But then it should be labelled as "American" and not "English":D
There have been Americans in the past who argued that. Ever hear of the writer H.L. Mencken? He was quite renowned for his journalism in the US in the 1920's, and he still has a large readership. He was among those who believed that English in America, by his era, had become different enough from British English that "American" should be recognized as a separate language, albeit one very closely related to "English." Obviously that idea never really took off, and can now be called dead and buried, but Mencken's The American Language is actually a very fine work of scholarship that is also endlessly fascinating. Just one of the details I learned from the book: at the dawn of the age of the telephone, the American way of answering a phone was to say "hello" into the phone, but the British way of answering a phone was to say "Are you there?" into the phone. I think all British people who object to Americanisms today should take a principled stand and stop saying hello when they answer phones and instead say "Are you there?" when somebody rings them, just like their forefathers.
There have been Americans in the past who argued that. Ever hear of the writer H.L. Mencken? He was quite renowned for his journalism in the US in the 1920's, and he still has a large readership. He was among those who believed that English in America, by his era, had become different enough from British English that "American" should be recognized as a separate language, albeit one very closely related to "English." Obviously that idea never really took off, and can now be called dead and buried, but Mencken's The American Language is actually a very fine work of scholarship that is also endlessly fascinating. Just one of the details I learned from the book: at the dawn of the age of the telephone, the American way of answering a phone was to say "hello" into the phone, but the British way of answering a phone was to say "Are you there?" into the phone. I think all British people who object to Americanisms today should take a principled stand and stop saying hello when they answer phones and instead say "Are you there?" when somebody rings them, just like their forefathers.
Interesting slice of info there More Tears, I can really imagine Brits from years back answering a ringing phone by saying, "Are you there?"
If your phone was ringing, it must have been patently obvious that SOMEONE was there.
English as a whole is influenced by other languages. Keep on deflecting my point though.
I wasn't aware you had a point.. well not one you were making coherently. But let me try to recap: "American English has kept a handful of archaic forms while massively tinkering with the language - this is proof that it has remained 'faithful' to the language'. Makes sense? Nope. So as the yanks 'faithfully' say: "I'm out of here".
That is just your opinion, which you are perfectly entitled to hold.
I'll just quietly cry myself to sleep because to all intents and purposes
I'm upset that you think that I'm silly, but in reality I could care less.
It's not just me who'd think you'd sound silly. It's the vast majority of people who live in the UK.
There have been Americans in the past who argued that. Ever hear of the writer H.L. Mencken? He was quite renowned for his journalism in the US in the 1920's, and he still has a large readership. He was among those who believed that English in America, by his era, had become different enough from British English that "American" should be recognized as a separate language, albeit one very closely related to "English." Obviously that idea never really took off, and can now be called dead and buried, but Mencken's The American Language is actually a very fine work of scholarship that is also endlessly fascinating. Just one of the details I learned from the book: at the dawn of the age of the telephone, the American way of answering a phone was to say "hello" into the phone, but the British way of answering a phone was to say "Are you there?" into the phone. I think all British people who object to Americanisms today should take a principled stand and stop saying hello when they answer phones and instead say "Are you there?" when somebody rings them, just like their forefathers.
It's not just me who'd think you'd sound silly. It's the vast majority of people who live in the UK.
Do they really?
On the assumption that you've personally polled this vast majority, I could care even less.
How about we put it like this, I am fully prepared to accept that you don't like the expression, and see it as grammatically incorrect, I can hardly do otherwise.
Your half of the deal, should you choose to accept it, is that you leave me to carry on using it, no matter how foolish you and your alleged majority think that I may sound, or look when using it, surely that would be better than popping up from the barricades, and periodically sniping at one another.
I'm from NW England and I've never heard anybody from there use "nice one" as a substitute for "thank you". I have heard "nice one" used, but only in appreciation of something somebody has done and not being used sarcastically.
So are we narrowing it down to a Merseyside thing then? Though actually I'm sure Mancs use it on that way also?
But isn't "thank you" by its very nature used as an appreciation of something somebody has done?
Now they say, "shout out." "Text in if you want me to give you a shout out." What does that mean? If I text in, are you going to shout out my name? Well, warn me first, so I can turn the volume down.
Interesting slice of info there More Tears, I can really imagine Brits from years back answering a ringing phone by saying, "Are you there?"
If your phone was ringing, it must have been patently obvious that SOMEONE was there.
Now, maybe, but it wasn't necessarily the case 100 years ago. Weren't exchanges merely people in front of boards with holes, using plugs connected by wires? I'd think it was quite usual for phones to ring before there was actually a person on the line.
I'm from NW England and I've never heard anybody from there use "nice one" as a substitute for "thank you". I have heard "nice one" used, but only in appreciation of something somebody has done and not being used sarcastically.
Yes.
Surely saying thank you is showing appreciation of something someone has done, isn't it?
So are we narrowing it down to a Merseyside thing then? Though actually I'm sure Mancs use it on that way also?
But isn't "thank you" by its very nature used as an appreciation of something somebody has done?
I think that's British
No, I'm from Greater Manchester.
It's used in a different context to saying "thank you", you'd get a strange look if somebody gave you your change in a shop and you said "nice one" or if you said "nice one" to somebody who held a door open for you. "Nice one" would be used in a situation where somebody has achieved something or won some money or a prize for example.
No, I'm from Greater Manchester.
It's used in a different context to saying "thank you", you'd get a strange look if somebody gave you your change in a shop and you said "nice one" or if you said "nice one" to somebody who held a door open for you. "Nice one" would be used in a situation where somebody has achieved something or won some money or a prize for example.
Where did 'nice one' come from and who uses it? I've heard it rarely, and then as a poster pointed out, as sarcasm.
Like other "Americanisms", it originated in England. ...
I think we need to be careful about whether everybody has read the Knight's Tale in the original Klingon and decided that the word was of such splendid merit that it has been kept unchanged for the last 500 years, or whether it's simply a speech mannerism.
It's a 'truth found on internet?' question.
Just because an academic reckons something and found one single instance of a word (no other examples given anywhere?), does not make it the absolute complete truth across the board. It's entirely possible that Chaucer, verbose and incomprehensible as he was, also had a slightly duff keyboard.
And the 'backronym' thing may be relevant again...
I think we need to be careful about whether everybody has read the Knight's Tale in the original Klingon and decided that the word was of such splendid merit that it has been kept unchanged for the last 500 years, or whether it's simply a speech mannerism.
It's a 'truth found on internet?' question.
Just because an academic reckons something and found one single instance of a word (no other examples given anywhere?), does not make it the absolute complete truth across the board. It's entirely possible that Chaucer, verbose and incomprehensible as he was, also had a slightly duff keyboard.
The variant form of "ask" certainly existed in Old English (acsian). It's not just one academic's claim, and two examples of its use were given in the article I quoted.
I always feel like slapping anyone using "movie" over "film".
As for "season" over "series", don't even get me started... I can feel the venom building up inside of me just thinking about that one >:(
Hmm. He seems to be saying that Aks is OK. And that black Americans should be given a free pass to say it. That could open up a can of worms. Every race could demand their own pronunciation of words.
Comments
There have been Americans in the past who argued that. Ever hear of the writer H.L. Mencken? He was quite renowned for his journalism in the US in the 1920's, and he still has a large readership. He was among those who believed that English in America, by his era, had become different enough from British English that "American" should be recognized as a separate language, albeit one very closely related to "English." Obviously that idea never really took off, and can now be called dead and buried, but Mencken's The American Language is actually a very fine work of scholarship that is also endlessly fascinating. Just one of the details I learned from the book: at the dawn of the age of the telephone, the American way of answering a phone was to say "hello" into the phone, but the British way of answering a phone was to say "Are you there?" into the phone. I think all British people who object to Americanisms today should take a principled stand and stop saying hello when they answer phones and instead say "Are you there?" when somebody rings them, just like their forefathers.
Interesting slice of info there More Tears, I can really imagine Brits from years back answering a ringing phone by saying, "Are you there?"
If your phone was ringing, it must have been patently obvious that SOMEONE was there.
I wasn't aware you had a point.. well not one you were making coherently. But let me try to recap: "American English has kept a handful of archaic forms while massively tinkering with the language - this is proof that it has remained 'faithful' to the language'. Makes sense? Nope. So as the yanks 'faithfully' say: "I'm out of here".
It's not just me who'd think you'd sound silly. It's the vast majority of people who live in the UK.
QI - Origin of "Hello"
First use of hello - Edison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xXSw07zrio
Do they really?
On the assumption that you've personally polled this vast majority, I could care even less.
How about we put it like this, I am fully prepared to accept that you don't like the expression, and see it as grammatically incorrect, I can hardly do otherwise.
Your half of the deal, should you choose to accept it, is that you leave me to carry on using it, no matter how foolish you and your alleged majority think that I may sound, or look when using it, surely that would be better than popping up from the barricades, and periodically sniping at one another.
So are we narrowing it down to a Merseyside thing then? Though actually I'm sure Mancs use it on that way also?
But isn't "thank you" by its very nature used as an appreciation of something somebody has done?
I think that's British
Now, maybe, but it wasn't necessarily the case 100 years ago. Weren't exchanges merely people in front of boards with holes, using plugs connected by wires? I'd think it was quite usual for phones to ring before there was actually a person on the line.
Yes.
Surely saying thank you is showing appreciation of something someone has done, isn't it?
I just blame EastEnders for the Sht.
It's used in a different context to saying "thank you", you'd get a strange look if somebody gave you your change in a shop and you said "nice one" or if you said "nice one" to somebody who held a door open for you. "Nice one" would be used in a situation where somebody has achieved something or won some money or a prize for example.
Where did 'nice one' come from and who uses it? I've heard it rarely, and then as a poster pointed out, as sarcasm.
First used in a Hip-Hop music video show in New York, I believe.
Darn Tootin'
JUST SAY ASK!!!!!!
That really grinds my gears.
I have noticed it being used predominantly by the Black community in America.
Lots of Afro Carribeans do it here too.
Like other "Americanisms", it originated in England.
Sheidlower says you can trace "ax" back to the eighth century. The pronunciation derives from the Old English verb "acsian." Chaucer used "ax." It's in the first complete English translation of the Bible (the Coverdale Bible): " 'Axe and it shall be given.'
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/people-have-been-saying-ax-instead-ask-1200-years-180949663/?no-ist
Interesting article.
http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/19/opinion/la-oe-mcwhorter-black-speech-ax-20140119
It's a 'truth found on internet?' question.
Just because an academic reckons something and found one single instance of a word (no other examples given anywhere?), does not make it the absolute complete truth across the board. It's entirely possible that Chaucer, verbose and incomprehensible as he was, also had a slightly duff keyboard.
And the 'backronym' thing may be relevant again...
The variant form of "ask" certainly existed in Old English (acsian). It's not just one academic's claim, and two examples of its use were given in the article I quoted.
I'm not alone, then?
Hmm. He seems to be saying that Aks is OK. And that black Americans should be given a free pass to say it. That could open up a can of worms. Every race could demand their own pronunciation of words.