Thread: Americanisms are ****ing me off

Originally Posted by phibbzy

Are we angry that they speak that way or are we angry that we venerate their culture that much that its starting to shape ours?

Good question...

Originally Posted by gusthedog

I hate Australian vernacular

We are an evolving country and using 1980's Australian vernacular and trying to replicate crocodile Dundee when we talk doesn't make you more Australian. It makes you sound like someone who is stuck in the past IMHO (I was going to write ****** but thought that might be too American )

But it's ok, the users of 1980's Aussie vernacular will be dead and gone before long and it'll be resigned to the history books.

No, he got that vernacular from growing up in the 50s, 60s and 70s, like me, still talk like that and always will, ****** is English/Aust, it won't make you more Australian, but it will tell people you are Australian, all cultures have a slang, it's what makes us different, me ol' china

Baz, see even my name is Aussie slang

Originally Posted by Redback

No, he got that vernacular from growing up in the 50s, 60s and 70s, like me, still talk like that and always will, ****** is English/Aust, it won't make you more Australian, but it will tell people you are Australian, all cultures have a slang, it's what makes us different, me ol' china

Baz, see even my name is Aussie slang

Fine then, you're a ******.

Just joshing. To each his own and all that. Most people recognise I'm Australian when I travel overseas because of my accent, not because I use Australian vernacular. We are a multicultural society and words creep in from other cultures and places. That's what happens with language - it's not static. I wish words like "agreeance" didn't exist but due to common usage, it's now in the dictionary. That's what happens to all languages over time - they change and are fluid.

How do you get Ass Hole from Arsehole, or Bad Ass for "not good", why is nearly every Element in the Element Tables end with "IUM", but the Americans spell Aluminium without it.
How much does a Pound weigh in USA, they seem to only have 2000 of them in their Ton, does their Ton weigh the same as an Imperial Ton at 2240lbs..
Why are their Gallons different, are they bigger or smaller than imperial, why do they insist on saying God Bless America every 10 seconds, why do they insist on saying that something big weighs 100,000lbs, like it is more sensational, than 50 tons, is everything bigger and better there than anywhere else.
Why do they make out that they are so righteous and religious when it is safer to live in Iraq than it is in the USA, getting off course here.
I believe that some illiterate clown in high office wrote the English language incorrectly and no one was game to correct him, so bastardised English became the norm. What about Solder being pronounced "Sodder", enough said, LOL, Regards Frank.

Tis the joy of speaking English

A language that is alive and well

And constantly evolving and developing

New and wonderful words

Originally Posted by gusthedog

But it's ok, the users of 1980's Aussie vernacular will be dead and gone before long and it'll be resigned to the history books.

You really need to read a bit of Australian history, if you think words such as the ones I have quoted have only been around since 1980!

Just as the Americans are proud of their country and their speech, I am proud of my country and the way we have developed in our speech, to become almost unique.

In the 1970's I remember an excellent letter in the paper from an American sailor visiting Perth, who said how much he enjoyed Australia and Australians but he was disappointed with how much we appeared to be Americans; he cited our then addiction for "Happy days"; Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc.

Two days ago, I chatted to to a Louisianan lady in London and delighted in her accent - I would be disappointed if I visited the U.S and found the locals speaking with an Australian accent!

Yes, language evolves but long-live the dialects and customs of various districts, States and countries; it is what makes the World's people interesting.

For the Canadian and U.S. readers of this post; please keep your customs and speech - I love them!

For Australians; preserve what we have, it is an essential part of what makes us interesting,

Cheers Charlie

Unfortunately, what I term the "cultural colonisation" of Australia by North Central America (via the entertainment industry) is insidious.
I am sad to report that even the otherwise well-made Australian TV drama "The Dr. Blake Mysteries" (set in the year 1959) has been seriously infected. I noticed in recent episodes the use of the terms "train station" (railway station), "autopsy" (post mortem), "reform school" (girl's home), and other terminology that my subconscious has blocked from my memory in order to protect my delicate sanity.
Occasionally I slip and use a culturally-inappropriate term myself, however I then slap myself in the face as a reminder to stay on the true path. Unfortunately this self-abusive behaviour is starting to cause some people to view me with suspicion.


(added later)
After doing a little actual research, I see that the term "autopsy" was in common use in this country at least as far back as 1916. I apologise for doubting the term.

Originally Posted by Phil HH

...
I am sad to report that even the otherwise well-made Australian TV drama "The Dr. Blake Mysteries" (set in the year 1959) has been seriously infected. I noticed in recent episodes the use of the terms "train station" (railway station), "autopsy" (post mortem), "reform school" (girl's home), and other terminology ...

Well done. As I am likely younger than you these did not stand out to me...

However it then is curious that trainspotting is an English word and makes me wonder when it entered the language (and also the Oxford english dictionary...)