British Expats - Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

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Meow	Sep 27th 2012 10:21 am

Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

We moan about creeping Americanisms, but it seems language is also going the other way and some of them don't like it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19670686

Beakersful

Sep 27th 2012 10:46 am

Re: Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

Weird, Nunberg is a linguist yet a precriptivist? Can't be held in much esteem by his colleagues then.

Alexa

Sep 27th 2012 10:47 am

Re: Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

There is always somebody who is not happy...one way or the other...:P

I think it's great, it shows that people mix and take from each other what they find useful or like. Nothing wrong with that, IMHO.

Except of course, if somebody tells me to "do the needful"..:rofl:

seven seas

Sep 27th 2012 1:17 pm

Re: Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexa (Post 10302647)

if somebody tells me to "do the needful"..:rofl:

:angry_smile:

auzdafluff

Sep 27th 2012 1:45 pm

Re: Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexa (Post 10302647)

Except of course, if somebody tells me to "do the needful"..:rofl:

Anybody else feel the need to do this when they hear that?

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3...t9nio1_400.gif

Theseus

Sep 27th 2012 2:57 pm

Re: Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

Quote:

Originally Posted by auzdafluff (Post 10302944)

Anybody else feel the need to do this when they hear that?

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3...t9nio1_400.gif

Puny god :rofl:

Alexa

Sep 27th 2012 3:13 pm

Re: Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

Quote:

Originally Posted by seven seas (Post 10302889)

:angry_smile:

I shall revert to you.....:thumbsup:

Autonomy

Sep 27th 2012 4:54 pm

Re: Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexa (Post 10303086)

I shall revert to you.....:thumbsup:

once you have reverted, please be so kind as to confirm where I can also avail of this.

Alexa

Sep 27th 2012 5:02 pm

Re: Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autonomy (Post 10303239)

once you have reverted, please be so kind as to confirm where I can also avail of this.

Alexa shaking head in confirmation.

Miss Anne Thrope

Sep 27th 2012 9:49 pm

Re: Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autonomy (Post 10303239)

once you have reverted, please be so kind as to confirm where I can also avail of this.

No, no: saying "avail of this" could be acceptable. What actually invariably gets said including - especially - in advertisements is "avail this". :banghead::banghead:

The Dean

Sep 28th 2012 5:42 am

Re: Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meow (Post 10302613)

We moan about creeping Americanisms, but it seems language is also going the other way and some of them don't like it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19670686

"Go missing"??? Is that particularly British? I hear 'disappeared' as often as anything else.

Meow	Sep 28th 2012 7:53 am

Re: Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miss Anne Thrope (Post 10303619)

No, no: saying "avail of this" could be acceptable. What actually invariably gets said including - especially - in advertisements is "avail this". :banghead::banghead:

That drives me crazy. I end up shouting 'of' at the radio and billboards.

I quite like 'do the needful' as it's shorter 'do what needs to be done'.

Pet hate is the particularly American habit, although it's happening in the UK too now, of using nouns as verbs. To golf is not a verb. :sneaky:

Bahtatboy

Sep 28th 2012 10:24 am

Re: Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

My moron of an HR manager has started using headline-style punctuation: a comma instead of an ampersand or "and". One of his recent communiques was titled "Ramadan Timings in Abu Dhabi, Oman". Allegedly he has two masters degrees...

OleJanx

Sep 28th 2012 12:45 pm

Re: Turning the tables, linguistically speaking

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bahtatboy (Post 10304284)

It's possible that there are two Master's out there wondering where their degrees are...

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