Are Americans trashing the English language? | The Economist

Britons often grumble that Americanisms are creeping into British English. Lane Greene, our language guru, asks where American words really come from—and whether they pose a threat to the Queen's English.

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Are American's trashing the English language? The Economists language expert, Lane Greene, knows a thing or two about English. Lane is a fan of words, lots of words, and Lane is an American living in London. He's become accustomed to British English slang. But Lane often hears Britons complain that there are too many American words and expressions creeping into British English, these are called Americanisms.

British writer Matthew Engel can't stand Americanisms being used in Britain and even wrote a book about it. But are Americanisms trashing British English?

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