Americanisms

  • Thread starter Jimlaad43
  • 916 comments
  • 53,278 views

Do you like Americanisms?

  • Yes, they are better than British spelling

    Votes: 53 15.9%
  • No, proper English should be used

    Votes: 118 35.4%
  • I don't care at all

    Votes: 95 28.5%
  • I prefer a mixture

    Votes: 67 20.1%

  • Total voters
    333
whomst'd've'lu'yaint'nt'ed'ies's'y'es'nt't're'ing'able'tic'ive'al'nt'ne'm'll'ble'al'ny'less'w'ck'k'ly'py'nd'idy'ety'st'ged'ful'ish'ng'mt'ous'r'ya'zo'dig'y'nt'edy'ish'nt'full'orp'ish
Xhosa?
 
I think we should use "will'nt" for "will not."

I convinced the table of four I sat with in my senior English class that it is appropriate.
 
I think we should use "will'nt" for "will not."

I convinced the table of four I sat with in my senior English class that it is appropriate.
Why not "win't"? Too easily confused with Windows NT?
 
Why not "win't"? Too easily confused with Windows NT?
I think people might misunderstand it until/if it became common. Considering we Americans say the exact same words differently. I could see it being misunderstood for went.
 
What's wrong with "won't"? :P

Which is actually a contraction of "wonnot", a word for "will not" from the 17th century.
The problem I have with it is that the sound of "will" is not present when the sound of "would" is in "wouldn't" along with "can" in "can't" and the list goes on.

It's always confused me.
 
I think people might misunderstand it until/if it became common. Considering we Americans say the exact same words differently. I could see it being misunderstood for went.
It wasn't intended to be taken seriously.

;)
 
Is that an Americanism?

Nope, just a double negative, very common in all forms of English.

Notable example would be Pink Floyd's The Wall single which starts "We don't need no education." Although that's deliberate I'd guess than more often than not people use double negatives without noting the error.
 

@dril

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Nope, just a double negative, very common in all forms of English.

Notable example would be Pink Floyd's The Wall single which starts "We don't need no education." Although that's deliberate I'd guess than more often than not people use double negatives without noting the error.
I know that is it a double negative but I hear it all the time on American TV series, so I thought it was an Americanism.
 
What does that even mean... or how.. what?

Copied from google.
old-fashioned in US short form of shall not: I shan't be able to come to your party. "Pick those books up immediately." "Shan't (= I refuse to)!"

Not a word I use myself although I have heard it used quite a bit here in the UK.
The English language is abused more in the UK than anywhere I know of, Slang has taken over the majority of people.

I saw a guy on an American show impersonating an English man, he was all "Well hello old bean, would you like a cup of tea" in a plums in the mouth kind of accent. Very few over here speak that Mary Poppins and first world war brigadier dialect.
I would advise anyone who wants to know about the way English is spoken in England is to youtube Scousers talking and then geordies talking and then cockneys and you will think it is a different country. Scouser= people from Liverpool Geordies= people from Newcastle upon Tyne and cockneys=people from London. Then if you won't a good laugh try Brummies= people from Birmingham I cannot understand a word most brummies say.
 
I saw a guy on an American show impersonating an English man, he was all "Well hello old bean, would you like a cup of tea" in a plums in the mouth kind of accent.

It's tough to mimic your accent(s) when every American has to wear a gun holster, a ten-gallon hat, contends with the noise of our idling monster trucks, and has at least one football injury.

IT'S A JOKE YOU NITWIT.
 
It's tough to mimic your accent(s) when every American has to wear a gun holster, a ten-gallon hat, contends with the noise of our idling monster trucks, and has at least one football injury.

IT'S A JOKE YOU NITWIT.

I know bud I know it was just tongue in cheek.

Don't know if it is a normal practice in the states but something we see on tv in American films is when a family or set of friends are sitting eating a meal someone will reach over with their fork and take a piece of someone else's food from their plate.
Any of the US citizens on here let me know if that is normal practice in the US please.
 
I just heard someone pronounce Tunisia and Too-NEEZH-ah, where zh is like the palatalised sound in Asia.

For reference, I've only ever heard it as Too-NIZZ-ee-ya but due to BrE flapping it's actually more like Chew-NIZZ-ee-ya.
 
Here's one I hope some North American members can help me with;

Is it usual or unusual to have a period when abbreviating ranks? I don't even know what the supposedly 'correct' usage in British English is but I was watching an English police show, The Bill, and they would punctuate the ranks in the credits like so:

P.C. Hollis
Sgt. Boyden
Insp. Monroe
Ch. Insp. Conway
Ch. Supt. Brownlow

Does the same apply stateside, like for example Sgt., Cpt. and Lt. ?
 
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