As has been said language changes, color is not spelt wrong just not spelt the American way .It seems to me we have more important things that concern our children in the uk other than language such as family values or lack of.

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This is concerned with family values.

Where do you think children pick up this language? Perhaps it’s because they’re put in front of TVs all day rather than being interacted with. From an early age they pick up ‘sidewalk’ and ‘mom’.

I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard a 20 year old from Telford talking about her ‘mom’, without sarcasm.

But is TV better than them being on the street? I don’t know.
I can’t wait to see the effect the Internet has on the current generation.

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And yet if they are good law abiding citizens whats wrong in calling your mother mom??.

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Gosh I wish we were better connected to the USA than this corrupt EU rubbish

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Immigrants are blamed for destroying British way of life the most destructive culture by far has to be America

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Henry is a hat not just that a hat?? how can some one look stupid in a hat?? what do you suggest the children put on their heads in the summer? a Hanki????????

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Interesting article,if i had a pound for every time i heard presenters call people “Guys” regardless of whether they are male or female i would be a rich man by now.
The English language is certainly changing, but i am not so sure it is in a positive direction.

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By far the most annoying habit is to turn nouns into verbs through sheer laziness. We regularly hear nonsense words such as ‘leveraging’, ‘medalling’ (to receive a medal, apparently), weaponise (to turn something into a weapon), and generally the lazy and unnecesary addition of the ‘isation’ suffix to all sort of words that don’t need it.
Bizarrely, the first word that springs to mind that legitimately has an ‘isation’ suffix, is ‘acclimatisation’. And what do American say? ‘Acclimate!’

There are many aspects of American ‘culture’ that are being imposed upon us; their horrible ‘live to work’ attitude, their hideous low pay ‘hire and fire’ economy, their astonishingly poor fast food – the list goes on. As for Ron’s comment about being better connected to the US – I think we’re quite subservient enough to them already – and at least I get a vote in Europe.

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Dont tell me… the writer of the letter wants to return to pre-decimilization (he’ll want to correct the spelling), pre-Euro’s… pre-everything? The world is ever changing. Im wondering if he refers to men who sexually prefer other men as gay (in a non-offensive way) – but that was once known as “happy”?

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Still think we have far more important issues at hand without talking baseball caps,guys, etc a little perspective I think is needed folks.

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Those complaining about the influence of the USA and the americanization/americanisation of Britain should be overjoyed that President Obama’s agenda is to destroy any USA influence in the world by spending trillions of dollars which the USA does not have…..not to worry – come visit in 10 years, and the USA should look like Britain.

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Anne,

You seem to have overlooked the fact that irresponsible US bankers were the catalyst for costing all of us trillions of dollars and President Obama, like our own Prime Minister, is trying to solve that.

If by ‘the USA should look like Britain’ you mean that people poorer than you have a Universal right to health care, then that’s a good thing isn’t it? After all for a country which regards itself as a nation where all are ‘equal under the eyes of God’, wouldn’t a little ‘Christian charity’ go a long way?

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I agree with the op and get annoyed with the way we seem to want to be so americanised (sp?) The problem is we have now is if you criticise another nation u r seen as racist. Not true. Where has the commen sense gone that if you dont agree with with someone you are just expressing opinion. I like americans but think the lifestyle is cancerus and bad. We embrace it because its easy but thats the problem. its a lazy attitude and thats why we like it.

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The americanisation of our culture and language is a problem but not for reasons of nostalgia or national pride. For me the real problem lies in the tv shows that portray normality for young people as having all the designer clothes, high powered cars and all the other benefits of being rich and, apparently talented, without effort. So many young people really believe that when they reach a certain age they will magically be able to have xyz. When they get married, of course they wioll have new furniture and appliances etcetc as a matter of right and normalcy. Programs that display such ideas, in particcular those that display that with minimal talent everyone is able to be a pop star or even worse, a celebrity are giving children a message that is dangerous, ridiculous and untrue. The real world hits kids like a sledge hammer. Crime then is seen as getting what they are entitled to as a normality because for some strange reason, they, are not getting the things, and happiness that they see all “normal people” getting on thedir TV screens.
Language is really not the pproblem, however irritating it is. The real problem lies in un deliverable expectations portrayed as normality to young people who seize upon being excellent as if by magic. Hard work, study effort and the old blood sweat and tears are things of the past.

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People do seem to forget that language and culture are living things; they are not set in stone and will always change as they always have. The peoples of these islands have always been world traders and have continually not only brought back and incorporated goods, but words and elements of culture from across the globe. We are a hybrid peoples with hybrid culture and hybrid language try to get used to it, as long as we can still communicate that is all that matters.

Having said that I personally think anyone wearing a baseball cap back to front looks like a complete idiot, but that just my opinion.

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Ken..some languages die. Apart from a few valleys in the Alps Latin is a dead language, and this could happen to English. It is also the English, more than any other people, who have ‘killed’ other languages. Some of my good friends (First Nations) were forbidden to speak in their native tongues at the English run residential schools here in Canada. Not only their language but their entire culture and way of life gone…how sad is that?
But, as you point out, the purpose of language is to communicate. Yet many posters, on this and other Star forums, are unable to communicate their views and thoughts because they lack basic English skills.

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