American English

[scotia]

On the BBC News Web Site Today

The numbers represent a staggering increase over recent Chinese imports of US manufactured goods, raising some skepticism over how it would be achieved.

(my bold)
Has the takeover begun?

[EssDeeAitch]

On the BBC News Web Site Today

The numbers represent a staggering increase over recent Chinese imports of US manufactured goods, raising some skepticism over how it would be achieved.

(my bold)
Has the takeover begun?

I am sceptical of a take over. I am more inclined to think that it is just a simple spelling mistake.

[genou]

On the BBC News Web Site Today (my bold)
Has the takeover begun?

I am sceptical of a take over. I am more inclined to think that it is just a simple spelling mistake.

Maybe just a classical education. sceptic has always looked weird to me, since it is sigma kappa in Greek.

[UncleEbenezer]

On the BBC News Web Site Today

The numbers represent a staggering increase over recent Chinese imports of US manufactured goods, raising some skepticism over how it would be achieved.

(my bold)
Has the takeover begun?

It's a story about America and China. I'm sure most of us find "skepticism" easier to read than "懷疑論".

[TahiPanasDua]

On the BBC News Web Site Today

The numbers represent a staggering increase over recent Chinese imports of US manufactured goods, raising some skepticism over how it would be achieved.

(my bold)
Has the takeover begun?

I will dive straight into pedantry.....I like it.

English, like all other languages, is constantly evolving and is definitely not a fixed, never to be contaminated, perfect entity. It is in fact a creole which evolved from speakers of North German, French and Norse and prides itself on acquiring vocabulary from historical connections such as "bungalow".

That said, I am sure you were being tongue in cheek however.......

You are speaking American English if you have ever discussed:
1. being side lined.
2. going off the tracks.
3. making the grade.
4. underhand deals.
5. whistle stop tours, etc., etc.

On the other hand, when Americans mention "the fall" instead of "autumn" or use the word "guess" where we wouldn't, they are continuing to use Shakespearean era English words which we have abandoned.

We Scots continue to use Norse vocabulary when we say "efter", "noo","bairn", "hame" etc. Our pronunciation is much closer to the original brought to northeast England by the Norse invaders. A modern Swedish person, for example, understands and uses these words. Swedes and Scots "clap" a dog and their husband is their "man".

Sorry for the pedantry....I couldn't help it.

TP2.

[Lootman]

You are speaking American English if you have ever discussed:

1. being side lined.
2. going off the tracks.
3. making the grade.
4. underhand deals.
5. whistle stop tours, etc., etc.

Or any number of US sports terms like:

"Heads up"
"Step up to the plate"
"Curve ball"
"ninth inning"
"slam dunk"

and ubiquitous antimeria such as "that is a big ask", "what is your spend?" and "lets rightsize this".

Particularly interesting is how the American misuse of language can become correct merely by frequent use. Such as when Americans say "I could care less" when they mean "I could not care less". Or where they say "mute point" rather than "moot point".

The gratuitous overuse of terms like "awesome","totally", "like" and "so" are right up there as well. As in "It is, like, so totally awesome how pedantic you are".

[stewamax]

On the other hand, when Americans mention "the fall" instead of "autumn" or use the word "guess" where we wouldn't, they are continuing to use Shakespearean era English words which we have abandoned.

Fall is at least a sensible word - from 'fall of leaf', although I quite like autumn too.
But we should never have gotten rid of gotten and replaced it by the effete-sounding obtained and other ill-gotten words.

Psalm 98 (C of E 1662 Book of Common Prayer version) aka the Cantate Domino that can still be heard regularly in "Choirs and Places where they Sing" says:
O sing unto the Lord a new song : for he hath done marvellous things.
With his own right hand, and with his holy arm : hath he gotten himself the victory.

Obtained simply would not be blunt enough here to cut the mustard.

As Melvyn Bragg has pointed out, an extraordinary number of words and phrases still in common use on both sides of the Pond come not from Shakespeare at all but were coined by the gifted William Tyndale for the first bible in English, and remained in the 1611 King James authorised version:
- let there be light
- the powers that be
- my brother's keeper
- filthy lucre
etc etc