![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Words, words and more words
After I posted to complain about the word 'gotten', only to learn that it is correct usage as the past tense of 'get', in American English, I thought I would ask another question, rather than make assumptions in ignorance.
It's the word 'said', used to mean 'the' or 'that particular one', as in, for example, 'Jack and Bob were in a hotel room and Jack spoke as he paced around said room.'
I see it a lot and, on the few occasions I have thought to look, the writers were American. To me, it feels like a very old fashioned and stilted word usage and it usually causes me to back-button out of the story, if it occurs before I have had time to engage with the writing.
But I remember noticing Giles use it once, in an episode of BtVS, so I'm wondering if this is a word in common usage in America, or whether it is believed by Americans to be in common usage in Britain.
For that matter, is it in common usage in Britain and I've just avoided picking it up?
What do you think?
I don't necessarily expect it to bother you, because, well, we all have our own pet likes and dislikes. But I would be interested to know if 'said' used in that way is considered common usage. Do you use it in everyday speech or thought?
It's the word 'said', used to mean 'the' or 'that particular one', as in, for example, 'Jack and Bob were in a hotel room and Jack spoke as he paced around said room.'
I see it a lot and, on the few occasions I have thought to look, the writers were American. To me, it feels like a very old fashioned and stilted word usage and it usually causes me to back-button out of the story, if it occurs before I have had time to engage with the writing.
But I remember noticing Giles use it once, in an episode of BtVS, so I'm wondering if this is a word in common usage in America, or whether it is believed by Americans to be in common usage in Britain.
For that matter, is it in common usage in Britain and I've just avoided picking it up?
What do you think?
I don't necessarily expect it to bother you, because, well, we all have our own pet likes and dislikes. But I would be interested to know if 'said' used in that way is considered common usage. Do you use it in everyday speech or thought?
no subject
I beta for an American who refused a change of gotten to got from me, for exactly the same reason your daughter stated. (That was before I posted about it.)
Interesting example she quotes. What about if she put the contraction into 'I have', so it is 'I've got used to it' or 'I've gotten used to it'?
I'm pretty sure Americans use it in the context of 'They had gotten to the place' as well as 'He had gotten the coffee from the cupboard'. I'm no good at the names of tenses either, but I don't think that is past perfect.
ETA: *points at next comment*
no subject
Ah - now I'd say the former, but she says she might well say the latter...
But we agree that 'They had gotten to the place' as well as 'He had gotten the coffee from the cupboard'. both sound horrible!
no subject
*laughs* That is actually a relief to hear.