this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2026
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Language is always changing. At one point 'an apron' was 'a napron' while words like 'literally' are no longer literally literal. What are some language battles that have been lost in living memory and what are some others you predict will soon occur?

Edit: Non-english examples very welcome!

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[โ€“] CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (7 children)

Australian English language is now largely Americanised, a process that started in the post-war era is now mostly complete.

  • Terms such as 'gaol' have been widely replaced by 'jail'.
  • 'Programme' is mostly replaced by 'program'.
  • A 'car bonnet' is likely to be called a 'hood'.
  • 'Play lunch' is mostly replaced with 'recess'.
  • 'Pusher' is mostly called a 'pram'
  • 'Lacker band' is now mostly just 'rubber band'.
  • 'Boomer' no longer means kangaroo, but instead 'Old person.'

I'm not really bothered by it or anything, but it's been interesting to see it shift even over my lifetime.

[โ€“] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 13 points 1 day ago

I'd say pram is still pretty British ("I have to push the pram-a-lot!") in the US it would be almost definitely stroller.

[โ€“] Zoomboingding@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Americans don't use pram though, we say stroller

Yeah, pram is a British term. Or pushchair.

[โ€“] Cethin@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 day ago

Elden Ring is trying to bring the spelling back to "gaol."

Yes, but we got the good aussie slang!

Like, "no worries". Fucking love it.

[โ€“] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

'Programme' is mostly replaced by 'program'.

We can still pronounce it correctly (with an O like 'pronounce' or 'proclaim') so there's that

[โ€“] tomenzgg@midwest.social 1 points 1 day ago

Far as I've ever seen, that's how everyone pronounces it.

[โ€“] Sharkticon@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 day ago

I don't understand the pusher/pram one at all.

Bonnet

Australian

Uwotm8