English idioms
Differences and
Usage in American English and British English
If you look up the word idiom in
Webster, you will be given the following definition: Idiom is an expression
whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent
element as kick the bucket, hang one's head etc., or from the general
grammatical rules of language, as the table round for the round table, and
which is not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics. This
definition seems a bit dry and doesn't really tell anything about the function
of idioms in English language.
English is a language particularly
rich in idioms - those modes of expression peculiar to a language (or dialect)
which frequently defy logical and grammatical rules. Without idioms English
would lose much of its variety and humor both in speech an writing.
The background and etymological
origins of most idioms is at best obscure. This is the reason why a study of
differences between the idioms of American and British English is somewhat
difficult. But it also makes the cases, where background, etymology and history
are known, even more interesting. Some idioms of the "worldwide English"
have first been seen in the works of writers like Shakespeare, Sir Walter
Scott, Lewis Carroll or even in the paperbacks of contemporary novelists. An
example of Shakespearian quotation can be found in the following
sentence:"As a social worker, you certainly see the seamy side of
life." Biblical references are also the source of many idioms. Sports
terms, technical terms, legal terms, military slang and even nautical
expressions have found their way to the everyday use of English language. Following
are some examples of these, some used in either American or British English and
some used in both:
"Having won the first two
Tests, Australia is now almost certain to retain the Ashes." (Ashes is a
British English idiom that is nowadays a well-established cricket term.)
"In his case the exception
proves the rule." (A legal maxim -- in full:"the exception proves the
rule in cases not excepted". Widely used in both AmE and BrE.)
"To have the edge on/over
someone." (This is originally American English idiom, now established in
almost every other form of English, including BrE.)
"A happy hunting ground."
(Place where one often goes to obtain something or to make money. Originally
American English idiom from the Red Indians' Paradise.)
In the old days English idioms
rarely originated from any other form of English than British English. (French
was also a popular source of idioms.) Nowadays American English is in this
position. It is hard to find an AmE idiom that has not established itself in
"worldwide English" (usually BrE). This is not the case with British
English idioms which are not as widespread. It has to be remembered that it is
hard to say which idioms are actively used in English and which are dying out
or have already died. Idioms are constantly dying and new-ones are born.
Some idioms may have gone through
radical changes in meaning. The phrase - There is no love lost between them -
nowadays means that some people dislike one another. Originally, when there was
only the British English form, it meant exactly the opposite. The shift in
meaning is yet unexplained. All dialects of English have different sets of
idioms and situations where a given idiom can be used. American English and
British English may not, in this respect, be the best possible pair to compare
because they both have been developing into the same direction, at least where
written language is concerned, since the Second World War. The reason that
there is so much American influence in British English is the result of the
following:
Magnitude of publishing industry in
the U.S.
Magnitude of mass media influence on
a worldwide scale
Appeal of American popular culture
on language and habits worldwide
International political and economic
position of the U.S.
All these facts lead to the
conclusion that new idioms usually originate in the U.S. and then become
popular in so-called "worldwide English". This new situation is
completely different from the birth of American English as a
"variant" of British English. When America was still under the rule
of the Crown, most idioms originated from British English sources. Of course
there were American English expressions and idioms too, before American English
could be defined as dialect of English. Some examples of these early American
English idioms follow:
"To bark up the wrong
tree." (Originally from raccoon-hunting in which dogs were used to locate
raccoons up in trees.)
"Paddle one's own canoe."
(This is an American English idiom of the late 18th Century and early 19th
Century.)
Some of these early American idioms
and expressions were derived from the speech of the American natives like the
phrase that "someone speaks with a forked tongue" and the "happy
hunting ground" above. These idioms have filtered to British English
through centuries through books, newspapers and most recently through powerful
mediums like radio, TV and movies.
Where was the turning point? When
did American culture take the leading role and start shaping the English
language and especially idiomatic expressions? There is a lot of argument on
this subject. Most claim that the real turning point was the Second World War.
This could be the case. During the War English-speaking nations were united
against a common enemy and the U.S. took the leading role. In these few years
and a decade after the War American popular culture first established itself in
British English. Again new idioms were created and old ones faded away. The
Second World War was the turning point in many areas in life. This may also be
the case in the development of the English language.
In the old days the written language
(novels, poems, plays and the Bible) was the source from which idioms were
extracted. This was the case up until WWII. After the war new mediums had
established themselves in English-speaking society, there was a channel for the
American way of life and the popular culture of the U.S. TV, movies and
nowadays the interactive medium have changed the English language more to the
American English direction. Some people in the Europe speak the Mid-Atlantic
English, halfway from the British English to American English.
The influence of American English
can even be seen in other European languages. In Finland, we are adopting and
translating AmE proverbs, idioms and expressions. It can be said that the
spoken language has taken the leading role over the written and the only reason
for this is TV and radio. Most proverbs and idioms that have been adopted to
British English from American English are of spoken origin. This is a definite
shift from the days before WWII. What will this development do to the English
language? Will it decrease its value? This could be argued, but the answer
would still be no. Languages develop and change. So is the case with English
language and idioms.
How then does American English
differ from British English in the use of idioms? There are no radical
differences in actual use. The main differences are in the situations where
idiomatic expressions are used. There have been many studies recently on this
subject. American English adopts and creates new idioms at a much faster rate
compared to British English. Also the idioms of AmE origin tend to spread
faster and further. After it has first been established in the U.S., an
American idiom may soon be found in other "variants" and dialects of
English. Nowadays new British idioms tend to stay on the British Isles and are
rarely encountered in the U.S. British idioms are actually more familiar to
other Europeans or to the people of the British Commonwealth than to Americans,
even though the language is same. The reason for all these facts is that
Britain is not the world power it used to be and it must be said that the U.S.
has taken the role of the leading nation in the development of language, media
and popular culture. Britain just doesn't have the magnitude of media influence
that the United States controls.
The future of idiomatic expressions
in the English language seems certain. They are more and more based on American
English. This development will continue through new mediums like the Internet
and interactive mediums. It is hard to say what this will do to idioms and what
kind of new idioms are created. This will be an interesting development to
follow, and by no means does it lessen the humor, variety and color of English
language.
Список литературы
Для
подготовки данной работы были использованы материалы с сайта http://www.monax.ru