Americanisms in UK English

[AY1975]

How many examples of Americanisms can you think of that UK English has adopted?

Some of them have been around for years, for example referring to shops as stores (e.g. department stores, convenience stores).

And I believe that it's only because of American involvement in the development of the London Underground in its early days that each vehicle of an Underground train is referred to as a car. Likewise, I would guess that it's thanks to the involvement of American tramway pioneers such as George Francis Train in the development of Britain's first generation tramways that trams are often referred to as cars or tramcars (the Americans call them streetcars or trolleys).

There are also some Americanisms that have come into common usage more recently, for example saying "I'm good, thanks" when someone asks you how you are, and referring to the railway station as the train station.

In US English, if a ticket is "good" it means it's valid, but you sometimes hear that in UK English as well. In the early to mid 1980s, BR InterCity tickets were sometimes issued on tall thin ticket stock that was about 5cm wide and 10cm high, and on the back it said "Your ticket has been validated to make it good for travel."

 

[AlterEgo]

Americanism is an Americanism.

 

[Djgr]

UK English is English

 

[LUYMun]

There was one time my local borough council had repainted the road with directions heading to the "town center" - the amount of backlash it generated fixed their mistakes, but it goes to show how much we, the British, care about how the language shall be spelt. Whether that's good or bad is a matter of debate.

A few friends of mine also referred to shopping centres as shopping malls when telling me about their exciting vacation (not holiday, or even day out). I also note that a number of people who aren't careful with their British spellings fall foul to saying "ized" or "ization".

 

[GusB]

I also note that a number of people who aren't careful with their British spellings fall foul to saying "ized" or "ization".

On this point, I think much of it is down to the use of the auto-complete function on mobile devices. I've noticed that it sometimes favours -ized and -ization over the British spelling, even with the default language bring set to UK English.

 

[AY1975]

A few friends of mine also referred to shopping centres as shopping malls when telling me about their exciting vacation (not holiday, or even day out).

UK universities call their holiday periods vacations. Similarly many sixth form and Further Education colleges call the person in charge the principal, and colleges that form part of universities like Oxford and Cambridge call the person in charge of each college the principal or the Dean, just as American schools call the headteacher the principal or the Dean.

Mind you, the clergyperson in charge of a cathedral is also called the Dean, so I'm not sure whether the term originated in the US or the UK.

And in parliament, the holiday period is called the recess, just as in American schools break time is called recess.

 

[Devonian]

I also note that a number of people who aren't careful with their British spellings fall foul to saying "ized" or "ization".

On this point, I think much of it is down to the use of the auto-complete function on mobile devices. I've noticed that it sometimes favours -ized and -ization over the British spelling, even with the default language bring set to UK English.

Whilst -ised and -isation are not used in the USA, -ize and -ization have long been used in this country. Indeed, they have always been the preferred spelling in the Oxford English Dictionary. There has been a shift towards treating the s form as the 'correct' British spelling, in a rather rare move away from homogenisation, but both are correct in British English and the z form is not an Americani(z/s)ation.

"I'm good", "train station" and referring to a loo - particulary a public facility - as a "bathroom" (ahem, Network Rail) get very short shrift from me, as does using "momentarily" to mean "in a moment" rather than "for a moment". "Gotten" is spreading and needs to be swiftly stamped out, unless it is "ill gotten gains".

 

[davetheguard]

Train station.

Although we haven't all succumbed to its use yet.

 

[AY1975]

"I'm good", "train station" and referring to a loo - particulary a public facility - as a "bathroom" (ahem, Network Rail) get very short shrift from me

Or a restroom or washroom!

 

[AlterEgo]

Bathroom/washroom/restroom are actually rare in being good Americanisms. They're much nicer words than toilet and lavatory.

 

[jfollows]

“meet with” rather than “meet”
The “with” is unnecessary, cumbersome and superfluous and only used to be used in American English but appears to be commonplace usage over here now.

 

[LUYMun]

"I'm good", "train station" and referring to a loo [...] as a "bathroom" [...] get very short shrift from me, as does using "momentarily" to mean "in a moment" rather than "for a moment". "Gotten" is spreading and needs to be swiftly stamped out, unless it is "ill gotten gains".

I hold my hands up in that I occasionally say "I'm good," "momentarily" and "gotten" but I don't think they're as controversial as it should be perceived since some US English words aren't as "dumbed-down" as others are, which is why, as I have phrased in my earlier post, it does fascinate me how the British can be so repellent in that manner. If all US English words are vilified, then nobody would dare speak the following words that have settled in this country:
bandwagon, blizzard, boss, close-up, comeback, cocktail (drink), crook (criminal), ditch (get rid of), electrocute, fan (devotee), footwear, gobbledygook, graveyard, joyride, know-how, maverick, radio… and the list goes on.

 

[jfollows]

I went to live in the USA 1989-92 and 1998-2000; on my first visit I remember being told that we were landing "momentarily" and I laughed thinking along the lines of "I thought the point was to stay there" until I realised the different meaning. I hope I doesn't transfer back to the UK although .....

"Gotten" I don't care about, it has heritage if not usage.

 

[urbophile]

UK English is English

There are many varieties of 'UK English' to say nothing of the myriad varieties of international English. I hate all forms of imperialism (including American); it is an imperialsist fallacy to define one variety (aka dialect) of English as 'English'. Our language is as rich as it is because of borrowings from others. Many Americanisms jar simply because they seem to imply a cultural takeover; others seem to be an unnecessary complication of already functional expressions. But many are simply an inevitable evolution of the language which has been going on for centuries. I, and others, need to get over it and move on.

 

[swt_passenger]

Unnecessary use of “of”. As in getting off of the bus…

 

[ac6000cw]

And I believe that it's only because of American involvement in the development of the London Underground in its early days that each vehicle of an Underground train is referred to as a car. Likewise, I would guess that it's thanks to the involvement of American tramway pioneers such as George Francis Train in the development of Britain's first generation tramways that trams are often referred to as cars or tramcars (the Americans call them streetcars or trolleys).

George Pullman also bought over the use of 'car' when he set up an operation here in the 19th century (the Midland Railway started operating Pullman cars in 1874). I assume that also started off the use of 'car' for specialised passenger carrying railway vehicles here - e.g. Restaurant Car, Buffet Car and Sleeping Car.

Carriage and Car have the same roots anyway (from Old French) - I guess it's mostly down to chance which version got adopted for railway use here and in the US.

 

[Altrincham]

I often hear people using the word ‘line’ or ‘lines’, instead of saying ‘queue’ or ‘queues’.

Another I seem to find in common usage is ‘hey’ in response to my ‘hi’.

 

[swt_passenger]

Is “can I get” when used at a shop counter an Americanism?

 

[Purple Train]

Trash(can), cozy, principal (instead of headteacher), bathroom (for a room without a bath)...

I'll try not to contribute to this thread too much because I really hate Americanisms (especially the construction "British English" for the language) in British English speech, because to my mind they're separate entities, but I'll supply those, although typing them pained me slightly!

 

[jfollows]

Yes, all true, but the problem with "principal" is that some people write "principle" which grates even more than the Americanism ......

 

[Norm_D_Ploom]

When I was growing up we used to go to the pictures to see a film, all changed now hasn't it.
Step up to the plate?
The amount of people who don't know how to spell licence!!

 

[urbophile]

“meet with” rather than “meet”
The “with” is unnecessary, cumbersome and superfluous and only used to be used in American English but appears to be commonplace usage over here now.

'Meet' and 'meet with' are subtly different I think. The latter implies meeting with a purpose: for a chat, or a serious meeting, and it is usually pre-planned. To meet someone can mean you just run into them by chance. Conversely expressions such as 'battling cancer' or 'protesting climate change' without inserting 'against' are gaining ground over here. Confusing because 'protesting innocence' has a completely different meaning from 'protesting against innocence'.

Another quaint Americanism that had me puzzled when I first heard it is 'visit' to mean a social chat, without implying a journey to see them in their own home. But there's nothing wrong with it, it's just another dialectical difference (which doesn't seem to have caught on here).

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

I'd never seen 'flip' before in English until it was used on this forum during the 2019 election - meaning a constituency changing hands. It was, of course, in common usage during the last election in the US. Not to my taste.

 

[urbophile]

Bathroom/washroom/restroom are actually rare in being good Americanisms. They're much nicer words than toilet and lavatory.

The latter two I will accept. The former for a room without a bath (or shower) in it is just perverse. Restroom is strange, but if rest = relief, at my age it makes sense!

 

[Lost property]

As LUYMun says, Americanisms have become part of the UK English language over many years, which is no surprise given the American global influence and the fact UK English is constantly evolving, adapting and changing anyway.

Train station ?..been saying that for years, but, I admit I get annoyed when people refer to aircraft as planes.

Expressions I'm not fond of " won't be happening any time soon "..." go large with that "...

American technical English is a joy !....forget all this terribly British Port / Starboard and L.P / H.P cocks on jet engines..Left / Right and Start and Thrust levers.

Only a certain well known UK Defence manufacturer could state "Method of execution " in their maintenance manuals for example....and try explaining that to trainees whose first language isn't English.

 

[Calthrop]

I hold my hands up in that I occasionally say "I'm good," "momentarily" and "gotten" but I don't think they're as controversial as it should be perceived since some US English words aren't as "dumbed-down" as others are, which is why, as I have phrased in my earlier post, it does fascinate me how the British can be so repellent in that manner. If all US English words are vilified, then nobody would dare speak the following words that have settled in this country:
bandwagon, blizzard, boss, close-up, comeback, cocktail (drink), crook (criminal), ditch (get rid of), electrocute, fan (devotee), footwear, gobbledygook, graveyard, joyride, know-how, maverick, radio… and the list goes on.

I'd concur here -- I like more Americanisms, than I dislike (a few, I loathe -- but in all this stuff, I feel that it's basically de gustibus...). All of the italicised words / expressions above, are fine by me ...

One about which some people get apoplectic (and on which some Americans vehemently disagree among themselves) -- re a subject or issue in which one has zero interest or preference: the comment "I couldn't care less"; or, "I could care less". The latter, on the whole an American rendering; being British, I grew up with "I couldn't", and see continuing to use it for the rest of my life. However -- not getting into which makes better sense ("couldn't", more obviously does; though a case can be made for "could", not being total gibberish) -- I have rather a liking for "I could care less": I find in it, a totally dismissive and contemptuous "bite", rather lacking in the more obviously grammatical and sense-making "couldn't" version.

("Train", versus "railway", station -- I prefer the latter; feeling the former to sound rather infantile; but can't get homicidal over the issue. Many decades ago, was not the standard American usage for this railway-related facility, "railroad depot"? -- what happened to that one?)

 

[davetheguard]

Not being able to pronounce "debris" as Deb-re. American: De-bree.

 

[AlterEgo]

I hold my hands up in that I occasionally say "I'm good," "momentarily" and "gotten" but I don't think they're as controversial as it should be perceived since some US English words aren't as "dumbed-down" as others are, which is why, as I have phrased in my earlier post, it does fascinate me how the British can be so repellent in that manner. If all US English words are vilified, then nobody would dare speak the following words that have settled in this country:
bandwagon, blizzard, boss, close-up, comeback, cocktail (drink), crook (criminal), ditch (get rid of), electrocute, fan (devotee), footwear, gobbledygook, graveyard, joyride, know-how, maverick, radio… and the list goes on.

"Gotten" isn't really an Americanism, it's the proper antidote to "forgotten". "Ill-gotten gains" still persists in British English.

 

[prod_pep]

Not being able to pronounce "debris" as Deb-re. American: De-bree.

Or 'DAY-bree' as I would pronounce it, but certainly not 'du-BREE'.

The two most irritating examples for me: using 'of' when it is redundant - 'all of something' or 'outside of something' when it should be simply all something or outside something - and the detestable term 'reach out' meaning to get in touch with someone. 'Gotten' is annoying, too; that will never sound right to my ears.

 

[LUYMun]

Not being able to pronounce "debris" as Deb-re. American: De-bree.

I also note that Americans pronounce "lever" in rhyme with feather. As well as "route" in rhyme with pout, so Americans would call any halfcab bus a "Rowt-master!"