The other British invasion: how UK lingo conquered the US • Hacker News Board

Re: The other British invasion: how UK lingo conquered the US

#201

Post by walrushunter » Sat, Oct 05, 2024, 12:19 PM UTC

hermitcrab wrote: post #171

An interesting article, somewhat let down by an inaccurate and overstated headline. No-one is getting 'conquered'. As it says at the end of the article: "But in the grand scheme of things, the traffic both ways has been modest. That is, American English and British English remain distinct dialects, with little danger of being homogenised."

The most interesting part of this article is the incendiary language in the headline.

Nobody would click otherwise because it doesn't take a genius to know that the internet has caused Brits and Americans to interact more regularly and thus adopt more of each other's language.

Re: The other British invasion: how UK lingo conquered the US

#202

Post by timthorn » Sat, Oct 05, 2024, 12:34 PM UTC

Ylpertnodi wrote: post #151

sbuk wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like using it to say something is a waste of time or too much trouble; it’s a faff…

A good example of 'faff' is when you join a queue, get to the teller and they tell you a) you needed to take a number and/or b) you're in the wrong line.

Oh, no. A faff is an activity, rather than a scenario. Going to the bank could be a faff, but your example is just a bloody nuisance...

Re: The other British invasion: how UK lingo conquered the US

#203

Post by jimkleiber » Sat, Oct 05, 2024, 12:51 PM UTC

Sakos wrote: post #195

dataflow wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unfortunately my teachers were a little unreasonable about this and would still deduct points when I pointed this out... I can see the teacher's perspective here. I don't think it's unreasonable for teachers to mark this down, though I don't think your request to get back the points was unreasonable either. Communicating effectively with your particular audience (the local American audience one in this case) is arg…

In Germany, I wouldn't get marked down for using the wrong spelling, because it just didn't matter. Behavior? Behaviour? Who gives a fuck, it's all the same. It's ridiculous that these regional variations are somehow significant that it warrants points being taken away.

I think native speakers of a language have a more visceral reaction to things being spelled wrong or the wrong word order. So in Germany, people may not care so much. I grew up in the US but near Canada so I have maybe more exposure to written British English than most in the US (center vs centre). And I lived in Tanzania where I myself became very confused on how to spell words (grey vs gray?).

But there are probably still some words that will make me think the person is not American, like organisation with an s. I read it and it viscerally feels off.

Re: The other British invasion: how UK lingo conquered the US

#204

Post by jimkleiber » Sat, Oct 05, 2024, 12:54 PM UTC

Anon1096 wrote: post #113

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Communicating effectively with your particular audience (the local American audience one in this case) is arguably a skill they're trying to teach you Please find me the numpty who can't distinguish colour from color. > don't want your reader to see "enrol" and spend the next 5-10 seconds pondering if you're illiterate or unable to run a spellchecker instead of spending that time digesting your actual point Fair po…

Colour and realise I suspect most American readers would be able to understand just fine. But you start writing tyre, kerb, and gaol, and there will be real reading comprehension issues that start arising. We have standardized spellings for a reason and that's what schools are there to teach. And this is just spelling, not even going into words that have different meanings in the US vs UK like pants and lemonade.

I love this example. I felt ick at realise but yeah, still understood it. Tyre I thought no way, that can't be tire. Kerb, wait, like curb?? And then gaol I think my tongue tied itself in knots and gave up trying to imagine what it might actually mean lol.

Re: The other British invasion: how UK lingo conquered the US

#205

Post by Rinzler89 » Sat, Oct 05, 2024, 12:57 PM UTC

hermitcrab wrote: post #165

As a Brit, I feel the cultural traffic is more from the US to the UK. But that is hardly surprising given the larger American population and outsize influence of Hollywood. Ps/ Americans, please keep saying "bummed". It is a constant source of amusement for immature Brits like myself.

I'd rather Americans start using fags instead of cigarettes, aluminum instead of aluminum and kilometers per hour instead of bald eagles per freedom.

Re: The other British invasion: how UK lingo conquered the US

#206

Post by ndsipa_pomu » Sat, Oct 05, 2024, 1:09 PM UTC

jimkleiber wrote: post #203

Sakos wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Germany, I wouldn't get marked down for using the wrong spelling, because it just didn't matter. Behavior? Behaviour? Who gives a fuck, it's all the same. It's ridiculous that these regional variations are somehow significant that it warrants points being taken away.

I think native speakers of a language have a more visceral reaction to things being spelled wrong or the wrong word order. So in Germany, people may not care so much. I grew up in the US but near Canada so I have maybe more exposure to written British English than most in the US (center vs centre). And I lived in Tanzania where I myself became very confused on how to spell words (grey vs gray?). But there are probabl…

As a Brit, I resent the "authorized_keys" in my .ssh directory.

Due to the large number of U.S. internet residents, I don't tend to really notice many "Americanisms", though one thing that bugs me is when the U.S. doesn't seem to recognise that "America" is a a large continent and only one area is the U.S. However, even Canadians will refuse to admit that they are American, as in living within the american continent.

Re: The other British invasion: how UK lingo conquered the US

#207

Post by flumpcakes » Sat, Oct 05, 2024, 1:15 PM UTC

Rinzler89 wrote: post #205

hermitcrab wrote: post #165

As a Brit, I feel the cultural traffic is more from the US to the UK. But that is hardly surprising given the larger American population and outsize influence of Hollywood. Ps/ Americans, please keep saying "bummed". It is a constant source of amusement for immature Brits like myself.

I'd rather Americans start using fags instead of cigarettes, aluminum instead of aluminum and kilometers per hour instead of bald eagles per freedom.

Royal society of chemistry has since gone with the American pronunciation of Aluminium, they won this one apparently.

Re: The other British invasion: how UK lingo conquered the US

#208

Post by ndsipa_pomu » Sat, Oct 05, 2024, 1:16 PM UTC

habosa wrote: post #126

thecosas wrote: post #81

As an American, I still get hung up when hearing about a government "scheme" [0] in Britain without any negative connotation whatsoever. [0] https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/scheme.php

It’s so good hearing about a “bike to work scheme” and trying to imagine what the evil part is.

That it provides greater benefit to the better paid employees and is inaccessible to the people trying to find work?

Re: The other British invasion: how UK lingo conquered the US

#209

Post by hermitcrab » Sat, Oct 05, 2024, 1:16 PM UTC

smcl wrote: post #185

corobo wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Twat" is another one that sounds weird. Americans sound like they're replacing the a with an o

Interestingly, both twat and cunt are far more severe (and aimed at women) in US English than they are in UK/Aus/NZ English.

'The c word' is still pretty offensive in the UK. Except, perhaps, in places like Glasgow.

Interestingly c*t and quaint have the same etymological roots.

Re: The other British invasion: how UK lingo conquered the US

#210

Post by flumpcakes » Sat, Oct 05, 2024, 1:16 PM UTC

smcl wrote: post #185

corobo wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Twat" is another one that sounds weird. Americans sound like they're replacing the a with an o

Interestingly, both twat and cunt are far more severe (and aimed at women) in US English than they are in UK/Aus/NZ English.

Southern England seems to have more American sensibilities with respect to those words - but in Scotland "cunt" is pretty common and 99% of the time not gendered.