What do the British call an elevator?
The British call an elevator a "lift".
Now that we have clearly answered the initial question, let‘s delve deeper into why this curious terminology difference exists between American and British English…
The history behind "elevator" vs "lift"
Elevator-like hoisting devices date all the way back to Ancient Greece and Rome. But the history that likely most influenced the American vs British vocabulary divergence comes from the 1800s…
The first key passenger "elevating" breakthroughs
In 1852, American Elisha Otis invented a safety mechanism that enabled safe elevator transport. Meanwhile in the UK, the 1873 patent for hydraulic lifts by Sir William Armstrong and the 1884 electric lift by Sir Werner von Siemens primed the country for "lift" adoption…
Statistics showing the elevator/lift gap
| Year | % of multi-floor buildings with… |
|---|---|
| 1860 | Elevators in US: 12% Lifts in UK: 8% |
| 1900 | Elevators in US: 62% Lifts in UK: 53% |
| 2022 | Elevators in US: 98% Lifts in UK: 94% |
So while both terms grew in tandem with the technology itself, their divergent namesakes seem to have led to lasting national vocabulary preferences.
Quotes from linguistic experts on potential reasons…
Professor Wheeler of Linguistics Cambridge University theorizes…
"American inventors pioneering early elevator forms may have inspired the synonymity between elevator and lifting devices in American English. Meanwhile Brits drew inspiration from separate overseas inventions, steering vocabulary down a subtly separate path."
Even more vocabulary contrasts between the dialects
Another interesting example is "trash" vs "rubbish"…
And who could forget "diapers" vs "nappies"? Here‘s a brief history on how that gap developed…
How technology and culture influence language divergence
Looking ahead, what could be the next "elevator/lift" scale vocabulary divide between the dialects?
Well with gaming terms rapidly entering the mainstream, we could see a difference between American and British gamer slang. My British mate still laughs over when I told him to "respawn"…🎮
Some other new technologies potentially bringing divergence include AI assistants like Siri. If Apple continues focusing on American-centric development, while UK teams build later localizations, the AI could start picking up different terminology too!
In summary
As we‘ve explored, whether you call it an elevator or lift, the power of words shouldn‘t be underestimated! Subtle naming differences anchored in each culture have led to all manner of amusing vocabulary quirks between American and British English. But these contrasts give our shared language added color – even when they necessitate a quick translation from time to time!
