How do Americans feel about UK spelling? - Page 21

GlenBarrington · 10-15-2010, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

So pronouncing, say, "blessed", as in "The blessed Saint John", as "bless-ed", would be something that only a country bumpkin would do in the US? That would be the normal pronunciation in the UK.

Can you elaborate as to how you pronounce the word "toasted" without saying the "-ed" as a separate syllable? I can't see how it can be pronounced other than as a separate syllable.

I was going to say no, I would use the term 'bless-ed' , but then I got to thinking, "How do I know I'm not a country bumpkin?" Don't we all think of ourselves as the epitome of sophistication?

Some of you people have to be wrong!

GlenBarrington · 10-15-2010, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

What is it with the English (and certain parts of the US such as New England) putting an "R" in a word that doesn't have one there?

Pronouncing the suffix "ed" as a separate syllable is proper in that it was the way it was originally done (it goes back to before the 16th century and one or two hundred years past then). It is now considered archaic and people who still use that pronounciation are looked upon as rustics (bumpkins on my side of the pond).

I recall when I was growing up in Central Illinois, we pronounced the word, 'wash' as 'worsh'. That died out some time in the early 1960's. Television is homogenizing language. I don't think that's a good thing, maybe we should all use the language of our youth.

crich70 · 10-15-2010, 09:48 PM

Blessed or Bless'ed isn't the only word that has multiple pronounciations either. Just look at Shakespeare. He has the prince in Romeo and Juliet pronouncing moved as mov'ed near the start of the play. '..and hear the sentence of your mov'ed prince.' Sometimes it's just a matter of the rhythm of the language as to which form of such a word is used I think. And some words have a longer lifespan (in terms of being in current use) than others. All languages are always changing (as long as it is still a spoken language anyway).

mjhudston · 10-16-2010, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crich70

Blessed or Bless'ed isn't the only word that has multiple pronounciations either. Just look at Shakespeare. He has the prince in Romeo and Juliet pronouncing moved as mov'ed near the start of the play. '..and hear the sentence of your mov'ed prince.' Sometimes it's just a matter of the rhythm of the language as to which form of such a word is used I think. And some words have a longer lifespan (in terms of being in current use) than others. All languages are always changing (as long as it is still a spoken language anyway).

I thought Blessed was a British actor known for his loud voice.

Is it time for us English, to reclaim our language from the rest of the world?

Lady Fitzgerald · 10-16-2010, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjhudston

I thought Blessed was a British actor known for his loud voice.

Is it time for us English, to reclaim our language from the rest of the world?

You're welcome to it. We Yanks haven't used it in years.

GlenBarrington · 10-16-2010, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

You're welcome to it. We Yanks haven't used it in years.

PFFFFFH! We improved it! You're welcome Britain! We are here to help!

Seriously, language isn't something you can reclaim. Especially English, of all languages. It's like a cat, once it goes feral, you are lucky to ever see it at all. Oh, it may show up every once in a while for a meal, but for the most part, it's busy with other stuff.

candide · 10-18-2010, 01:06 AM

Coming to this thread rather late, as I'm a noob in these parts and have a lot of catching up to do.

I'm from the UK and have no problem with American spellings, as long as it's in context - if I'm reading a book set in Britain, by a British author and he's using American idiom, I find it very irritating. It's just marketing strategy seeping into the building blocks of the story itself.

I tried an audiobook of the first Harry Potter book once, but gave up in disgust when I heard 'bangs' for 'fringe', 'sneakers' for 'trainers' and a few others. Those words are fine in an American context, but I found it very sad that children (or adult readers!) were being given such little credit by the publishers. I used to read a lot of Hardy Boys and other American fiction as a child, and part of the joy of them was the different words and usage. OK, sometimes I'd have to look words up or ask about them, but language is so important to giving a sense of time and place that it shouldn't be fiddled with just because publishers underestimate their audience.

Still not 100% sure what a 'jalopy' is though, and there were a lot of them in the Hardy Boys books...

GraceKrispy · 10-18-2010, 01:35 AM

a jalopy is a car, usually an old one that needs some work...don't hear that word much, except in "period" literature

When I first heard that there were two versions of the Harry Potter books- one with the original UK phrasing and one that was "Americanized," I was sort of insulted. Yes, it's sort of geared towards a younger set (to some extent), but surely it would have broadened their horizons a bit to read something with different words used!

sanders · 10-18-2010, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

Ahh, Jim, thanks for the smiles!

Yes, I love people who give directions like "turn left about a kilometre before the big tree ..." !!

"Excuse me, is this the third street on the left..?"

GlenBarrington · 10-18-2010, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

a jalopy is a car, usually an old one that needs some work...don't hear that word much, except in "period" literature

When I first heard that there were two versions of the Harry Potter books- one with the original UK phrasing and one that was "Americanized," I was sort of insulted. Yes, it's sort of geared towards a younger set (to some extent), but surely it would have broadened their horizons a bit to read something with different words used!

I've not read much Harry Potter, it just didn't take for me, I don't understand why so many grown-ups spend so much energy on the series. But I should think that the whole series is a very British perspective on growing up and learning to deal with the world of adults. I would think, for American youth, part of the fun for a series like that is stepping outside what you know and seeing how others deal with something that can be kind of intimidating.

I don't know, maybe enough of that came through the cultural filtration system. But I suspect the publishers didn't give American children much credit for intelligence.

Lady Fitzgerald · 10-18-2010, 11:01 AM

Based on the lack of writing skills of younger people I've worked with recently (including managers), I'm not so sure the publishers have underestimated the intelligence of American children.

basilsands · 10-18-2010, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by candide

...Still not 100% sure what a 'jalopy' is though, and there were a lot of them in the Hardy Boys books...

Think Model A Ford held together with wire...that's a jalopy.

Lady Fitzgerald · 10-18-2010, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basilsands

Think Model A Ford held together with wire...that's a jalopy.

More current terms are beater and hoopty.

Bilbo1967 · 10-18-2010, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

When I first heard that there were two versions of the Harry Potter books- one with the original UK phrasing and one that was "Americanized," I was sort of insulted. Yes, it's sort of geared towards a younger set (to some extent), but surely it would have broadened their horizons a bit to read something with different words used!

I did hear once that the British film, The Madness of King George III, was released in America as simply, The Madness of King George.

Apparently, there were concerns that the movie-going audience wouldn't watch it because they hadn't seen The Madness of King George I or II

Disclaimer; I have no idea if this is true or an urban myth.

Lady Fitzgerald · 10-18-2010, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

I did hear once that the British film, The Madness of King George III, was released in America as simply, The Madness of King George.

Apparently, there were concerns that the movie-going audience wouldn't watch it because they hadn't seen The Madness of King George I or II

Disclaimer; I have no idea if this is true or an urban myth.

For the most part, it is a myth. See this at Snopes

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10-15-2010, 09:48 PM	#303
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,305 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	Blessed or Bless'ed isn't the only word that has multiple pronounciations either. Just look at Shakespeare. He has the prince in Romeo and Juliet pronouncing moved as mov'ed near the start of the play. '..and hear the sentence of your mov'ed prince.' Sometimes it's just a matter of the rhythm of the language as to which form of such a word is used I think. And some words have a longer lifespan (in terms of being in current use) than others. All languages are always changing (as long as it is still a spoken language anyway).

10-18-2010, 01:06 AM	#307
candide Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle	Coming to this thread rather late, as I'm a noob in these parts and have a lot of catching up to do. I'm from the UK and have no problem with American spellings, as long as it's in context - if I'm reading a book set in Britain, by a British author and he's using American idiom, I find it very irritating. It's just marketing strategy seeping into the building blocks of the story itself. I tried an audiobook of the first Harry Potter book once, but gave up in disgust when I heard 'bangs' for 'fringe', 'sneakers' for 'trainers' and a few others. Those words are fine in an American context, but I found it very sad that children (or adult readers!) were being given such little credit by the publishers. I used to read a lot of Hardy Boys and other American fiction as a child, and part of the joy of them was the different words and usage. OK, sometimes I'd have to look words up or ask about them, but language is so important to giving a sense of time and place that it shouldn't be fiddled with just because publishers underestimate their audience. Still not 100% sure what a 'jalopy' is though, and there were a lot of them in the Hardy Boys books...

10-18-2010, 01:35 AM	#308
GraceKrispy It's Dr. Penguin now! Posts: 3,909 Karma: 4705733 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: (USA) Device: iPad mini, Samsung Note 3, Sony PRS-650 (rarely used now)	a jalopy is a car, usually an old one that needs some work...don't hear that word much, except in "period" literature When I first heard that there were two versions of the Harry Potter books- one with the original UK phrasing and one that was "Americanized," I was sort of insulted. Yes, it's sort of geared towards a younger set (to some extent), but surely it would have broadened their horizons a bit to read something with different words used!

10-18-2010, 11:01 AM	#311
Lady Fitzgerald Wizard Posts: 2,013 Karma: 251649 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA, Earth Device: JetBook Lite (away from home) + 1 spare, 32" TV (at home)	Based on the lack of writing skills of younger people I've worked with recently (including managers), I'm not so sure the publishers have underestimated the intelligence of American children.

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