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'Britishisms' Creeping into American English
LiveScience ^ | September 26, 2012 | Natalie Wolchover

Posted on 09/28/2012 9:03:01 AM PDT by C19fan

British people have long bemoaned the gradual encroachment of Americanisms into everyday speech, via Hollywood films and sitcoms. Now, "Britishisms" are crossing the pond the other way, thanks to the growing online popularity of British media such as Harry Potter, Downton Abbey and The Daily Mail. For example, BBC News reports that "ginger" as a descriptor of a red-haired, freckly person has shot up in usage in the United States since 1998. That's the year the first Harry Potter book, with its Weasley family of gingers, hit store shelves. The trend shows up in Google ngram searches, which track the frequency of words and phrases appearing in print.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: english; slang
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To: reg45

Have you seen the UK version of “Law & Order?”..sometimes I wish they had subtitles..


21 posted on 09/28/2012 9:47:10 AM PDT by ken5050
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To: miss marmelstein
Guys will enjoy telling their dates that they'll."...come round and knock you up in the morning.."
22 posted on 09/28/2012 9:48:48 AM PDT by ken5050
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To: ken5050

And don’t tell an English hairdresser that you’d like your “bangs” trimmed. I learned that one the hard way.


23 posted on 09/28/2012 9:51:10 AM PDT by miss marmelstein
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To: DManA
It seems like I hear a lot more Posh British accents on Big Media lately

You may be right. A large population of insecure Americans automatically think someone with a British accent is speaking with authority or superior wit. I can only speculate why this should be, but I've seen it, and so too the media moguls must know all about it.

24 posted on 09/28/2012 9:51:51 AM PDT by hinckley buzzard
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To: C19fan

So this is why Hannity has recently started to adopt a pseudo-British accent at times.


25 posted on 09/28/2012 9:57:39 AM PDT by CatherineofAragon (Don't be afraid to see what you see. (Ronald Reagan))
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To: Colonel Kangaroo

One of the oddest Britishisms I’ve heard is “moggie”, which means cat.


26 posted on 09/28/2012 9:59:24 AM PDT by CatherineofAragon (Don't be afraid to see what you see. (Ronald Reagan))
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To: C19fan

My nephew is a “ginger” stationed in Afghanistan. His buddies are now calling him Prince Harry. LOL. Oh, and my fave Englishism is “wanker!”


27 posted on 09/28/2012 10:17:43 AM PDT by manic4organic (We won. Get over it.)
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To: Lurkina.n.Learnin
The last few years, more newscasters seem to use "went missing" instead of "is missing".

Of course, being a grammar nazi, I'm old enough to remember when it was good enough to say that something would affect you, not IMPACT you
28 posted on 09/28/2012 10:24:51 AM PDT by BikerJoe
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To: Old Sarge

“Poofter” is as ‘stralian as lamb chops on the barbie and a cold tin straight from the esky.


29 posted on 09/28/2012 10:27:56 AM PDT by hawkboy
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To: ken5050

No! But I try to watch every episode of “Top Gear”.


30 posted on 09/28/2012 10:35:46 AM PDT by reg45 (Barack 0bama: Implementing class warfare by having no class!)
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To: ken5050

No! But I try to watch every episode of “Top Gear”.


31 posted on 09/28/2012 10:35:46 AM PDT by reg45 (Barack 0bama: Implementing class warfare by having no class!)
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To: CatherineofAragon

I was raised pretty much by my Scottish granny, now I am a terrible speller, eg. is it grey or gray. ive also used colloquilisms such as “no worries” and “grab a pint” before they were cool. It does worry my mates when i am a bit in the cups, when I say something like “och, Ah dinnae ken!”


32 posted on 09/28/2012 10:35:51 AM PDT by Docbarleypop
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To: C19fan

Ah the age old question.....Ginger or Maryann........


33 posted on 09/28/2012 10:36:54 AM PDT by onona (This space for rent....cheep)
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To: C19fan

At the end of the day.... it’s all English


34 posted on 09/28/2012 10:41:20 AM PDT by babble-on
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To: Lurkina.n.Learnin

I didn’t know they stood online. I thought they stood in queues.


35 posted on 09/28/2012 11:08:13 AM PDT by Erasmus (Zwischen des Teufels und des tiefen, blauen Meers)
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To: BikerJoe
Of course, being a grammar nazi, I'm old enough to remember when it was good enough to say that something would affect you, not IMPACT you

A classic example of verbing a noun.

36 posted on 09/28/2012 11:10:18 AM PDT by Erasmus (Zwischen des Teufels und des tiefen, blauen Meers)
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To: C19fan

You don’t have to tell me about Britishisms. I married a woman who grew up in England. Silverware is cutlery, milk containers are jugs, objects are “thingies”, tomatoes are pronounced with the short a, and a number more I’ve grown used to unconsciously.


37 posted on 09/28/2012 11:14:12 AM PDT by driftless2
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To: C19fan

“She fell pregnant”


38 posted on 09/28/2012 11:14:16 AM PDT by procrustes (You make Free Republic look bad!)
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To: miss marmelstein
So-called “gingers” (red-headed people) are mocked and bullied in England. I don’t know why.

Probably because they're presumed to be Irish. That hate-hate relationship goes back 800 years.


39 posted on 09/28/2012 11:15:29 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Docbarleypop

My Scottish colleague told me of an episode of an afternoon ladies’ variety show he saw on the Beeb.

Now, to understand this gaffe, you have to know that a certain Britishism means something slightly geographically different than the American equivalent.

Anyway, Nigel and Fanny were the hosts of the show. For their last segment, a doughnut chef came on and showed them how to make doughnuts in the deep fryer. Fanny had the knack of making them perfect; Nigel, not so much.

Nigel had the honors of closing the show when time was up, so he did so thus:

“Well folks, that’s all the time we have for today. Here’s wishing you a happy tomorrow....and may all your doughnuts come out looking like Fannie’s.”


40 posted on 09/28/2012 11:16:05 AM PDT by Erasmus (Zwischen des Teufels und des tiefen, blauen Meers)
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