SOME OF THE MAIN DIFFERENCES • Pronunciation • Accent • Punctuation • Spelling • Words • Grammar
PRONUNCIATION
EXAMPLES • Duty American English /ˈduːti/ British English /ˈdjuːti/ • Fertile American English /ˈfɜːrtl/ British English /ˈfəːtʌɪl/ • Turn American English /tɜːrn/ British English /tɜːn/ • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nAnT3PASak
ACCENT • Both were rothic (speakers pronounced the letter R in hard) • Since 1776, the accents diverged (AmE-less drastic) • non-rhotic took off in southern England, especially among the upper class • most American accents remained rhotic (exceptions: New York, New England)
PUNCTUATION
• two major styles of English punctuation: American (commonly followed also in Canada) British (commonly followed also in Australia and New Zealand)
EXAMPLES • Titles Mr., Mrs., and Ms. - written with periods in American English, but in British English those periods are omitted • Dates in American English- 12/5/2010 in British English- 5/12/2010 • Time in American English- 12:30 in British English- 12.30
SPELLING • some spellings seen as American today were once commonly used in BrE and vice versa • Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language • Noah Webster and his An American Dictionary of the English Language
EXAMPLES BRITISH ENGLISH
• -re theatre, centre • -our colour, flavour • ll travelling • -ise authorise, realise • -ce defence, offence
AMERICAN ENGLISH
• -er theater, center • -or color, flavor •l traveling • -ize authorize, realize • -se defense, offense
SPECIFIC WORDS BRITISH ENGLISH
• catalogue • plough • tyre • cheque • programme
AMERICAN ENGLISH
• catalog • plow • tire • check • program
DIFFERENT WORDS BRITISH ENGLISH
• • • • • • • • •
flat pavement underground rubbish autumn petrol mail shop sweets
AMERICAN ENGLISH
• • • • • • • • •
apartment sidewalk subway garbage fall gas(oline) post store candy
GRAMMAR • Different tendencies • Not real differences
BRITISH ENGLISH • Has tendencies towards using: Present perfect more often than past simple I’ve lost my key. Shall for future, 1st person I shall be late. Should I demanded that he should apologise. Option: collective plural/singular The team is/are playing well.
AMERICAN ENGLISH • Has tendencies towards using: Both present perfect/past simple I have lost/lost my keys. Both will and shall for future I will/shall be late. Subjunctive I demanded that he apologize. Singular The team is playing well.
MORE EXAMPLES BRITISH ENGLISH
AMERICAN ENGLISH
• He’s just gone home. • It looks as if it’s going to rain. • He looked at me really strangely. • Her feet were sore because her shoes fitted badly.
• He just went home. • It looks like it’s going to rain. • He looked at me real strange. • Her feet were sore because her shoes fit badly.
REFERENCES • https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/usage/british-an d-american-terms • https://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/british-a merican.htm • SWAN, Michael, Practical English Usage, New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. • WEHMEIER, Sally, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.