Frightfully old-fashioned! How 'quite', 'rather' and 'fairly' are on their way out of the English language
PUBLISHED: 16:07 GMT, 12 November 2017 | UPDATED: 16:08 GMT, 12 November 2017
The way Britons speak is changing rapidly due to the 'drastic erosion' of quintessentially British words such as 'quite', 'rather' and 'fairly'.
New academic research which analysed language trends over the course of the 20th century found there was a decline in 'gradable adverbs', which allows people to reduce or increase emphasis of a phrase, meaning words like 'extremely', 'terribly' and 'absolutely' are also in decline.
Britons are increasingly mimicking the American-style of speak, which is far more direct and to the point.
Professor Paul Baker, a linguistics expert from Lancaster University who carried out the research, said: 'Americans want to get to the point and say what they mean, whereas British people want to avoid conflict so use downtoners like "quites" and "rathers".
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Brief Encounter (1945) starring Celia Johnson as Laura Jesson and Trevor Howard as Dr. Alec Harvey
'We are more cautious and apologetic, but it can also come across as long winded and means we take a bit longer to get to the point.
'My academic head tells me that it is an interesting change. But with a British person's head, I think it is a bit of a shame as it is a mark of identity.'
He said that a possible reason for the decline of gradable adverbs is that they are now seen as a middle or an upper-class way of speaking.
Prof Baker added: 'There is an awareness of that... people don't want to be associated with the upper classes, so they level out their language.'
Classic British films such as Brief Encounter are 'absolutely packed' with gradable adverbs, Professor Paul Baker said. His research found the decline of adverbs was most pronounced between 1930 and 1960s, before leveling off up to the 1990s.
Yet recently, Prof Baker's research has found there has been a steep decline from the 1990s to the present day.
The research was compiled using vast swathes of published writing, using a mixture of human analysis and computer-aided software to spot changes in the language.
People don't want to be associated with the upper classes, so they level out their language
There were a range of sources used, including newspapers, magazines, books, journals and academic sources, which examined trends in British and American English.
He admitted he did not examine the most recent examples used in conversation, adding: 'You'd need to go to a playground in Hackney and see what teenagers are saying.'
The research focused around language trends which have entered the mainstream and are being used by 'fuddy duddy middle-class people'.
The pioneering research found that American English is leading the charge for change, with British English nearly 30 years behind.
Included in the research was the use of shorter sentences and words which combine words with apostrophes. There has been an increase in the use of acronyms, such as 'will not' becomes 'won't'.
The full research has been published in 'American and British English: Divided by A Common Language'.
- Gradable adverbs have seen a steep decline since the 1990s, research shows
- Britons are increasingly copying the type of language used by Americans
- Academic research shows Britons using more direct and to the point language
PUBLISHED: 16:07 GMT, 12 November 2017 | UPDATED: 16:08 GMT, 12 November 2017
The way Britons speak is changing rapidly due to the 'drastic erosion' of quintessentially British words such as 'quite', 'rather' and 'fairly'.
New academic research which analysed language trends over the course of the 20th century found there was a decline in 'gradable adverbs', which allows people to reduce or increase emphasis of a phrase, meaning words like 'extremely', 'terribly' and 'absolutely' are also in decline.
Britons are increasingly mimicking the American-style of speak, which is far more direct and to the point.
Professor Paul Baker, a linguistics expert from Lancaster University who carried out the research, said: 'Americans want to get to the point and say what they mean, whereas British people want to avoid conflict so use downtoners like "quites" and "rathers".
+2
Brief Encounter (1945) starring Celia Johnson as Laura Jesson and Trevor Howard as Dr. Alec Harvey
'We are more cautious and apologetic, but it can also come across as long winded and means we take a bit longer to get to the point.
'My academic head tells me that it is an interesting change. But with a British person's head, I think it is a bit of a shame as it is a mark of identity.'
He said that a possible reason for the decline of gradable adverbs is that they are now seen as a middle or an upper-class way of speaking.
Prof Baker added: 'There is an awareness of that... people don't want to be associated with the upper classes, so they level out their language.'
Classic British films such as Brief Encounter are 'absolutely packed' with gradable adverbs, Professor Paul Baker said. His research found the decline of adverbs was most pronounced between 1930 and 1960s, before leveling off up to the 1990s.
Yet recently, Prof Baker's research has found there has been a steep decline from the 1990s to the present day.
The research was compiled using vast swathes of published writing, using a mixture of human analysis and computer-aided software to spot changes in the language.
People don't want to be associated with the upper classes, so they level out their language
There were a range of sources used, including newspapers, magazines, books, journals and academic sources, which examined trends in British and American English.
He admitted he did not examine the most recent examples used in conversation, adding: 'You'd need to go to a playground in Hackney and see what teenagers are saying.'
The research focused around language trends which have entered the mainstream and are being used by 'fuddy duddy middle-class people'.
The pioneering research found that American English is leading the charge for change, with British English nearly 30 years behind.
Included in the research was the use of shorter sentences and words which combine words with apostrophes. There has been an increase in the use of acronyms, such as 'will not' becomes 'won't'.
The full research has been published in 'American and British English: Divided by A Common Language'.
