Minding our language on the use of Americanisms | Letters

Readers share their views on the evolution of the English language, in response to an article by Elisabeth Ribbans on the use of ‘gotten’The continual expansion of the English language is inevitable and welcome. But while Elisabeth Ribbans is right that “it would be a mistake to regard language as a fortress”, it is not unreasonable to lament the effect of some invasive species whose proliferation is so rapid that native alternatives face possible extinction (How the use of a word in the Guardian has gotten some readers upset, 4 June).“Gotten” may be an innocuous, if inelegant, English word making a return journey from the US, but some other US variants are more problematic. For example, the phrase “Can I get …?” is suffocating more polite ways of making a request, such as “May I/can I have …?” or simply “I’d like …”. It is also annoyingly inaccurate, since in most cases the person asking has no intention of helping themselves and wouldn’t be allowed to, even if they wanted to. Continue reading...

Comments

Opinions

Dailymail

Using an asthma inhaler in the wrong way could cause your TEETH to fall out - but this simple trick can protect you: DR MARTIN SCURR

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

Rachel Reeves' winter fuel U-turn has exposed depths of incompetence that are barely credible. This is why the political damage will be permanent, says STEPHEN GLOVER

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: How dare the far-Left ideologues who run our health service visit their class-war bigotry on sick children

about 3 hours ago

Greta Thunberg, Gaza-bound Gilligan in pigtails, grasps for relevancy

washington times

Miranda Devine: Foreign flags fly in LA anti-ICE riots — vindicating Donald Trump and leaving Dems with no moral standing

about 15 hours ago

Dailymail

Trump's bravado has totally backfired. China has the President right where it wants him - for one devastating reason: DOMINIC LAWSON

about 17 hours ago

ANDREW PIERCE: Celebrate Mrs T! Just what would grumpy Ted say?

Dailymail

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews The Gold on BBC1: Gold, greed, booze... this caper has the hallmarks of a classic crime flick

about 19 hours ago

The Sun

Why Meghan MUST drop the ‘Duchess’ title, – I know the REAL reason she’s blurring kids faces

about 19 hours ago

Newyork Post

Everything old is old again — like Putin playing with Stalin’s handbook

about 20 hours ago

Dailymail

I've tried thousands of skincare products - but there's only ONE 'magic potion' I'd spend my money on for real results (and the experts agree): POLISHED by Elise Wilson

about 20 hours ago

Migrants, lawyers, smuggling gangs and the French cash in – while Brits are left to foot the bill

The Sun

There are simple tricks to FORCE your boss to give you a raise... but you have to be willing to make a big sacrifice, KEVIN O'LEARY reveals

1 day ago

Musk and Trump’s bitter feud: Letters to the Editor — June 9, 2025

Newyork Post

I could forgive my 51-year-old husband for having a secret OnlyFans. But when I saw who he was subscribed to, I had a panic attack: SAUCY SECRETS

2 days ago

Newyork Post

Lawmakers’ victim apathy and more: Letters to the Editor — June 8, 2025

2 days ago

Newyork Post

Why there’s no shame in corporate America boycotting LGBT Pride Month

2 days ago

Dailymail

Why Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou split was right, even if it feels awfully wrong to most and borderline obscene - his sacking is the modern-day epitome of the industry's callousness, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI

2 days ago

Comments

Similar News

How colour is created in the mind

What's going on? Have our institutions lost their minds?

Never mind campervans, look at what the NC500 has done to the price of accommodation

Opioids, depression and drug prices: 9 readers share the health crises on their minds

Exclusive: Why Wes Streeting changed his mind on cross-sex hormones

RUTH SUNDERLAND: Closed minds and group-think are the enemies of growth

Graduates speak their minds. Universities freak out.

This England: Never mind the knock-offs

This article won’t change your mind. Here’s why | Sarah Stein Lubrano

The Day Grok Lost Its Mind

Detained Bella May Culley's ordeal will be on so many parents' minds as their teenagers jet off on girls trips and lads holidays this summer

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews Change Your Mind, Change Your Life: The BBC's dire new therapy series is worse than rubbish - it's dangerous

Miranda Devine: Old Joe Biden haunts Demented Dems as they desperately try to flip the script claiming Trump is ‘losing his mind’

Opinions

Using an asthma inhaler in the wrong way could cause your TEETH to fall out - but this simple trick can protect you: DR MARTIN SCURR

Rachel Reeves' winter fuel U-turn has exposed depths of incompetence that are barely credible. This is why the political damage will be permanent, says STEPHEN GLOVER

RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: How dare the far-Left ideologues who run our health service visit their class-war bigotry on sick children

Greta Thunberg, Gaza-bound Gilligan in pigtails, grasps for relevancy

How Craigmillar’s rise will help transform Edinburgh’s success

It’s ‘a small part of LA’ is latest media refrain to minimize violent mobs

Scotland's best-loved charities may be just one financial knock away from collapse

Now even the British cuppa is not safe from scams

The show must go on - but let's make it fair

Family businesses: act now to avoid inheriting a new challenge

The NHS is still providing wonderful treatment. Increase taxes and fund it properly

How to win (or lose) a break up on social media

The CalMac ferries are just fine. The port is another story

A Scottish legend says cancel culture is over. Yeah right

Kate Forbes addresses same two big topics - one year on

Titillating tome may prove as controversial as Lady Chatterley's Mollusc

Why am I being unfairly penalised over 25% pension tax-free cash after lifetime allowance abolition? STEVE WEBB replies

Soaking the rich — as Mamdani and other lefties want —won’t pay for a supersized NYC gov’t

Miranda Devine: Foreign flags fly in LA anti-ICE riots — vindicating Donald Trump and leaving Dems with no moral standing

Trump's bravado has totally backfired. China has the President right where it wants him - for one devastating reason: DOMINIC LAWSON

ANDREW PIERCE: Celebrate Mrs T! Just what would grumpy Ted say?

Riley Gaines’ clever replies make us doubt it’s really Simon Biles writing those trans-extremist posts

How far would Dems have let the LA riots go if Trump HADN’T sent in the National Guard?

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews The Gold on BBC1: Gold, greed, booze... this caper has the hallmarks of a classic crime flick

Why Meghan MUST drop the ‘Duchess’ title, – I know the REAL reason she’s blurring kids faces

Everything old is old again — like Putin playing with Stalin’s handbook

I've tried thousands of skincare products - but there's only ONE 'magic potion' I'd spend my money on for real results (and the experts agree): POLISHED by Elise Wilson

Migrants, lawyers, smuggling gangs and the French cash in – while Brits are left to foot the bill

Dear Christians: Please stop calling people gay

Progressive states that care not for laws or the border are the ones tearing us apart

RUTH SUNDERLAND: No wealth means no welfare

Labour can’t preach about hard choices while spending billions on migrant hotels… tax hikes will see Reform surge higher

DEAR JANE: My dad paid for my sister's boob job. I fear the two-word slur friends now say behind her back is true

We’re only just beginning to suffer the consequences of Biden’s disastrous open-border policies

There are simple tricks to FORCE your boss to give you a raise... but you have to be willing to make a big sacrifice, KEVIN O'LEARY reveals

Musk and Trump’s bitter feud: Letters to the Editor — June 9, 2025

We need guardrails for artificial superintelligence NOW — before it’s too late

If Trump has taught us one thing, it is that Scotland needs more mega-wealthy people

Corporation did its best for Glasgow and does not deserve this flak

Democrats incite insurrection over lawful ICE raids

America's unhealthy obsession with New Age spiritualism

Don’t underestimate Donald Trump — he and his goals will survive without Elon Musk

ALEXANDRA SHULMAN'S NOTEBOOK: An unexpected audience with my late, great father

FLOURISHING AFTER 50: My parents made terrible money decisions and now I'm the one paying the price

MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: A serious outbreak of old-fashioned class war hits the NHS

TONY HETHERINGTON: John Lewis binned my carpet - but refuses to give me a refund

From creating the NHS to investing in people, Labour are innovators – next week we’ll do it again… with £86b for hi-tech

JEFF PRESTRIDGE: NatWest leaves tourist hotspot without a single bank branch

Love Island is about many things – but love certainly isn’t one of them

Forget paying France to stop migrants – spend it destroying UK black market that lures them here

Trump’s toxic feud with Musk is the greatest show on Earth – & I have a hunch about President’s ‘terrifying’ next move

Why both the Left and the Right are failing American workers

Why the Democratic NYC mayoral candidates have housing all wrong

NYC needs a mayoral race centered on the city’s needs, NOT Democrats’ anti-Trump obsessions

Trump can leverage Ukraine’s ‘badass’ strike to finally make Putin blink

Rogue Labor MP reveals why Albo is 'seriously an idiot' after a stunning move that benefits absolutely nobody: PVO

I could forgive my 51-year-old husband for having a secret OnlyFans. But when I saw who he was subscribed to, I had a panic attack: SAUCY SECRETS

Lawmakers’ victim apathy and more: Letters to the Editor — June 8, 2025

Why there’s no shame in corporate America boycotting LGBT Pride Month

Why Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou split was right, even if it feels awfully wrong to most and borderline obscene - his sacking is the modern-day epitome of the industry's callousness, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI