Saturday, October 6, 2012

Britspeak Seduces 'Gormless' Americans!

According to the BBC (consider the source!), Americans are taking to Britishisms in a big way. This is the biggest threat to our national idiom since everyone was calling stuff "fab" and "groovy" back in the '60s. The government of Perfidious Albion is probably behind this trend, either in revenge for the casting of Renee Zellwegger in Bridget Jones's Diary, or because they want the Oregon Territory back. (Never! 54° 40' or Fight!) This threat to our precious native lingo is all too visible on TV. What's with all the Brits on the airwaves all of a sudden? What, no American was available to replace Larry King instead of the ridiculously named Piers Morgan?

How do you feel about this subversion of our sacred tongue? Personally, I'm gobsmacked by it all!

2 comments:

Roland said...

As an English major, I think it's brilliant! Maybe if I'd majored in American lit I'd be more bent out of shape.

Meghan Ward said...

This doesn't surprise me (or scare me), but I'm curious to know what Britishisms Americans are using? "Brilliant"? "Trainers"? I see Ben Yagoda has set up a blog to track them. I will check that out!

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