British vs. American spelling
#61
Re: British vs. American spelling
Another difference between British and American English occurred to me as younger son and I drove from PA to NM this last weekend, in the UK we refer to the River Thames, River Mersey, River Irwell etc., and they are all rivers whatever size even down as far as the River Piddle, whereas in the US it is the Ohio River, Mississippi River, Kishacoquillas Creek, Whetstone Run and so on. Any ideas why the different word order?
#62
Re: British vs. American spelling
Another difference between British and American English occurred to me as younger son and I drove from PA to NM this last weekend, in the UK we refer to the River Thames, River Mersey, River Irwell etc., and they are all rivers whatever size even down as far as the River Piddle, whereas in the US it is the Ohio River, Mississippi River, Kishacoquillas Creek, Whetstone Run and so on. Any ideas why the different word order?
#63
Re: British vs. American spelling
Another difference between British and American English occurred to me as younger son and I drove from PA to NM this last weekend, in the UK we refer to the River Thames, River Mersey, River Irwell etc., and they are all rivers whatever size even down as far as the River Piddle, whereas in the US it is the Ohio River, Mississippi River, Kishacoquillas Creek, Whetstone Run and so on. Any ideas why the different word order?
#64
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: British vs. American spelling
My part of Canada is like the US when it comes to rivers, creeks etc.
Fraser River, Columbia River, Thompson River to name a few.
At least in BC, can't say if its the same back east.
Fraser River, Columbia River, Thompson River to name a few.
At least in BC, can't say if its the same back east.
#65
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 211
Re: British vs. American spelling
https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/05/rivers.html
#66
Re: British vs. American spelling
Good blog post on the subject here. It seems usages like "the Thames River" were in occasional use in England in the 16th/17th centuries.
https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/05/rivers.html
https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/05/rivers.html
#67
Re: British vs. American spelling
This naming convention for bodies of water is not entirely consistent. We have Lake Tahoe (formerly Lake Bigler), Lake Mead, Mud Lake, Alkali Lake. A search for this lake naming inconsistency turns up this learned article:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...1111/fwb.12795
I read here that nimnologists are puzzled. Nimnologist is an ology that I have never heard of before, so back to the search engine for another descent into the rabbit hole. The things one learns here.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...1111/fwb.12795
I read here that nimnologists are puzzled. Nimnologist is an ology that I have never heard of before, so back to the search engine for another descent into the rabbit hole. The things one learns here.
#68
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 211
Re: British vs. American spelling
Though Americans might be likely to say 'the River Jordan', owing to the enduring influence of the King James Bible.
#69
Re: British vs. American spelling
This naming convention for bodies of water is not entirely consistent. We have Lake Tahoe (formerly Lake Bigler), Lake Mead, Mud Lake, Alkali Lake. A search for this lake naming inconsistency turns up this learned article:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...1111/fwb.12795
I read here that nimnologists are puzzled. Nimnologist is an ology that I have never heard of before, so back to the search engine for another descent into the rabbit hole. The things one learns here.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...1111/fwb.12795
I read here that nimnologists are puzzled. Nimnologist is an ology that I have never heard of before, so back to the search engine for another descent into the rabbit hole. The things one learns here.
It seems that it is size related so the Great Lakes, Lake Mead, Lake Shasta, Lake Tahoe etc. I wonder about Crater Lake.
On the rivers, I note that Romance languages put river first, e.g. Rio Grande. Note the Saint Lawrence River aka Fleuve St Laurent. I wonder if the English use of River xxxx is based upon Norman French. When rivers were named in North America and Australia, xxx River is the use.
#70
Heading for Poppyland
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: North Norfolk and northern New York State
Posts: 14,453
Re: British vs. American spelling
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaig...texas-governor
"It's something I'm gonna think about," O'Rourke told Buzz Adams
The article then transcribes (quotes) several sentences from O’Rourke’s statement. All is in standard spelling, with standard punctuation etc. So, why is “I’m going to” rendered as “I’m gonna”?
I know it was common in former times to attempt to render speech phonetically, for instance, Mark Twain and Charles Dickens sometimes did it. But that’s often now seen as patronizing or racist. So why do we so often see “gonna” in print? I don’t feel that gonna sounds so different from going to, that it needs to be rendered phonetically.
"It's something I'm gonna think about," O'Rourke told Buzz Adams
The article then transcribes (quotes) several sentences from O’Rourke’s statement. All is in standard spelling, with standard punctuation etc. So, why is “I’m going to” rendered as “I’m gonna”?
I know it was common in former times to attempt to render speech phonetically, for instance, Mark Twain and Charles Dickens sometimes did it. But that’s often now seen as patronizing or racist. So why do we so often see “gonna” in print? I don’t feel that gonna sounds so different from going to, that it needs to be rendered phonetically.
#71
Re: British vs. American spelling
Does this help?
In Scottish dialect, ganna, gaunna recorded from 1806. Going to - Casually pronounced form : I'm gonna veg out tonight (1913+) - (Dictionary.com)
In Scottish dialect, ganna, gaunna recorded from 1806. Going to - Casually pronounced form : I'm gonna veg out tonight (1913+) - (Dictionary.com)
Why are expressions like “gonna”, “wanna” and “shoulda ...
Lots of Scots settled in the south. I know the word is used in the Bronx a lot.
#72
Heading for Poppyland
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: North Norfolk and northern New York State
Posts: 14,453
Re: British vs. American spelling
Does this help?
In Scottish dialect, ganna, gaunna recorded from 1806. Going to - Casually pronounced form : I'm gonna veg out tonight (1913+) - (Dictionary.com)
In Scottish dialect, ganna, gaunna recorded from 1806. Going to - Casually pronounced form : I'm gonna veg out tonight (1913+) - (Dictionary.com)
Why are expressions like “gonna”, “wanna” and “shoulda ...
Lots of Scots settled in the south. I know the word is used in the Bronx a lot.That wasn’t my point though. Why do news media now routinely render “going to” as “gonna?” Most other things people say, transcribed by news media, are rendered in standard spelling. (See my Beto O’Rourke example.)
#73
Re: British vs. American spelling
Well, I don’t think “gonna” is specifically Scottish, or American. English people say it just as much.
That wasn’t my point though. Why do news media now routinely render “going to” as “gonna?” Most other things people say, transcribed by news media, are rendered in standard spelling. (See my Beto O’Rourke example.)
That wasn’t my point though. Why do news media now routinely render “going to” as “gonna?” Most other things people say, transcribed by news media, are rendered in standard spelling. (See my Beto O’Rourke example.)
#74
Heading for Poppyland
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: North Norfolk and northern New York State
Posts: 14,453
Re: British vs. American spelling
Here’s another archaic, or non-standard, usage that I think of as British (rather than American.)
”Et” as past participle of eat, instead of the standard English “eaten.”
For instance, I would say “I’ve et my lunch” in an informal setting, while in more polite, or formal, settings, I would make sure to say “I’ve eaten my lunch.”
This page https://english.stackexchange.com/qu...-of-eat/246413
indicates that this usage is both British and American. And it is standard in older writers (eg Shakespeare and Boswell) which confirms my assumption that it is archaic.
”Et” as past participle of eat, instead of the standard English “eaten.”
For instance, I would say “I’ve et my lunch” in an informal setting, while in more polite, or formal, settings, I would make sure to say “I’ve eaten my lunch.”
This page https://english.stackexchange.com/qu...-of-eat/246413
indicates that this usage is both British and American. And it is standard in older writers (eg Shakespeare and Boswell) which confirms my assumption that it is archaic.
#75
Re: British vs. American spelling
Here’s another archaic, or non-standard, usage that I think of as British (rather than American.)
”Et” as past participle of eat, instead of the standard English “eaten.”
For instance, I would say “I’ve et my lunch” in an informal setting, while in more polite, or formal, settings, I would make sure to say “I’ve eaten my lunch.”
This page https://english.stackexchange.com/qu...-of-eat/246413
indicates that this usage is both British and American. And it is standard in older writers (eg Shakespeare and Boswell) which confirms my assumption that it is archaic.
”Et” as past participle of eat, instead of the standard English “eaten.”
For instance, I would say “I’ve et my lunch” in an informal setting, while in more polite, or formal, settings, I would make sure to say “I’ve eaten my lunch.”
This page https://english.stackexchange.com/qu...-of-eat/246413
indicates that this usage is both British and American. And it is standard in older writers (eg Shakespeare and Boswell) which confirms my assumption that it is archaic.
I struggle with this one when I try to work out if I'm being British or American.
"I et my lunch at 12 noon" - indicating a thing that happened in the past. Is this the passe simple/historique (sorry, French A level, not sure about the English grammar of it) equivalent? And is "I ate my lunch" the American way of saying it, or just a different English way of saying it?