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Britishisms in America

According to an article from BBC News, British English words and phrases are creeping in to American English.

Ben Yagoda, Professor of English at the University of Delaware, has even set up a blog to track them. He’s so far found around 150, from skint to cheers and loo to mate.

According to an associate editor of the Merriam-Webster dictionary, some Britishisms can be linked to the release of the Harry Potter books:

There has also been “a huge up-tick”, says Stamper, in the use of ginger as a way of describing someone with red hair.
She sees this as clearly tied to the publication in the US of the first Harry Potter book. Dozens of words and phrases were changed for the American market, but ginger slipped through, as did snog(meaning “to kiss amorously”) – though that has not proved so popular. (Source: BBC News)

Read the full story in the BBC Magazine, plus a follow up with reader comments.

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