Poll: American English or English English?

[Uncompetative]

I use either the Queen's English (what BBC Newsreaders use, or The Times Newspaper), but occasionally lapse into Colloquial English so that I am in less chance of being beaten up. Really it is a matter of adapting to my audience. Are you familiar with Heteroglossia? This explains professional jargons which a group of experts lapse into when in close company in order to maximise the information content of their communication (to say more with less syllables), although some of it has to do with excluding others (security from eavesdroppers and elitism), as well as trendiness, such as: 133t-speak, or glyph-reduction, as with TXTs on mobile phones.

However, I find that my spelling checker underlines a lot of my words as it assumes I want to use American English. I can't figure out how to get Mac OS X Leopard to use plain 'English' and not throw a fit when I type 'colour'. Any suggestions would be appreciated... because I find that I now adjust my spelling so that it passes and am forgetting the correct way to write in my own language.

As an aside, as I've said before it irritates me no end that I am classed as a citizen of Great Britain (which I find to be pretentious) with the nationality 'British', using 'British English'. No, sorry, I'm English, I live in England, which is currently part of the United Kingdom, but I would be much happier if it were simply a member state of the European Union, then my passport would say Nationality: English, and simply indicate that I was a European. I'm sure if the US had originated a world-dominant language, say Navajo they wouldn't qualify it as American Navajo to distinguish it from its divergent UK dialect British Navajo, so why aren't we proud to say we use English?

 

[Lord Krunk]

I will only ever use American English for Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Something about naming Anzac Biscuits "Anzac Cookies" just makes me cringe.

But, seeming as you managed to put chocolate into a biscuit earns my use of "Cookie," at least for that.

Also, what's with Freedom Fries?

 

[Haliwali]

North American English.
Gets me made fun of plenty living in Southern U.S.

 

[TonyOfPlimith]

English (England). I implore this particular dialect as it is the original and obviously the correct version of the language...

@ sirdanrhodes

You think you've got it bad? I'm Irish and my wonderful accent causes everyone on any given server to start to impersonate me... Quite annoying really, because they can never get it right...

Oh and @ ANTI-SANTA ... no, they are not all one country and cannot be considered so...

 

[Ixus Illwrath]

Damn, a few weeks ago I would've stuck with our US english, but after listening to mountains of Christopher Hitchens youtube debates, I'm about to convert.

 

[Eipok Kruden]

a hybrid of both. I use phrases and words from both. I was Born in Hungary and raised in the U.S. and England. I have lived in the U.S. most my life, but I lived in England for 2 years.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

I write and speak in American English. Simple enough.

 

[NewClassic_v1legacy]

Also, what's with Freedom Fries?

I have no ideas. I cede that Americans can be retarded at times.

 

[jdog345]

Also, what's with Freedom Fries?[/quote

they are like freedom kisses.*sarcasm*

 

[ianuam]

English English. Due to the fact i was born, and reside in, England.

 

[RedBeta22]

Canadian English! Eh?

 

[NeedAUserName]

I use "English English" as you put it, although I normally write in "American English" on the escapist as I don't particularly like the red lines I get when the computer thinks I have spelt something wrong

 

[ThePlasmatizer]

British English as I was born, taught and live here.

The idea of saying fanny packs make me rofl.

 

[RemSaverem]

American, but I tend to use British spelling sometimes. Seriously, "Apologize" looks funny - I'd rather spell it "apologise". Also, "dialogue" looks better than "dialog".
I've lived in Japan, worked with British, Australian, Irish, and New Zealanders as well, so maybe that rubbed off on me a bit. I've gotten the hang of a lot of British and New Zealand slang, but the one I just can't quite figure out is "taking the piss". Sorry, after years of using the phrase "taking a piss" to mean "to urinate", I'm having a hard time figuring out the meaning and usage of "taking the piss" to mean "to make fun of someone". It's a bit odd to me.
That, and I find an English accent to be much more pleasing to the ear than an American accent, for some weird reason.

 

[NewClassic_v1legacy]

American, but I tend to use British spelling sometimes. Seriously, "Apologize" looks funny - I'd rather spell it "apologise". Also, "dialogue" looks better than "dialog".
I've lived in Japan, worked with British, Australian, Irish, and New Zealanders as well, so maybe that rubbed off on me a bit. I've gotten the hang of a lot of British and New Zealand slang, but the one I just can't quite figure out is "taking the piss". Sorry, after years of using the phrase "taking a piss" to mean "to urinate", I'm having a hard time figuring out the meaning and usage of "taking the piss" to mean "to make fun of someone". It's a bit odd to me.
That, and I find an English accent to be much more pleasing to the ear than an American accent, for some weird reason.

Depends on the accent, but I can understand what you mean. I still think the romance languages do a better job of being aurally pleasing, though.

 

[Dudemeister]

Crepes or pancakes?

Crepes ? That's French, not English.

 

[tendo82]

I would speak English English except that I can't decide what regional accent or socioeconomic class's accent I would want to affect. A Mancunian or Essex? Posh or cockney?

Seriously, having known some people from the UK, it's pretty shocking to me the extent to which an accent becomes an indicator of socioeconomic identity. The United States is relatively egalitarian in that sense, with relatively few accents, and even then only a small portion of them saddled with stereotypes.

 

[Iron Mal]

I use English English partly because I am from England and partly because that is the version I encounter most of the time.

From what I understand, American English is the 'correct' one grammatically speaking (as in it hasn't changed that much since its initial introduction) although if we are going to on which version is 'correct' in terms of the language as it is spoken, that would be English English since it happens to be spoken by...the English (our language, our rules).

 

[Ardiendo]

I use American English, but let me just say that I find English English swearing a lot more enjoyable than the typical F-bomb. I dunno about you, but I visualize the act of calling someone a "tosser" as punching a guy in the face, but while wearing a top hat and monocle. You just wouldn't expect it to sound so darn proper.

LOL you don't realise how funny that sounds to an English person. I'm seriously laughing out loud here.

Anyway back on topic, being English I use English English (whoever called it 'British English' is wrong because the Scottish, Welsh and (Northern) Irish each have their own variation of the language, just as different regions in England have their own vernacular). Having said that I am not entirely against using American sayings and particularly like the way Americans say they have something 'and change' referring to a small, almost immesurable, amount.

 

[GuerrillaClock]

Well, it is called ENGLISH, so...