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While American vocabulary has entered that of Britain in the past, now it is going the other way around.'Britishisms' Creeping into American English
Speaking as someone whose mother is English, that is in fact lame. What's next we go as far down the path of cultural destruction as have the English?
I did not realize that “twit” was a word common to the British. It does sound like it's somewhat pretentious, though, so perhaps that is a dead giveaway. 🙂 I think on occasion I have heard someone refer to a "flat" rather than an apartment. I don't think that irks me as much as some other words do.
I positively loathe the English accent. Hearing it makes me want to punch somebody. Also, getting called a Yank makes me absolutely see red. At that point I just call 'em a Limey and walk away before the fight starts.I will admit that English historians tend to write stylistically better than do Americans.
I positively love the British accent and wish I could pull it off better (I usually end up sounding Australian instead). I too like British historians the best but they tend to use superlative words a little too much.And what does using British words have to do with cultural devestation? If anything, it preserves the culture.
Take a visit to England and you will see. There are more non-English in London than English people and they have sanitized their culture to the point of destruction to avoid offending the invaders. Just examine the way they handle their Muslim extremists with kid gloves. They are well on the way to submission, even the French are defending their culture more than the English.
Like any large city there is a huge diversity. Just go to NYC you'll think you're in Beijing. I always hear this about London (who was that author who wrote Londanistan?) yet I see no evidence of it whatsoever other than oil shieks owning some of the big soccer teams, yet ironically it's predominantly European players who are the bigger stars. Name any foreign player who is more famous or more well liked than Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, or Steven Gerrard. The Olympics certainly didn't hold back on being pure British. Look at the sport culture too. Again, very British in nature. And proudly so. There is no PC affirmative action crap on the Oxford or Cambridge crews. Whenever I read about or talk to British people, I don't see a dying culture, I see a proud nation. There is far more criticism of the Empire from those in the US than those who are British.
Just examine the way they handle their Muslim extremists with kid gloves.
Give me an example of this. I see them acting tougher on terrorism than we do sometimes.
Regarding the Brit accent, back in 1960 when I moved to Hollywood for no fame and little fortune, the word was — if one spoke with a British accent (usually a female secretary or male clothier), the question would be: “Are you from England or merely affected?”
One can approach a cultured British accent without forcing it by doing what most Americans do not:1. Open the mouth wider to pronounce words2. Speak through the diaphragm not through nose or throat.
There are as many different dialects of the British accent as there are American accents in the states. You can even tell the difference between Daniel Craig and Jason Statham. Statham is more blue-collar where Craig sounds more aristocratic. I get a kick out of some of these rugby guys who play like beasts and look dumb as a rock, but then when you hear them talk they sound like they have a PhD.I thnk the Aussie/NZ accent is a cross between a hard core Boston (Bahston) accent and a British one. The Aussies drop their R's like we do up here in New England. It's a shock not a shark.
There are as many different dialects of the British accent as there are American accents in the states. You can even tell the difference between Daniel Craig and Jason Statham. Statham is more blue-collar where Craig sounds more aristocratic. I get a kick out of some of these rugby guys who play like beasts and look dumb as a rock, but then when you hear them talk they sound like they have a PhD.
I think that's the difference between a cockney (e.g. "Benny Hill") accent of the commoners and the more refined, "royal" accent which sounds far more sweet to the ears.
Regarding the Brit accent, back in 1960 when I moved to Hollywood for no fame and little fortune, the word was -- if one spoke with a British accent (usually a female secretary or male clothier), the question would be: "Are you from England or merely affected?"
I wonder if you are referring to the "Trans-Atlantic" accent which apparently became popular mid-century, and which seems to be the typical way people spoke in movies around that time. It's kind of an "Britisized-American" way of pronouncing words. In the video below, which I remember came out a few years ago, the very last accent the girl does is "Trans-Atlantic".[html][/html]
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