we've come round full circle. In that case, British English is the world standard of English, as it is taught in schools around the world.

As I have stated already with China, Korea, and Japan American english is the more commonly Taught English around the world.
British english is only taught in former colonies many of whom have gone on to teach their own dialects. Even Hong Kong now teaches American English(sort of a mainland dictate though).
Shoot I might not know which they teach in German schools, but you know what I have lived in Germany (given 10 years ago so things might have changed) but by and large Germans spoke in the American dialect. Likely has to do with the fact that the largest group of native speakers in Germany are the American soldiers stationed there. We soldiers also happen to be of a age that college (in the European sense), and university students like to hang out and get drunk with.

Couple lower birth rates in england with decline of english speaking in India (they see it as less important now), and China, Japan, plus Korea opting for American english, British English speakers are a declining minority. A dieing breed if you will.

As I have stated already with China, Korea, and Japan American english is the more commonly Taught English around the world.
British english is only taught in former colonies many of whom have gone on to teach their own dialects. Even Hong Kong now teaches American English(sort of a mainland dictate though).
Shoot I might not know which they teach in German schools, but you know what I have lived in Germany (given 10 years ago so things might have changed) but by and large Germans spoke in the American dialect. Likely has to do with the fact that the largest group of native speakers in Germany are the American soldiers stationed there. We soldiers also happen to be of a age that college (in the European sense), and university students like to hang out and get drunk with.

Couple lower birth rates in england with decline of english speaking in India (they see it as less important now), and China, Japan, plus Korea opting for American english, British English speakers are a declining minority. A dieing breed if you will.

Somebody must have failed geography 101! (the bit where it talks about population circles such ageing population then baby boom then moderated society then aeging population (etc).. The uk happens to be in the aeging part of the cycle atm... and I can assure you that the vast majority of German and French schools who teach English teach Oxford English the correct term has i have learnt today for British English. (basicaly if it is not in the Oxford English Dictionary then it is not yet an officialy recognised word in the English (British) Language.)

However, you do make a valid point that the largest nation on earth teaches American English to its students though, i am unsure how many schools it is taught at over there.

err... no. that was my point. i meant when there's only one option for English - English(US). it assumes there is only one dialect of English or that US english is the one one worth noting.

if there are English(GB), English(AU), etc, then that's just fine. but i tend to find that's not the case with most software i use/install.



maybe i made my point badly, cos you don't get it either.

I don't get what the big deal is about us speaking a different dialect of English. We're a different country and we're hundreds of miles away. It doesn't seem surprising that even though we speak the same language, ours has diverged a bit from the original. Basically, what's all the fuss about?

To be fair British spelling doesn't exactly make sense either. By which I mean we're not writing our word's phonetically so we really shouldn't have the right to criticise american spelling. I mean why does "colour" make any more sense than "color"? Wouldn't it make more sense to write it "culler" as that's what it actually sounds like when people say it. And their spelling of "aluminum" makes sense for them since that's how they say it out there. And the "center" spelling is definitely more reasonable than "centre". Who do you know who pronounces that word "centRE"?

Another point, as I'm sure someone has pointed out (although I haven't even read the other responses) English is a complete mongrel language - we have words from a huge number of different places.

Last point - "Awesome" is far less annoying/embarassing than "Groovy".

Who even says "groovy" anymore?

It's knickers in a twist!!

See what I mean!!

Completely miss the point of the statement...more bastardisation!! :rolleyes:

Not really. That is correct in American English.

(basicaly if it is not in the Oxford English Dictionary then it is not yet an officialy recognised word in the English Language.)

The Gospel truth...AMEN ;)

If you want to be technical It is the British side of the Atlantic that has "bastardized" the language or at least more so then we Americans have.
You see in the middle of the Great English Vowel Shift was when the north American Colonist were coming across the pond.
The British kept changing their vowels sounds and the spellings that accompany them, where as the Colonist kept to a more traditional pronunciation.
The British side of the Atlantic has no more or less bastardised the language. If you listen to the way you speak on your side of the pond and listen to the way the Brits speak in the South-West of England, then add a further nasal slur to the accent, you get something that sounds quite similar to the "American" accent. Not identical, but similar.
Do the French bitch about how the French Canadians speak?

Does Spain complain about how Mexicans speak ?

Sheesh if we had know you english were going to get your knickers in a wad we would have made French the official language after independence.
Yes to all the above. And Mexicans complain about the Spanish just like the Americans complain about the British.

Although it might be nice if the Americans learned to pronounce "borough" properly.

Awight Guvnor wud you adam and eve it...lent my boy a pony and hes only bleedin spent the lot on a ruby murray...my trouble and strife will be doin her nut in!!

Because that English is so much better :rolleyes:

I hate when BBC calls the junior senator from Illinois "'Ba-rick' Obama"

the funny thing is that brits, americans, aussies, canadians, and what have you can easily communicate with each other and understand probably 90% of what the other is saying. and yet we complain about the other 10%...jeez.

the funny thing is that brits, americans, aussies, canadians, and what have you can easily communicate with each other and understand probably 90% of what the other is saying. and yet we complain about the other 10%...jeez.

I just hate Awesome...simple as that ;)

I just hate Awesome...simple as that ;)

Possible actual conversation from my childhood

Dad:There are two words I never want to hear in this house again.
Me: Okay
Dad: One is awesome and the other is cool.
Me: Cool, what are the words?
Dad :headbang:

English, regardless if from Americans or the Brits has bastardized many languages, when you come to think about it.

Alarming examples:
In Spain is acceptable to say "aparkeo" or "parkeo", from the English "parking".

You can say "jersei", from "jersey".

The "Real Academia de la Lengua Española", which is mainly a pain in the ass with what's acceptable and what isn't in the Spanish language, has deemed it acceptable to use "disquete", from English "diskette".

It has bastardized Japanese.

Alarming examples:

Biruidingu (BIRU)- building

kapetto- carpet

Boto- boat

TISSHUPĒPĀ- tissue paper

DOA- door

It works both ways though. Spain gave us patio, the Philippines gave us boondocks (bunduk), Polynesia gave us taboo etc...

And it's not just English. Modern Hebrew is almost equal parts Hebrew, English, and Arabic.

Language isn't digital. It's analogue.

Its pronounced sent-ir not sent-tree. Got it. kul-ir not kul-your. They make sense. Dude isn't in the dictionary. Its a common expression not a legitimate word. Relax.

I hate when BBC calls the junior senator from Illinois "'Ba-rick' Obama"

God, its the same with me and I'm a Brit... correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it Barack as in an army baracks? (god i'm drunk and my spelling may be very sub par

God, its the same with me and I'm a Brit... correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it Barack as in an army baracks? (god i'm drunk and my spelling may be very sub par

Double R in Barracks...god I feel so fucking anal correcting you though hahaha ;)

I am an american and speak with a boston accent yet i can right just as well in british english as in american english

Double R in Barracks...god I feel so fucking anal correcting you though hahaha ;)

No need to feel anal dude, I appreciate the way in which you corrected me.. without a bee in your rectal area.. Unlike those spelling Nazis :p (if that terminology offends anyone who should happen to read this post then I am very sorry)

the funny thing is that brits, americans, aussies, canadians, and what have you can easily communicate with each other and understand probably 90% of what the other is saying. and yet we complain about the other 10%...jeez.

Well what else are we going to fight about???
we wouldn't really be family if we didn't argue with out cousins across the pond now would we??

err... no. that was my point. i meant when there's only one option for English - English(US). it assumes there is only one dialect of English or that US english is the one one worth noting.

if there are English(GB), English(AU), etc, then that's just fine. but i tend to find that's not the case with most software i use/install.




Oh. Well, in that case, the fault lies directly with the software companies, which are usually American. We Americans do outnumber you Brits more than three to one, after all.

Am I the only one that thinks the English language has been bastardised beyond recognition by our American cousins?

I am an avid hater of the words 'Awsome' and 'Dude' and saying something 'Sucks'

Thankfully there are people in this world who don't talk like an extra from Bill and Ted.

The spelling of words pisses me off too, things like Aluminum (Aluminium) Color (Colour) and the worst of all Center...yes thats right...Center instead of Centre...you really couldn't make it up could you...:headbang:

But dude! What if something sucks, like awesomely wicked!?

The only thing that matters is that the word is used in it's proper sense, and that as spelt it doesn't conflict with any other word. E.g. "color" is fine by me, "ass" is not.*

I'm actually in favour of US spellings when they serve to break up homographs (words that are spelled the same but have different meanings) or add a new meaning in a convenient way.

An Americanism I hate: gas, meaning petroleum. Terrible, terrible homograph because gas can also be a fuel (eg LPG).

An Americanism I love: you-all. This word should be brought into respectability because it is difficult to express "you plurally or singly" and we have a new context which is neither purely essay or purely speech -- an internet forum -- in which it is useful.

*I use "ass" but only when I'm not referring to a backside, or to a donkey.

"Sucks" is a gray area for me.

Pro: Sucking can be a process of taking away, consuming rather than contributing.
Sucking arse has to be a bad thing (well, consenting adults blah blah but honestly)
If it's used with the qualifier, as in "that sucks elephant arse" then sure.

Anti: Sucking penis has to be a good thing (for the person who is letting it be done to them).
Does "that is really bad, like having my dick sucked" make any sense outside of the ridiculous 'sex bad, violence good' mindset which afflicts so many Americans ?

(Another example is "kicks ass" to mean "is really effective." Violence is a good way to achieve something ... right :rolleyes: )

"Sucks" is a gray area for me.

Pro: Sucking can be a process of taking away, consuming rather than contributing.
Sucking arse has to be a bad thing (well, consenting adults blah blah but honestly)
If it's used with the qualifier, as in "that sucks elephant arse" then sure.

Anti: Sucking penis has to be a good thing (for the person who is letting it be done to them).
Does "that is really bad, like having my dick sucked" make any sense outside of the ridiculous 'sex bad, violence good' mindset which afflicts so many Americans ?

(Another example is "kicks ass" to mean "is really effective." Violence is a good way to achieve something ... right :rolleyes: )

When I was a teen we would say something was "sick" to mean it was good. "Man that CD is sick!" < it's a really good CD

The kids that used to live next door to me used "stupid" as a quantifier, it means "a lot" or "too much".

I know a lot of slang that doesn't exactly make sense.

american language is horrible and should be eliminated.

When I was a teen we would say something was "sick" to mean it was good. "Man that CD is sick!" < it's a really good CD

The kids that used to live next door to me used "stupid" as a quantifier, it means "a lot" or "too much".

I know a lot of slang that doesn't exactly make sense.

Sure, "wicked" and all that. For a while I was using "wrong" to mean "really good." It was a matter of emphasis, drawling the word out. The ambiguity was fun, but that slang died fast once everyone used it that way. Sucks is far more established, and there must be a reason for that.

I think "sucks" is not used that way, more "OMG, worst thing in the world is having to suck a dick." Sure, people enjoy that or they don't, but this usage implies that the speaker is male and straight and doesn't like to suck.

I dislike sucking cock. I don't enjoy it, but it's no big deal. No worse than other unharmful discomforts. I think "that sucks cock" as a strong disapproval is just homophobia, like calling something "gay" to mean "uncool."

Hmm. "Cool" is long-standing slang too. Probably reflects something similar, that it's good not to be emotional or sympathetic (warm.)

american language is horrible and should be eliminated.

Read "Made in America" by Bill Bryson. You might be surprised how many Americanisms are actually from Britain, they just kept them while your mob moved on.

When I was a teen we would say something was "sick" to mean it was good. "Man that CD is sick!" < it's a really good CD

The kids that used to live next door to me used "stupid" as a quantifier, it means "a lot" or "too much".

I know a lot of slang that doesn't exactly make sense.

I thought you were a bit older Smunkee? My 22 yr old son said 'sick' as a teenager but before that I had not really heard it used in such a way. Now it seemed to go through a popularity phase a few years back. However I don't hear it nearly as much anymore.

Keeping the meaning within your "in crowd" is a big part of teen slang. Perhaps all slang.

The moment your thirty-something aunt susses the meaning, and tells you "Pride and Prejudice is a fully sick book" ... you find some new slang, or flip the meaning back.

Sure, "wicked" and all that. For a while I was using "wrong" to mean "really good." It was a matter of emphasis, drawling the word out. The ambiguity was fun, but that slang died fast once everyone used it that way. Sucks is far more established, and there must be a reason for that.

I think "sucks" is not used that way, more "OMG, worst thing in the world is having to suck a dick." Sure, people enjoy that or they don't, but this usage implies that the speaker is male and straight and doesn't like to suck.

I dislike sucking cock. I don't enjoy it, but it's no big deal. No worse than other unharmful discomforts. I think "that sucks cock" as a strong disapproval is just homophobia, like calling something "gay" to mean "uncool."

Hmm. "Cool" is long-standing slang too. Probably reflects something similar, that it's good not to be emotional or sympathetic (warm.)
Actually around here "sucks" is shortened from "that sucks donkey dicks". Which is bad, for most people, I surely don't enjoy a donkey show... nor do I want to participate.
I thought you were a bit older Smunkee? My 22 yr old son said 'sick' as a teenager but before that I had not really heard it used in such a way. Now it seemed to go through a popularity phase a few years back. However I don't hear it nearly as much anymore.
I'm 26. I can remember saying things were "ill" in junior high and meaning they were very cool.

I'm 26. I can remember saying things were "ill" in junior high and meaning they were very cool.

If I remember correctly When I graduated from High School in the mid 80's we used "Sweet" or "Awesome". Come to think of it that sounds sick and ill.

I just spent the last hour and a half reading through this thread, because it was so hilarious.

On to the point:

In or around page 8, we started talking about the regional dialects of the United States of America. I live in Arkansas. I speak two different kinds of English, because I was raised in an intelligent yet poor household. I learned the accent that my neighbo[u]r used, and the "non-regionali[z/s]ed" way of speaking that newscasters incorporate.

My point is, even though we speak differently, our words are synonymous, which in itself says much about our ability to communicate (as has already been said).

By the way, through this whole thread, I've understood everything said, even in netspeak, but I did have to look up one word: forsooth. Care to guess the book I used?

The Oxford Dictionary


The Commonwealth wins.

If I remember correctly When I graduated from High School in the mid 80's we used "Sweet" or "Awesome". Come to think of it that sounds sick and ill.

Actually, I think it shounds def; as in fly, and funky-fresh. ;)

Actually, I think it shounds def; as in fly, and funky-fresh. ;)

That's phat

well seems we have argued this out. time to get together at the pub for a pint. My treat for All Brits.

I just spent the last hour and a half reading through this thread, because it was so hilarious.

You actually spent time reading the thread before making your first post.

http://postalheritage.org.uk/collections/museum/postofficepeople/militarymedals/images/2000-0002,-Queens-South-Africa.jpg

Your post was none too shabby either. :)

It ceased to solely be your language when groups outside of england spoke it as a first language.
but hey lets have a vote.
population of england 50 mil.
population of USA 300 mil.
not to mention we have a much more uniformed accent.

Seems like it is our language now.


You breed faster so you should be in charge of the language? Yeah... that makes perfect sense.

having said that Several American spellings are much more logical for example the spelling of color and center (looking the way they sound).

Dropping the 'u' made every one of those words less aethetically pleasing, the 'u' is pretty, therefore Webster is an idiot for dropping them, especially as part of his motivation was wanting to be different because he hated that British English was controlled by the government and not the people.

Also spelling things the way they sound is against the Zeroth Law of the English Language, look it up.

The problem is that you become immersed in the language using the local dialect to become more effective in communicating. There is nothing wrong with that until the "grammar police" then decide there is a right way and a wrong way to talk.

Talk the way you need to so you can be understood!:cool:

*snip* By the way, through this whole thread, I've understood everything said, even in netspeak, but I did have to look up one word: forsooth. Care to guess the book I used?

The Oxford Dictionary


The Commonwealth wins.

American Heritage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Heritage_Dictionary_of_the_English_Language)FTW ;)

Well what else are we going to fight about???
we wouldn't really be family if we didn't argue with out cousins across the pond now would we??

Exactly, we'll argue with each other about petty things until we're blue in the face but when something big comes up we're almost always on the same side.

You breed faster so you should be in charge of the language? Yeah... that makes perfect sense.

much better then allowing a monarchy to dictate the language too us.



Dropping the 'u' made every one of those words less aethetically pleasing, the 'u' is pretty, therefore Webster is an idiot for dropping them, especially as part of his motivation was wanting to be different because he hated that British English was controlled by the government and not the people.


smiley faces, hearts, and rainbows are aesthetically pleasing as well, but i don't put them in words without reason.

Exactly, we'll argue with each other about petty things until we're blue in the face but when something big comes up we're almost always on the same side.

we all get drunk at the end of the day right ?

smiley faces, hearts, and rainbows are aesthetically pleasing as well, but i don't put them in words without reason.

Yeah but a rainbow in the middle of a bunch of letter is jarring :p

Dryks legacy, who talks more make the language how they like.
More people means more talk. Books and papers and movies and internet. You lose, and anyway your Australian so you lose most. Only 21 million people and you dont read and write that much.

Dryks legacy, who talks more make the language how they like.
More people means more talk. Books and papers and movies and internet. You lose, and anyway your Australian so you lose most. Only 21 million people and you dont read and write that much.

Australians read and write at all :O what a shock.
I thought they just drew pictures.

Australians read and write at all :O what a shock.
I thought they just drew pictures.

Nah...they dont even do that...they just drink piss weak beer have barbacues and call people spunks ;)

Nah...they dont even do that...they just drink piss weak beer have barbacues and call people spunks ;)

so we are in agreement that the Australians suck.

so we are in agreement that the Australians suck.

Australians cant really help it...its in their genes...remember they are descendents of our underclass criminal fraternity so were floored from the start...

And Greed read the beginning of this thread...using the words 'suck' sucks ;)

Australians cant really help it...its in their genes...remember they are descendents of our underclass criminal fraternity so were floored from the start...

And Greed read the beginning of this thread...using the words 'suck' sucks ;)

oh no here we go again better get a few beers

No I am serious. Why do Australians side with the Eritish always?

Maybe they want the British Empire back to protect them. Give them Canada its still 21+50+33 = 104 million < 304 million and some Canadians speak French.

No I am serious. Why do Australians side with the Eritish always?

Maybe they want the British Empire back to protect them. Give them Canada its still 21+50+33 = 104 million < 304 million and some Canadians speak French.

Your obviously not British or Australian for that matter Primo...there is an intense rivalry between the two Countries and no love lost...we are far from buddy buddy...the Cricket being a prime example ;)

No I am serious. Why do Australians side with the Eritish always?

Maybe they want the British Empire back to protect them. Give them Canada its still 21+50+33 = 104 million < 304 million and some Canadians speak French.

the Canadians sound a lot closer to US pronunciation even if they spell like the British.

greed and death yes I know. I just said to put Canadians with them to make it more fair.

Elisha I was here. I will get better I promise but I will never be as good as you. Please could you answer me so I know your name.

Thanks everyone I have to go now. ;)

English, regardless if from Americans or the Brits has bastardized many languages, when you come to think about it.

Alarming examples:
In Spain is acceptable to say "aparkeo" or "parkeo", from the English "parking".

You can say "jersei", from "jersey".

The "Real Academia de la Lengua Española", which is mainly a pain in the ass with what's acceptable and what isn't in the Spanish language, has deemed it acceptable to use "disquete", from English "diskette".

It has bastardized Japanese.

Alarming examples:

Biruidingu (BIRU)- building

kapetto- carpet

Boto- boat

TISSHUPĒPĀ- tissue paper

DOA- door

No, those are examples of other languages doing what English does best -- stealing words they find useful.

See "le weekend" in France, as opposed to the more proper le fin de semaine...

English, regardless if from Americans or the Brits has bastardized many languages, when you come to think about it.

Alarming examples:
In Spain is acceptable to say "aparkeo" or "parkeo", from the English "parking".

You can say "jersei", from "jersey".

The "Real Academia de la Lengua Española", which is mainly a pain in the ass with what's acceptable and what isn't in the Spanish language, has deemed it acceptable to use "disquete", from English "diskette".

It has bastardized Japanese.

Alarming examples:

Biruidingu (BIRU)- building

kapetto- carpet

Boto- boat

TISSHUPĒPĀ- tissue paper

DOA- door

Dive it enough time and these other languages wont exist. Just strange dialects of English.

Dive it enough time and these other languages wont exist. Just strange dialects of English.

Like in Star Trek or Babylon 5 for instance :p

Like in Star Trek or Babylon 5 for instance :p

I think we both agree everyone should speak english as their first language. Even if we don't agree on the dialect.

If I remember correctly When I graduated from High School in the mid 80's we used "Sweet" or "Awesome". Come to think of it that sounds sick and ill.

I graduated in 00. I'm young. My husband graduated in 92. He says things like "stoked", it's hilarious.

It's funny too how slang has changed since he and I were in high school, it's started some fights, like when he says he "hooked up" with his boss this afternoon. Hooked up to me means casual sex, to him it means they met somewhere, like they "hooked up" for lunch, means they both met at the restaurant. :p

I think we both agree everyone should speak english as their first language.What about USAmericans then?

It kinda was. I think it was originally named aluminum. But sometime in the 19th Century there was a move to standardise the metals to have the -ium suffix.

frex. Iron = Ferium, Silver = Argentium etc

Obviously it didn't work, but aluminium was the casualty.

I'm sure wiki covers it, but it isn't playing nice with my internet at work :(
It will probably be en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#etymology or something.

Didn't work for many elements. Ferrum (iron), argentum (silver), as well as aurum (gold), stannum (tin) and a few others that didn't take the full -ium ending did so because they were older, Latin spellings and "grandfathered in" to the 'ium convention. Aluminum got that treatment for it's Latin ancestry. Notice that the most of the lighter and earlier-discovered elements don't follow the -ium convention, either. Oxygen, boron, neon (and the rest of the halogens), carbon, bismuth, lead (though it's original name is "plumbum" from its use in Roman pipes, which accounts for it's symbol, Pb), silicon, mercury, astatine, arsenic, bromine, zinc, and so forth.

Seems to me that adding the "i" was an effort to Latinize the periodic table when just "-um" didn't sound good. Imagine lithium without its second "i". Lithum. Yech.

If the Americans bastardized it beyond recognition, the Australians, Kiwis, Irish, South Africans, and other non-Britons (but not Canadians) have done the same. Many of my Australian friends say entire sentences I do not understand. What is "good on me"? What is "fair dinkum"? What is a "happy little vegemite"?

Even within the same country, some forms of English are unintelligible. It is linguistically fascinating.

"Good on ya" = well done. A more Aussie way of saying "good for you".

"Fair dinkum", from what I've experiences, seems to mean "good deal" or something like that. Possibly also "fair play" or "fair enough".

The bastardisation of the language does not bother me.

However I would like to point out that the many Canadians, Aussies, South Africans, Kiwisand many Europeans (epsc Germans) tend to use British English.

When you're done pointing that out, will you next point out that the sky is, in fact, blue and that the grass is green?

Obviously there are regional differences. There are differences in all languages. Northern Germans speak slightly different compared to Southern Germans. That's just one of the many examples. Just the scale of difference between British English, and American English is rather shocking.

It isn't all that shocking, really. Is it honestly such a stretch to see an elevator as a lift? That's what elevators do, they lift you. The derivation of "elevator" from "elevate" means lift anyway, so where's the difficulty? Seems to me that national dialects in English are only hard to figure out if you're not willing to think about what's being said and its context. Same thing for "bonnet" and "boot" as parts of a car. Stand a car up on its back end, and the front of the car is where a head would be -- you wear a bonnet on your head. The back end is now on the ground, where your boots would be. Not a stretch at all if we can manage to abandon our provincialism and/or snobbery ('cause it works both ways).

I prefer "flat" to "apartment". "Apart" is the one thing a flat is NOT. However, being usually part of a floor of a larger building, "flat" exactly describes the architecture of a typical apartment. Anyway, it takes a bit of imagination and the willingness to understand and expect differences in perception from what is, after all, a different culture.

Language constantly evolves.. no one correct... and so on

BUT

The American pronounciation of "route" is truly unforgivable.

Northern California accent seems to approach "route" the same way, but we say "gen-you-in"

See, that's what I don't like about this kind of thread. People seem to think that the US is some monolithic entity, when really, especially when it comes to how people speak, it's often more a hodgepodge of different regions who all (sort of) speak the same language.

I've found that I use "route = root" when I am talking about a path something takes. I use the word "route = rah:oot" (using the IPA colon to mean a diphthong -- say it quickly and you get the idea) as the verb form of the word, meaning to lay out a path for something to take. That said, a "router" sounds like "rah:oot-ur" to me because it "lays a path" for data. The thing is, I'm not insisting that anyone else but me follow this convention.

Awsome was a typo...but it is just as obnoxious spelt correctly and to me represents a non word unrecognisable by anyone who values the worth of true speech and the written word... so to you in a nutshell.... I couldn't be arsed correcting myself ;)

It's presence in multiple dictionaries contradicts you severely. First of all, it has never seen as much use as slang as it did in the early 80s. It seems to be undergoing a bit of a zombie-like resurrection now, but so are many things from that decade (I now know that I'm aging when I hear radio hits from my youth being used in commercials, for fuck's sake).

But your objection to it doesn't make any sense to me. It's a word whose meaning has undergone a broadening and even a declination of meaning. It happens to words all the time. "Nice" used to mean "subtle, discriminating, hard to please, or fastidious", and has now become trite from its generalization. The same thing happens to slang words for things that are superlative, especially "awesome". When you consider that "awe" was originally a state of being struck silent by reverential respect and even a bit of fear, you realize how strong a force generalization can be (which, in my experience, is one of the reasons formerly oppressed minorities sometimes try to "take back" derisive slang and generalize it, as the Black popular culture has with "******").

Those are quicker and more comfortable to say the could have and should have in conversations.

Not exactly. "Could of" and "should of" are written transcriptions of the way "could've" and "should've" sound when spoken. Simple as that. I don't like them either, but the reason they exist is at least understandable.

I disagree...Color sounds wrong when spoken aloud...think about it...

Col-or

Thats not how its pronounced...its Colour pronounced with an 'uh' not an 'o'

As for center...ok it might sound right...but on the page?? It visually disgusts me ;)

You're reaching now. "-or" sounds like "[schwa]r" in many words like protractor and incisor, and I don't see a "u" in those words in British English. "-our", seeing has how it's French, would more accurately be pronounced "-oor". But the British don't say "cuh-LOOR", do they? No. And if it's just the single "o" you're on about "sounding wrong", then according to you, "color" should be spelled "coulour" -- since the two vowels in that word are as close as two vowels can be in sound without being identical. Unless you're willing to pronounce it "COH-l[schwa]r", which you're clearly not.

Face it, you don't have a real linguistic problem, you just don't like it personally. Which is fine, but don't come trotting in here and making grand pronouncements that are more full of shit than a Dick Cheney press conference.

"Barbecue" comes from French, not English. It derives from "barbe au cul", which means "from the beard to the arse" - i.e., you shove the spit all the way through the pig before roasting it.

Then the French re-adopted the English word originally derived from French... It's enough to give anyone a headache. :p

Nope. Not even close. Cute story, though. The truth...

That's an etertaining story no doubt, but unfortunately just an urban legend. "Barbecue" is actually borrowed from Arawak it seems.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=barbecue&searchmode=none

Is here. "Barbacoa" from Spanish and possibly Arawak (it's a shame that fuckwad Columbus killed them all or we could ask them), and it meant "frame of wooden sticks".

And be bitched at by the French? Really? Seriously?

Naah... your fragile psyche couldn't take that, I'm sure. ;)

No kidding, there. The only nation MORE anal about language than the English (well, the ones who complain at any rate), are the French. They have a cabinet-level ministry to attend to the purity of their consonantally dismissive language.

God, its the same with me and I'm a Brit... correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it Barack as in an army baracks? (god i'm drunk and my spelling may be very sub par

"buh-ROCK", like former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak (zOMG! Obama is teh Muzlym AND teh Joo!!!!)

The only thing that matters is that the word is used in it's proper sense, and that as spelt it doesn't conflict with any other word. E.g. "color" is fine by me, "ass" is not.*

I'm actually in favour of US spellings when they serve to break up homographs (words that are spelled the same but have different meanings) or add a new meaning in a convenient way.

An Americanism I hate: gas, meaning petroleum. Terrible, terrible homograph because gas can also be a fuel (eg LPG).

Yeah, but it's just a back-formation of "gasoline", and context usually sorts that out.

An Americanism I love: you-all. This word should be brought into respectability because it is difficult to express "you plurally or singly" and we have a new context which is neither purely essay or purely speech -- an internet forum -- in which it is useful.

I agree. I petition for "y'all" to be included as legitimate English, since we couldn't be bothered to retain a separate first person address for a group.

LOL
The ebil Americanz iz takin over da world!

No, those are examples of other languages doing what English does best -- stealing words they find useful.

See "le weekend" in France, as opposed to the more proper le fin de semaine...

I´m aware that the English words can be better in regards to shortness. But if there are proper words for the ones I used as examples (minus diskette), why use the English equivalent? I mean, ¨estacionamiento¨ is ¨parking¨ and ¨abrigo¨ is ¨jersey¨. That it happens in Spanish, as anal as we are with the Real Academia de la Lengua Española and it´s rules on what´s good Spanish or not, is incredibly odd.

For these words to be used in Spanish is retarded. As for the Japanese, the same applies. There are words in the language for the terms I used. Boat has ¨fune¨ and door has ¨shōji¨, ¨mon¨ and ¨to¨. Why use the English?

Of course, English has been also highjacked by other languages. And the biggest example is the influence of both French and Latin in it. But you already know this so there´s no need for me to go into detail.

My point was that every language, or most languages, have been bastardized by another. Technology allows us to come into contact with a myriad of cultures and ways of expression alien to our everyday lives. When it suits, we adopt these. That´s the way human expression evolves.

I agree. I petition for "y'all" to be included as legitimate English, since we couldn't be bothered to retain a separate first person address for a group.
Then there is the Okie aberration that is "all y'all".


"Okay, now we're gonna do 2 teams, y'all over yonder are gonna be the blue team, and y'all over here are gonna be the red team, now all y'all are going to be workin' towards the same end, which is to score 10 points"

see?

Then there is the Okie aberration that is "all y'all".


"Okay, now we're gonna do 2 teams, y'all over yonder are gonna be the blue team, and y'all over here are gonna be the red team, now all y'all are going to be workin' towards the same end, which is to score 10 points"

see?

It's interesting listening to regional dialects. They're usually more logical than the "real" language.

Item: The most spoken dialect of English is Indian English. Anybody who plays Scrabble knows this quite well.

Hypothesis: Both British and American English are therefore funny regional dialects, empirically speaking.

Item: The most spoken dialect of English is Indian English. Anybody who plays Scrabble knows this quite well.

Hypothesis: Both British and American English are therefore funny regional dialects, empirically speaking.

Wrong!!!

Only 8% of Indians speak english as a 2nd or 3rd language now.
total is about 90,000,000 which why more then the UK is still less then 1/3 of the US.

It kinda was. I think it was originally named aluminum. But sometime in the 19th Century there was a move to standardise the metals to have the -ium suffix.

frex. Iron = Ferium, Silver = Argentium etc

Obviously it didn't work, but aluminium was the casualty.

I'm sure wiki covers it, but it isn't playing nice with my internet at work :(
It will probably be en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#etymology or something.Some words for metals have been around since the Roman age, like ferrum and argentum, both without any i.