If and when you call your language "American", you can do whatever you like. But while you call it English, I think you should at least recognise where it comes from. The strong input of other languages into English is not comparable to the fact the US speaks the English language.
Why is the US so keen on some European roots (e.g. Irish) and so hostile to others (e.g. English)?
One day, the USA will be just another sad old Empire and all those people who you thought were you friends and allies will be gone. Americans will be clammering aboard banana boats with the dream of going somewhere else for a better life, somewhere where there are jobs and food etc. And they will find doors closed to them. Worrying how you can steal another country's language will be the least of your concerns. And if you manage to learn a bit of humility you might just survive as a supplier of cheap copies of technological products to whatever the world's most powerful superpower will be.
Just remember, Ken. Your country is the most powerful in the world, but you're not. You just happened to be born there, an accident of history.
Morning, everyone! Just found this site. Very interesting! I also like to call our language American.
Yes, call it American then you can pretend it was created by Leprechauns in a bog in Ireland.
Simon, you are just being bitter, cynical and extremely narrow minded. Don't be like that even if your country has lost all the colonies and doesn't have any influence on other coutries. Invading other countries is bad.
You should be more open minded and listen to others without such a classical imperialist attitude as if you were saying you guys had kindly lent your language to others. You guys have no copyright or patent for English. Just like anyone can speak English with any accent, it's ok for people to call their language whatever they like to call. We live in the free world, don't we.
One day we will all be history including you. But I promise you until we both die, USA will shine like the sun onto you. USA represents freedom that everyone in the world loves at heart. We have no queens and aristocrats who are more important than others. Everyone is equal and we love to call our language American which reprents our free thinking liberal country.
Ken, I don't think you even understand what you write. Show me the imperialism in my comments. Show me the narrow mindedness.
Re copyright: What do call someone who uses intellectual material without referring to its author? You call them a thief.
The USA does not represent freedom to the majority of the world's citizens. By democracy you probably mean the American way. This is what George Bush means when he uses the word democracy. Democracy is rule by the people, no more no less.
You may not have aristocracies but you have rich powerful families. I would much rather be poor in England than in the us.
And I'm not bitter. You know nothing about me. I'm not particularly a fan of the UK but when some idiot like you comes along spouting your racist claptrap, I feel obliged to intervene. The language is practically unchanged since it left our shores.
You can use it as you wish but why are you so hostile to having cultural links to us. I bet you know next to nothing about my country beyond a few stereotypes.
Simon, what is your problem? If you read all the messages including other people's posts, Americans are simply saying that we want to call American English American. No one except you said love/hate against Britain. You just want to think Americans hate the English but the truth is not.
But if your Prime Minister Tony Blair behaves like a loyal dog to US president, some people might think that Tony Blair represents your country's majority. As many Brits said, Tony Blair looks to them like a loyal butler holding a coat for his master George Bush. Don't worry I don't buy that.
You just have to chill and listen to others, buddy. Im not hostile but you seem to be strongly anti-USA. I guess you have good reasons to have grudge against USA and I just feel sorry for you. We love everyone and every country who respect freedom.
English is not copyrighted. Do you ask for a permission from the French "Can I use your words?" when you speak English? It's not an intellctual material as such. It's everyone's. Just open your heart and be a little more flexible to others, OK.
English "contains" French words but American English "is" the same language. The two cases aren't comparable. I don't deny the value of French as a source in English. Indeed the reason for those French words being there is a part of our history and not yours.
My heart is already open. I'm not anti-USA. But the subscribers to this viewpoint that "American English should be called American" also seem to imply that money and power can buy everything. America is more powerful so therefore it's now your language.
Maybe my early postings were a bit hostile. On the neutral side, the situation for Dutch seems to be as you would wish it to be for English. In Dutch the language is referred to as Nederlands. For the Dutch of Flemish people instead of calling it Flemish Dutch (Vlaams Nederlands), they call it Flemish (Vlaams). This is also similar to why Afrikaans is called Afrikaans ("African" in Dutch and Afrikaans).
Also in the French speaking world they already refer to l'Anglais et l'Américain in many contexts.
What niggles me is that a lot of Americans seem desperate to write the English out of their culture. Why all the hostility? Surely you should cherish your roots.
I don't live in the UK anymore, don't vote there and so can't really be held responsible for what happens there on a political level. However, Tony Blair is not responsible for the foreign policy servility of the United Kingdom to the US. This is geopolitics. It's sadly a political reality for the United Kingdom to follow the US in foreign policy. We are not free. The British people were not consulted. France and Germany also have the same problem. They spoke out so vehemently against the US invading Iraq at first. Now they have been forced to do a complete u-turn. This is your "democracy" for us.
We both speak the same language. I like our cultural links with the US. Why are you so opposed to them?
J, spot the deliberate mistake in your earlier posting "British English, American English and Scots English."
Dan, the US was never a British colony. There were colonies which were British. Their independence set the US in motion. But it's inaccurate to say that the US was British.
Kevin, Galician is closely related to Portuguese. It cannot be called Celtic, although previously existing Celtic languages may have left their traces in it.
Scottish Gaelic and Scots are not the same. Scots and English are dialects of the same language.
Simon
You ask why Americans ignore the British contribution to their country.
Because to admit it would be tantamount to treason, to give away all that is dearly 'American' to a foreign country. Americans love to differentiate themselves from the world, and imagine themselves unique. You cannot have uniqueness when you are a carbon copy of another country. I have heard some Americans claim that democracy was invented in America, ignorance is thus a large part also.
America was the first modern democracy in the stock "Western World" definition. It preceded even the French Republic.
I guess most countries try to assert their uniqueness and place themselves at the centre of the world stage. Even Belgium tries this.
When first independent, American democracy was no different than British democracy. Voting restrictions applied, and seats were monopolized by rich and influential families. The form may have been different, but the theory was just the same.
Simon
Do you consider yourself Belgian? Or do you still feel like a bit of a foreigner?
Ooh, that's a tough one. No, I don't consider myself Belgian but it's clear that something's changed.
I consider myself as an English immigrant, integrating into Belgian society, never willing or in fact able to fully give up my roots. Like most immigrants, I suppose.
I guess you now understand how a lot of these inner city immigrants feel. Why should they have to give in to British culture entirely? Surely there is some room for give on both parts. I bet you still watch British tv.
What mistake did I make in my earlier post about British English, American English and Scots English? I don't see.
Yes, but along side Belgian, French, Dutch, American and even German, Italian, Spanish, Porutuguese, Greek, Turkish and Moroccan tv.
You can have English English and Scots English. But British English is English as it is spoken throughout the United Kingdom.