White Rabbit wrote:CatNamedRudy wrote:So, in the "proper" British vernacular what I'm assuming Gertrude would have ACTUALLY written was: Niles: I know we haven't always got on. Correct? (or am I still being a British impaired American here?)
She would've written: 'Dear Niles, I know we haven't always got along.'
Despite what Moon Crane or Beer Necessity have written, I insist 'gotten' is archaic in British English. Both 'got' and 'gotten' were commonly used in the Middle Ages, but 'gotten' was falling out of favour in the British isles around the American Revolutionary Wars. The Americans continued with 'gotten', while the Brits changed to 'got'. I can't really explain why Moon Crane thinks 'gotten' sounds more correct. Maybe he heard the Frasier cast use it one too many times? I dare say that the show holds some sway over people.
Just to rebutt. I have used it all of my life, and i lived for long enough before Frasier came along
If BN and myself use it to this day, and hear it used, maybe it is a Northern thing. Gertrude was Northern, so it would be logical for her to use it - hence she uses it
Even if it's not common - if it's still in use, how can it be incorrect to use it?