Americanisms...is it just me that finds them irritating?

adouglasmhor

zaksmum wrote: »

Imagine if you said that about Africans or Pakistanis...!

It would be terrible if you said it about Africans, Africa isn't a country.

zaksmum

adouglasmhor wrote: »

It would be terrible if you said it about Africans, Africa isn't a country.

You know what I mean. It's as much a country as America is and black people in America are referred to now as African Americans

pollypenny

There is one American habit I hate when in the USA - the way they use 'Jnr' or 'Snr' after names.

They even do this in obituaries when 'Joseph Smith, Jnr' has died at the age of 90!

They also seem over-keen on their extra initials, so I might be announced as Ms. Polly J. Penny or Ms J. Polly Penny.

Unless it is an official form ,what's the big deal about your other names, eh?

claire16c

BugglyB wrote: »

Wow I had no idea I was annoying so many people.

I call my mum 'mom'. I'm not from the west midlands, we picked it up as an Americanism. I don't see why it should matter to anyone else, what I call her.

I say 'awesome' a lot. I dont mean that whatever it is inspires awe in me, I mean it's great, I think thats a generally accepted use of the phrase.

Language does change and evolve all the time. I don't see why if you're such purists you're not speaking Latin, or mediaval English?

What do you mean when you say 'we' ?

As surely as a child your mum would have told you what her name was.

Why would someone randomly use the American version?

Or do you mean you just started calling her mom one day after hearing it on the tv? If you say you picked it up?

claire16c

pollypenny wrote: »

There is one American habit I hate when in the USA - the way they use 'Jnr' or 'Snr' after names.

They even do this in obituaries when 'Joseph Smith, Jnr' has died at the age of 90!

They also seem over-keen on their extra initials, so I might be announced as Ms. Polly J. Penny or Ms J. Polly Penny.

Unless it is an official form ,what's the big deal about your other names, eh?

You left out Joseph III

Dunroamin

zaksmum wrote: »

You know what I mean. It's as much a country as America is and black people in America are referred to now as African Americans

No it isn't.

meritaten

I love the way women can 'collect' surnames according to how many times they have married!

Person_one

Dunroamin wrote: »

No it isn't.

They're both continents, rather than countries, wasn't that the point?

Brazilians, Mexicans, Colombians, Canadians and Jamaicans are all Americans despite not being from the USA.

Nada666

sulkisu wrote: »

Americanisms (there might be a better word for it, but that's what I call them'. This habit of adopting American words and labels.
[...]
Yesterday it was 'cookies and strollers' instead of 'biscuits and buggies'.
[...]
Am I the only one who finds it annoying?

No, but heal thyself! When did 'pushchairs' become 'buggies'?

Edit: oops, beaten to it by two-and-a-half days.

Dunroamin

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I frequent a couple of US forums. Generally speaking, the standard of written English is a lot higher than is found on the MSE forums. They are also not afraid to point out poor grammar, syntax, or spelling which means members actually get a chance to learn from their mistakes.

The US forum I frequent has appallingly bad grammar etc and nobody would ever dream of correcting anybody else. I'm sure there's as much difference between US forum members as there is between those of us in the UK.