Are Americans trashing the English language?
November 23, 2017
250,224
5,097
1,459
2.62%
Search the Record
IndexedEvery word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
The Economist Episodes Around November 23, 2017
See what was published immediately before and after this episode.
5:45Now PlayingAre Americans trashing the English language?
YouTube Description
as posted by the channelBritons 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.
Click here to subscribe to The Economist on YouTube
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?
Daily Watch: mind-stretching short films throughout the working week.
For more from Economist Films visit
Check out The Economist’s full video catalogue
Like The Economist on Facebook
Follow The Economist on Twitter
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on LINE
Follow us on Medium
Guests & Subjects Covered
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.