Why do Americans insist on butchering the English language?

Question

I am an English teacher from England, teaching in Saudi Arabia. I have noticed that the Americans have very bad grammar.

For example they will say : 'did you eat'? when you should say 'have you eaten'? (because the time is unspecified). Since all Americans seem to make this mistake (using the past simple instead of the present perfect tense) should I just accept that they are speaking American (not English) and not correct them?

Answer 1

You would definitely cringe at us Aussies too LOL

Answer 2

Thank you for asking this question. As a middle and high school English (Language Arts for middle school) teacher in the US - I know that there is a proper way to pronouce and enunciate and KNOW the language. A couple of things get in the way here - for one thing - we are a multi-cultural society and we also have many sub-cultures. Often times, the sub-culture and the place in society's line (below povery line, at poverty line, just above poverty line, lower-middle-upper MIDDLE Class; lower, middle and upper UPPER class influence the way of the student's speech. One hear's and repeats what is done at the home level first. As a teacher, I spend so much time trying to re-invent the wheel - meaning - I have to unteach what's been learned improperly or incorrectly. Also, the merging of these cultures with the various dialects, slangs, and other subcultural linguistics makes is harder to pull the truth out. Once the establishment has been made 'how' to say a 'thing', the child will continue to use it until he or she takes the responsibility to get in the book and study and practice that which has been provided. I also believe with the influence of text messaging and having to de-code all the double-talk, we as teachers can forget about trying to teach language correctly. There are too many tenses and exceptions to the rules. Haven't you heard? They say the hardest language to learn is English. (lol) All we can do is continue to correct the errors and be good examples.

Another point: there's nothing religious about this question so was it placed here in error?

Also keep in mind - SPanish and Native Indian tongue was the first language here - we are borrowing from Greek, Latin French, German and others.

Answer 3

While not being American born, and certainly not a grammar expert myself, I ask that you forgive my "mistakes". Then I will tell you that if you are specifically talking about your own students, then, by all means correct them properly!

And yes, I and many others do notice that here in America there are infinite mistakes with the English language. And worse yet, there is that "strange" new form young people use to write in, instead of the true, normal letters and wording.

Answer 4

It's all about making yourself understood. Language is inherently utilitarian. If you can say something, and have people know what you mean...mission accomplished. Good grammar is important only to people who value sounding smart over being succinct. It's like Shakespeare said..."All's good that ends good."
Americans figured out a long time ago that the British tend to use too many letters in their words, and too many words in their sentences. Hence they have a hard time getting to the point, or making themselves clear.
For instance, in your example cited above, an American asking "did you eat?", is just trying to be polite. Left to his own devices, he would much more casually inquire with a triple conjunction, such as "Jeet yet?, to which the proper response would be, "No, Jew?"

Answer 5

it's just the way we were taught to say things really. I can't really help things that are habit and most the time go unnoticed by my fellow americans. Some of the things we say bug me too, but it's not like I'm about to try and change the way me and some others speak.

Just think of it as an American dialect, or an American take on the english language even if it sounds ridiculous to you guys.

Answer 6

did you study linguistics as part of your English course at University? I did, and it seems that American is actually closer than modern English is to the English spoken here before the pilgrim fathers left. The language had mutated and changed more in England than it has in America, so who is to say who is right anymore.
We now tell children that a double negative is unacceptable, and yet in Shakespeare's time, a double negative simply made the negative statement stronger. This is just how language develops, it is a living thing, only dead languages like Latin remain unchanged.

Answer 7

I think it is perhaps because they don't know what is proper and have not learned it (how many schools are culprits in perpetuating this?). Then, they lack the desire to get the correct information, use it and maintain it. I think they feel like why do we have to? I worked for a newspaper and was appalled by the quality of reporter candidates we would get who did not know proper grammar or spelling. I think people just don't value proper English anymore. Perhaps, they feel "English" is un-American! I think you should correct where you feel you can. Realize that you might sometimes offend, but you can fight the good fight and hope for the best.

Answer 8

hm... you know what? I'm from America, and I always say things like "did you eat." I had absolutely no idea that that was incorrect! But no, I think that you SHOULD correct them, it's important to use proper grammar and such. And I think that what we (Americans) are speaking IS English, but I think it has pretty much evolved into a very different dialect. Even though our English isn't 100% correct maybe in terms of what you are speaking, but it's still English.

Answer 9

Regardless of the butchered English language, you sound like you use it well enough to differentiate between the Religion and Spirituality section and the correct section for a question regarding language, culture or the US. No?

PS You won't get any joy criticizing Americans, they are as spikey as the Muslims...almost ...

Answer 10

To paraphrase Shaw, The Americans and the British are two peoples divided by a common language.

You've noted some quirks of grammar that are not present in American English. Language is dynamic and evolving. To say that there are hard-and-fast rules is to deny this. The rules in Britain are different from the rules in the US. And they are probably different again in Australia and New Zealand.

- {♂♂} - {♂♀} - {♀♀} -

Answer 11

By all means please correct them. I live in America, my parents are Indian so they grew up speaking British English. The way I speak is influenced by that, because I grew up hearing British English.

However, having the knowledge of understanding how things are supposed to be said, I'm very aware of how improperly American's use the english language.

I think that you should correct them as long as you dont do it in a way that would be considered annoying, cause its more likely they won't listen that way.