The Richard Spooner Column: I 've gotten sick of US-isms�

It was as I queued for a coffee that I heard a phrase that further confirmed for me how deeply corrupted Her Majesty 's English had become.

Call me an old fogey (239 next birthday, since you ask), but I do feel for the demise of the England language, which now includes more Americanisms than you can shake a stick at.*

Maybe we can blame the import of so many US television programmes (or is it programs?) which so influence our youngsters.

Back to that queue in the caf�. “Can I get a decaf latte to go, ” the customer asked. A far cry from “may I have a milky coffee with reduced caffeine to take away please? ” I mused but this sort of phrase is now commonplace.

Probably imported through American TV “soaps ” like Cheers? However, this issue goes much further than that and is highlighted in an excellent book by British journalist Matthews Engel called “That 's The Way It Crumbles: The American Conquest of the English Language. ”

We face an uphill battle with computers, which insist on questioning the use of an “s ” instead of the American “z ” in a number of words as well as requiring me to put any deletions into the trash rather than the bin.

One of my first hates also involved a “z ” when I read that a poor soul had been “hospitalized ” rather than admitted to hospital.

Ok, so it sounds more savvy but this is all part of a rocky road to using nouns as verbs, like “authored ” and “gifted ”, both imported from across in the pond.

It maybe because I 'm from a distant generation but doesn 't the use of “hey ” instead of “hi ” sound rude to you? As in: “Hey, you at the back - wake up! ”

“Gotten ” makes me wince but I must admit that I have been brainwashed into using the phrase “I 'm good ” when I should be saying “I 'm well, thank you ”.

One of the worst atrocities committed in the world was on September 11, 2001, at 1.45pm BST. But even the euphemistic “9/11 ” is the US version of dates, with the day and the month reversed from common use in British English.

And another thing, while I 'm on the subject. The kids of today (I love 'em really) seem to be losing their ability to use “ts ” in speech. According to them I 'm writing this on a “compua ” and the other day I heard someone order a pint of “bi-a ” in my local. Anyway, that 's another campaign in the making.

But do let me know is you have any pet hates or, indeed, likes. One Americanism (ugh) and have accepted is my 12-year-old grand-daughter 's insistence on describing my flat as an apartment. But, then again, she is desperate to live in California - thanks to TV images, I imagine. - JL