"Autumn" is used frequently in the US--anybody who says otherwise is talking complete nonsense. "Fall" is an informal way of saying the same thing, although here on the east coast, I actually find that "autumn" is used just as often, if not more.
Do AE and BE sometimes overlapping?
Fall is not informal. It's Autumn that sounds oldfashioned, just like ''dived'' instead of ''dove'', or ''film'' instead of ''movie''.
1.530 "autumn season" site:us
25.300 ''fall season'' site:us
3.780 "autumn season" site:ca
35.500 "fall season" site:ca
25.300 ''fall season'' site:us
3.780 "autumn season" site:ca
35.500 "fall season" site:ca
Well, fall may not be informal per se, but autumn is definitely formal to my ears! I kind of agree with Trawicks on that. Although in my part of the country, autumn is usually seen written far more often than it is heard aloud. I think nothing of it on the page, but it would sound a little pretentious coming out of someone's mouth -- not sure why that is, but it's true!
I don't think either dived or dove sound particularly old-fashioned, although if i had to pick one, it would actually be dove.
Films are just classier movies. As in the line, "Fellini makes films, not movies." But they are pretty interchangeable. Film is a little more formal, movie a little less so.
I don't think either dived or dove sound particularly old-fashioned, although if i had to pick one, it would actually be dove.
Films are just classier movies. As in the line, "Fellini makes films, not movies." But they are pretty interchangeable. Film is a little more formal, movie a little less so.
Just a note on "film", I live in Ireland and most people prefer this to "movie". Teenagers like myself use both, but I personally prefer "film", I find movie is too American.
Yeah, another troll. I guarantee it's the same person over and over asking these fake questions in the guise of a foreigner.
AE and BE are not two different languages, just variants on the same language, it's not that they overlap a lot, they differ a bit. The major difference I find is in the spelling, AE spellings are far more phonetic (litre in BE becomes liter in AE)
Most differences between AE and BE derive from conscious decisions to make AE spelling more phonetic and to develop a 'unique American culture separate from Europe'. Otherwise the weird AE words are just words that were common in 17th century England when the English started colonizing North America. "Fall" was the popular word for "Autumn" in England back in the 1600s, same with "curb" "pants" etc. etc. It's not really that big of a deal, they're the same exact language: English. and America is finally coming to terms with its English origins anyway, so whatever.
"Coming to terms", huh? I thought that had been a given for a while now.
As for the spelling differences, it should also be pointed out that English spelling wasn't very standardized for a long time, and was just beginning to be around the time we split up. Anyone who has puzzled through antique texts knows that people seemed to just go with whatever spelling they felt like, and all styles of English have majorly cleaned up and simplified things compared to centuries past!
As for the spelling differences, it should also be pointed out that English spelling wasn't very standardized for a long time, and was just beginning to be around the time we split up. Anyone who has puzzled through antique texts knows that people seemed to just go with whatever spelling they felt like, and all styles of English have majorly cleaned up and simplified things compared to centuries past!
The foliage on the trees and shrubs and hedgerows that grace the glorious countryside of the United Kingdom (and also in the parks here in the city) is now beginning to change colour bit by bit.....the greenery of the leaves is gradually turning to brown and yellow and gold - and in the case of the ivy that clings not only to tree trunks but also the front of many of the older buildings - a brilliant scarlet. Ivy always looks spectacular in the Autumn.
That's no surprise because a new season is upon us here in the UK and the rest of Europe.......AUTUMN.
In June the summer was "A cumin' in" (to quote an ancient English song) and everywhere burst into a new life of fresh greenery but now in mid September we are approaching the equinox and summer's bounty is now slowly beginning to turn to lovely displays of colour before it all fades away in the steady leaf fall over the next few weeks and we are left with just stark, dark branches silhouetted against the chill early winter grey skies of the sombreness of a northern clime.
Leaf fall...falling leaves.....drifing down in the still air of a misty dawn. Maybe Fall is a more appropriate name after all for this time of the year....
No, it'll never catch on here....maybe it did at one time long ago but it will always be Autumn in Scotland (and England and Wales of course.....and Europe....)
That's no surprise because a new season is upon us here in the UK and the rest of Europe.......AUTUMN.
In June the summer was "A cumin' in" (to quote an ancient English song) and everywhere burst into a new life of fresh greenery but now in mid September we are approaching the equinox and summer's bounty is now slowly beginning to turn to lovely displays of colour before it all fades away in the steady leaf fall over the next few weeks and we are left with just stark, dark branches silhouetted against the chill early winter grey skies of the sombreness of a northern clime.
Leaf fall...falling leaves.....drifing down in the still air of a misty dawn. Maybe Fall is a more appropriate name after all for this time of the year....
No, it'll never catch on here....maybe it did at one time long ago but it will always be Autumn in Scotland (and England and Wales of course.....and Europe....)
That Guest above was me - in my haste I forgot to post my handle. No way do I want to pass for one of the Guests!
"Leaf fall...falling leaves.....drifing down in the still air of a misty dawn. Maybe Fall is a more appropriate name after all for this time of the year..."
And that's exactly why it's called fall, it's a shortened version of "fall of the leaf". It would seem that both the UK and NA used both fall and autumn, but that fall fell out of use in the UK. My 100% conjecture guess would be the 19th century when there was a heavy trend of french import words, use of french sounding and old french import words.
And that's exactly why it's called fall, it's a shortened version of "fall of the leaf". It would seem that both the UK and NA used both fall and autumn, but that fall fell out of use in the UK. My 100% conjecture guess would be the 19th century when there was a heavy trend of french import words, use of french sounding and old french import words.
I gathered that! Anyway, it's autumn over here nonetheless......and after autumn comes the winter and here in Scotland it gets light late and dark early by late November.
Let's pretend it is the other end of the calendar and start singing one of the oldest of songs written in the Language which later became the Enlgish we know today.....the early stages of Middle English...."Summer is Acumen In" (Summer is coming in, as if you didn't guess.
The very original manuscript of this song was found in Reading Abbey, in Reading, Berkshire, England, a magnificent mediaeval cathedral like building in its heyday but desecrated by the odious King Henry VIII, King of England, in the 16th century, so all that remains today is the mere shell of the Abbey, close to present day Reading town centre.
With your sound system on you can hear the ancient melody. The song is still frequently sung in festivals, concerts and pageants, etc - in England; very rarely in Scotland from what I can make out.
http://www.pteratunes.org.uk/Music/Music/Lyrics/summerisicumenin.html
Let's pretend it is the other end of the calendar and start singing one of the oldest of songs written in the Language which later became the Enlgish we know today.....the early stages of Middle English...."Summer is Acumen In" (Summer is coming in, as if you didn't guess.
The very original manuscript of this song was found in Reading Abbey, in Reading, Berkshire, England, a magnificent mediaeval cathedral like building in its heyday but desecrated by the odious King Henry VIII, King of England, in the 16th century, so all that remains today is the mere shell of the Abbey, close to present day Reading town centre.
With your sound system on you can hear the ancient melody. The song is still frequently sung in festivals, concerts and pageants, etc - in England; very rarely in Scotland from what I can make out.
http://www.pteratunes.org.uk/Music/Music/Lyrics/summerisicumenin.html
From Etymonline: "c.1374, from O.Fr. autumpne, from L. autumnus, a word probably of Etruscan origin. Harvest was the Eng. name for the season until autumn began to displace it 16c. In Britain, the season is popularly August through October; in U.S., September through November."
Was there ever a Fall season in Britain?
Was there ever a Fall season in Britain?