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Presented by

Lic. Luis Alberto Camacho Campos

cetmua@hotmail.com

THE DIFFERENCES IN AMERICAN ENGLISH AND BRITISH ENGLISH

Overview Varieties of English What do we mean by American English and British English? Importance of knowing these differences Historical background Grammatical differences Differences of vocabulary Differences of spelling Differences of pronunciation Recap Listen to an audio clip on these differences Questions

Importance of knowing the differences

The two varieties of English most widely found in print and taught around the world are British and American - it is therefore important for everybody to be aware of the major differences between the two. And while lexical differences are the easiest ones to notice, a knowledge of grammatical and phonological differences can be useful not only for teachers to be aware of, but also to be able to deal with should they come up in class.

Lack of awareness can lead to embarrassment and confusion.

Formalizing the differences

One particular contribution towards formalizing these differences came from Noah Webster , who wrote the first American dictionary (published 1828) with the intention of showing that people in the United States spoke a different dialect from Britain.

Henry Sweet predicted in 1877 that within a century, American English, Australian English and British English would be mutually unintelligible.

It may be the case that increased worldwide communication through radio, television, the Internet, and

globalization has reduced the tendency to regional variation.

What do we mean by American English and British English?

American English

American English (AmE) is the form of English used in the United State. It includes

all English dialects used within the United States of America

Regional dialects in the United States typically reflect the elements of the language of the main immigrant groups in any particular region of the country, especially in terms of pronunciation and vernacular vocabulary. Scholars have mapped at least four major regional variations of spoken American English: Northern (really north-eastern), Southern, Midland, and Western.

British English

British English also has a reasonable degree of uniformity in its formal written form. The spoken forms though vary considerably, reflecting a long history of dialect development amid isolated populations. Dialects and accents vary not only between the countries in the United Kingdom, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but also within these individual countries.

There are also differences in the English spoken by different socio-economic groups

Areas of Differences

Differences between the two include pronunciation, grammar vocabulary spelling punctuation idiomsformatting of dates and numbers

Grammatical Differences

In British English and American English

Simple past tense for present perfect

Speakers of American English generally use the present perfect tense (have/has + past participle) far less than speakers of British English. In spoken American English it is very common to use the simple past tense as an alternative in situations where the present perfect would usually have been used in British English.

EXAMPLESBRITISH ENGLISH AMERICAN ENGLISH

Have you finished your work? Did you finish your work?

I‘ve already seen that film. I already saw that film.

I‘ve just had lunch. I just had lunch.

Some more examples

BRITISH ENGLISH AMERICAN ENGLISH

  Jenny feels ill. She's eaten too much. 

Jenny feels ill. She ate too much. 

I can't find my keys. Have you seen them anywhere?

I can't find my keys. Did you see them anywhere?

A: Is Samantha here? B: No, she's just left.

A: Is Samantha here? B: No, she just left.

Some more examplesA: Can I borrow your book? B: No, I haven't read it yet

A: Can I borrow your book? B: No, I didn't read it yet.

A: Are they going to the show tonight? B: No. They've already seen it.

A: Are they going to the show tonight? B: No. They already saw it.

The verb “get”AMERICAN ENGLISH BRITISH ENGLISH

He has gotten much better at playing tennis

He has got much better at playing tennis.

Have you got/ do you have

In AmE ‘have’ and forms with do/does/did are the usual way to show possession, etc,in positive statements,negatives and questions. Have got is not used in questions but is used in positive statements,especially to emphasise that somebody has one thing rather than the other. “Does your brother have brown hair”?. “No, he has got blond hair.”

“Have you got” is the usual verb in BrE to show possession,etc, in positve statements in the present tense, in negative statements and in the questions.

have you got/ do you have

They have got a wonderful house. (BrE)

They have a wonderful house.(AmE)

Have you got a meeting today? Do you have a meeting today?

I have got no objection.I have no objection.(formal)

We don’t have a television

In British English collective nouns, (i.e. nouns referring to particular groups of people or things), (e.g. staff , government, class, team) can be followed by a singular or plural verb depending on whether the group is thought of as one idea, or as many individuals , e.g.:

My team is winning.The other team are all sitting down.In American English collective nouns are always followed by a singular verb, so an American would usually say:

Which team is losing?whereas in British English both plural and singular forms of the verb are possible, according to whether the emphasis is, respectively, on the body as a whole or on the individual members as in:

Which team is/are losing?

Collective nouns

Examples

committee was appointed the committee were unable to agree Compare also the following lines of Elvis Costello's

song "Oliver's Army": Oliver's Army are on their way / Oliver's Army is here to stay. Some of these nouns, for example staff, actually combine with plural verbs most of the time.

In AmE, collective nouns are usually singular in construction: the committee was unable to agree

the team takes their seats

The Differences of Vocabulary

In British English and American English

CLOTHESBRITISH ENGLISH AMERICAN ENGLISH

trousers pants

tie necktie

vest undershirt

waistcoat vest

nightdress nightgown

tracksuit Sweats/sweatsuit/sweatpants

Jumper sweater

Pinafore Jumper(a dress without sleeve worn over a shirt)

Wellies Boot/ galoshes

spectacles glasses

Pants Underwear/underpants/boxers

TRANSPORTATION

BRITISH AMERICAN

indicator blinker

Handbrake Emergency brake

boot trunk

Numberplate License plate

tyre tire

bonnet hood

windscreen windshield

lorries trucks

Tram( an elctric vehicle) Trolley( an electric vehicle)

accelerator Gas pedal

TRANSPORTATION

BRITISH AMERICAN

lorries trucks

coach Bus

Overtake/pull out pass

Underground subway

motorway Freeway / Highway

Wing mirror Side mirror

Gear stick Gear shift

flyover overpass

Cycle path Bicycle route

BUILDINGS

BRITISH AMERICAN

Tv aerial Tv antena

flat apartment

Block of flats Apartment buildings

pavement Sidewalk

fence Picket fence

Dustbin/ bin Garbage can/ wastebasket

elevator Lift

tap Faucet

pram Baby carriage

cooker stove

MISCELLANEOUS

BRITISH

Laundry basket

row

tin

mince

biscuit

rubber

torch

chips

handbag

AMERICAN

hamper

argument

can

Chopped beef

cookie

eraser

flashlight

fries

purse

MISCELLANEOUS

BRITISH

University

Public school

Toilet /lavotary/Gents/ Ladies/ WC/ Loo

coach

Hat stand

Notice board

trolley

cot

AMERICANcollege

Private school

Bathroom /restroom/ Washroom

Bus

Coat stand

Bulletin board

Shopping cart

Crib( a small bed for a child)

MISCELLANEOUS

BRITISH AMERICAN

banknotes bills

solicitor lawyer

Bloke/ chap guy

Mobile phone Cellular phone

post mail

football soccer

maize corn

tortoise turtle

Jam jelly

Queue line

MISCELLANEOUS

BRITISH AMERICAN

cinema Movie theatre/ movies

hoover vacuum

zip zipper

bung stopper

garden yard

Watch strap watchband

letterbox Mail slot

Frying pan skillet

worktop counter

Sources Review of Gimson, A. C. (1980). An Introduction to the

Pronunciation of English, 3rd edn., London: Edward Arnold. Review of Kenyon, John Samuel (1950). American

Pronunciation, 10th edn., Ann Arbor: George Wahr. Review of Kenyon, John S.; Thomas A. Knott (1944/1953). A

Pronouncing Dictionary of American English. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster..

Roach, Peter (2004), "British English: Received Pronunciation", Journal of the International Phonetic Association 34 (2): 239-245

Wells, J. C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 2nd edn., Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Tottie, Gunnel (2002), an introduction to american English, Blackwell. USA.

Oxford Adanced Learner’s dictionary of current English Edited by Sally Wehmeier, 2001 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English,2000

Internet Links

IPA website.www.voanews.com www.wikipedia.comwww.sciencedirect.comwww.bbc.co.uk

Thank you very much Take care