The Queen's English

[Akka-Wakka]

As some of you may know, I am a resident in the United Kingdom (England).  Although I haven't lived in the UK all my life, I have been brought up to speak in what is known as "The Queen's English."


This is a Queen.

Despite any preconceptions you may have, this is not speaking in a posh accent.  It is more about using correct terminology, spelling and grammar.  It differs most notably from the English used in America, in its lack of Americanisms (Amazingly, this is true).  Here are some examples:

"Centre" - Notice the use of "re" instead of "er." (This is the same for many words like "Metre")
"Colour" - Notice that there is a "u" after the second "o," to form "our" instead of just "or." (Again, this is the same for "Favourite" and "Honour")

There are numerous other examples, some of them listed in more detail Here.

I should point out a certain fact now.  British English is Right, American English is Wrong.  The proof in this is that British English came first (and it came from England).

With the above in mind, I must confront certain individuals on this forum about language use.  In particular, I have the following phrase in mind:

Bitches ain't shit.

Apart form the fact that I have no idea I have no idea what this means, I am frustrated by the fact that this sentence has no verbs.  At all!  This is technicality impossible.  There is also the fact that it makes no grammatical sense, and is misleading.  Is the "ain't" being used in that peculiar American way where it is actually positive rather than negative? (e.g. "I ain't seen nothing" literally translates to "I have seen something," but actually means "I haven't seen anything" or "I ain't seen anything.")

I feel I must ask these questions and point out these facts to preserve the integrity and reputation of this forum.


P.S.:
I suck at Spelling.  This much is probably already obvious.  Any mistakes are however not my fault, but those of the spell checker this forum uses. (Which, by the way, has been constantly objecting to my blatantly correct spelling!)  I therefore recommend that we change spell checkers.

I also like Waffles.

[Myroria]

Why use the unneccessary u? It's pointless. That and centre looks like it should sound like "sentry".

[Aquatoria]

Haha, So, the Queen's English is right, while the American English is wrong. So what does that make Canadian English? Confused?

[The G Rebellion]

Well that's a tough one, since the Canadians do have the same Queen...

[Limitless Events]

what about the Australians?

[The Empire]

*Me sticks to the most eminent language on this globe... his native one @ English

[Aquatoria]

what about the Australians?

All us colonials are different. Canadians are Englishmen trying to sound like Americans, while Australians and New Zealanders have a really cool accent with great words like billabong. I lost my Canadian accent and now I have a weak southern American accent. 

[Bara]

As i say

"I don't speak English, speak Amercian! which, in itself, is like the backwoods, inbreed cousin of English"

[Gulliver]

Oh, poor deluded Akka-Wakka and your linguistic chauvinism.

First off all, "Bitches ain't shit" does contain a verb. In this case, "ain't" a contraction of "not" and "are". Also, sentences do not need to have a verb in constructions like this by any means at all. Languages which do not require a verb like "be" are quite common, known as zero-copula languages. Consider the following example from standard Russian:

"On simpatičnyj."

Literally, "he nice", i.e. "he is nice". Or consider colloquial Japanese.

"Tomodachi wa isha."

Literally "friend [TOPIC] doctor", i.e. "my friend is a doctor".

Likewise double negatives like "I ain't seen nothing" are very common in the languages of the world and were also common at one point in English (Chaucer and Shakespeare certainly used them) before prescriptive grammarians trampled all over the language with idiotic rules. Consider Russian again:

"On ničevo ne znaet."

Literally, "he nothing not know", i.e. "he doesn't know anything". Japanese is much the same. Compare "nani ka suru" with "nani mo shinai". Or consider the Japanese for "No one knew anything at all," "Dare mo zenzen nani mo shiranakatta." Literally, "No one never nothing didn't know."

[Eientei]

While an English teacher here in the States would tell you that ain't is not (ain't) in the dictionary, it is a common colloquialism, yeah.  However, I know for a fact that plenty of Britons can also barely speak their own language, so we all have something in common.

As for the spell checker, that bastard doesn't think "antidisestablishmentarianism" is a word, so it can go to hell.  At least, that word comes up in yellow, indicting that there's something wrong with it when there clearly isn't.  Stupid spell checker.

[Delfos]

crasy, amasing, blasing, brasil as examples of what American English would use Z instead of S...it's easier for them, as Myroria suggests with the "unneccessary u"

This is a normal thing to happen in colonies, happened in Brasil with our Portuguese, they tend to make things easier linguistically. "Time" (Teem) for example is a Brasilian term for "Equipe" (Team) « you see where they get the idea from. Although it's not considered an official word...at least to my knowledge.

I'm not sure if Centre is solo British English, but sure looks closer to the latinic form.

Australian in my favorite English accent, way funnier than those mates in tha thames.

What's the original English accent? I don't think the "London Accent" whatever you want to call it, is the original, anyone know that?

[The Empire]

A mix of ancient Danish, saxon, celtic, germanic languages spiced up with Roman latin?

[Gulliver]

The "original accent" is long dead. Languages naturally change with time, and it's the subsequent variety which makes English such a great language.

[Of Crazed]

Bitches Ain't Shit

[kor]

I AGREE WITH WHAT OC SAID!!!!!!!