It’s that wonderful time of year where the temperature gets cooler and the leaves begin to turn from green to brown, where we start drinking certain spiced beverages (mulled cider, of course) and wearing chunky sweaters. And once again ask ourselves: Is it called autumn or fall? I’ve always used both words interchangeably — perhaps with a preference for “fall” — but a survey of English learning forums online reveals that most British and Australian people say they use “autumn” and nothing else. Meanwhile, Americans say that they use both. One person, on a deleted Reddit account, expressed a preference for “fall” and associated “autumn” with kitschy signs with swirly script on them. According to Merriam-Webster, an American dictionary publisher, “autumn” and “fall” are used in both British and American English, but “fall” is used more by American speakers. It’s used rarely in the rest of the world, usually only as part of a phrase like “spring and fall.” The Oxford English Dictionary, which is British, takes this a step further, noting that “autumn” is the name of the season and that “fall” is an Americanism, short for “fall of the leaf.” According to the same dictionary, the word “autumn” first appeared in English around 1400 in “On the Consolation of Philosophy” by Boethius. “Fall” began to appear as the name for the season around 1550, when it was used in a manuscript by Bishop John Hooper, and became the established name of the season in North America by the 17th century. Notably, The New York Times style manual, which normally cautions against Britishisms, allows for both. The entry for “seasons” reads, “Do not capitalize spring, summer, autumn, fall or winter.” Whatever you call it, it’s the same cozy time of year all the same. I will still be drinking whatever warm beverage I can find and waiting patiently for the first flurries of winter. Solve the Midi
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