> I think that Ken was joking. I hope that Ken was joking.
>
> If Ken wasn't joking and really thinks that Americanisation is a good thing,
> I'll mention the truly ugly word "vocalise" as an example of how horrid such
> a tendency can be . . .
FOOD FIGHT!!!!
Seriously, I think the biggest problem with non-American English is
the dreaded "Great Vowel Shift" which screwed up the Anglo-Frisian
core. However, the language was a half-breed concoction which was so
confusing that it lead to the Norman occupation. They couldn't
communicate very well and the Normans could, so it was an easy defeat.
At that point, the vocabulary got enhanced by the Latin-based
languages.
I think the above was all described in great detail in a Bugs Bunny Cartoon.
So, after the Great Bowel Shift, the Brits got all constipated about
their language and it just ceased to evolve. Meanwhile, on the other
side of the pond, we had this dude called Webster, that came out with
this dictionary for the hoi polloi that didn't know how to spell hoi
polloi, much less knew what it meant. Therefore, he just made sure
that words like hoi polloi were eliminated or changed to words like
riff raff for the riff raff.
Do I have my history right?
AG
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