Words, words and more words
Mar. 6th, 2011 10:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thismazAfter 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?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-03-07 06:11 am (UTC)it's not *common*, and it is a touch formal, ... but it's not something most Americans would look twice at.
That's interesting, compared to smwright, above. I have a vague recollection that you are in one of the flat ones, in the middle, as Buffy said to Riley. smwright is in the south.
but it's not something most Americans would look twice at
Thanks for the confirmation.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-07 12:24 pm (UTC)Well, i *am* in the middle - Missouri - but it's not remotely flat.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 06:04 am (UTC)Still, must be over 1,000 miles, so I imagine there would be differences in the way people everyday-speak.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 06:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-09 05:26 am (UTC)