BBC News magazine has asked its readers to compile what they thought were the most annoying Americanism. The top 50 made it on a list. I have to say that I do agree with some of them. For instance, I've been guilty of using the phrase, "I could care less" and it wasn't until recently that I realised that I should be saying "I couldn't care less." Quite a few response are in response to the different words that we use such as expiration vs expiry or and math vs maths. But some of the responses are just ridiculous. Here are some notable gems:
When people ask for something, I often hear: "Can I get a..." It infuriates me. It's not New York. It's not the 90s. You're not in Central Perk with the rest of the Friends. Really."
Psst, that's a standard US phrase. It's not restricted to solely NY, the 1990s or to Friends. In fact, I never watched Friends. Shocking, I know. But I definitely grew up ordering food by saying "Can I get a..." and probably will for the foreseeable future. Is there a more British way that I'm suppose to say this?
Dare I even mention the fanny pack
Um, fanny doesn't mean the same in the US as it does in the UK. After all this is a country that uses the term faggot to describe a pork dish. A Brit could never get away with saying that in the States!
Train station. My teeth are on edge every time I hear it. Who started it? Have they been punished?
What is it supposed to be called?
People that say "my bad" after a mistake. I don't know how anything could be as annoying or lazy as that.
Yea bruv, innit?
What strikes me as the most disturbing thing about this article is the tone of most of the respondents. On one hand, I do understand that when you ask for people to submit their most annoying Americanisms that the tone of said responses will have a modicum of annoyance. But when your response includes phrases such as "it just sounds grotesque" or "I didn't know that anything could be that annoying or lazy, I do start to wonder if this is just an opportunity for some Brits to express their disdain for Americans.
As a blog that frequently chats about the cultural differences between Americans and Brits, I do like to think that I make some sort of attempt to highlight our differences without demanding that Britain be more like America. Had this article been in say, the Daily Mail, I would not have been the least bit surprised. I am however, I bit surprised and concerned that it actually appeared in BBC News.
I understand that the gist of the original article which poised the question was that Britain was losing its cultural identity to the US and that this is most evident in the use of language. However arguments like this are dangerous in that they give rise to xenophobia. What starts off as people complaining about Americanisms in their language will more than likely lead to articles complaining about the rise of ethnic restaurants. Complaints about the number of non-Brits is the next logical complaint and before you know it, you've gotten everyone to hate every and anything that's not British.
Its all quite a bit ironic considering that it was the British who first forced their culture on the rest of the world during the height of their power. How fitting that those same countries that they colonized are now slowly infiltrating British culture. Is this karma at work? Or perhaps just the natural order of things when you position as a world power fades? Is this really an article about people wanted to maintain their culture? Or is it indicative of the frustration resulting from the acknowledgement that the sun has set on the British empire and it may never rise again?
This BBC article has provoked a lot of (heated) reactions on Twitter today! I'm pleased to read your excellent post.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your observation: "I do start to wonder if this is just an opportunity for some Brits to express their disdain for Americans."
I'm also surprised this appeared in BBC News.
Well said, Tish!
Melodramatic claptrap.
ReplyDeleteThe British Empire expired a long, long time ago and since there isn't anyone alive to remember it I think it's safe to say that Britain has come to terms with that.
Also, the idea that British people disliking Americanisms will eventually lead to everyone joining the BNP and lynch-mobbing their way across the country is laughable.
You saying that you have never demanded that Britain be more like America just highlights how you've misunderstood the article in the first place. Did you even read it? I did. No-one demands that America be like Britain, just that that it would be desirable for our language to have less American phrases creeping into it. The article suggests that the British are appropriating language without having the reference points to support it. For example, phrases such as "left field" are being used with no understanding of the basic etymology.
So yes, the article is about people wanting to maintain their own culture, or at least their language, in the face of "can I get a...?" (Please may I have...?) "My bad" (Sorry) oh, and the phrase you were searching for is "Railway Station".
I see your point, although I am guilty of grinding my teeth at some phrases commonly in use amongst our cousins in the US :-)
ReplyDeleteI do believe what she is pointing out is that this is not newsworthy nor is it constructive. The entire tone of the article is condescending, inviting readers to contribute en masse to belittling another culture.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm American. I'm over here because I myself prefer the British way of doing things and the general European way of life. I make fun of America and the American viewpoints myself and see America from a generally outside persepective (otherwise, I'd still be over there). But I wonder, if we were to put another culture in here....how about Zimbabwe, also a former colony? If Brits started pointing at Zimbabweans and making fun of their turn-of-phrases and their slight cultural differences, would it be taken nearly so lightly? Or would it be seen as it is...a British newspaper trying to rouse public support by creating a common enemy to bully? For shame, BBC...I expect this from Eklementary School kids...Oops! I meant Primary school..My bad.
@Beccy,
ReplyDeleteI indeed read the entire article. However, I'm not so sure that you actually read my blog post in its entirety.
I never said that *all* Brits would become card carrying members of the BNP simply because they stated that they occasionally get annoyed by some Americanisms. In fact, I do agree at the beginning of the post that some are annoying.
What I took issue with is the tone of SOME of the respondents and question where their anger comes from. We all know that there are some British people who are very concerned about the loss of their cultural identity. Its the reason that the coalition government has been pushing to cut back on immigration - although they only seem to be targeting non-EU citizens. After all lest we forget, the country's favourite dish is curry!
I made the comment about the the British Empire because I think the suggestion that American English is in some ways inferior to British English - a meme that is present in a majority of the respondents comments - to be very imperialistic and arrogant. Yes our version of English originated in this country. But it has changed and evolved over time. That doesn't make it wrong. That just makes it different.
My comment about Brits demanding that America be more like Britain comes from the fact that quite a few of the respondents currently live in the States and are complaining that they can't use British terms such as fortnightly. In this instance as well as with a few other examples, the British expat is asking that Americans use British phrases.
Since moving here, I personally have worked really hard to incorporate Britishisms into my speech. Do I always succeed? No. But I do make as much of an effort as possible and even try to teach my fellow American expats a few key phrases in the process.
I'm overall just disappointed that the BBC even ran this story. Something similar had already appeared in the Daily Mail ages ago. But really, I'd expect to find something like this in DM. I'm didn't think I'd read about it on the Beebs.
The problem with 'Can I get ....' is that the answer might be 'No', because you can't come behind the counter! Just because you can do something doesn't mean you may.
ReplyDeleteThe more (traditional?) British way of phrasing it would be 'May I have...'
Psst, that's a standard US phrase.
ReplyDeletePsst, you're missing the point. I first noticed "Can I get..." coming into British English in the early 90s. The complainer is warning Brits not to try and sound cool by aping the speech styles of people they see on the telly/TV.
I find it hard to believe anyone who had even visited the UK wouldn't know this, but just in case, the normal British expression (surely not unknown in the US), is "can I have". "Can I get" used to be a way of asking permission to go and get it for yourself: "get" in the sense of obtain rather than receive. "Can I get a packet of cigarettes please? -- No need sir, I'll get it for you."
Um, fanny doesn't mean the same in the US as it does in the UK.
Um, that's the whole point. That's why it's inappropriate in Britain. If Americans who watched too much British TV started to go round saying they were desperate for a fag, I can imagine other Americans would find that annoying.
Train station… What is it supposed to be called?
Again, you surely know this, but for anyone who doesn't, it used to be called a railway station. That's starting to become dated now that train station is so widespread, just as, presumably "railroad station" did in American.
"Had this article been in say, the Daily Mail, I would not have been the least bit surprised. I am however, I bit surprised and concerned that it actually appeared in BBC News.
You're absolutely right there, it's frankly embarrassing that the BBC puts out this kind of nonsense.
What starts off as people complaining about Americanisms in their language will more than likely lead to articles complaining about the rise of ethnic restaurants.
Oh come on. Disliking the odd American expression (even when it's often nothing of the sort) does not make someone a racist. That's ridiculous.
Is this really an article about people wanted to maintain their culture? Or is it indicative of the frustration resulting from the acknowledgement that the sun has set on the British empire and it may never rise again?
No, of course not. Don't be silly.
With respect, I think there's quite a lot about UK culture you have yet to get the hang of, though you are quite right to call out the British media for the rubbish it all too often puts out. Thanks for an interesting and thought-provoking post.
PS what on earth is/are the Beebs? And DM? Are these one of your key British phrases? ;-]
Tisha - Of course American English is inferior to British English in some ways, just as British English is inferior to American English in others!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the BBC shouldn't have even bothered with the story, but they could just have easily run with Britishisms that annoy the British. I can guarantee that the respondents would have been the same people with the same sort of attitude. Like yourself - "Yeah bruv, innit".
The problem with your article is that it accuses us of imperialism and racism which simply isn't true.
The point of the original article wasn't disparaging Americans or their speech but the British people who adopt it - it's nothing new, it's been going on since the 50's - and it just sounds idiotic. "Can I get..." in the mouth of an American is fine and understood, but coming from a British kid? It sounds ridiculous, just as sidewalk, garbage and elevator would.
No-one expects Americans to stop speaking American, that's just silly and pretty much everyone in Britain would understand an American turn of phrase just as I would hope an American would know what pavement and bin mean in Britain. You don't need to adopt Britishisms, or encourage others to do so either. We're not as backward as you think!
Oh, and I forgot to add that the reason the government is targeting non-EU immigration is because by law we have free borders within the EU and cannot stop EU immigrants coming here.
ReplyDeleteIt's nothing to do with racism or anti-non-EU sentiment.
@Beccy, I respectfully disagree. You clearly have made me out to be some uber-patriotic American which is quite far from the truth. Nobody's language is superior or inferior to the other. I use Britishisms out of respect not because I don't think Brits would understand. It's quite ironic that you're even complaining about me doing so as I'm sure that you'd equally moan if I refused to use any. This has officially become exhausting. I've said my piece. You've said yours. We clearly have different feelings and views about this article.
ReplyDeleteThink you've over reacted to the article Tisha. Thought this web site was about understanding Britain.
ReplyDeleteI think that a number of these 'Americanisms' are misunderstood by the people who are annoyed by them. I grew up in the US and I didn't even recognize some of them, they were just bad grammar. And some of them, like train station, was originally something else in the US as well and is just a result of the evolution of language.
ReplyDeleteI also think that some of the people who wrote of their annoyances are older and less tolerant. I mean really, cart instead of trolley? Big deal. I understand why some of these could be annoying, but it's not worth being so stressed out over it.
Although there were some on the list that were very annoying to me as well even though I am an American. "Can I get?" My elementary school teacher pounded it into my head that you have to use "may I" to actually 'get' anything.
I agree with the author of this article that some people are channeling some dislike of Americans in general with their comments.
beccy said: "Oh, and I forgot to add that the reason the government is targeting non-EU immigration is because by law we have free borders within the EU and cannot stop EU immigrants coming here.
ReplyDeleteIt's nothing to do with racism or anti-non-EU sentiment. "
I especially enjoyed reading this remark...
Basically, what she is saying here is that England should also put a cap on EU citizens coming here to work. Yes, unfortunately many English are still imperialistic, arrogant nationalists. Nice article though.
First, let me say that I love to read your blog. As a student who is almost finished with my B.S. in education here in the states, I hope to teach internationally and Britain is the number one place that I want to teach. Needless to say, I find your blog informative as to what it might be like to actually follow through with working and living in England.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I feel like your post was informative. I think that one of my biggest fears is moving to another country and being rejected because of something I can't help. As in, I use these phrases sometimes without thinking about it. Of course, I suppose that living in the Southern half of the United States and seeing racism (not that I feel that the British people are racist by ANY means) first hand dosn't help with my fear. Still, seeing some of the things that tend to get on the countries occupants nerves, really helps me see what I need to cut back on using.
So, as you can see I have a lot of aprehension about moving. However, your blog as a whole has helped me to feel better about it. My real question is this...Have you ever been discriminated against because of your status as an American?
@Angela - Other than the random comment - ie something about Americans being overweight or litigation-happy, I've not really felt discriminated for being an American since I've been here. Most people totally understand what you're Americanisms mean and find it quite intriguing. So don't worry. People here aren't mean.
ReplyDeleteMy pet peeve is the American use of "bring" even when the meaning is "take". E.g. It's OK to say "bring an umbrella with you" when you are the end point of the journey the person you are talking to is about to make, but if you are at the starting point, you should really be saying "take". Also, "Hey are you leaving? Will you bring me to the tube station?" is just plain wrong and uneducated.
ReplyDeleteSource: My wife is American.