Quote:
Originally posted by Kaimetsu
Well, somebody should fix that.
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I guess it could be done, though it wouldn't be easy.
First off, you'd have to fix everyone's spelling, because that'd be the easiest thing to do. "Realize" to "realise" et cetera. That could be started off with spell checkers (US English options removed in computer programs).
Second off, you'd have to teach everyone the received pronunciation or somesuch. Good, standard way of saying things. No more Southern twangs, everyone sounds like the BBC. This'd take massive reeducation, perhaps tax refunds for people who can prove that they have made themselves sound British. If the New Yorkers still want to sound funny, there are plenty of British accents from which to choose that still wind up with a superior pronunciation. The New Yorkers could sound like Scots if they please.
Third off, introduce some of the developments in British English that never really caught on in America, i.e. particularly good neologisms and other words created since the Revolution that never really did or have had a chance to catch on. Languages seem to evolve more properly, rather than corrupting quite so fast, in their original locations of inception.