No offence intended to all
our American friends!
I have never had a major
problem with the fact that Americans, or anyone else for that matter, use
different words for things like pavement, trousers, biscuits and mobile phones.
No problem at all, just the urge to go into a stationery shop and ask for a
rubber just to see the shocked expression on the sales assisstant's face. As a
writer and reader as long as the right people use the right words that's fine.
I've also thought it a bit
strange that the French are so opposed to foreign words slipping into their
language. Some things simply don’t translate easily.
But in the last few weeks I
have been increasingly annoyed that perfectly good English phrases have been
replaced by Americanisms.
I've reluctantly got used to
the fact that our police forces no longer have SOCO units (Scene of crime
officers) they now have CSI (crime scene investigators ) but when I hear people
talking about autopsies instead of post mortems I start to get annoyed. When
will our coroners become medical examiners?
Yesterday a really terrible
case was reported on the news. A cargo container was discovered at a port with
a large number of illegal immigrants trapped inside. My heart goes out to the
people whose lives must be so terrible they will risk travelling in such a way
to find a better life but that is another issue. What made my hackles rise was
the fact that to start with it was reported that one man had died and a murder
investigation was underway. Then later in the report a spokesman from the
police said a 'homicide' investigation was underway. Now I know the literal meaning of homicide is
the killing of a human just as patricide is the killing of one's father, but
since when have we had 'homicide investigations ' in the UK? I'm sure Morse and
Jack Frost solved murders. And can you imagine Midsomer Homicides ever taking
off?
It has long been the fact
that England and the USA are two countries separated by the same language but
do we really need to change OURS so that WE can understand it. Are we watching
so much US TV now that we have to adopt the American way of speaking to be
understood? It may be that as writers we have to use American terms if we want
to be read in America but is it really necessary to have a Justice Department
and a Supreme Court instead of our much longer established institutions?
I know language changes and
have no problem with introducing new words, changing the way we use grammar.
Most of what I read today, not only in books but in blogs and top notch
newspapers, would never have got through the eleven plus I took. But I don’t
see why we should adopt phrases when we have had perfectly good ones that everyone
understands for a very, very long time.
What do you think?
Are there any Americanisms
that drive you to distraction?
We would love to know.
I am an American and have always loved the differences in the English language between our nations. I love to watch the BBC if only for that reason. I would hate to see the UK English be trampled and lost. I live in rural America and the people are - I hate to say it this way - simple country farmers. Yes, I love them dearly but they're not international savvy. At a gathering, I heard a woman say "I kept telling them I didn't care where the "loo" was - I needed a restroom, a toilet. I was practically dancing so I didn't pee myself." The group surrounding laughed at the humor of the situation. Another person asked "Did you finally find the bathroom?" OMG! In this day and age, it seemed none of the group knew what a "loo" was. We Americans could even understand Harry Potter - the first book. It had to be re-titled to "The Sorcerer's Stone" from "The Philosopher's Stone" to make it marketable here. I hope the UK English will remain as pure as possible and not become too Americanized. Besides, tea and biscuits sound so refreshing.
ReplyDeleteOooo, I'm having great fun with the internet tonight,not! This is the third time I've tried to reply to you!
DeleteNice of you to drop by Bob. I'm glad to hear you appreciate the differences in our same language. I've never quite got to grips with the euphemism 'restroom'. I know what it IS but that is not what I would want to do in a restroom. Put my feet up with a nice cup of tea and a good book (ebook of course) or maybe have a nap. That's what I would want to do in a restroom.
I know about Harry Potter and the Stone. I also know of an author who tried to make his book more American friendly by writing it in American English so that he would get more sales in America. Don't know if it worked, either editorially or salewise. I certainly wouldn't want to try it.
Now, let's see if this posts this time!
That's pretty hilarious. I've noticed the same thing over here, across the ocean. We've begun sounding more and more Brit as the days go by... Instead of a kind "Thanks" we say "Cheers" and so on. It's hysterical really. We'll just swap!
ReplyDeleteI find myself saying 'Have a nice day' when I leave people and then cringe. Sad thing is I usually mean it! But it's not what the ordinary people say it's when it gets into official things that it starts to annoy me slightly. Or having things forced on us. Nothing against Americanisms, I probably use loads without even realising. And Brits will say Thanks more than they say cheers...or more likely Ta. It's a regional thing.
DeleteAs an American I wish we used more "Brit"isms! Language is fascinating and I hope we don't lose what makes us each unique, diversity is fun!
ReplyDeleteI like that, Tara. It's a shame to standardise language when there are so many words we can use.
DeleteBy the way, did you get the message to say you are one of our runners-up in the competition? Let us know which three ebooks you would like.
DeleteHang on a moment here, Madame Editor. As an American who just recently visited the UK, I think the phenomenon you describe is, in fact, a two-way street. How is it, for example, that a boot has nothing whatsoever to do with footwear? Explain, please, how something can be called a torch and yet not have a lit flame at the top? And what, in the name of reason, is "Zed"? Sounds like the name of an alien general intent on conquering the Earth. The 26th letter of the alphabet is pronounced "zee" (rhymes with "easy.") After unearthing these little discontinuities, I think you'll forgive us Americans for engaging in a bit of semantic infiltration.
ReplyDeleteAh, nice to hear from you Mr Mulready. Glad one of our authors actually reads the blog! I would point out that here in the UK a boot IS an item of footwear. In fact many items of footwear. You can get Wellington Boots, snow boats, pixie boots, motorcycle boots, leather boots, fur boots, laced-up boots, zipped boot, ankle boots, knee length boots even cowboy boots. It also happens to be the place in a car where you put your luggage. But to us a trunk is a large storage case you use for travelling (or did in the old days) or something an elephant uses as a nose. On a day to day basis I couldn't care less whether I eat biscuits or cookies, in fact some of our biscuits are called cookies. What does concern me is when OFFICIAL terms are changed for no particular reason and I hear our policemen (not police officers although they are probably called that, too) talk about Homicide Investigations. Why? The term murder has been understood for centuries, why do we have to change it?
DeleteIt's not the Americans I blame but the British powers that be who decide these things. I'm just waiting for Her Majesties Revenue and Customs to be renamed the IRS!
A trunk is indeed a large storage space for luggage, which is why we refer to that covered portion at the back of a car a "trunk." All my boots are, indeed, footwear, including my cowboy boots. (Taking my cowboy boots to the UK would probably have been a step too far, however.)
DeleteHow about this: we call large, julienne-cut potatoes, which have been deep fried, "fries." In the UK, they are called "chips." We call a bag of flat-cut lightly-fried potatoes "chips," and in the UK, they are referred to as "crisps."
As for official terms changing, well, that's got to do with precision in meaning. "Homicide" is a precise term that specifically lacks emotion. "Murder" is a very emotive term, which is why its used by writers. People who engage in forensics examinations are obliged to be precise, because their findings are almost certainly going to be picked apart in court. So you can blame an increasingly litigious society for the change in official terms.
And I suspect "On Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs Service" is going to be the title of the next James Bond film, due out in October, 2015. (Not really. I made that up.)