The Americanization of the UK

kwerk

kwerk

kwerk

Wise Guy
Soldato
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23 May 2009
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I've lived outside the UK for about 7 years now and every time I go back I notice it is more and more Americanized. Just little things here and there like:

People putting lights on their houses at Christmas like Americans
Beef jerky at petrol stations
Subway sandwich places
Best Buy "stores" in the UK now
People using more and more American words and slang
The proliferation of cash4gold and payday loan type rubbish

What do you make of it?

I predict the next thing will be an explosion of chain "restaurants" like Red Lobster, Outback, Chillis, Olive Garden, Applebees, Ruby Tuesdays, etc

Actually on second thoughts I doubt the economy would support that now.
 
There used to be a chilis at Canary Wharf but it shut down at the start of the downturn. Shame really, I used to love their chicken crispers!
 
I thought people had been putting up xmas lights outside for decades.
As for the others, I've never seen beef jerky or know what it is tbh, and same goes for Best Buy! Cash4gold type stuff is just general tv spam cause theres a lot of people with little money who want to sell some old trinkets and the gold market knows what its worth. So thats a reaction to the economy. As for American words and slang, I find most Europeons use nothing but American terms cause the only English TV they get is American. Cant think of a single English person I've talked to whos said anything more then "frak", and all my dutch / german / swedish mates say stuff like sidewalk and similar.
 
It may be getting more Americanised but for a number of your examples they have existed for many years in one form or another, it isn't particularly recent. Things like Cash4Gold we just used to call pawn shops - much the same thing but now it's branded. Same with Subway shops, slightly different type of sandwich but branded retailing. Christmas lights on houses, that must be at least 20 years old because I can remember it as a small child although it has possibly increased recently.

Unfortunately I'm not so convinced that culture will go the other way so much which means they'll never quite manage to use English correctly... ;)

Castiel said:
don't worry the Islamification of the UK will supercede any other cultural invasion anyway....
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You just had to give him that to get him started didn't you. :p
 
kwerk said:
People putting lights on their houses at Christmas like Americans
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Ah, the smell of troll in the morning (or evening, actually)

Beef jerky at petrol stations
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Really? Bring on the saffers is all I can say.

Subway sandwich places
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Global. Are you ... is this real?

Best Buy "stores" in the UK now
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"Stores"? Fairly saure the UK has had "stores" for some while now.

People using more and more American words and slang
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This has always happened. American TV, when good, tends to be amazing and buzzwords and phrases spring from that.


The proliferation of cash4gold and payday loan type rubbish
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Nope, you've lost me there.

What do you make of it?
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Things change and blinkered viewpoints are the last to do so?

I predict the next thing will be an explosion of chain "restaurants" like Red Lobster, Outback, Chillis, Olive Garden, Applebees, Ruby Tuesdays, etc
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Is this different to the chain "restaurants" which always make their slow, weary way across the globe? Thought not.

Actually on second thoughts I doubt the economy would support that now.
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Full disclosure : I know you're trolling but I thought I'd at least give you the benefit of a reply to your dire post :)
 
joketroll.png
 
I'd be pleased to have the dinners that the americans have, would also be nice to have a big mac the same as the americans:)
 
The adoption of Americanisms is only by the weak minded fools who are swayed by television and such. I am a very British person and therefore don't give a stuff about the country, feel we have nothing to be proud of and know we have been broke since the fall of the empire and WW2.
 
Not 100% sure what the technical term for it is (is it question intonation?), the one where the tone of your voice goes up at the end of sentences as if you're continually asking questions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_rising_terminal

I find that distracting and particularly annoying, in fact unbelievably annoying to the point where I could beat the person to death with a fish, especially when the people who use this to communicate do so with every single sentence.
 
Zairs said:
burgerking is english;)
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o'rly ?
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Burger King Holdings is the parent company of Burger King; in the United States it operates under the Burger King Brands title while internationally it operates under the Burger King Corporation banner. The company began as a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain in 1953. Originally called Insta-Burger King.

"wimpy" was english, i dont think they are around anymore?
 
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