How AMERICANS Changed the English Language

We take a deep dive into American English. It's influences from native American, immigrants from across the world, slaves, religion and more. We'll discuss how Americans have changed the way we speak English around the world. We'll discuss vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar differences and look at some American idioms with an interesting history,

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00:00 HARRY POTTER
03:18 A Word about terminology
04:58 New continent, new vocabulary
09:41 Religion in the new world
12:48 Obsolete in Britain, still used in US
15:17 British and American False Friends
16:27 Brits who hated American English
17:37 Grammar differences
18:50 Pronunciation differences
23:06 Spelling differences and Noah Webster
25:32 5 American idioms
28:54 Conclusions
29:43 Other videos on this topic

Photo Credits
Algonquian
Chipmunk

German immigrants

[LetThemTalkTV]

CORRECTIONS AND STUFF Please read before commenting: ERROR 1: The origin of Delaware is NOT from a native American language, rather it's named after Thomas West, Lord De La Warr. ERROR 2: Americans say "the family is" NOT "the family are" (British use both so I got a bit mixed up there). 3. NOT AN ERROR. In Harry Potter "cupboard" (British English) was translated as as "closet" in American English. Some (angry) commenters wrote that it's "wrong" and that a cupboard is a free standing piece of furniture while a closet is a small room. That may be so in American English but in British English a cupboard can indeed also be a small room. "The broom cupboard", "the cupboard under the stairs" etc. So the translation is correct. Thanks, I hope you enjoyed the video and have a nice day.

[insulaarachnid]

I am Australian, we use an interesting mix of both British and American English.

[chrisanderson]

One American term "Okay (or OK)" has entered the lexicons of almost every language as a synonym for "yes."

[barbaramatthews]

When I was a kid, we would ask "Can I?" only to be corrected to say "May I?"

Americans understand "Shall, " but to us, it sounds formal and stuffy. I'm 54 and do admit some of our own language has changed in my lifetime.

The Can/may I was more strict in my youth. It is not so much bothersome nowadays. Can was reserved to denote the ability to do something, whereas may, was seeking permission to do something.

It is still that way in written or formal American English, the verb can is used both ways informally.

[zenbear]

Only one issue - in the US, a skillet refers to a particular kind of heavy frying pan, usually made of cast iron. We use frying pan more often and for all other shallow slope sided pans.

[GoGreen]

As an American who grew up in Michigan, I always consider "family" to be a singular verb, so I say "My family is...." I don't think I've ever heard "are" used with "family" and I've lived all over the US, but maybe I didn't pay much attention.

[bacca]

As a native northern New Englander, I found your presentation truly fascinating. New things learned, better perspectives obtained! How you acquired all these odd bits and pieces of information always amaze me. Very clearly and methodically explained (as always), Thank you!

[cwilliams]

Actually, in most of the US, cilantro is the plant; coriander is usually the seed.

[rloper]

Years ago I visited an indoor ski slope in Milton Keynes in the UK. Being on a work trip I hadn't brought any clothes to wear skiing. I went in the shop and asked if they had any wind pants. The girls behind the counter started chuckling. They told me I instead of asking for ski clothes, I was asking for "underwear I could pass gas in" lol.

[ibbledibble]

Thanks for acknowledging that American English is even legitimate! I frequently have Brits on my channel trying to correct my pronunciation and regionalisms to RP circa 1965, and doubling down with condescending phrases like ‘it’s the king’s English!’ when linked to a dictionary, style manual or relevant article by a linguist😭my ancestors who came to new york from England are closer in time to the bubonic plague than they are to me, obviously I sound different 😅

[usayeed]

I was born and raised in Bangladesh and was taught British English in writing, grammar and comprehension but the spoken English I acquired and learnt was American since most western media was from the US. When I moved to Britain I spoke in General American but now I used British Received Pronunciation as my primary dialect. I’ve been told I sound very posh and it shocks people when I use ‘parking lot’ or ‘sidewalk’ instead of ‘car park’ or ‘pavement’. It’s rather amusing 😂😂😂

[InventorZahran]

In American English, "coriander" refers specifically to the seeds (particularly when dried for use as a spice), while "cilantro" is the leaves and stems of the plant.

[jesselindsey]

Americans use “cockroach” and “roach” interchangeably.

[mrfrog]

I am from Québec. What is funny here, in the French language, people ask for "des napkins", an obvious anglicism, while in British English, you say "serviettes"!

[blackrosenuk]

We Americans do NOT call a cupboard a "closet". A free-standing piece that you showed would likely be called a "cupboard" if used in the kitchen. We can also call it a "cabinet, " thought that is usually for when such an item is not in a kitchen. It can also be called an "armoire" (usually when used for non-kitchen things like clothes, books, or a collectibles display, but I have heard of a "kitchen armoire" before, though they are typically fancy and contain nice tableware) or a "wardrobe" (when used for clothes). A "closet" is almost always a space/area (it takes up square footage) with some kind of door or divider closing off/separating the space, not a piece of furniture.

We say both "roach" and "cockroach" interchangeably, and I'd lean toward saying that the latter is more common.

"Briefs" are a specific type of underwear (or as you'd say, pants). Female briefs are full coverage (but no leg portion); male briefs are similar, with no leg portion. The picture of pants that you showed would be called "boxer briefs" in AE, as they are snug like briefs but have a leg portion like boxers. (There are also "boxers, " which are pants with a looser leg/groin portion.)

In America, we use both "broad beans" and "fava beans, " much like we use both "chickpea" and "garbanzo" (though the former for both is becoming more dominant). We use "coriander" to refer to the seed and "cilantro" to refer to the herb. "Skillet" and "frying pan" (or just "pan") are often used interchangeably, though, technically, the two types of pans ARE different. 

We do use "tap, " but that word is generally used when talking about drinking from it. E.g.,
I hate tap water. I only drink bottled water.
My mom told me to not drink Coke but instead to get some water from the tap, but the faucet wouldn't turn on... so Coke it is!

You made a small typo -- on the Grammar Differences, it should be "I just saW Mary." Also on that topic, Americans generally would say, "My family IS, " because "family" is a singular noun so it takes the singular verb (much like we use the singular noun for a group word like, well, "group" -- "the large group of birds is in the pond"). AE generally favors the subject-verb agreement, i.e., singular nouns take a singular verb, and plural nouns take a plural verb.

[katefarrell]

There's a hilarious part in one of the Harry Potter books that wasn't localized. The Weasley twins create a swamp in one of the hallways of the school, and Filch is described as 'punting' students across the swamp. In Britain, 'punting' means transporting in shallow water using a long pole to push the boat. In America, it means kicking something a short distance.

As a kid I didn't realize it was a localization issue, because it is absolutely in Filch's character to kick students across a swamp.

[uebelgunne]

It is interesting. For me as a native German, I got my knowledge of English mainly from the internet. And since I learned British English, US English, or Australian English etc. there, it's a funy mix of everything. 😃

[katnerd-Glen]

My favorite word that changed in Britain but remained the same is a word that tends to annoy Brits a lot because they think we're pronouncing it wrong but it's actually the other way around, the States simply didn't change it: Aluminum / Aluminium. The word changed in Britain but stayed the same in the US but it seems to drive Brits nuts.

[wayneyadams]

18:05 There is a distinction between can and shall in formal American English. Can denotes ability as in, "I can do that." Shall means to actually do something or to ask permission to do something as in, "Shall I drive today?"

Also, i don't of anyone who says "my family are" in everyday life except to specifically making it plural.

[spacemonk]

We in the U.S. refer to the dried seeds of the cilantro plant as coriander