Assorted Afflatuses
British Ear Candy
Despite the assertions of some that British English is not superior, but merely "different" than American English, I cannot help but wonder if the British, in general, possess a stronger command of the English language. I point to a recent article, again from the BBC, reporting that Joanne Rowling has released the title of Harry Potter's seventh tome. The article quotes a thirteen-year-old, to, presumably, provide a Potter fan's perspective on the new book's title. In response, he says the seventh book's title, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, "Sounds interesting, but a bit sinister."
This thirteen year-old casually tossed out the word "sinister" to describe a book title. I cannot imagine a typical American thirteen year-old using the word "sinister" to describe anything. The American news networks all published the same Associated Press article, which contained no reaction from American Potter aficionados, so I couldn't find a similar American quote for comparison. Nonetheless, it is safe to assume that an American 13-year-old would say something to the effect of, "It's cool, but kinda scary." I would argue that the British teen, who happens to share a first name with the boy wizard, expressed himself far more effectively in just as many words.
American Teens 0, British Teens 1
Well, as proof of your opinion, I would just like to point out that you, in your eloquent description of this occurrence, casually referred to the thirteen year-old.
Perhaps if you had been living in the U.K., you would have realized that it is properly written thirteen-year-old...
I must agree, but at the same time I wonder if you are taking into account that a large portion of British people are, in fact, English. It stands to reason that they would, being English, have a better grasp of the English language.
It can be argued that Americans have their own language, a derivative of English, if you will. For instance, how many British thirteen year olds do you hear using the word "smack"?