Americanizations Vs Queens English

dSTAR

In Australia more and more American terms are being used in everyday speech. Phrases such as using the word "period" to signify the end of something to replace "full stop" and a whole host of other terms are being adopted.

I do use some American phrases myself even though I am from Ireland. It has lead me into thinking about how I use the English language. What allegiance do I have to written and spoken English known as the Queens English? As far as I can see American English is as valid as the Queens English. I don't have any illusions that the latter is somehow superior unlike English purists.

English is a growing language and an adaptable one where words from other languages have become anglicized (see what I mean)! I also write for a worldwide market where most of my readership comes from the US and Canada so why be twee and use proper English?

English is constantly changing - why not just keep up with it?

mike65

dSTAR wrote:

so why be twee and use proper English?

Wot you on about mate?, more like that an' I'll nut ya!

Mike.

Stabshauptmann

The problem I have with "Americanization" is the use of z the whole time. It's born out of stupidity, they simply dont understand how to pronounce words and letters properly, what sounds certain letters and combinations make and thus spell words like organization or color*. Its no different than txt spk.

Another thing is the stupidity of new words like guesstamite [sic]. It's an attempt to sound intelligent which highlights their stupidity.

*Data is pronounced Day-Ta not da ta.

dSTAR

Kaptain Redeye wrote:

The problem I have with "Americanization" is the use of z the whole time. It's born out of stupidity, they simply dont understand how to pronounce words and letters properly, what sounds certain letters and combinations make and thus spell words like organization or color*. Its no different than txt spk.

I am not sure if Irish people are the best judges on how words should be pronounced.

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=157564

Kaptain Redeye wrote:

Another thing is the stupidity of new words like guesstamite [sic]. It's an attempt to sound intelligent which highlights their stupidity.

How come it is acceptable to call Americans stupid? But call an Irish person a "stupid mick" and all hell breaks out. How about discussing things without bashing other nationalities?

Kaptain Redeye wrote:

*Data is pronounced Day-Ta not da ta.

*Potato is pronounced po-tay-to NOT po-tat-o?

What says that?

Stabshauptmann

dSTAR wrote:

I am not sure if Irish people are the best judges on how words should be pronounced.

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=157564

I've always said that the way D4s* talk is because of the way the idolise American culture and the amount of American shows they watch like friends or the OC

How come it is acceptable to call Americans stupid? But call an Irish person a "stupid mick" and all hell breaks out. How about discussing things without bashing other nationalities?

I didn’t say all Americans are stupid, I said anyone who uses the word guesstamite highlights their own stupidity

*Potato is pronounced po-tay-to NOT po-tat-o?

What says that?

The difference is where the emphasis is placed in the word, equally wrong is Pot - ato.

Anyway potato is pronounces Po-tate-o. Po-tay-to is Potato in an Irish accent :rolleyes:

dudara

My personal dislikes are the use of "z" instead of "s", ie ionize instead of ionise. And dropping the letter "u" from words such as favour and colour. Oh, and reorganising "re". Example, meter instead of metre.

I'm probably just being anal retentive here, but I'm stickler for spelling. I don't mind the language changing and adopting new words, because that's how English as always operated. But incorrect or lazy spelling gets to me!

dSTAR

Perhaps it is down to enculturation which makes us think that the way we speak is superior to Americans. I am not sure about the laziness theory though.

Australians have a habit of shortening certain words which can be annoying. Who knows maybe as we evolve as humans we will speak a bizarre form of english not unlike txt spk.

:rolleyes:

simu

Neither form of English is superior to the other and it's meaningless to say that one way of spelling a word is stupid - they are all just conventions. Personally, I prefer to use British English spelling (or European English, as I call it) mixed with some Irish traits because it's a better reflection of my identity. If I ever had to write for an American audience, I'd switch to the American system to avoid misunderstandings (well - depending on the type of text).

pickarooney

Kaptain Redeye wrote:

The problem I have with "Americanization" is the use of z the whole time. It's born out of stupidity, they simply dont understand how to pronounce words and letters properly, what sounds certain letters and combinations make and thus spell words like organization or color*.

Isn't that just a load of rubbish though? The spelling of words with a 'Z' is the Oxford University standard, whereas spelling them with an 'S' is the Cambridge standard. The former was adopted by the US and the latter is the norm in the UK.
The sound is always pronounced voiced, i.e. as a Z, so the Z-spelling is certainly not a mistransliteration based on poor pronunciation.
Calling a nation of people stupid because they spell something differently from you is not particularly clever or open-minded.

Do you pronounce "colour" as "koh-lower"? That's the way it's spelled.

Stabshauptmann

No its not

First, as with Po-tat-o earlier in this thread the emphasis is being put on the wrong part of the word. I'd ammend your key to Kohl-ow'r (took out the "e" cos the words not that long), though thats not the way I'd pronounce it either

Color, putting the emphasis on the first half, is pronounced Kohl-or. Yet I'd pronounce it Kohl-ehr (or there abouts)

Colour comes from the french coleur, pronounced Kol-air. Swap the e for an o and you get Kohl-ehr as in Neighbour.

Colour is closer looking and sounding to the original french

ecksor

Captain is spelled with a 'C' by the way.

Hope that helps.

Bob Bogart

Whatever europe decides to go with, the americans pick the opposite, cause there better and always right, or have ye not noticed.

Tar.Aldarion

ecksor wrote:

Captain is spelled with a 'C' by the way.

Hope that helps.

More people should use the Mortal Kombat dictionary.

pickarooney

Kaptain Redeye wrote:

No its not

First, as with Po-tat-o earlier in this thread the emphasis is being put on the wrong part of the word. I'd ammend your key to Kohl-ow'r (took out the "e" cos the words not that long), though thats not the way I'd pronounce it either

Color, putting the emphasis on the first half, is pronounced Kohl-or. Yet I'd pronounce it Kohl-ehr (or there abouts)

Colour comes from the french coleur, pronounced Kol-air. Swap the e for an o and you get Kohl-ehr as in Neighbour.

Colour is closer looking and sounding to the original french

You don't seem to have any idea how to spell, let alone pronounce French and I find it card to believe you don't pronounce the initial vowel of "colour" as closer to a U than a long O. You may be confusing this with "colère" (anger) which is pronounced something like "kohl-ehr".

"Couleur" is pronounced with an unmistakable U sound at the beginning and a non-English "oe" at the end. "Colour/Color" can have anything from a short U to a short O at the beginning, but invariably ends in a schwa, irerspective of the spelling.

The "ou" in "neighbour" is also a schwa, not an E and not an O.

Potato is stressed the same way in all English dialects, with the accent on the second grop of letters, whether you break that off after the A or T makes no audible difference.

Stabshauptmann

munkeehaven

theres nothing particularly wrong with the way that the americans spell, its just hard to fathom when you havent grown up with it. i lived in america for a year when i was 7 and it was a bit annoying to be constantly told i was spelling words incorrectly and then when i came back to ireland the same thing happened..thankfully now i am back to one mode of spelling.english is one of those languages that is always going to be debated and argued about because it is fast becoming the worlds most important language (economically at least)