Linguists consider English as an example of a pluricentric language: a language that is used in several countries as an official language and where codification—such as dictionaries—has taken place in these countries. From the perspective of British English, Americans talk funny. The differences between British and American English include: (1) differences in pronunciation (for example, Americans tend to stress the wrong syllable); (2) differences in grammar (for example, Americans insert “the” in places where it is not needed such as “He goes to the hospital” rather than “he goes to hospital”; and (3) differences in vocabulary (examples shown below).
In 1781, John Witherspoon coined the term “Americanism” to refer to words and phrases unique to the English spoken in the United States. For more than two centuries, there have been speakers of British English who have expressed concern over Americanisms, feeling that these expressions somehow degrade the language.
In 2011, journalist Matthew Engle posted a piece entitled “Why do some Americanisms irritate people?" in the BBC News Magazine. Some examples of what he calls “ugly and pointless new usages” include:
Wrench for spanner
Elevator for lift
Rookies for newcomers, who seem to have flown here via the sports pages
He writes:
But what I hate is the sloppy loss of our own distinctive phraseology through sheer idleness, lack of self-awareness and our attitude of cultural cringe. We encourage the diversity offered by Welsh and Gaelic - even Cornish is making a comeback. But we are letting British English wither.
Engle’s article was followed by "
Americanisms: 50 of your most noted examples" which were emailed in response to the article. Some of these include:
Using 24/7 rather than "24 hours, 7 days a week" or even just plain "all day, every day". Simon Ball, Worcester
The one I can't stand is "deplane", meaning to disembark an aircraft, used in the phrase "you will be able to deplane momentarily". TykeIntheHague, Den Haag, Holland
"It is what it is". Pity us. Michael Knapp, Chicago, US
Dare I even mention the fanny pack? Lisa, Red Deer, Canada
"Touch base" - it makes me cringe no end. Chris, UK
"I'm good" for "I'm well". That'll do for a start. Mike, Bridgend, Wales
"Bangs" for a fringe of the hair. Philip Hall, Nottingham
Take-out rather than takeaway! Simon Ball, Worcester
Surely the most irritating is: "You do the Math." Math? It's MATHS. Michael Zealey, London
"I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less" has to be the worst. Opposite meaning of what they're trying to say. Jonathan, Birmingham
All languages are bundles of dialects—different versions of the language spoken in different places. Linguists talk about World Englishes as a way of stressing that English is spoken in many parts of the world and that there are major dialectical differences between the Englishes of North America, those of the British Isles, those of Australia, those of South Africa, and so on. Within each of these countries, there are also major dialectical differences.
