From: mmmirash@midway.ecn.uoknor.edu (Mandar Mukund Mirashi)
Subject: English English versus *American* English
Organization: Engineering Computer Network, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 18:32:22 GMT


I am just starting a new (perhaps been beaten to death already??) thread....
....I am just a newcomer to the US and what struck me immediately was the
difference in the written and spoken language. In India, we follow the
English English, since IMHO it is the original and  pure form of the
language. (I am not referring to the variations to which the language is  
subjected to, in Britain itself, but rather to "standard" English, which
is taught in schools). 
     What irked me most, was how Americans seemed to treat the language
as if they owned it! Personally I have no grudge against Americans, but
dammit, you guys just can't change the language like that! To me, it 
amounts to sacrilege! They have dropped letters from words for "convenience"
Blasphemy! I can understand words going out of usage, or neologisms coined,
etc. but changing the very spelling of words is an impardonable sin! What
is even more annoying is how they can be so smug about it. One of my friends
submitted his report to his professor in British English.....the professor
had the impudence to point out his "spelling mistakes". Preposterous! The
fact that America is the world's most powerful nation, does not justify
Americans controlling the English language. Their only claim to the language
is that they have learnt it right from their childhood. Sheeesh.....I
can lay claim to that, too! I have learnt English right from kindergarten.  
But that in no way gives me the authority to change the way words are
spelt! If the incident stated earlier had occurred with an English professor
and a student of ANY other nationality (I mean you Yankees, too), then the
professor would be justified, assuming he followed the standard British English.
    The major offenders: (written English)
1. or versus our     - humor instead of humour! 
2. ize instead of ise - standardize instead of standardise!
3. e instead of oe and ae (as in original Latin) - fetus instead of foetus,
                         hemoglobin instead of haemoglobin!
4. er instead of re   - center instead of centre!
5. method of writing the date (I still feel like kicking the rear end of
   the nincompoop who made up this illogical method) : mm/dd/yy 
   instead of dd/mm/yy. It just doesn't make common sense! If you wish
   to put the month before the days, then logically you should put the
   years before the months. Look at all the measures around us : the
   clock measures hours, minutes, seconds, the odometer measures the
   distance in metres and kilometres. All these devices follow in a 
   sequential manner. 
      There are many differences in pronounciation too, but aren't they 
present all over the world? However I have met Americans who claim the
British accent to be "unfriendly". Obviously, when you encounter an
unfamiliar accent you are bound to find it unfriendly! I guess I am
most tolerant of all accents, having been exposed to the Amreican,
British and Australian accents (primarily)....but in no way can I call
them "unfriendly"....and it is unfair to do so.
      But I digress......all Americans reading this post...OPEN YOUR
EYES...follow the true English and atone for your sins.  The beauty
of the English language lies in the fact that words ARE NOT ALWAYS
spelt the way they are pronounced. If you go around trimming words
to suit your needs, you simply deface this language. What is the
next Americanism? knife to nife? enough to enuff? Bunch of idiots!
      Just a passing thought.....written English is sometimes so remarkably
different from its  spoken counterpart that "fish" can be spelt as
"ghoti" (f = gh, as in enough; o = i, as in women; sh = ti, as in partial).
This is what makes English so unique! So lay off Americans!
                                                             Mandar.
P.S. : The flamewar has started....   :)
        I apologise to all Englishmen for the mistakes committed (spelling
        or grammatical) by me in this article.
---
If you want to speak English, speak it like an Englishman.


Newsgroups: alt.usage.english