Daily Mail article on Americanisms ruining the English language

Before I lived in the UK, I thought 'reckon' was a Southern expression.

"Reckon" is complicated, the Oxford English Dictionary divides it into literally dozens of distinct meanings.  The sense of "I reckon" meaning "I believe, I expect or I think"  seems to be archaic English that had largely faded away in formal usage but has survived in colloquial usage, in dialect, in places like the US South.

The OED has these early published instances; 

1567 J. JEWEL Def. Apol. Churche Eng. II. ix. 200 But for further answeare, I recken, M. Hardinge cannot be ignorant, that [etc.].

1748 S. RICHARDSON Clarissa V. xlvi. 326, I shall have a good deal of trouble, I reckon,..to be decent on the expected occasion.

I've heard 'I reckon' in the South (US) and here in the UK...but used in different context.  In the UK, I've heard it used as 'I believe' (ex:  "I reckon England will beat America in the World Cup"), whereas in the South (US), I've heard it mainly used as a response to a question, meaning 'I guess so' (usually with the attitude of not wanting to) (ex:  "Are you going grocery shopping today?"  "I reckon.").  Just my personal experience on the differences.  It would be really strange for me to hear the term in Southern America used in the same way the Brits use it.

I've heard 'I reckon' in the South (US) and here in the UK...but used in different context.  In the UK, I've heard it used as 'I believe' (ex:  "I reckon England will beat America in the World Cup"), whereas in the South (US), I've heard it mainly used as a response to a question, meaning 'I guess so' (usually with the attitude of not wanting to) (ex:  "Are you going grocery shopping today?"  "I reckon.").  Just my personal experience on the differences.  It would be really strange for me to hear the term in Southern America used in the same way the Brits use it.

It's used both ways here in Georgia.

My grandmother who died last year at the age of 97 was originally from West Virginia. I thought things like reckon were just her speaking old fashioned southern american...but it seems to be alive today. But what really surprises me is to hear people in Manchester say my first name just like she would.

The other day I said "It's nice out".

DH said "Did you just say 'It's nice out?' "

And I said, "Yes. Are you making fun of my American way of speaking?"

And he said that it sounded like something someone from Yorkshire would say.

Hiya is British or Australian? Reckon I use a lot and I don't feel like I'm using a Britishism so much as using a word I like anyway which is in more common use where I'm currently living. I'm moving back to the US for good in a few weeks- god knows what people will think when I open my mouth. I am pretty sure I'll be using the word dodgy for the rest of my life, and if people think I'm being pretentious I'm going to have to explain that I can't help it because I spent six years in the UK... is the American term sketchy? Edgy? Dangerous? Dodgy seems to wrap them all up so nicely.

I also say 'Hiya' instead of 'Hello' or 'Hey' or whatever else...which is something I never thought would happen either. 

"Hiya" is British?  I've used it all my life, and thought it was a Midwestern thing.

"Hiya" is British?  I've used it all my life, and thought it was a Midwestern thing.

Heee - and I never said 'Hiya' until I moved to Yorkshire! 

I am pretty sure I'll be using the word dodgy for the rest of my life, and if people think I'm being pretentious I'm going to have to explain that I can't help it because I spent six years in the UK... is the American term sketchy? Edgy? Dangerous? Dodgy seems to wrap them all up so nicely.

I've said 'dodgy' my entire life...not so sure that's a British term.

I've said 'dodgy' my entire life...not so sure that's a British term.

It may be in use in the US as well, but according to online dictionaries, 'dodgy' is 'Chiefly British' (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dodgy) and according to Wiktionary, the word was first used in mid-19th Century England (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dodgy) .

It may be in use in the US as well, but according to online dictionaries, 'dodgy' is 'Chiefly British' (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dodgy) and according to Wiktionary, the word was first used in mid-19th Century England (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dodgy) .

That's interesting...not really sure when I first heard that term but it's always been what pops into my mind when describing a creepy person, location, situation, etc.  I guess my point was that if you came to south-central VA, no one would think of that as a British term, as it's said all the time there (can't speak for how common it is in the rest of the US).  Seems a lot of typical Southern American slang/terms/phrases/words originate from Britain.  Wonder why a lot of them have been "lost" on the rest of the country but stuck around in the South?

The way it was here (in England particularly) was if you weren't born into money, you probably weren't ever going to have much to call your own.  So people left for the US, got themselves a piece of land and a vocation then dug in like ticks.  

The South has big pockets of Scots, Irish and English.  Because of the nature of small towns (and the clannish nature of the people in general), the populations stayed fairly isolated and hung onto some distinct traditions.

*Just my abbreviated interpretation of US history!

I rather like the expression "dug in like ticks". 

"Ayup" - one of my favourite Yorkshire words.   

"Ayup" - one of my favourite Yorkshire words.   

"Youalrate?" (said as one word) is one of my favs...took me forever to figure that one out.