Americanisms

  • Thread starter Jimlaad43
  • 907 comments
  • 48,913 views

Do you like Americanisms?

  • Yes, they are better than British spelling

    Votes: 53 16.1%
  • No, proper English should be used

    Votes: 117 35.5%
  • I don't care at all

    Votes: 95 28.8%
  • I prefer a mixture

    Votes: 65 19.7%

  • Total voters
    330
Haha, sorry yes I meant without up. Typo. If you imagine you were reading some cooking instructions they'd go something like this:

"Put 300ml of water in a pot and bring it to the boil."

It wouldn't be unheard of to bring it to a boil, but not really bringing it "up" to the boil.
 
What's wrong with regional dialects? There's no need for one "proper" English when people have a general understanding.

In Pittsburgh, we say "yinz" and down south they say "y'all" but I don't complain about that.
 
What's wrong with regional dialects?

Nothing. They're in my top 5 things which fascinate me.

But my interest in this thread was piqued once again by grey/gray. It's literally the same word and same pronunciation and was wondering what the usage of it is. I'd go for grey.
 
Try editing an interactive online buyer's guide, where each color, HTML coded to display on the selector screen, is given a manufacturer specific name.

Fifty Shades of Grey/Gray/Grau/Gris would be an understatement...
 
I use grey because it's what I've grown up knowing to be the word.

A thing that amazes me about Americanisms is the amount of generic terms that are used compared to other dialects of English. I suppose it is a reflection of consumer culture.
 
I honestly never decided outright which to use. I was taught that both were correct and it didn't matter. I usually use gray because I like it better, but not always.
 
What's wrong with regional dialects? There's no need for one "proper" English when people have a general understanding.

In Pittsburgh, we say "yinz" and down south they say "y'all" but I don't complain about that.

I think "yinz" is localized to the Pittsburgh area, while "y'all" can (or might) be heard in roughly 1/3rd the nation. Contrast with "you guys" (or sometimes "youzguys") which is primarily Northeastern. I live in a part of Alabama with many non-native Alabamians, so you do not always hear "y'all" that much. Even outside the area, most half-educated folks know when (and where) to differentiate "you" from "you all" from "y'all", but Hollywood assumes it's used all the time anywhere south of the Ohio River, and east of the Mississippi River, with Miami and District of Columbia excluded.

I spell it "gray"...like the word "soccer", it also came from England (or from youzguys), but not used much anymore.
 
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With context I see little issue. You might say the same for 'wind' for which it would be hard to confuse the meanings.

"The wind is strong today."

"I'd better wind the clock."
The lead pipe we found may lead to the sewer.

There are numerous examples of this kind of thing, and I don't think it's uniquely American (or British).
 
There are numerous examples of this kind of thing, and I don't think it's uniquely American (or British).

Those examples are used in both, I was simply responding to what swagger had said above about not liking the work 'read'.
 
Championship with a co-driver? I get what it's saying I guess, but I don't think I've ever seen/heard it (vice) used like that anywhere aside from leadership hierarchies in business/government or whatever.
 
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