(no subject)

[mangosteen]

A quick scan of my friends list indicates that there are 24 of you who satisfy at least one of the following three criteria:
1) You live in the UK
2) You are a British subject
3) You have a British passport

I hereby request that all mentioned above read the following URL:
http://www.economist.com/research/styleGuide/index.cfm?page=673931

It is the "Americanisms" section of The Economist's Style Guide. I read it aloud (in a suitably Halfway Across The Pond accent) and had to stop occasionally due to having to relate some bit of it to bookteacher (the slacker English major who can't be bothered to use proper punctuation most of the time (by her own confession, no less.) (I'm not any better.)).

That is all.

Comments

Strunk & White they ain't

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

While I agree with the general notion of using the shorter word (rather than utilizing the longer one), I do believe that the Economist missed a few important distinctions in some of those word (or phrase) choices.

For example, they prefer district to neighborhood; the former is a formal division, while the latter is an informal one.

If writing for an international audience, row is not preferable to spat, as neither Americans nor Australians use that word in that context (they're more likely to think of the counterpoint to "column"). In most contexts, the proper words to use are disagreement or fight.

However, for the same international audience, it is indeed a good idea to avoid sporting terms (such as the closing phrase "rain-check").

To deliver on a promise means to keep it.

Not exactly. When one delivers on a promise, it is terminated. When one keeps a promise, one does so continuously.

Americans prefer ranking to senior because occasionally the ranking officer is younger than the subordinate.

We say children are in school rather than at it for the same reason we say convicts are in prison, not at it.

Most of the rest are just subjective style points, and as such, the Economist is welcome to set their own standards.

Re: Strunk & White they ain't

[sauergeek.livejournal.com]

There are others where the definitions of the word differ enough that each word has its place:
* An elected official's constituency is all of the people in his district, whether they support him or not.
* The military includes all branches: army, navy, and air force. The American army is not amphibious, and has only limited inherent air support. I don't know the British military well enough to know if it has three branches or two (i.e. air force is still part of the army).

[c1.livejournal.com]

I may not be an expert, but I've been a British passport holder since before I can remember, and a British citizen since birth. While being a British citizen doesn't necessarily mean you have a British passport, having a British passport does indicate that the bearer is a citizen of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
And I've long told you Americans that I speak English. I haven't a clue what you people speak.
:-)

[pir.livejournal.com]

a citizen of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

My passport says, quite specificly, that I am a "British Citizen", not a UK citizen, to my knowledge there is no such thing as UK citizen (other than the fact a British citizen is a citizen of part of the United Kingdom by definition). American immigration paperwork insists that you put UK on it for British citizens, this is not correct.

There have also been several types of British passport, pre return to China people born in Hong Kong had passports that did not just say "British Citizen" in them, most of them had no right to abode in the UK, this was stated in their passport, and I'm sure there are other British territories that still have similar restrictions.

I haven't a clue what you people speak

They speak American... which is a dialect (well, actually a collection of several related dialects) of English. It hasn't diverged enough to be a different language yet.

Many parts of American English are actually more closely related to old English than modern Queen's English. They didn't keep up with the language updates.

[lillibet.livejournal.com]

I have the AP Style Guide, if anyone has any questions about their preferences, some of which are quite amusing. Ask me about Indians, go ahead.

[meirion.livejournal.com]

gosh. i was of the belief that 'tad' was northern english – specifically lancastrian/mancunian.

as such, being a good manchester-hater and lifelong yorkist, i cringe inwardly every time i hear or use it, but hadn't thought i was committing (initally wrote vomiting!) the much more major faux pas of using an americanism.

furthermore, i shall now have to go and edit my novel-in-progress to remove all traces of american influences. except where the characters are/might be american, of course ....

-m-

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nicolai_/]

I've seen 'tad' used in the northeastern US, for example a slightly sweetened soft drink was labelled as "A tad sweet".
Though perhaps this is a case of an older word which has persisted in US English and some UK dialects, but is not used if speaking with Received Pronunciation.

Nit-Pick: Dialect

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

Quick note:

A "dialect" is significantly more different from its parent language than American English is from the amalgam now known as British English.

The form of English most worthy of the label "dialect" would be Jamaican, which has a large Chinese influence underlying its grammar, and far more African influences than either urban American or urban British.

That, and it usually takes most non-Jamaican English-speaking listeners a significant amount of time to parse what was said into something comprehensible (if they're able to do so at all).

By contrast, Americans and Brits provide each other with a few stumbling blocks, but that's all.

[evildom.livejournal.com]

Since I am not one of the there points, I taked it I am not one of the 24, and I am allowed to continue to speak in American English, and have a hard time understanding you at 1am after you have had four beers, and there is incredibly loud music playing.

[mangosteen]

I don't recall there being anything in my posting to indicate a requirement to talk or speak in any particular way. Rather, I find it interesting to know how many things in my speech are genuinely Americanisms.

[evildom.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did notice that you used equally as much "Americanisms" as "Britishisms". Actually, there was only a couple of times that you said something that I had to think about for a moment.

Oh, how is you back?