The Americanisation of die Englische Sprache

[Brian-E]

Originally Posted by wblipp

[...] In the restaurant they asked if we had a reservation. Four years ago if we asked about reservations they sniggered and asked if we wanted a booking.[...]

This is odd. As someone who was resident in the UK from birth in 1964 until 1993, I have always found "reservation" more natural than "booking" in relation to restaurant tables. "Booking" wouldn't raise too much of an eyebrow either from my circles at the time, but it still sounds less natural to me than reservation.

So it seems to me that if the UK has moved from "booking" to "reservation", and if this is indeed an "Americanisation", then it happened rather a long time ago.

Did I move in weird, Americanised circles when I lived in the UK? I don't really think so: they were very varied and I lived and grew up in all sectors of England and Wales at some time with the exception of the south east.

Another possibility, I suppose, is that my own memory is playing tricks with me now. Perhaps it's hard for me to remember what language I used then, and what I've superimposed since. Can anyone currently living in the UK (Paul? BudgieJane? ...) shed any light on this?

[BudgieJane]

Whenever I book a table at a restaurant, I book it, rather than make a reservation, and I always have done. The only reservations I am aware of are seat reservations on the railway, made after you have booked your ticket, and book reservations in the local public library.

Of course, reservations are also areas of land where American Indians (sorry, Native Americans) were confined.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by BudgieJane

Of course, reservations are also areas of land where American Indians (sorry, Native Americans) were confined.

Actually, such reservations exist in Canada as well. And, BTW, (at least in Canada) the "PC" term is now "Indigenous Peoples"...

P.S. As an aside, I personally find it interesting that the term "hacker" (someone who breaks into systems or otherwise does bad things using technology) annoys many geeks. A "hacker" used to (and still does for many) mean someone who's exceptionally good at something technical. The term "cracker", however, fell out of favor because it's also a derogatory term referring to "poor white trash" (mostly used in the Southern US of A).

Language is dynamic, and interesting....

[xilman]

Originally Posted by BudgieJane

Whenever I book a table at a restaurant, I book it, rather than make a reservation, and I always have done. The only reservations I am aware of are seat reservations on the railway, made after you have booked your ticket, and book reservations in the local public library.

Of course, reservations are also areas of land where American Indians (sorry, Native Americans) were confined.

I book tables too, but whenever I show up the table invariably has a "Reserved" tag on it.

I suspect that its a verb vs noun/adjective usage. You book a resource such as a table and thereby end up with a reservation aka a reserved resource.

Etymologically I suspect that "booking" a resource will either die out or become a curiosity akin to typing on a computer keyboard. The verb will accurately describe a technology no longer in use.

When did you last see a computer fitted with type? It's been many years since I last typed on a computer keyboard --- an ASR/33 wet-sump teletype to be precise --- and I'd guess that the majority on the forum have never done so. Typewriters (that is, machines which use type to produce visible text) still exist but are now very rare.

Eating establishments still use books to record reservations but hotels rarely do and a good many restaurants have moved to electronic reservation systems.

[Brian-E]

I guess, then, that my memory is inaccurate concerning the use of booking or reserving when it comes to restaurant tables in the UK. It's actually a bit sobering when my attention is drawn to what I've forgotten about language in the UK since I left.

[BudgieJane]

Originally Posted by Brian-E

I guess, then, that my memory is inaccurate concerning the use of booking or reserving when it comes to restaurant tables in the UK. It's actually a bit sobering when my attention is drawn to what I've forgotten about language in the UK since I left.

I wouldn't worry about it. There are more important things to worry about.

My take on the English language is I don't care how you say things as long as I can understand you. Similarly, in spite of some of the things I have posted in this and other threads, I don't care how you spell things, as long as I can understand you. Of course in some circumstances it is important to spell things correctly, for fear of misunderstanding which might be fatal, or cause someone to fail her exams; but apart from that, in my opinion, correct spelling is not too important.

[Nick]

Let's not forget the problems caused by failure to convert between British and American units of measurement:
http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/weekly/6Page53.pdf

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Nick

Let's not forget the problems caused by failure to convert between British and American units of measurement:
http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/weekly/6Page53.pdf

Or even the French developed metric system....

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by chalsall

Actually, such reservations exist in Canada as well. And, BTW, (at least in Canada) the "PC" term is now "Indigenous Peoples"...

Actually First Nations is more PC.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

Actually First Nations is more PC.

Both terms are in common modern-day use. First Nations does not include the Inuit nor the Métis.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Nick

Let's not forget the problems caused by failure to convert between British and American units of measurement:
http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/weekly/6Page53.pdf

Please forgive me. I had hoped that someone would jump in here and speak. Sadly, that didn't happen.

The third example given in your PDF, AC 143, is often refereed to as the Gimli Glider within Canada.

A serious fsck up. But the Captain and his team managed the situation, and brought everyone on board the plane back to the earth safely.