Dear Americans: A lesson in proper English.

One of the UK's best comedians and commentators produced a video educating Americans on the use of proper English. A search for it turned up nothing so here it is for your pleasure and derision, which one likely depends on what part of the world your from. It made me laugh in any case.



Unlike David & the Queen, "aloominum" and "tomAAto" do get on my nerves a tiny bit.

However, colour/color provokes a fury that would put the USA's recent "war" based aggression to shame. It comes up in my job on a daily basis and it, to use an English phrase, does my nut in.

Americans, sort it out. At very least put the U back in colour? Please?

PS Any correction of my inevitably ropey grasp of my own language will be met with derision, ignorance and pointing out that I am in fact Scottish. I'm entitled to use and abuse the language in the same way the Americans do.

No. k lol

Not gonna happen, we like butcherin' that there anglish.

I never understood why the British pronounce "aluminum" as "aluminium".
There is no second "i" in the word...

reply to post by eightfold


Quite.

I'm American and have always used colour as my typical spelling of the word. And I use humour instead of humor. I have, of course, received flack for doing so, even to the point of rudeness. Strange phenomenon.


I flip/flop shamelessly between grey and gray though.

We all have our quirks.

Also being a son of Eire gives one even greater discretion to butcher languages of all sorts

Don't worry, even us Americans have lesser forms of English than standard American English. For example, for 49 of the states in the USA, "Missouri" is known as "Missouri". However, in Missouri, the people pronounce it "Missoura". We can't even get our own bad Engrish right.

I appreciate English & US English both by way of spelling and pronunciation.

I do wonder however how these changes came about.

Could it have been due to early perhaps slightly illiterate settlers or could it have been the result of influence from other languages?

I'm facinated by language but in the end I think the US way just adds a little idividuality which I think is cool.

Originally posted by Chamberf=6
I never understood why the British pronounce "aluminum" as "aluminium".
There is no second "i" in the word...

edit on 11/25/2011 by Chamberf=6 because: (no reason given)

You are mistaken as there is a 2nd "i" in the spelling of aluminium.

Wile I understand the 'fury' ova miss pelled words / and miss takes of gramma / i offen find my self be mused that words such as color or colour cood eva B quibbled ova. The meaning is the same. It is re congnised as the word...with its appropriate meening /

Langwage is evilootionary and words change to re flect the times (whateva 'the times' means) / dicktionarees (of a reputable nature) provide the history and developlment of these words / evrything is in its box!

Akushla
;

Originally posted by Chamberf=6
I never understood why the British pronounce "aluminum" as "aluminium".
There is no second "i" in the word...

edit on 11/25/2011 by Chamberf=6 because: (no reason given)

Yes there is

aluminium [ˌæljʊˈmɪnɪəm] US and Canadian, aluminum [əˈluːmɪnəm]

Although I have to say nothing makes me want to pronounce it Aluminum more then some condescending, over privileged, Cambridge educated brat sneering about it.

None of this rage by the way is spawned from the fact that David Mitchell dates poker star Victoria Coren


Ok well maybe just a little bit.

reply to post by eightfold


I could care less what the Queen or any of the English think, so hold down the fort until I return.

reply to post by Chamberf=6


ALUMINIUM

Only ALUMINUM in American! (Even my spell checker thinks aluminum is wrong )

and colour, honour, haemoglobin etc....

reply to post by Nephalim


Please? Carry on butcherin' by all means but that U causes me problems. : )

It's definitely aluminium. You pronounce it likes it's spelt surely? There's no "oo" in there, only a u.

Originally posted by studio500
I appreciate English & US English both by way of spelling and pronunciation.

I do wonder however how these changes came about.

Could it have been due to early perhaps slightly illiterate settlers or could it have been the result of influence from other languages?

I'm facinated by language but in the end I think the US way just adds a little idividuality which I think is cool.

The English are a people, everyone is on the same page so to speak. Americans are poles, jerrys, Dagos and everything in between who picked up English as a second language. Between all those groups pronunciation has been slightly altered but oddly enough all of them still understood good oral hygiene which our english counterparts never quite understood.

Originally posted by eightfold
It's definitely aluminium. You pronounce it likes it's spelt surely? There's no "oo" in there, only a u.

edit on 25/11/11 by eightfold because: (no reason given)

Pronounce this...

Phlegm

Akushla
;

If you don't like the way I speak, well,tough. There are many different dialects within the English Language. Even over in Europe. We have different slang and different ways of saying the same thing.

None are wrong. Is it wrong to spell the word Color,with out the U? No, both are accepted spellings.

We come from different English Speaking areas... Just because we have different dialect, does not make it incorrect.

If you can't handle that.... Well, you are just going to have to. You know what? Some people even speak languages other than English! GET THEM!!!!

Well your old lady of england can shove her "cares" and "forts" up her you-know-where.

Americans couldn't care less what that old bag thinks.

I used to get reports sent home when I was in school because i insisted on spelling it grey not gray.

I really disagree with the spelling and bastardizing of our shared language.

Its through not thru not matter what DC says the "official" spelling is

Originally posted by eightfold
It's definitely aluminium. You pronounce it likes it's spelt surely? There's no "oo" in there, only a u.

edit on 25/11/11 by eightfold because: (no reason given)

Perhaps a comma following 'spelt'?!

Akushla
;

P.S. boy, did you ask for it...

reply to post by gimme_some_truth


I have no problem with the way you speak, I have no problem with the way anyone speaks, dialects aren't the issue that most English people have with the Americans bastardisation of the language. I'm Scottish, we speak very differently to the English.

"fur" = for
"doon" = down
"weeman" = person of diminutive stature.

However, we all spell words the same way because we all fundamentally speak the same language. Say it how you like, but spell it properly!