Anatopism: Words Out of Place

The English writer David Mitchell’s latest novel, "Utopia Avenue," is about a (fictional) late-’60s British rock band who, at various points, encounter (real-life) rock and roll figures. One scene takes place on the roof of the Chelsea Hotel in New York, where Janis Joplin gives an impromptu performance. After one song, she takes her leave because, she says, "I’ve a session tomorrow."

Chalk and Cheese

I found that piece of dialogue surprising, but at the same time not surprising. Surprising that Joplin, a native of Texas, would actually have said, "I’ve got a session" or maybe "I have a session"; the "I've a" construction is a Britishism. But not surprising because I’d already encountered a half-dozen examples in the novel of American characters using British words or phrases (and would come upon at least eight more in the remainder of the book). For example:

• Gene Clark, on quitting The Byrds: "Now it's gone, I want it back." (American English: "Now that it’s gone.")
• Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane: "Chalk and cheese." (A very British expression indicating two things very different in quality or value.)
• Frank Zappa: "Accidents are often art's best bits." (Americans would say "best parts" or "best features.")

Hey Presto

It's not only rock stars who talk this way. Other American characters in the book use the British terms "spot on," "hey presto" (all of a sudden), "chop chop" (hurry up), "the chop" (getting fired), "reckons" (figures), "eyehole" (keyhole), "carry on" (keep going), and "the till" (the cash register).

Since 2011 I've conducted a blog, Not One-Off Britishisms, dealing with British words and expressions that have been adopted by Americans, so I'm admittedly more sensitive than most to this kind of thing. But the "Utopia Avenue" examples aren't a product of that phenomenon: a half a century ago, when the book takes place, it hadn't even started yet.

Anatopism

It’s an example, rather, of a different trend: lexical anatopism in British novels with American characters. Anatopism is the equivalent of anachronism, except referring to words out of place rather than words out of time. Fiction writers should be aware...

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