Excusing the vocabulary shown in american television programs like "Frasier", the english language has been polluted by those traitors to the crown. whats your opinion ?
English is spoken better by the English
You mean people who leave out punctuation and capitals? Well, thems a tough bunch to cure, 'mericans bein' so dumb an' all. Why I reckon ain't none of them ever heard how to talk it right, like that nice queen of England lady with her hats, and bows and all, she done knowed since birth, I reckon, how to talk right. Some folks just does.
Henry Higgins, a re-KNOWED scientist said we ain't spoken English for years.
Henry Higgins, a re-KNOWED scientist said we ain't spoken English for years.
"You mean people who leave out punctuation and capitals? "
Gregorvich, K.T. has a point. In your own post, I counted no less than four errors. Is the pot calling the kettle black?
Gregorvich, K.T. has a point. In your own post, I counted no less than four errors. Is the pot calling the kettle black?
Are we going by television shows? I really fail to see anything wrong with how Americans talk. Certain American accents can be a tad difficult, but the same can be said of some British accents.
What kind of "polluting" are we talking about? How we use different terms for things? How we spell?
What kind of "polluting" are we talking about? How we use different terms for things? How we spell?
<<In your own post, I counted no less than four errors. Is the pot calling the kettle black? >>
For the benefit of us 'muricans, could you point out these 4 unintentional errors in the post?
For the benefit of us 'muricans, could you point out these 4 unintentional errors in the post?
"american": not capitalized
"english": not capitalized
"whats": first word in a sentence, not capitalized
"whats": no apostrophe in a contraction
"english": not capitalized
"whats": first word in a sentence, not capitalized
"whats": no apostrophe in a contraction
<<Excusing the vocabulary shown in american television programs like "Frasier", the english language has been polluted by those traitors to the crown. whats your opinion ? >>
1: american - American
2: english - English
3 & 4: whats - What's
1: american - American
2: english - English
3 & 4: whats - What's
I live in Scotland.
Fraser is spelt 'F R A S E R'.
How can anyone spell Fraser 'Frasier', whatever next, 'Frazier'. Are African Americans intent of ruling the world?
Fraser is spelt 'F R A S E R'.
How can anyone spell Fraser 'Frasier', whatever next, 'Frazier'. Are African Americans intent of ruling the world?
Sorry,
How can anyone spell Fraser; 'Frasier', whatever next: 'Frazier'? Are African Americans intent on ruling the world?
How can anyone spell Fraser; 'Frasier', whatever next: 'Frazier'? Are African Americans intent on ruling the world?
The title of this thread surely has to be one of the most ludicrous ever to appear in this Forum. The best English is spoken by the English? The English?
Excuse me while I choke on my slice of Warburton's best whole grain and Dundee marmalade.....I wonder just how serious our Comrade Gregorvitch really is with this strange assertion?
If he can stiffen his sinews and gird up his loins I suggest he tunes into some of the UK's daytime chat shows involving much of the dross populating the sink estates of this country if he truly wants to hear English being slaughtered in cold blood...most can hardly string three coherent words together as they reveal all the sordid details of their drunken, drugged up lives in a country where, far too often, the passport to a good night out for far too many is to get as pissed up as possible in as short a time as possible That they ever received any education in Labour's Britain is difficult to credit.
Scotland has its fair share of "social inadequates" (to put it mildly) sure enough but at least the Scottish participants on those same dire chat shows are reasonably "well spoken" compared with the English even if heavily accented, which is what you would expect anyway.
Of course there are English people who speak really good and pleasant English, but there are very many who don't, and to refer to Professor Henry Higgins again he did say that an Englishman only needs to open his mouth to make another Englishman despise him, and I suppose he was spot on the button when he said that English hasn't been spoken in England for years.
The present ruling Labour Party came to power in the UK on 01 May 1997, and since then a dumbing down process has taken shape and appears to remain unchallenged, particularly in England which has an entirely different education system to that of Scotland. At the same time social values and social mores have declined and as commercial profits appear to be the most important consideration in the eyes of the present Labour Government the rate of alcoholic excesses in the UK (and, to our national shame, in other countries to which Brits venture) continue to soar.
The Romans invaded Britain in 54BC...they were "shocked" by the alcoholic excesses of the Ancient Britons. Half the English army fighting the French at Agincourt in 1415 were blootered out of their skulls. The Dutch arriving in Tilbury, Esex, in the 17th century days of Samuel Pepys (as noted in his famous diary) where similarly amazed by the English fondness for wine and ale, and even Pepys himself, following his regular blackouts and monumental hangovers, vowed an oath of abstinence which lasted an average of two days at most. And the gin palaces and drunken brawls in the streets of Victorian London were legendary.
To be fair, Scotland has hardly been abstinent either....not by a long way, and a singer called Harry Lauder once sang about Glasgow belonging to him after he'd had a "couple o'drinks on a Saturday....."
One the UK news this morning it seems that at last urgent action is "to be taken" to curb the UK's "love affair with booze and binge drinking" which has risen by 71% in just four years. Unbelievable.....but not really, when we see what we see on the late night streets of this country and over in Ibiza, Faliraki, Crete, Benidorm, San Antonio, Majorca, Gran Canaria...you name it if the English are there......
Plus ca change.
I'm a young Scot, I really enjoy a wee drink or two in congenial company....but I automatically know when I don't want another one and that's for sure.
Excuse me while I choke on my slice of Warburton's best whole grain and Dundee marmalade.....I wonder just how serious our Comrade Gregorvitch really is with this strange assertion?
If he can stiffen his sinews and gird up his loins I suggest he tunes into some of the UK's daytime chat shows involving much of the dross populating the sink estates of this country if he truly wants to hear English being slaughtered in cold blood...most can hardly string three coherent words together as they reveal all the sordid details of their drunken, drugged up lives in a country where, far too often, the passport to a good night out for far too many is to get as pissed up as possible in as short a time as possible That they ever received any education in Labour's Britain is difficult to credit.
Scotland has its fair share of "social inadequates" (to put it mildly) sure enough but at least the Scottish participants on those same dire chat shows are reasonably "well spoken" compared with the English even if heavily accented, which is what you would expect anyway.
Of course there are English people who speak really good and pleasant English, but there are very many who don't, and to refer to Professor Henry Higgins again he did say that an Englishman only needs to open his mouth to make another Englishman despise him, and I suppose he was spot on the button when he said that English hasn't been spoken in England for years.
The present ruling Labour Party came to power in the UK on 01 May 1997, and since then a dumbing down process has taken shape and appears to remain unchallenged, particularly in England which has an entirely different education system to that of Scotland. At the same time social values and social mores have declined and as commercial profits appear to be the most important consideration in the eyes of the present Labour Government the rate of alcoholic excesses in the UK (and, to our national shame, in other countries to which Brits venture) continue to soar.
The Romans invaded Britain in 54BC...they were "shocked" by the alcoholic excesses of the Ancient Britons. Half the English army fighting the French at Agincourt in 1415 were blootered out of their skulls. The Dutch arriving in Tilbury, Esex, in the 17th century days of Samuel Pepys (as noted in his famous diary) where similarly amazed by the English fondness for wine and ale, and even Pepys himself, following his regular blackouts and monumental hangovers, vowed an oath of abstinence which lasted an average of two days at most. And the gin palaces and drunken brawls in the streets of Victorian London were legendary.
To be fair, Scotland has hardly been abstinent either....not by a long way, and a singer called Harry Lauder once sang about Glasgow belonging to him after he'd had a "couple o'drinks on a Saturday....."
One the UK news this morning it seems that at last urgent action is "to be taken" to curb the UK's "love affair with booze and binge drinking" which has risen by 71% in just four years. Unbelievable.....but not really, when we see what we see on the late night streets of this country and over in Ibiza, Faliraki, Crete, Benidorm, San Antonio, Majorca, Gran Canaria...you name it if the English are there......
Plus ca change.
I'm a young Scot, I really enjoy a wee drink or two in congenial company....but I automatically know when I don't want another one and that's for sure.
The people who are counting errors in K.T.'s post need more practice recognizing sarcasm. I'm ROFL-ing.
It's interesting to note how such a mundane topic as speech has flourished into a social attack agaist the English. I am of course referiing to Damian, to those without a basic knowledge of British Poltics, the Scot is aggravated due to the poor way in which his country has been treated. For centuries the conquered races of Britain have been seen as less than human and have been treated as such. It is England or namely Maggie that is primarily responsible for the social degradation of Scottish cities. As for the remarks about Alcohol, it is true that we may have one Brandy to many but i doubt a society of drunks could have had the largest Empire this planet has ever seen, oh wait that was the English.
And to the other nay-sayers the pollution i am refering to is the American annoying habit of using of the letter "Z". (Especially when using Microsoft Word)
p.s: How many gramatical errors did i make this time? first person to answer this time wins a prize
And to the other nay-sayers the pollution i am refering to is the American annoying habit of using of the letter "Z". (Especially when using Microsoft Word)
p.s: How many gramatical errors did i make this time? first person to answer this time wins a prize
When you say "the American annoying habit of using the letter Z," do you mean the American usage of -ize endings? If so, are you aware that this is the original spelling and the version preferred by the OED? Also, this whole topic reeks of flagrant ignorance. Languages aren't polluted; they undergo change over time. Both the American and English variants of the language descend from a common ancestor, and both have diverged in their own separate directions since their split. So it's absurd to accuse Americans of "polluting" the language, as the only thing making it less "English" English is geography, which has no bearing on language.
i completely agree with gregorvitch, i find it quite annoying when on the computer my dictionary automatically choses the american version of English, when i do change it it only returns to the American spelling. when reviewing a piece of English coursework it is quite infuriating to see where the teacher has penalized me for mistakes an american computer programmer is responsible for, i believe that is what Gregorvitch is referring to when he says "polluted"
Damian, that was a most interesting post. I don't think I've ever read such a post from a native UK-er.
Coming from a small town in the Bible Belt (but not living there for three decades), I have inherited its distaste for imbibing. My intolerance for drinking is probably something I need to work on.
Even people from other parts of the US have commented on the Britisher's love of drink. It's possibly the single biggest cultural barrier, from an American's point of view.
Thanks again for posting.
Coming from a small town in the Bible Belt (but not living there for three decades), I have inherited its distaste for imbibing. My intolerance for drinking is probably something I need to work on.
Even people from other parts of the US have commented on the Britisher's love of drink. It's possibly the single biggest cultural barrier, from an American's point of view.
Thanks again for posting.