Plea

[Lowaicue]

as i recall from my history classes, english is mainly a combination of french and german with a local slant

my wife is something of an anglophile although egyptology is her favorite subject

however, you have your little tantrum, try this on for size, the language that become the language of our government was decided by a majority of one vote with german coming in second

you are just jealous that our version of english has won out worldwide, mainly due to leadership

and do try to remember who helped you out during wwii

yes, i know your raf did yeoman duty but our 'lend lease' plan went a long way towards saving you bacon before we joined in, not to mention all the material and food that we sent over to you via convoys

and fyi, why are we at such odds you and us being allies and such

Your history classes were as correct. As a sort of rule of thumb I would say multi-syllabic words tend to have french origins. German not so much. The most common words in the language, go, come, sit, run etc (I havent checked these in detail) tend to be Anglo Saxon with very very few original Celtic/British words remaining in England although there are remnants.
I am aware of the decision to use English and not German which is wonderful when you consider how many Americans end an argument with, 'If it wasn't for America you'd be speaking German now'.
Do not spend too long patting yourself on the back for your wartime effort. Remember that we paid for every bullet and those payments ceased very recently. And bear in mind that much of the history of the war was written and 'documented' in Hollywood which so happens to be located in American fantasy land.
Allies? Mmmm. Maybe. Fair weather allies I think. We didnt join you in your bloodlust in Vietnam and you were late into WWII. Obama didn't much like us and Bush had no idea where the UK was!

 

[sedan]

The English language is not dead in America, but like the child it is, it is gradually growing apart from its parent. The problem, if problem there is, is when the American version of the language, is thrust down the throats of the English.
No Chinese has ever insisted that 'm'goi' is a standard form of saying thankyou and programming it into their ' English' dictionary, yet the American google and microsoft are run by people who are oblivious to the correct spelling and usage of their borrowed language and force incorrectness upon the rest of the world, most of whom incidentally, would choose British English over American if there was a genuine choice..

My spell check sees nothing wrong with 'gotten' for instance and insists on flagging my 'u's in 'colour' etc. All we have a right to expect is that these Websterites pay due deference to the language of their forefathers and allow the pure form of the modern English language not only to exist, but to flourish. English is developing all the time, just like a child, but as with a child, the parent has the right to guide it and prevent it from becoming a hoodlum.
I wonder if there is anything at all that the average American respects more than himself.

Spell checkers need a dictionary to work, and usually that dictionary is American English by default. However, you can nearly always swap out the default dictionary for one of your own choosing. I know that Firefox has a British English plugin, for example.

Here's a short tutorial on how to set the default language in Word:

http://www.lizjamieson.co.uk/45/how-to-set-the-default-language-dictionary-on-microsoft-word-2007/

 

[Mott the Hoople]

I used to be a good boy, and never swear in public. To this day, it still shocks a lot of people if they hear me do it, because of the innocent image I tend to wear around. I swear a bit at work, because it's the military, and it tends to be commonplace, and I swear a lot on JPP, mostly because it's fun. Personally, I think the English language is dead in America, and have no qualms about beating this already dead horse with further vulgarity.

Shut The Fuck Up 3D!

 

[Mott the Hoople]

i disagree

some years ago i spent a lot of time around the military and got into the habit of swearing and spent several years breaking myself of the habit

i do not want to lapse hence i infrequently use it here

as for the english (american style) language being dead, i plan on using it for the rest of my life so i will continue to do so - here and with others

as for it being dead, it is the most used language worldwide

so, go have carnal knowledge with your...

Ah, so sorry. English is # 2 most spoken langauge. Mandarin is #1.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

better yet, there is the 'add to dictionary' feature in microsoft word

during the technical revolution, the u s of a led the way and as a result people that wanted to keep up on the latest technical information had to learn english

however, what really put the frosting on the cake was the adoption of american english as the language required for pilots. air traffic controllers and control tower personnel

if those things had happened today, it might have been chinese as the world most popular language...

oh well

That an English has become the defacto lingua franca of international business. That's why English is the most spoken second or foreign language learned in the world by a very large margin. As a first language learned it's third behind Mandarin and Spanish.

 

[Lowaicue]

Spell checkers need a dictionary to work, and usually that dictionary is American English by default. However, you can nearly always swap out the default dictionary for one of your own choosing. I know that Firefox has a British English plugin, for example.

Here's a short tutorial on how to set the default language in Word:

http://www.lizjamieson.co.uk/45/how-to-set-the-default-language-dictionary-on-microsoft-word-2007/

Thanks for that. However I checked and my comp is set to UK English. However the gremlins that inhabit this wretched piece of Americana are clearly from Phoenix or similar because they are not very bright. I still get flagged for using correct spelling!!!
As it happens the 'problem' has been somewhat minimised of late since I am writing a load of sales guff for the American market. (I think this stuff is also for Walmart) but I haven't bothered to ask this time! I have also been asked to write at a level slightly above Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham suitable for the average Walmart shopper.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

We have no desire at all to eliminate you. You are entertaining, you have nice places and many of you are quite nice. So it's just a slap. No more, no less as you, like Europe continue your inexorable path to greater poverty and maybe even oblivion.
That your first reaction was to see danger where there was none is indicative of years of government induced fear. But no doubt you will, in time, recover from that.

I can tell you've never been to Arkansas!

 

[Lowaicue]

I can tell you've never been to Arkansas!

No, but I have been to Our Kens as a visitor on several occasions.

 

[christiefan915]

i disagree

some years ago i spent a lot of time around the military and got into the habit of swearing and spent several years breaking myself of the habit

i do not want to lapse hence i infrequently use it here

as for the english (american style) language being dead, i plan on using it for the rest of my life so i will continue to do so - here and with others

as for it being dead, it is the most used language worldwide

so, go have carnal knowledge with your...

Well it sounds like there's some truth to the old story about GIs coming home on leave and saying "pass the f*cking butter" at the dinner table.

 

[cancel2 2022]

No, but I have been to Our Kens as a visitor on several occasions.

Ouch, that was a stinker!

 

[USFREEDOM911]

Your history classes were as correct. As a sort of rule of thumb I would say multi-syllabic words tend to have french origins. German not so much. The most common words in the language, go, come, sit, run etc (I havent checked these in detail) tend to be Anglo Saxon with very very few original Celtic/British words remaining in England although there are remnants.
I am aware of the decision to use English and not German which is wonderful when you consider how many Americans end an argument with, 'If it wasn't for America you'd be speaking German now'.
Do not spend too long patting yourself on the back for your wartime effort. Remember that we paid for every bullet and those payments ceased very recently. And bear in mind that much of the history of the war was written and 'documented' in Hollywood which so happens to be located in American fantasy land.
Allies? Mmmm. Maybe. Fair weather allies I think. We didnt join you in your bloodlust in Vietnam and you were late into WWII. Obama didn't much like us and Bush had no idea where the UK was!

"...The most common words in the language, go, come, sit, run etc (I havent checked these in detail) tend to be Anglo Saxon..."

That's because they were easier for the English to grunt.

 

[USFREEDOM911]

Thanks for that. However I checked and my comp is set to UK English. However the gremlins that inhabit this wretched piece of Americana are clearly from Phoenix or similar because they are not very bright. I still get flagged for using correct spelling!!!
As it happens the 'problem' has been somewhat minimised of late since I am writing a load of sales guff for the American market. (I think this stuff is also for Walmart) but I haven't bothered to ask this time! I have also been asked to write at a level slightly above Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham suitable for the average Walmart shopper.

That will still put it above the "fish and chips" crowd.

 

[Annie]

In the light of recent news may I add my six penn'orth? Despite the fact that I have, on extremely rare occasions and as a result of extreme cyber frustration, been known to use language 'unbecoming to a gentleman', may I appeal to everyone to try to minimise their use of foul and obscene language. Not because I am some hypocritical fuddy duddy dinosaur, but because if you are proud of the English language or the language of your birth you must agree that its pollution and cheapening simply shows the result of poor education, a lack of respect for others and a total lack of respect for ones self.
I know that there will be hoots of derision as a reult of this post, but they will be hoots that simply reinforce my contention that English, with now over one million words at its disposal does not need offensive (and largely outdated) obscenities with which to stress a point and that those who do hoot are so immature that they think it fun/clever/macho/I dunno to use such language.
Be nice to each other.

I'll try.