Americrisis
Jul. 13th, 2011 06:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
davidnI had a bit of an internal crisis last night when I realized that I could no longer remember what the British term for "fire station" was. Or rather, whether I ever actually knew it as something different, or if four years of living virtually next door to one in America had overwritten my memory. Naturally, my first point of call for this research was going on to Youtube to look up Fireman Sam to see if it was mentioned in passing anywhere there, and was rather horrified to discover that it had recently been exhumed as another soulless 3D rendering. But it sort of made up for it with the Welsh accents so patently outrageous that I found it difficult to believe that they weren't actively trying to make fun of the country.
I did at least remember that what Americans call "fire trucks" are instead "fire engines" (why? Well... they've got an engine). And before you laugh at that, I know that here, certain classes of them are called "ladders" (because they've got those as well). But that moment of forgetfulness made me suddenly worried about things that used to be very natural to me being forgotten and replaced as I spend more time here.
As guttural techno-metal fusion maniacs Rammstein (approximately) wrote, "Ve're all livink in Amerika" - people in most other countries are exposed to American language and culture right beside their own from birth, so none of it seems as special, remarkable or (as the immigration office used to call me) alien to us. Being thought of as special in a good way was a new experience to me when I entered the country, and while this was a tiny little thing, I don't want that identity to start slipping - I never thought it would take any amount of effort to remember how I grew up talking.
As chance would have it there was an article about this very subject on the BBC News the next morning, which shows that even words that we would think of as perfectly natural had to be invented by America and forcefully introduced to the language a couple of centuries ago. For talking about such an illogically fierce part of inter-Atlantic relations it's very relaxed, glossing over 1776 as "a slight falling out" and staying tactful and balanced throughout - "Britain is a very distinct country from the US. Not better, not worse, different. And long live that difference". Then it goes and ruins it all one sentence later with the bold invitation to "send us examples of your most disliked Americanisms!"
I did at least remember that what Americans call "fire trucks" are instead "fire engines" (why? Well... they've got an engine). And before you laugh at that, I know that here, certain classes of them are called "ladders" (because they've got those as well). But that moment of forgetfulness made me suddenly worried about things that used to be very natural to me being forgotten and replaced as I spend more time here.
As guttural techno-metal fusion maniacs Rammstein (approximately) wrote, "Ve're all livink in Amerika" - people in most other countries are exposed to American language and culture right beside their own from birth, so none of it seems as special, remarkable or (as the immigration office used to call me) alien to us. Being thought of as special in a good way was a new experience to me when I entered the country, and while this was a tiny little thing, I don't want that identity to start slipping - I never thought it would take any amount of effort to remember how I grew up talking.
As chance would have it there was an article about this very subject on the BBC News the next morning, which shows that even words that we would think of as perfectly natural had to be invented by America and forcefully introduced to the language a couple of centuries ago. For talking about such an illogically fierce part of inter-Atlantic relations it's very relaxed, glossing over 1776 as "a slight falling out" and staying tactful and balanced throughout - "Britain is a very distinct country from the US. Not better, not worse, different. And long live that difference". Then it goes and ruins it all one sentence later with the bold invitation to "send us examples of your most disliked Americanisms!"
Americanisms
Date: 2011-07-14 10:59 am (UTC)To me there is for instance a difference between "to convince" and "to persuade" but "convince" seems to be supplanting "persuade" in all contexts. I dislike "regular" where we would say "ordinary" or "normal". "Can I get a beer" sounds very impolite and "I'm good" sounds like you are well-behaved.. I dislike the American tendency to put the stress on the first syllable of placenames such as BAGHdad, HONGkong, SINGapore, COPENhagen, TURin etc. etc. Very few British people have direct contact with Americans so much of the responsibility for the huge influx of Americanisms can only be attributed to Hollywood, not to mention our own media as any keen Eastenders viewer/listener will know. What I want to know is what Americans themselves think about the language?
Re: Americanisms
Date: 2011-07-14 07:39 pm (UTC)I hadn't realized just how... much of a difference there was until I lived here - even now, I keep on discovering new barriers to communication. As I've often said, it somehow feels more different because it's so similar, making you expect things to be... easy. And as much as I don't want them to, when you're surrounded by them, these things take over - I remember I said "I'm good" once to somebody, in front of my dad. Now he mocks me for every Americanism slip I make.