Americanisms, and the evolution of language

[apple_pathways]

The planets have aligned once again to provide me with a topic for blogging: faery_fall posted a video of Stephen Fry discussing language as part of her 15 Day Meme, and fail_fandomanon had a discussion thread wherein a poster was complaining about the comments to an article on the BBC website about Americanisms creeping into British language. Surely these two occurrences are more than worthy of a mash-up here on this journal?

First, full confession: I used to be a total grammar pedant. I love language, and I love grammar! Mine is a brain easily seduced by the idea that there's a 'correct way' and an 'incorrect way' to do things. I love the idea that things can be done with "perfection", and I love to torture myself with the idea that perfection is obtainable. Unfortunately, I have a sneaking suspicion that it's not obtainable: or even desirable! And yet, despite a couple years of linguistics courses, my grammar pedantry persisted for years.

I can remember the exact day I gave it up.

I went to visit a close friend of mine: we were going swimming at the pool in her parent's condo complex. Before heading off, we chose reading material from her collection to read poolside. I was excited to discover she owned a copy of Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, by Lynne Truss, a book I'd been eying up in stores for months. I delight in learning grammar and punctuation rules the way sports enthusiasts obsess over the minutiae of the game.

I could barely make my way more than a few pages in before I was absolutely disgusted with the tone of the book: the way the author describes the shrieking paroxyisms of pain she experiences at the sight of a misplaced apostrophe! The agony of inadequate commas! Incorrect capitalization! Oh, the horror! THE HORROR!

*eyeroll* Please! It didn't take me long to realize I didn't want to give people the same vibe I was getting from this author.

After that experience, I quit cold turkey: no more complaining about the "10 Items or Less" line at Trader Joe's. No more "it's 'whom', not 'who'!" No more "better than 'they', not better than 'them'"!

(I still do have my Do Not Cross lines: it's "should have" or "should've", not "should of"!!! I am taking that one to the grave...)

All of this is to say: I know where these angry commenters are coming from. Really, I do! But...well, just look:

(These are responses readers sent in in response to the article about Americanisms creeping into British culture. I cherry-picked the most hyperbolic responses. You can read all of them in the article listed at the end of this post.) (Bolding is mine.)

14. I caught myself saying "shopping cart" instead of shopping trolley today and was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I've never lived nor been to the US either. Graham Nicholson, Glasgow

22. Train station. My teeth are on edge every time I hear it. Who started it? Have they been punished? Chris Capewell, Queens Park, London

27. "Oftentimes" just makes me shiver with annoyance. Fortunately I've not noticed it over here yet. John, London (Then why are you mentioning it?)

29. I'm a Brit living in New York. The one that always gets me is the American need to use the word bi-weekly when fortnightly would suffice just fine. Ami Grewal, New York

50. "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


(I had to mention that last one, as I've heard it before. It's actually a misunderstanding of the American phrase: "I could care less" is meant sarcastically.)

I have to confess that whenever the discussion of Americanisms comes up, I tend to find myself confused: America is a big country, and some vocabularly is not as wide-spread as one might imagine.

I remember listening to one of my favorite BBC radio programs, when one of the hosts started talking about a program on language that they'd recently listened to. He started talking about the phrase "tit-bits". "Did you know it's actually supposed to be 'tid-bits'?" he said. "'Tit-bits' is an Americanism!"

This was news to me! I've always said "tid-bits", and I'd never heard "tit bits" before I started listening to that program! It might be a genuine Americanism (as I said: it's a big country, and I'm not familiar with all its vocabulary) but I can't imagine that it is: mostly because the word 'tit' is much more common in the UK. I think it's considered a much ruder term in the US.

Which is to say: it's often confusing what terms and phrases are attributed to one country or another. Some 'Americanisms' actually originated in the UK, but fell out of use there before being re-imported via American media. Some Americanisms, reviled at their introduction, have simply merged with the language and become common use everywhere English is spoken: 'lengthy', 'reliable', 'talented', 'influential', and 'tremendous' all originated in the Colonies. (The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was particularly disgusted with the word 'talented'. Read the article listed at the end of this entry for more!)

(Lest anyone think all the Brits are hyperbolically annoyed, here's my favorite reader quote from the article:

19. I enjoy Americanisms. I suspect even some Americans use them in a tongue-in-cheek manner? "That statement was the height of ridiculosity". Bob, Edinburgh

*touches nose* Bingo! Somebody get Bob a prize... And yes. I made up the word 'hyperbolically' to illustrate Bob's point!)

There are many Americanisms I wouldn't bother to defend. No, I take that back: I wouldn't bother to defend any of them! Because that's not how language works. Societies don't choose their vocabulary by committee: language evolves, with little influence from most individuals. (Oh, that I had the influence of Shakespeare and all of the many words he coined!)

The concluding point of the original article is that the author mourns the erosion of British culture as distinct from American culture. I can see why that would be worrying: the increasing globalization of the world means that a lot of change is happening very quickly, and I'm sure all sorts of culture and customs get lost in the shuffle. I just wonder if policing language is the tact to take? (I don't think so. Language evolves, and there's not much use in trying to stop it.)

I do think I might have lost the point in this long ramble of an article: I think mostly I want to spark discussion, as I love talking about language! So, here's a list of discussion questions, followed by a list of resources:

• Do you have an unfavorite Americanism?
  
• What about your grammar and/or punctuation pet peeves?
  
• Pro or anti-pedant?
  
• How do you feel about the natural evolution of language? Should we try to prevent it from happening in certain instances, or stand out of its way?
  
• Any favorite language anecdotes or facts to share?

Resources:

Stephen Fry! (The video faery_fall posted.)

The BBC articles:
Viewpoint: Why do some Americanisms irritate people?
Americanisms: 50 of your most noted examples

Separated By a Common Language: I should have guessed that she would be discussing these articles! :P I was merely going to suggest this as an excellent blog dealing with the differences between American and British English. It's written by an American linguist living in the UK.

Comments

[zolac-no-miko.livejournal.com]

Do you have an unfavorite Americanism? - As an American, my first impulse was to skip this question, but I changed my mind. Just to be obnoxious, I'm going to weigh in as an Islander expressing my ire concerning a... Mainlandism? Mainlanderism? (Just what is the adjective form of "the Mainland"?) Namely, flip-flops. I am inclined, out of a sense of place and pride and cultural identity, to insist on slippers/slippahs/rubber slippers/rubbah slippahs, but that's mostly just me having fun. I don't actually care; on the Mainland, "slipper" means something else, it makes sense for Mainlanders to have a separate word for the thong sandal. The Mainland can feel free to call the item whatever it wishes (I will just laugh at it for sounding silly). ...Where I get peeved is when a Mainlander will insist at great length that a flip-flop not only should not, but cannot be called a slipper, and that we in Hawai‘i are stupid for doing so. Ffffffffffffffff— [INCOHERENT RAGE GOES HERE] 1) Linguistically, the word "slipper" implies something that you slip on to your foot; therefore, it makes perfect sense to call the thong sandal a slipper. 2) WE INVENTED THE DAMN THING, WE CAN CALL IT WHATEVER WE WANT, the fact that you thought they were kind of neat and started wearing them too and made up a silly new name for them DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT WE HAD THEM FIRST AND GODDAMMIT THEY ARE CALLED SLIPPERS, OKAY. 3) STOP TRYING TO INVALIDATE MY CULTURAL IDENTITY, DICKHEAD. Yes, it is actually that big of a deal, it's a god-damn cultural icon over here, the slipper is as important to us as our food and our music and our mythology, it's not just a shoe to us, okay?

aslkdhglksdfldfs I have had this argument with people far too many times, IT IS SO ANNOYING.

What about your grammar and/or punctuation pet peeves? - Misuse of apostrophes is probably the most cringe-worthy. I'm all for new words and changing the use of words and the evolution of meanings, and even some changes in the use of punctuation can be arguable, but there is just no excuse for sticking an apostrophe into a plural word where it doesn't belong. It's just– you're just doing it wrong. Also, I'm with you on "should of" all the way. What, that just doesn't even make sense, it's born of people spelling things based on pronunciation without stopping to think of what words actually mean.

Pro or anti-pedant? - Oh boy, ask me to choose a side in practically any argument, and I will immediately be inclined to say NEITHER AND/OR BOTH. (I think that covers all the bases, doesn't it?) I am a knee-jerk fence-sitter, and this is not an exception. Black and white, what are they? Shades of gray, people. Shades of gray.

Oh goodness my comment ran over the limit. ^_^;;

[zolac-no-miko.livejournal.com]

How do you feel about the natural evolution of language? Should we try to prevent it from happening in certain instances, or stand out of its way? - I think this question more-or-less goes along with the previous one, but on the whole I'd have to say I agree with Stephen Fry (I find he is very sensible about most things ^_^). I believe in the evolution of language, and I think it is ridiculous and pointless to fight it. I mean, seriously, good luck trying to stop it. And it shouldn't be stopped; everything changes, and we need languages to keep up, to remain relevant. We do need rules and structure to a certain extent; I'm all in favor of enforcing grammar and punctuation and spelling in formal writing, but we need to recognize that informal writing and speech has a place in our discourse that is no less valid.

Any favorite language anecdotes or facts to share? - Ummm, dunno, not that I can think of at the mo', just sort of a comment in-line with some of my thoughts on the topic. It's just that I've been thinking about it all day and I just can't seem to muster any similar feelings of annoyance towards Britishisms. Is it because some part of my recognizes Great Britain as the progenitor of the language and therefore, on some level, correct? Is it just that I do not feel threatened by any perceived cultural invasion, so I needn't feel prickly about it? Regardless, I find the differences between our dialects to be amusing and fun. I watch a lot of British television, and I've picked up a lot of Britishisms from that medium and others, some of which I use frequently in my own speech because I like how they sound. For instance, I find I rather prefer "telly" to "TV"... because it sounds cute, I dunno. Although generally I find that I use the terms to differentiate between American shows and British shows, for my own amusement, I guess. Doctor Who, Top Gear, Sherlock, and Luther are British telly, and Supernatural, White Collar, Bones, and Hawaii Five-0 are American TV.

...I've spent far more of today than I should have going through all of the links and comments and thinking about this. Language is always fun to talk about. I'm thinking I may steal your links and repost them on my journal; I've a number of foreign friends, Brits and Aussies and otherwise, and I'd be curious to know their thoughts on the BBC articles. Would you mind if I linked to here as well, in case they're interested in this fun and fascinating discussion?

Re: Oh goodness my comment ran over the limit. ^_^;;

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

First and foremost:
I'm thinking I may steal your links and repost them on my journal; I've a number of foreign friends, Brits and Aussies and otherwise, and I'd be curious to know their thoughts on the BBC articles. Would you mind if I linked to here as well, in case they're interested in this fun and fascinating discussion?

Steal away! The links are by no means mine. (Although I'm thinking I should go back and add direct links to the posts on Separated By a Common Language that talk about the BBC articles...for posterity or whatnot. :P)

And feel free to link back to this entry: just be sure to instruct anyone you send over here to ignore any of the comments where I seem to be acting pig-headed and/or bitchy! ;)

Ok, now on to the rest:

I had no idea that Hawaiians called 'flip-flops' slippers, and I am delighted to learn that fact! I'm sorry so many people see the need to argue with you about it. Really, I don't understand the impulse to tell people their culturally-agreed-upon vocabulary is wrong. I can totally see where you are coming from: just watch me, further up in the comments, trying to defend the American phrase "I could care less", a phrase I'm not even particularly attached to!

I also remember when I started attending the University of Michigan, which has a large national as well as international body of students. Now, you see that map of the US roh_wyn posted above titled "Generic Names for Soft Drinks By (US) County"?

Yeah: a lot of words for one fizzy beverage! Well, plenty of my fellow students (especially from the east coast) had apparently never heard of 'pop' (Michigan's preferred term) before. I can't tell you how many obnoxious "It's not pop, it's SODA!" spiels I had to listen to that first year. The worst part was always the twinkle in their eye and the air of "sophisticated city dweller bringing culture to the locals" that always went with it. RUDE! :P

I am a knee-jerk fence-sitter

Ha! I knew you reminded me of someone. ;) My best friend always takes this position! As for me, though I'm more than capable of seeing both sides of an issue, it's always important to me to pick one. (Probably further evidence that I'm just argumentative by nature!)

but we need to recognize that informal writing and speech has a place in our discourse that is no less valid.

This, to me, is key! Yes, there are Very Strict Rules for what is and is not correct (despite how often those Very Strict Rules contradict themselves and each other), but those rules are only useful and meaningful in certain proscribed contexts. Just because we've come to associate those contexts with prestige, doesn't invalidate all those other contexts in which a different, more informal set of grammar rules applies.

I love the word "telly", and am pretty sure I've used it in situations that made me seem like a pretentious anglophile! (Whatever: those people are jus jellus!) Also: I cannot stop using the word "rubbish", as in "I'm rubbish at chess". It just so neatly fills a hole in my vocabulary! "I'm terrible at chess" sounds too harsh and self-hating; "I'm bad at chess" lacks nuance and is boring. "Rubbish" just works so perfectly.

Another word I've adopted into my linguistic repertoire? "Fancy", as in: "I quite fancy him!" Again: great giant hole in the American vocabulary! We have no equivalent word that takes it's place. "I like him" is too vague; "I have a crush on him" can be too strong a phrase for someone you merely find attractive.

I love to talk about language: and the more, the merrier! :D

[zolac-no-miko.livejournal.com]

Regarding slippers/flip-flops and pop/soda... I think people just really like to argue, and they will argue about absolutely anything no matter how stupid it is. I've had the soda/pop/coke argument many times, although usually I would like to think with a sense of fun (see my comments below the map). But I think sometimes people stray across the fun line and enter into the territory of Being A Dick.

Re: fence-sitting, I just always have trouble when people want to polarize an issue that doesn't actually fit into a binary framework. Like the "nature vs. nurture" argument. Seriously, what? IT'S OBVIOUSLY BOTH.

Oh, yes, "rubbish" is a good one, and "fancy" as well. I also like "proper" and "fit"... as in, "That man is properly fit. *drool*"