Dumbing down of language...

[CJ (Chris)]

Originally Posted by raymo

Jersey - Guernsey

Aren't these are two different places?

The lads played good. Grr.

[AndrewJ]

I just want to know why people from Canada aren't called Canadans.

Andrew

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Meh.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Then, of course, are the routine errors in scientific units, which are case-sensitive. So vehicle speeds should be in kmh^-1 though km/h is acceptable (especially when you can't do superscripts!) but KMH is wrong, wrong, wrong! Last time I looked that is kelvin mega Henry: a funny unit who's interpretation escapes me. I've also seen Kmh and KmH. Weights have been seen in KG ang Kg rather than kg. Grrrrrrr.

Originally Posted by rat156

A hash brown still contains no hash...

Dang!

[julianh72 (Julian)]

Originally Posted by CJ

Aren't these are two different places?

And two different breeds of cows!

My understanding is that Rugby League and Rugby Union players wear jerseys, but Aussie Rules players wear guernseys.

[N1 (Mirko)]

Is that like saying Andromeda when you mean the Galaxy not the constellation?

[sheeny (Al)]

I don't know that Australia wants to be more like America (although in terms of litigiousness we are probably more so than America nowadays). Personally, I don't want Australia to be more like America, but I can see how this happens on a large scale subliminal level. American music, movies and advertising dominate popular media and even the news at times, and that serves to dilute and destroy all cultures where the American media is enjoyed.

When I was a kid, no one in Australia was called "pal" or "buddy" - that was reserved for American TV shows like the Flintstones, Gomer Pile, McHales Navy and Gilligan's Island. It's common here now, unfortunately. If I had an American mate, I'd be happy for him to call me pal or buddy, but not mate, and likewise I would call him mate and not pal or buddy. It's a responsibility of the individual to preserve their own cultural heritage, though I concede some cultural compromise may be desirable when in a foreign land, but certainly not in your own home land.

Cultures (and the associated languages) are very precious, and we probably won't recognise that until we are all part of the same homogenous grey mix. Australia had a huge number of native languages, and most of them are already gone. Very few indigenous languages are spoken here now. Its the same process happening I believe.

Every one of us, IMHO, has a responsibility to resist diluting their own culture in their own land, and use some respectful balance of old and new culture when in a land not of their origin. I applaud John Williamson for not singing with an American accent, for example.

Loss of cultural identity and language is truly sad to me. Once the unification of culture and language is complete the mystique of travel will be gone except for maybe the geographical sites.

I cringe at most Americanisms in Australia. I don't like it, and I don't like what the result will be, but it'll will only be stopped or slowed down by individuals resisting it.

Al.

Originally Posted by Zaps

Australia was already very deliberately and self-consciously attempting to turn itself into "America Downunder" when I first visited a long time ago. It bemused me then and it still does now. Is there something so inherently wrong with traditional Australiana that it must be dumped in favor of Americana?

[casstony]

I dislike ABC news presenters saying they'll "keep across" a story. The rest of us can jibber on but the national broadcaster should be setting a high standard.

[MortonH]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

Then, of course, are the routine errors in scientific units, which are case-sensitive. So vehicle speeds should be in kmh^-1 though km/h is acceptable (especially when you can't do superscripts!) but KMH is wrong, wrong, wrong! Last time I looked that is kelvin mega Henry: a funny unit who's interpretation escapes me. I've also seen Kmh and KmH. Weights have been seen in KG ang Kg rather than kg. Grrrrrrr.


Dang!

Haha. I've been looking for a car for the last two months and have been amazed at the way kilometres is abbreviated to kms, or worse, km's!

Whether it's a single kilometre or multiple, the abbreviation is km.

[UniPol]

Originally Posted by Zaps

Australia was already very deliberately and self-consciously attempting to turn itself into "America Downunder" when I first visited a long time ago. It bemused me then and it still does now. Is there something so inherently wrong with traditional Australiana that it must be dumped in favor of Americana?

I suppose some of us (Australians) have become "Americanised" (English spelling), "Americanized" (American spelling) to a degree Zaps, e.g. "favor" (American spelling), "favour" (English spelling), no offence (English spelling), offense (American spelling) intended.

[Zaps]

Originally Posted by UniPol

I have noticed, particularly on television, the word "important" pronounced as "impordant" mostly by young people, that really gets up my nose along with "Australia" pronounced as " " 'Stralya " by Australian tourists overseas.

But that's the Australian accent. It's what makes Aussies unique in the world. Why try to sound like someone else, especially Americans?

[koputai (Jason)]

"Thank you so much" is one phrase I really hate, it sounds so ingenuous. What happened to good old "Thank you very much"?

I've lately noticed that many people are saying 'secant' instead of 'second' for a small period of time. Very American teenage girl'ish.

Cheers,
Jason.

[Zaps]

Originally Posted by UniPol

I suppose some of us (Australians) have become "Americanised" (English spelling), "Americanized" (American spelling) to a degree Zaps, e.g. "favor" (American spelling), "favour" (English spelling), no offence (English spelling), offense (American spelling) intended.

My excuse is I've been an American for more than 70 years...

[MortonH]

Originally Posted by UniPol

I suppose some of us (Australians) have become "Americanised" (English spelling), "Americanized" (American spelling) to a degree Zaps, e.g. "favor" (American spelling), "favour" (English spelling), no offence (English spelling), offense (American spelling) intended.

is that why the Australian Labor party mis-spelled its own name?

[Zaps]

Originally Posted by sheeny

I don't know that Australia wants to be more like America (although in terms of litigiousness we are probably more so than America nowadays). Personally, I don't want Australia to be more like America, but I can see how this happens on a large scale subliminal level. American music, movies and advertising dominate popular media and even the news at times, and that serves to dilute and destroy all cultures where the American media is enjoyed.

When I was a kid, no one in Australia was called "pal" or "buddy" - that was reserved for American TV shows like the Flintstones, Gomer Pile, McHales Navy and Gilligan's Island. It's common here now, unfortunately. If I had an American mate, I'd be happy for him to call me pal or buddy, but not mate, and likewise I would call him mate and not pal or buddy. It's a responsibility of the individual to preserve their own cultural heritage, though I concede some cultural compromise may be desirable when in a foreign land, but certainly not in your own home land.

Cultures (and the associated languages) are very precious, and we probably won't recognise that until we are all part of the same homogenous grey mix. Australia had a huge number of native languages, and most of them are already gone. Very few indigenous languages are spoken here now. Its the same process happening I believe.

Every one of us, IMHO, has a responsibility to resist diluting their own culture in their own land, and use some respectful balance of old and new culture when in a land not of their origin. I applaud John Williamson for not singing with an American accent, for example.

Loss of cultural identity and language is truly sad to me. Once the unification of culture and language is complete the mystique of travel will be gone except for maybe the geographical sites.

I cringe at most Americanisms in Australia. I don't like it, and I don't like what the result will be, but it'll will only be stopped or slowed down by individuals resisting it.

Al.

It's a shame you're not the majority, instead of a tiny and rapidly diminishing minority!

Australia and Australians as a whole have been worshiping at the feet of an America they see as sophisticated and somehow better. It's bizarre. I hear young Aussies practising American accents with each other!

[MortonH]

I'm waiting to see an article on Commit Lovejoy. That's something you wouldn't want to Google at work!

[Zaps]

Originally Posted by MortonH

is that why the Australian Labor party mis-spelled its own name?

That's absurd, isn't it? The affectation makes them look utterly ridiculous. They aren't an American political organization. Even the Canadians retain the "u" in Labour!

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Originally Posted by Zaps

That's absurd, isn't it? The affectation makes them look utterly ridiculous. They aren't an American political organization. Even the Canadians retain the "u" in Labour!

As I understand it, the "u" in many words (Labour, savour etc) was dropped in the spelling curriculum in schools back in the 1970s. I learnt the old way and still persist. I get computers constantly trying to correct me but am too stubborn to change.

Malcolm

[cfranks (Charles)]

Originally Posted by UniPol

I have noticed, particularly on television, the word "important" pronounced as "impordant" mostly by young people, that really gets up my nose along with "Australia" pronounced as " " 'Stralya " by Australian tourists overseas.

Sports commentators leave out the 'l' ie. Straya. ABC New reporters are now inviting us to "have a listen" and my least favourite is 'secatry' for secretary.

[UniPol]

Originally Posted by MortonH

is that why the Australian Labor party mis-spelled its own name?

Courtesy of : http://grammarist.com/spelling/labor-labour/


Labor vs. labour

"There is no difference in meaning between labor and labour. Labor is the preferred spelling in American English, and labour is preferred throughout the rest of the English-speaking world. One exception: In Australia, the American spelling is used in reference to the Australian Labor Party. In all other contexts, Australians use labour. This idiosyncrasy results from the influence of the American labor movement on the founders of the Australian Labor Party. The British Labour Party has the u.

Though labor is now the American spelling, the form is many centuries old. The Oxford English Dictionary lists examples from as long ago as the 1400s, predating the development of American English by several centuries. It remained the less common spelling, though, until the Americans made it their preferred form early in the 19th century.

The switch from -our spellings to -or spellings was one of the major early developments in American English. Many distinctively American (or North American, in some cases) spellings weren’t settled until the second half of the 19th century or even later. But labor, along with many other -or words, became the prevalent spelling in the U.S. around 1840. "