50 Americanisms That Brits Apparently Hate

[Apostropartheid]

The Language Log (the linguists' blog) actually debunked the original five which started this list, finding four of five of actual British origin.
(http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=3271)

This is ridiculously poor as an article and is not representative of British attitudes to language at all. We are well aware that language does change and it does not matter where that change comes from.

Oh, apart from "could care less". *Everybody* hates that.

 

[technoted]

Another thing us Brits hate about Americans is when they say that it's only Brits getting angry at their improper use of the English language, so that they then post a thread on a forum complaiing about Brits when actually the list is of a lot of countries coplaining on America dumbing down the English language for their own benefit.

 

[sharinganblossom25]

Wow, some of these were actually pretty hilarious. XD But others are just kind of whiny and nit-picky. Seriously, 46, how else are we supposed to pronounce Z?

 

[WOPR]

Now I feel guilty because I use about six or seven of those. T^T

(A few americanisms I hate is either saying "1,2,3" if it's one through ten, SPELL IT OUT YOU LAZY!- *cuts self off before getting too mad* the "Can I go to the bathroom?" ALWAYS ticked me of [yes I saw that one above] and the last one is saying "I could use a oven" or other phrases where you replace "an" with "a" ...it's first grade people, you wonder why we're frowned on.)

 

[ChildishLegacy]

I'm glad the people in the UK are just as dumb as us North Americans. For a minute there I was worried that they were somehow superior...

Please don't take this article as everybody from the UK's opinion.
It's not, and half of these don't even make sense/don't exist.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

...What the hell do they call train stations in Britain, then?

That's what I was thinking when I read that. "Train station?" Well what the flying fuck do you call it in Britain then?

Deplane?

I have never heard someone say deplane ever, anywhere.

Me neither and I've been on quite a few plane trips.

Neither have I, except on on Live with Regis and Kelly and in that case they were going "De plane de plane" as in 'the plane' with a funny accent; which I'm sure is a reference to something, but I don't know what.

....So...did anyone else notice that a bunch of those were sent in by Canadians?

Because slang and linguistics range and differ where you go and you can't stop everyone from saying it. All-and-all don't take this as "Brits and Canucks are mad at us"...take it as "Wow the people who wrote into that article are snobby douchebags now aren't they?"

You generalizing is the same as them generalizing.

Snobby intolerant douchebags, you mean.
Like if I wanted to I could make a big deal out of the fact that for the life of me I can't understand why you Brits call a wrench a 'spanner' Like when I think of the word 'spanner' I think of something for spanning distance like a bridge or possibly a ruler; a tool for tightening and loosening bolts doesn't enter into the equation. However I really don't care enough to make an issue about it.

 

[WOPR]

Wow, some of these were actually pretty hilarious. XD But others are just kind of whiny and nit-picky. Seriously, 46, how else are we supposed to pronounce Z?

I think they pronounce it "Zeh" or "Zae" (like "Zephyr" or "Zeta")

 

[funguy2121]

I'm an American and I hate the phrase "I could care less" too.. I couldn't understand it when I was little because it means the opposite of what it says.. -_-

I actually think it's supposed to be I couldn't care less, could just being mistaken from hearing it from others.

Yup. It's like irregardless, which sadly the Escapist's spellcheck hasn't corrected. Some dipshit misheard a word and started repeating it, wrongly, and a thousand dipshits repeated what he said. This only ever happens in America. I've never encountered a British or Austrailian or Irish or Scottish - excuse me, Scots - person on here use one of the non-words or abuse the language out of ignorance. And yes, irony-deprived, that was sarcasm.

Seriously though, there are dolts aplenty in every nook and cranny (how 'bout that one? Dost it bother thee?) of God's green earth who will go all kneejerk (that's a Republican-ism, but I'm co-opting it. I can say co-opting, yes?) about asserting their own culture as superior than others. Truthfully, Americans are the worst about this. As Lewis Black said, America's the only culture on Earth wherein an inordinate amount of its citizens, who've never left, love to tell everyone else that they live in the greatest country on Earth, will little understanding of just how fucking obnoxious that is. Personally, I don't care if you're a Brit, a Swede, a Kiwi, a Yank or an Aussie. I don't want to hear that noise.

Also: bad captcha!

 

[MarsProbe]

I've seen this before and as a Brit myself, I can see why some of these really gets people backs up. I really don't get the one where the man is complaining about the term "train station". What else are you going to call it then?

The two major train...stations in my home city are called Queen Street Station and Central Station. As far as I know they've been called by those names since time immemorial. I don't know of anyone else who has any problem with those names.

 

[MetalDooley]

14. I caught myself saying "shopping cart" instead of shopping trolley today and was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I've never lived nor been to the US either. Graham Nicholson, Glasgow

Gotta say I find this one funny.I've been to Glasgow several times and a lot of the people there barely speak recognisable English.Pot calling the kettle black

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

You know what I say to that?

These are chips

Spoiler

Not these

Spoiler

 

[TJF588]

Until today, I, an American, did not know that "spaz" was both offensive and carried as much weight as it apparently does across the pond [http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1920001]. (This in regards to Space Pirates And Zombies, with the aconrymismic issue cropping up 'round posts #7 [http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showpost.php?p=22781117&postcount=7] and #12 [http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showpost.php?p=22782249&postcount=12]).

Also: post #666 get?
Edit: Nope. Good grief, it was at 665 on the page from when I clicked over here.

 

[Connor Gambrill]

Myself being from England I don't really find the Americanisms annoying, it's still English. The only thing I don't like is when you say "Brits". We're either English, Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish and we are definetely not alike. There practically isn't any "Britishness" in the UK (unless the Olympics are on).

 

[Riesel87]

i love this. From London myself and personally i don't have a "problem" with the way Americans use English. I mean i bet most of the people on that list who said what annoys them from across the pond are not even native to england themselves. They most probably descended from Asian or African or European backgrounds and therefor shouldn't have such a high sense of national pride negating any kind of tolerance for other countries. I mean yes i do find it irritating the way America has dumbed down certain things. For example it seems everything has to be so literal such as "side walk" rather than pavement. But on the other side of the coin i find some if not most of the Americanisms hilarious yet enjoyable.

This list should be about how crap English is in England. It's not like the state our our language is in healthy sate over hear. I mean if you some to east London, jesus its all yes bruv, yes boss, wats gwaning n ting. Nuff respect yeh. Safe bruv. God i tell you thats whats really killing language.

 

[SerpentsLairStudios]

After reading that article I have to say I have lost a lot of faith in my fellow brits today. I would much rather hear all of those "americanisms" (even though some of these words are not American) than have to listen to listen to how some English kids speak... and I am English kid!

 

[Graevan]

Scotsman right here, throwing his penny into the mix.

Brits do two things exceptionally well: queuing and moaning.
The only people who wrote in were people who have nothing better to do than moan and groan and grumble to a national newspaper. The fact that a number of these so called 'Top' answers are given by non-brits is a fact not to be missed (I noticed a few U.S. and Canadian answerers there).
Most of this stuff is irreverent nonsense anyway. Cultures colide and mix, language moves on, yet you will always find people who'll complain that 'things were better back in my day, what ho'.

I see this list and see examples of a petty minority with nothing better to do.
(/grumble)

 

[Dragonsummoner]

This reminds me of my brother arguing with his American teacher.
My brother says tomato with the english accent, and the teacher tells him it should be
pronounced like potato. He then says potato like the english pronouciation of tomato.
I like the sound of both accents!


This is why it would be easier to telepathically communicate with pictures.

 

[gazumped]

I opened this thread slightly looking forward to a David Webb-esque rant about Americans using nonsensical phrases like "could care less"...

... but reading this list makes me ashamed of my fellow Brits. I got halfway through and was too annoyed with their stuck-up-ness to even finish.

 

[Dumbfish1]

Wow, some of these were actually pretty hilarious. XD But others are just kind of whiny and nit-picky. Seriously, 46, how else are we supposed to pronounce Z?

Zed

 

[Super Six One]

Anybody notice we use the term "trucked" to imply getting smashed/run over instead of to imply being conveyed by a truck? Does that drive you crazy? I never even thought about it, the phrase has been prevalent since I was in grade school.

I'd say that's more a slang term(like some of them on the list) i mean, i live in scotland and "to get smashed" means to get beaten up. "Getting wasted" Is getting drunk and "blether" means to talk. Its just the way people say things.

OT This list is just words that annoy those people, if you did the same in america you'd get another list just like it.

Oh and sorry wtf 44, what the hell is wrong with calling it a "season", of course he calls it a season,IT SAYS SEASON ON THE BOX. You don't call it Tv seires 1, thats just stupid.