Americanisms

[ACME]

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Americanisms.


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Someone, probably Bernard Shaw, once said that the British and the Americans are two people separated by a common language and it is certainly true that when Daniel Webster wrote his famous dictionary he set out to make the two languages distinctive – hence us Brits have humour and the Americans humor and so on.


Of course over time the two languages naturally deviated from one another. Americans had to find new words to describe their new country – the animals they found in it and so on - we don’t have prairies in England , nor cougars or groundhogs. Many new words were borrowed from the native people, from the Algonquin came the words raccoon and moose, gopher is French, cookie and stoop come from Dutch, and, because the Spanish were there from the earliest days of European settlement, lots and lots of Spanish words such as canyon , mesa and rodeo.


Unfortunately there was a flood at my brother-in-law’s house recently, as a result I now have a number of books which are drying out underneath the radiator in my office; one of these is the fascinating volume ‘Speaking freely: A guided tour of American English’ by Flexner and Soukanov. It includes words such as bodacious, (a variation on audacious which is said to mean audacious, prodigious or remarkable), hornswaggle/hornswoggle which means to cheat or swindle, and snollygoster (a new one for me) which means a politician who is out for his own benefit rather than any political principles. There are loads of these words, teeter totter instead of see saw, a goozle instead of trachea or windpipe, then there’s tote instead of carry and so on. Some of these words are very regional - Hawaiians for instance have huli stomachs instead of upset ones. The word ranch, now used as much to describe a house style as an actual ranch, comes from Mexican Spanish, as do words such as plaza, lasso and bronco.


Some words have changed meaning, even if only a little – if an English farmer refers to corn he means wheat , because that is the main grain grown here, though he might use the same word to describe some other grain. An American though uses it only for maize, because that is his main grain, a use the English only have when referring to cornflour. Flour in England is made from wheat or else is specifically specified as in rye flour, rice flour or gram flour, which is made from chickpeas.

No one, not even an American, would use all of these words, and you certainly don’t have to know them all in order to speak good English, be it American or British English, but I for one find these differences fascinating.
So, don't just figure out the meaning of a word, find out about its origins too. I was given an etymological dictionary when I was quite young and spent many an otherwise dull hour reading it. You may not be quite as interested as I was, but it is still useful to acquire as many new words as you possibly can.


Keep a notebook and next time you are watching Friends or some other American programme (they have programs of course) or reading a novel set in America, jot down any new word or phrase you hear and look it up later. Your English teacher will be so impressed if you manage to use one or two in your next lesson and I think you should be pretty impressed with yourself too. So, don’t just keep words trapped in your notebook – use them.


There used to be a popular system of language learning known as the Lamp system. The method is simple and was designed originally for missionaries going out into areas where the local language was unusual, perhaps with no written grammar. The student would learn a phrase or sentence and then go out and use it. It is a very effective means of learning a language, so if you are somewhere where English is widely spoken why not give it a go, although I think you had better not accuse someone of hornswaggling you or of being a snollygoster!



Written by Margaret Watson

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[M.o_o.N]

nice article , and new info for me

Thank you for sharing it with us

I like the way you presented the topic.

[ACME]

nice article , and new info for me

Thank you for sharing it with us

I like the way you presented the topic.

It's my pleasure . BTW , your new signature looks cute
who knows that one day this design will be the Saudi formal
dress and you will have its patent >>>>lol
A cute design by a cute designer ..... Big thanks to you

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[BloumagrieT]

Thanks for the info brother

May be they speak English but what we know for sure

that their English is affected by their environment and them too.

[ツأميمة الأحمديツ]

Thanks
SIR

The following are expressions typical of North American English. They are used only in informal speech:

He's gonna wait here = He is going to wait here
They wanna come at five = They want to come at five
I gotta go now = I have got to go now
I oughta be there at nine = I ought to be there at nine
He ain't at home = He is not at home

Ain't means am not, isn't, aren't. It's less frequently used than the other Americanisms


Oughta means ought to
"Ought to" is used to advise or make recommendations. "Ought to" also expresses assumption or expectation as well as strong probability, often with the idea that something is deserved. "Ought not" (without "to") is used to advise against doing something, although Americans prefer the less formal forms "should not" or "had better not."

Examples:
You ought to stop smoking. recommendation
Jim ought to get the promotion. It is expected because he deserves it.
This stock ought to increase in value. probability
Mark ought not drink so much. advice against something (notice there is no "to")
__________________
God bless u all

__________________

[Goodsmell]

Why Do Many People Want to learn American English??? This something I was wondering about for along time . Actually , it can be attributed to many reasons

[ACME]

Thanks for the info brother

May be they speak English but what we know for sure

that their English is affected by their environment and them too.

Thanks a lot for your post . Highly appreciated

[ACME]

Thanks
SIR

The following are expressions typical of North American English. They are used only in informal speech:

He's gonna wait here = He is going to wait here
They wanna come at five = They want to come at five
I gotta go now = I have got to go now
I oughta be there at nine = I ought to be there at nine
He ain't at home = He is not at home

Ain't means am not, isn't, aren't. It's less frequently used than the other Americanisms


Oughta means ought to
"Ought to" is used to advise or make recommendations. "Ought to" also expresses assumption or expectation as well as strong probability, often with the idea that something is deserved. "Ought not" (without "to") is used to advise against doing something, although Americans prefer the less formal forms "should not" or "had better not."

Examples:
You ought to stop smoking. recommendation
Jim ought to get the promotion. It is expected because he deserves it.
This stock ought to increase in value. probability
Mark ought not drink so much. advice against something (notice there is no "to")
__________________
God bless u all

__________________

God bless you . Your post is a wonderful addition

[rose rani]

it is iteresting topic
I have enjoyed reading it

thanks for sharing

[صمت]

ٍSir ,,, Thanx aloOot

[ACME]

Why Do Many People Want to learn American English??? This something I was wondering about for along time . Actually , it can be attributed to many reasons

The American English is more widely spread that its British twin due to media and
other factors . One main cause is the power and dominance of the U.S.A worldwide
Besides , it is easier to understand and to use . Many thanks for your post

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[آنسهOoفكره]

seems interesting..any way i like the british accent than the amarican one..
thank u sir 4 sharing with us such a great topic,,

[ACME]

it is iteresting topic
I have enjoyed reading it

thanks for sharing

I am glad you liked it . Thanks for being here

[ACME]

ٍSir ,,, Thanx aloOot

You are always welcome

[ACME]

seems interesting..any way i like the british accent than the amarican one..
thank u sir 4 sharing with us such a great topic,,

It's my great pleasure . Thanks for being here

[:lost lady:]

Nice topic sir
thank you so much

[ACME]

Nice topic sir
thank you so much

Welcome Home Dear

Congratulations

You did it

[الواثقة بالله]

I haven't hear this before
I often point out to students that language is always in a state of continuance. That is always changing. We don`t speak English now the way we did 500 years ago and we probably won`t speak English 500 years from now the same way we do now
We have to accept a change in the language as years go by. But being always in touch with people of different nationalities, I must say that most of them love the English traditional accent which they understand better and like to listen to. Also, there is something to say about spelling ; for instance the American tendency to cut out some letters (for example:.colour = color). This is getting worse with today’s text
Thanks really that's what I can express now because my mind is abstruse now
and busy.

[ACME]

I haven't hear this before
I often point out to students that language is always in a state of continuance. That is always changing. We don`t speak English now the way we did 500 years ago and we probably won`t speak English 500 years from now the same way we do now
We have to accept a change in the language as years go by. But being always in touch with people of different nationalities, I must say that most of them love the English traditional accent which they understand better and like to listen to. Also, there is something to say about spelling ; for instance the American tendency to cut out some letters (for example:.colour = color). This is getting worse with today’s text
Thanks really that's what I can express now because my mind is abstruse now
and busy.

Your addition is really wonderful . I liked reading it .
Yes , language is always growing and changing like
a human being .Thanks so much

.

[mooleymoon]

an interesting topic

thanks alot

[ACME]

an interesting topic

thanks alot

You are most welcome