American Language?

[ScubaTwo]

I read a post in a thread recently that the language on this forum is supposed to be "American". Im not sure I understand what that would be. I would have posted on that thread but it is now closed. I was kind of surprised that statement made it thru the mods. What does anyone else think? And if you think I am over reacting, what is the primary language you speak? Thanks for your time

 

[Zeeman]

As an Aussie, I "think" I know what is meant by "American" language - most of it is just spelling - like we say mum, you say mom. We say aluminium, you say aluminum.. the list goes on. Lots of subtle differences, some would call it a change for the worst from the "pure" english, I just call it evolutionary and interesting (language always changes over time, interesting to see how it changes in different regions). I hardly think it's offensive..

Anyway, I could be wrong...

Z...

 

[Marek K]

We say aluminium, you say aluminum..

Interestingly, of the two spellings, "aluminum" and "aluminium," the first was used earlier -- by one of the guys who developed the smelting process, I think. It was only afterward that the "-ium" spelling was introduced, to conform to the names of other elements. See here.

And you do know, don't you, that we Americans pronounce it "aLOOMinum"?

Hey, the only thing I have problems with is that "stone" thing for body weight...

--Marek

 

[Rick Inman]

I read a post in a thread recently that the language on this forum is supposed to be "American".

Which eliminates many of our posters from Texas.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I believe the jest of the comment being this is American is that the board is an English speaking board, and the baseline standards of communication are American. What flies in some other countries may not fly here.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

And if you think I am over reacting, what is the primary language you speak? Thanks for your time

Being someone from the west/midwest who speaks English with what is regarded as no accent by most Americans, I would say I speak an American dialect of the English Language. "American" is spoken with differing accents in the deep south, texas, the new england states, etc. There are also very minor regional variations a well. For example among South Dakota residents I can normally place them by region of the state by minor changes in accent of their words reflecting the different ethnic backgrounds among the various groups who settled the state 100-150 years ago.

In general given the differences that are readily apparent to anyone listening to two English speaking persons from widly different parts of the world I have no problem identifying derivatives of the king's English ias American, Austrailian, Canadian, etc, variants of the language. I agree that SB conforms to American standards of English in terms of sentence construction and spelling of various words (gray rather than grey for example.) so I see no problem with that being stated.

IMHO if u want to get upset at something, u should get upset at the overuse of internet shortcuts or at PEOPLE WHO "YELL" BY CAPITALIZING EVERYTHING. Both of these issues are far larger problems.

 

[Mako Mark]

What flies in some other countries may not fly here.

personally, I dont believe that the internet is a country..

No flies on me m8..

 

[knotical]

Shouldn’t our primary intent be to communicate? As long as I can understand a post without too much difficulty, I don’t care if the author uses “American”, or “the king’s English” or any other variant. If spelling or grammar is a bit off, so what? If the author uses slang, or reasonable shortcuts, or smileys, it’s all good, as long as we communicate.
Not everyone on this board has a form of English as their primary language, and the board is richer as a result. Let’s encourage participation rather than intimidate by suggesting one form is better than another.

btw, how arrogant is it of we “Americans” to usurp the word “American” as if it only applies to us in the United States? Folks from Canada to Chile and Argentina live in the Americas. Therefore aren’t they also Americans? The problem is that I don’t know a good alternative term for citizens/residents of the United States of America. “United Statesians” just doesn’t seem to cut it. I’ll bet the ‘stralians have a few choice alternatives.

 

[Walter]

Does it matter as long as we are understood. Most folkjs on this board (myself included) have difficulty with certain aspect of the language. Eliminating misuse of words that can actually cause misunderstanding (confusion of to, too, two/ they're, their, there/ your, you're etc.) would be much more helpful than concerning ourselves over dialect. I would expect Americans to use an American dialect, Canadians a Canadian dialect, etc. I never know what dialect to expect from those for whom English is not their native tongue, nor do I think it matters. There's no need for an "official dialect."

 

[Walter]

how arrogant is it of we “Americans” to usurp the word “American” as if it only applies to us in the United States? Folks from Canada to Chile and Argentina live in the Americas. Therefore aren’t they also Americans? The problem is that I don’t know a good alternative term for citizens/residents of the United States of America. “United Statesians” just doesn’t seem to cut it. I’ll bet the ‘stralians have a few choice alternatives.

Actually no, it's not arrogant. If referring to your continent, you would be correct. For example, European vs American. This is rarely the case. Usually, we are referring to nationalities. In the case, a Canadian would be a Canadian, not an American, because "American" does not refer to his country. The same applies to other countries in North and South America (no, I didn't forget central america, it's a region of North America). "American" does refer to the country of a citizen of the United states of America.