There are many things that annoy us about how others use our native tongue. That’s just the way our brains work. There’s one interesting example though, that’s often mentioned by British-English speakers: Can I get…?
Can I Get a Coffee?
American English
I Me Mine
Over breakfast today, thinking about what to write today, I noticed this article on the BBC website:
Like, Whatever!
In many ways, like is one of the most, well, disliked words in the English language. There are few words which are more synonymous with the perceived decline in ability to use English effectively among native speakers. How better to imitate lazy, inarticulate teenager than by peppering your speech with a few like‘s?
However, I have to ask: is like really so bad?
Tickling your Funny Bone
Writing about the four humours yesterday, something struck me: the word humorous isn’t really very humorous.
Hold the Cilantro
The differences between American and British English are of course numerous, and I’ve touched on them before. One area that’s always intrigued me though is food.
Petrol or Gasoline?
It’s probably pretty well-known that gasoline and petrol are the same thing, being the American- and British-English terms respectively for the same fuel.
It’s not unusual for their to be such marked differences between the words for the same thing in both varieties of English. But I’ve always been curious as to why the words are so different, especially considering that petrol has a fairly logical etymology.
The Strange History of Pepperoni
Hi there! Would you like a pepperoni pizza? Of course you would! Well, here you go…
English-Language Thoughts 