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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[–] CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 21 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (8 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.

[–] CandleTiger@programming.dev 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Y’all still got dual carriageways over there?

[–] CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 2 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Is that an Australian-ism? I don't remember it ever coming up in conversation with my American or British friends.

[–] CandleTiger@programming.dev 1 points 6 hours ago

Yeah it’s a divided highway. I got directions once that included what I heard as a “jewel carriageway” and had just a very confusing time getting that clarified.

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 13 points 4 days 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.

[–] Zoomboingding@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Americans don't use pram though, we say stroller

[–] bandwidthcrisis@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

Yeah, pram is a British term. Or pushchair.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 6 points 4 days ago

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

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 days 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

[–] tomenzgg@midwest.social 2 points 3 days ago

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

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago

Yes, but we got the good aussie slang!

Like, "no worries". Fucking love it.

[–] Sharkticon@lemmy.zip 1 points 3 days ago

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

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 days ago

Bonnet

Australian

Uwotm8