"Americanisms" that Brits hate

Like I said, my European friends had a preference for "American" English. They found it substantially easier to understand. They said it sounded neutral. I wasn't even aware people were debating the subject. The Europeans just offered their opinion to me.

 

If you are in high school, analyze music this way, and don't think hip hop is music you have pretty much told us all you are a virgin!

 

Don't concern yourself. We have not 'succumbed' to anything. Muslims make up just over 3% of the UK's population, and have little to no influence in British society.

 

You suspect incorrectly. Cockney is the most widely recognized British accent. You know, " 'ello gubnah " and all that.

By whom? Certainly not by native speakers of other languages, who say that the standard American accent is easier to understand. "Neutral" is the word which they often seem to use.

Again, by whom? Certainly not by Americans (the most demographically important English speaking group), nor by, again, native speakers of other languages. The prominence of the exports of America's popular culture has made the American Standard the, well, standard for everyone outside of Britain.

 

Ah, well see there, Leo?

 

I think you mean 'Guvnor'.

 

Well... it's a phonetic spelling. And it sounds to me like they say "gubnah," with both the "B" and the "ah" sound.

 

Where did I attribute that comment to you?

So would you if you weren't seduced by European-style socialism. That's what made the US the most powerful nation on Earth.

You think too highly of yourself.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. -Thomas Jefferson.
Anybody that has ever taken American History knew that.

Interesting that you would reference a PhD candidate's 600+ page doctoral thesis on Trtosky to support your claim. Maybe you should have tried reading it, though, particularly p611, where he mentions that "the Soviet bureaucracy was extraordinarily autonomous".
But, in addition to it not supporting your position, it is "ancient" USSR of the 20's and 30's, not the USSR that we fought in the Cold War.

To a leftist like you, a government that hands out welfare checks quickly must be appealing. To a strict Constitutionalist, I find the concept horrifying. Uncle Sam has no business being a nanny.

It should be deliberate in all matters related to its Constitutional charter and should be silent on matters that it has no business tinkering with.

 

I think it was a lady some time in the 1960's who said "Well he would say that, wouldn't he?"

It is the case for the prosecution, M'Lud, that one American supporting another American, in a thesis concerning a language neither is capable of speaking or writing correctly, cannot be considered admissable evidence of anything.

 

You do know that there are excellent treatments for removing ear wax - do you not?

 

LOL, not that my virginity, or lack thereof, is of any relevance to this discussion, but I have not been a virgin for many years. Address my analysis of Rap (which is primarily what I commented upon,) if you can, and lose the ad homs. Give examples of melody, harmony, point and counterpoint, musical colouration and subtlety, all extant in Rap, and then perhaps it might be worth my while discussing this with you. I am happy to learn, even from someone as rude as you.

 

"Americanisms" that Brits hate

>>>>> >>>>> >>>>>

Just two nations of people with their own versions of the English language.

 

Yes, so incorrect it's taught the world over and considered the global standard of the English language.

Your unfounded arrogance aside, neither of us were supporting each other. Our claims were made separately.

By the way, where all have you lived outside of England and Australia (if anywhere at all)?

 

And? Autonomous does not automatically mean efficient; just because you (*)(*)(*)(*) money at an agency and tell it, "go do your thing" doesn't mean anything other than there is a lack of oversight. FEMA was autonomous to some degree, but look how poorly it performed with Katrina.

What does that have to do with anything? The politburo was around in Trotsky's time as well.

The government does far more than that, as you are no doubt aware. I, for one, want a swift and efficient system in place to keep my country's highways maintained, its spacecraft serviceable, it's borders secure, and so on. Apparently you don't, though...


Also, an aside: Do you know who Jean-Paul Sartre is? He was under the influence of some rather Marxist persuasions, to say the least. I find it odd that so staunch a "strict Constitutionalist" as yourself would choose him as your screen name.

 

I similarly have an easier time understanding English speakers on the continent, who speak English as a second language, than I do many native English speakers from different parts of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. If the accent is from Southern England, other than like the Plymouth area I can probably understand it quite well. However, when you go further north the accents get more and more incomprehensible, until you get up into like the Dundee area of Scotland where I understand every 5th word or so!!

 

It is arguable whether some of them up there are actually speaking the English language at all, or a separate but closely related 'sister' language of 'Scots':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_language
http://www.dsl.ac.uk/dsl/

And south of them, before you get to any kind of truly recognisable 'proper English' you have the Geordie dialect, which is sometimes barely recognisable as English at all:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geordie

Going West from London, of course, you also get the 'Wenglish' dialect, which is heavily influenced by direct translations from the Welsh language:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenglish
http://www.talktidy.com/

And similarly further south Anglo-Cornish:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Cornish

It's not just the accent become incomprehensible, but the dialects being different to an extent that in some cases they really aren't quite the same language at all, and are barely understandable to anyone from outside that region. Most people from those places can use 'standard English', of course, but in their daily lives they stick to their own natural way of speaking. When you're visiting such areas, be prepared for it - 'Wenglsih' should mostly be pretty easy to understand even if the grammar and some words sound a bit strange, but don't expect to have a clue what a Geordie is talking about, nobody except another Geordie is likely to!

 

I have a very difficult time with understanding anyone from the North East, whether it be Geordies, Mackems, or the Teesiders. And I will probably never understand the Black Country either. Going to Wolves or West Brom can be a nightmare in terms of communicating.

 

I don't live in Britain, thus, I can't give an informed opinion on the national zietgeist. Although the world population is increasing, electronic media has forced cultures closer together, somtimes at expense of peaceful compatibility. Since 9-11, Muslims in general have been singled out as enemies of democracy, even though Islam is a religion of peace. There are extremist in all religions. It is wrong to cite an entire membership of any belief system because of heinous acts of a few. If you condemn a religion because of a few extremist, Christianty will top the list of offenders. I don't see any organized movements to condemn Catholics because of rampant homosexualism or pedophilia,-- or the continued official coverup of offenders.
Whether in Britain or the US, or the whole world, we MUST learn to address the concerns of precieved enemies, very much in the vane of President Obama's initiatives. It is not a weakness to attempt to embrace diplomacy without sacrificing national integrety or constitution

 

I'z Amerikan, me talks real pretty

 

The British like to pretend to themselves that they are better than Americans in various aspects because they have an inferiority complex - for obvious reasons.

The language 'issue' is yet another example of snobbish pointless patriotism from British patriots who will get on their knees and blow every time an American uses the term "special relationship" or praises Britian is some way.

You Americans wouldnt believe it. These British people literally can not get enough praise from America. And they will give you mainly only criticism in return.

Thats the truth of it.

 

Weird, the game sold out both time it was played in London.

But whatever you need to tell yourself.

 

Somehow, I feel like I’m arguing with a piece of drywall. While autonomous doesn’t automatically = efficient, surely you agree that not having to get two bodies of Congress, the President AND the public to agree to a change is not as efficient as a Commie Party leader giving an edict.

I found it odd that you would dredge up 80 year old USSR history to support your claim….and even that didn’t support it. LOL

Highways are maintained by the state, not Federal government.
We’ve seen how well the government handles the borders, one of its few Constitutionally-chartered functions.
And space programs aren’t something that is EVER developed swiftly. JFK set a decade long goal to get to the moon. The shuttle is a 30 year old program. It isn’t something that is or should be managed whimsically.

I know who he was. I studied him in a college. JPSartre was a French existentialist AND commie. Given my general dislike of frogs and commies, think of my nom de plume as “irony”.

 

Does that not sum up the American attitude .....

 

So you don't understand that either... How ironic is that?

 

If you change 'people' to government, you might be nearer the truth.