The American Language

Why are we in the UK so hung up on the use of British English versus the use of American English?

In Shakespeare's time English was totally different to that used today. There was no 'am ...ing', 'is ...ing' or 'are ...ing'. If you read Shakespeare you will read "I go." not "I am going". That's a pretty fundamental change in our language. That's before I start on all the other 'archaic' words and forms of a language as written 400 years ago. I'm sure that there are many books written on this paragraph's subject alone.

No one holds a candle for a return to Shakespearean or even Victorian English. 

Years ago someone very close to me was appointing a new PA. He offered the job to an existing employee who happened to be American. He made the appointment conditional on the person ceasing to use the term "trash can" for the waste paper basket. On her first day in the job when he arrived at the office, in the centre of his blotting pad was a small treatise on the origin of the term "trash can". As you have probably guessed it was originally a British term.  

There are also many American words in daily use in the English language which originated in America bur are generally accepted in the UK. Some examples are: commuter, double-decker, do-gooder come immediately to mind as do many words of native American derivation. Examples being: avocado, barbecue, cannibal, chocolate, husky, kayak, jaguar, opossum, potato, quinine, squash and tobacco. However my all time favourite is mugwump. I'm sure I did a blog post about that many moons ago.

I recently mentioned Wordle. Some people in the UK really have got their knickers in a twist because the game - owned and published by the New York Times - uses American spellings for some words. 

I think that it's about time that we on this side of the pond stopped being so precious about our strange, and often bizarre, spellings.

Punctuation Mark's

What I can't understand is why there is no 's' on Welding.

However, Anna has had around 90 years to get this correct:

I don't really expect anyone to comment on this because......well, just because it's a sad reflection on our use of language. 

I've got it off my chest, though.

Spelling Bee

Rainbow today over Bayble Bay, Isle of Lewis

I can spell 'rainbow'. In fact I can spell lots of words pretty well. I should be able to too. Words were my stock in trade. However, I have always had some bêtes noir. Diphthong, diarrhoea and, oddly, muesli spring immediately to mind. I also went for much of my life convinced that 'across' was spelt 'accross'.

At primary school spelling bees were a common way of testing and improving our spelling ability. They were also supposed to be enjoyable and, to be frank, I did enjoy them. So did Joan Rigby. Joan was the brightest person in the school by far (teachers included I rather think). On one occasion she and I were captaining two spelling bee teams. The teams were level pegging until she and I had to face each other. I cannot recall what I was asked to spell but I spelt it correctly. Really at my wits end, and definitely in awe of Joan, I asked her to spell 'bee' as in 'spelling bee'. Much to everyone's astonishment she either couldn't or she miss-spelt it and my team won.

I don't expect YP to have any such problems but I'd love to know what bêtes noir the rest of my readers have: if any.

One L or Two?

This week I shall be travelling.  Or will I be traveling?

travel |ˈtravəl|
verb ( -eled , -eling ; also chiefly Brit. -elled, -elling)
1 [ intrans. ] make a journey, typically of some length or abroad : the vessel had been traveling from Libya to Ireland | we traveled thousands of miles.

People who use British English have a small problem with Blogger because it uses US English.  Now I am the last person to say that one is correct and one is not but it is quite irritating when every time I spell a word with 'll' or 'ise' (as in realise) I'm told that I'm wrong.  'Cos I'm not!  I used to be a very good speller.  Now I'm constantly making errors (much to CJ's chagrin when we are doing crosswords) and am frequently racked (or wracked) with doubt which is not helped (and may even be caused in part) by spillchuckers.  

Of course there are words which are a particular bête noire.  Mine was 'across' which  for the first 60+ years of my life I always spelled 'accross'.

One I only recently discovered or realised was inquiry (US) instead of enquiry (UK).  Odd that it had taken me so long to come across that one.

PS.  I managed everything in town in record time so am doing this over a cup of coffee before I mend the shed roof and make lunch.  Oh how I love days when I get lots done. 

Spelling Problems and Collar Studs

This morning on Rambles From My Chair CJ blogged on the subject of Spelling Problems and Collar Studs. I had started my comments when I realised that they would be so long that I'd be better doing a posting in reply. This is it.

When I was in Form 1 or 2 at Ryebank (and between 8 and 10) spelling bs (or spelling bees) were part of the teaching regime. I remember to this day standing opposite Joan Rigby (far and away the brainiest girl in the class, and probably the school, at the time) and having to think of a word for her to spell. If she couldn't spell it (and provided I could) the team I was in would win. I chose the insect 'bee'. Joan couldn't spell it. I could. I've wondered about that to this day.

Oddly the bain of my spelling difficulties over the years has been 'across'. A word I spelt as accross until about a year ago. Apart from that my spelling used not to be too bad. Nowadays I have considerable problems with many words; often they are very simple words. I think that it all stems from the fact that I can't conceptualise; that I have no ability to see images in my mind. I give daily thanks for computer spillchuckers.

On the subject of cufflinks and braces (or bracers) I still use cufflinks because none of my long-sleeved shirts has buttons. In fact I'm taking a pair Fiona gave me not very long ago to New Zealand with me this time. Almost all my shirts have brass collar stiffeners - even the short sleeved ones which is, of course, what I wear 98% of the time now. In fact I even use a tie clip (another gift). However that is fairly rare these days because I very rarely wear a tie. A shame given the splendid collection that I have.

As for braces, David ( a friend who recently involuntarily lost a lot of weight after a gallbladder removal) had to wear them just to prevent his trousers falling down. I don't use them any more for my evening dress trousers because my waist has grown into them (and a bit more) . They are still out there if you look carefully enough. But sock suspenders - I think not!

Wind Vanes and Windfrogs

I can't decide whether 'wind vane' is one word or two. The same goes for 'windsock' and 'wind frog'. I'm having a bad day for spelling. I've also had a bad few weeks with wind vanes. My £5 plastic weather station which had sat on a fencepost (or is it fence post?) for some years (it even survived the hurricane although I did have to go and retrieve it from down the croft) finally gave up the ghost last winter whilst I was away. I think Pat muttered an incantation at it because she liked it only marginally better than the red back door to the garage which, she claims, offends her view. From half a mile across the valley? I don't think so! Anyway, for whatever reason, it gave up the ghost. So when I was in the Garden Centre in Stornoway and saw a wind vane I decided to treat myself. I do like to know which way the wind is blowing and it's not always convenient to pop outside.

I set up the wind vane on a strainer at the far corner of the garden away from the air turbulence created by the house and garage. I was puzzled by the fact that the wind for 4 days appeared to be coming from the same direction when I didn't think it had been. The vane didn't turn even with our strong winds. Grease was a mistake. WD 40 helped. It turned. However it decided that it would always be a 90 deg to the wind direction. How can that happen? I went back and they replaced the vane itself (a robin by a cockerel). The result was the same. I took the whole thing back. The gave me a new one. Same results. The whole things gone back and I have my money back. But I still didn't have a wind vane.

Then came my birthday and with it came my frog in shining armour. Or rather on top of a tube of nylon material. Not a wind sock but a wind frog. And he works. What will Pat say now that there's a green frog with pink and yellow entrails blowing in the wind and offending the view?

The original vane

Wind vane with hanky showing the true wind direction.

Wind frog: this pic is to prove that it can 'fly' what CJ calls the right way up. Personally I like to be able to see the frog.

The Frog

The 'right' way up. Everything is a point of view.