Like, Totally Awesome: The Americanisation of English
Michael Rosen on the Americanisation of English, with Lynne Murphy and Matthew Engel.
Word of Mouth · BBC Radio 4
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Show Notes
Michael Rosen is joined by writer Matthew Engel and linguist Dr Lynne Murphy to discuss the Americanisation of English. Is the pace of Americanisation of British English really increasing? Why do Americans say eggplant and sidewalk, rather than aubergine and pavement? Why does your spellchecker insist it's 'color' not 'colour'? Do Americans complain about the 'Britishisms' creeping into use in the States as much as we complain about Americanisms in use in the UK? Does it really matter if British and American English begin to be used interchangeably and could we stem the flow if we tried?
Producer: Mair Bosworth.