Americanisms!

Amazing! Trash! Awesome! These are just a few of the slang words I hear thrown about by my fellow teenagers. Most of us can’t go a day without using slang, much to the disgust of the adults – but did you know most common slang words are actually Americanisms?

For some reason, the older generation get a bit hot under the collar when hearing British people use Americanisms, such as ‘take-out’ instead of ‘takeaway’. But they don’t seem to realise how useful Americanisms can be! Take spelling, for example. American words are spelled simpler than British words – for example ‘color’ instead of ‘colour’. If we all spelt words this way, it’d be much easier to teach children, and easier for people to learn the language. And who doesn’t want to have their life made easier by not having to overthink spelling?

Another reason, to my knowledge, for the hate of Americanisms is that the old people think it ‘ruins’ the original language. If that’s the case, then why did William Shakespeare, the greatest writer in the English language, use so many? I’m sure you’ve all heard of ‘trash’ or ‘friended’. Shakespeare introduced many slang words that are still used today – and don’t sit there and tell me you never use slang. This is proof that American slang has been around since the Elizabethan era – and the older generations have the cheek to point fingers at us, the teenagers!

Many British people worry that Americans are ‘taking over’ the language with the use of Americanisms, but I don’t believe that’s true. Why does it always have to be about power? We are both close countries; I don’t see why we aren’t willing to share our language, particularly as Americans enhance our original language and introduce more vibrancy, with words that many British people use every day. The truth is, if Americanisms were banned, we would suddenly find ourselves without the use of many words that people use without even realising that they are from America. So what if Americanisms cause people to vaguely adopt an American accent? The words originate from America – they won’t be pronounced correctly in a British accent!

However, I will admit that Americanisms can cause some confusion, as some American words are different to British words. For example, ‘pavement’ in this country is ‘sidewalk’ in America. Words like this can be confusing to an American or British person in the opposite country, and can cause some problems (I don’t think an American would have much luck if we told them to walk on the pavement!). But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use them! Disliking Americanisms because of the difference between them and British words is ridiculous – the only ones missing out in the long run is us.

So, from slang to spelling and the overall improvement of our language, I think I have said it all. Like it or not, we share a language, and the use of Americanisms can make our lives a whole lot easier. The older generation need to get a grip and accept it – and most importantly, let us teenagers say ‘trash’ all we want!