OT: Where did our language go?

The normal noun 'leverage' ('levverage') is, of course, simply what an American-pronounced lever ('levver') provides,

However, the Newspeak verbed noun 'levverage' seems to have appeared about twenty years ago in the world of business and finance, where it was adopted to mean something like 'to get the most out of', 'to optimise the effectiveness of' or ''to squeeze the last drop of profit out of' - and always had the American pronunciation (even in the UK). Unfortunately, even in UK English the noun 'leverage' (leeverage has also taken on the American pronunciation.

Suffice it to say that a Canny Geordie is quite different from a Canny Scot.

The real question is....... When did the Americans start talking in a recognisable American accent? Did it all suddenly happen one morning, (say) around 1840?

They are talking in the accents of 17th century cornwall

I first heard it in use 40 years ago in California at the Gumment lab where I was working. Also the first place I came across 'lose' spelled as 'loose'.

No, it's prolly us whose accents have evolved. That Brits and Yanks spoke more or less the same around 1800 or so was one of the causes of the war of 1812. The Royal Navy was boarding Yankee merchant ships and pressing sailors who couldn't prove they were Yank-born. Well - who had papers in those days - answer, next to no-one. And those who were genuine Yanks couldn't prove it by their speech.

In message <TCrZGQTi+ snipped-for-privacy@brattleho.plus.com>, Ian Jackson snipped-for-privacy@g3ohx.co.uk> writes

I've a theory that Americans have evolved built-in speech compression.

Brian

Expansion, Shirley? The habit of using a long word where a short one will do?

Without a doubt, even making new long words where none exist.

I have a theory that they have evolved speech expansion due to a feeling of inadequacy. They love making verbs from nouns by adding -'ise' rather that choppping off the tail

Incentive=>incentivise (UK would be 'incent') Burglar => burglarise (UK 'burgle')

You probably have a hypothesis?

If so, would he hypothesise, or hypothesize?

He would hypothesise. The use of the z is limited to the Septics and their drive for uglification. The only exception is 'size', I can't think of any others.

Tizer, the appetiser

It depends on where he lives and how old he is. If Mercan he will use the 'zee' :) If UK and young he will also use the 'zed' as they get all their knowledge from US TV. If old, like me, he will use an 'ess' having being seduced into using 'zed' in my gullible days.

In message snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net>, Tim Streater snipped-for-privacy@streater.me.uk> writes

I'm a bit of a linguistic stick-in-the-mud, but I wouldn't object too much if minor changes were made to words in order to reflect the different sounds of c, s and z.

So you are not a looser who managed to find the break pedal and destroy his car?

Looser?

I did know somebody who tried to use Engine Braking and broke the engine.