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    Differences in British and American English

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    Vũ Tuấn Anh
    The document summarizes the key differences that have developed between British and American English over time. It notes that while a common language was introduced to America by British settlers in the 16th-17th centuries, divergences have emerged due to geographic separation and the work of lexicographers like Noah Webster to standardize spellings to reflect American independence from Britain. Today some of the main differences are in vocabulary words related to transportation, bathrooms, food, and clothing. However, the document emphasizes that the languages also share many similarities and small errors in usage do not typically cause major communication barriers between Americans and Brits.

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    Differences in British and American English

    Uploaded by

    Vũ Tuấn Anh
    70 views21 pages
    The document summarizes the key differences that have developed between British and American English over time. It notes that while a common language was introduced to America by British settlers in the 16th-17th centuries, divergences have emerged due to geographic separation and the work of lexicographers like Noah Webster to standardize spellings to reflect American independence from Britain. Today some of the main differences are in vocabulary words related to transportation, bathrooms, food, and clothing. However, the document emphasizes that the languages also share many similarities and small errors in usage do not typically cause major communication barriers between Americans and Brits.

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    The document summarizes the key differences that have developed between British and American English over time. It notes that while a common language was introduced to America by British settlers in the 16th-17th centuries, divergences have emerged due to geographic separation and the work of lexicographers like Noah Webster to standardize spellings to reflect American independence from Britain. Today some of the main differences are in vocabulary words related to transportation, bathrooms, food, and clothing. However, the document emphasizes that the languages also share many similarities and small errors in usage do not typically cause major communication barriers between Americans and Brits.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    70 views21 pages

    Differences in British and American English

    Uploaded by

    Vũ Tuấn Anh
    The document summarizes the key differences that have developed between British and American English over time. It notes that while a common language was introduced to America by British settlers in the 16th-17th centuries, divergences have emerged due to geographic separation and the work of lexicographers like Noah Webster to standardize spellings to reflect American independence from Britain. Today some of the main differences are in vocabulary words related to transportation, bathrooms, food, and clothing. However, the document emphasizes that the languages also share many similarities and small errors in usage do not typically cause major communication barriers between Americans and Brits.

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    Differences in British and

    American English
    “England and America are two countries divided
    by a common language.”
    ~George Bernard Shaw
    History
    The British actually introduced the language to the
    Americas when they reached these lands by sea
    between the 16th and 17th centuries.

    At that time, spelling had not yet been standardised.


    It took the writing of the first dictionaries to set in
    stone how these words appeared.
    History
    In the UK, the dictionary was compiled by London-
    based scholars. Meanwhile, in the United States,
    the lexicographer was a man named Noah
    Webster. Allegedly, he changed how the words
    were spelled to make the American version
    different from the British as a way of showing
    cultural independence from its mother country.
    History
     In terms of speech, the differences between
    American and British English actually took place
    after the first settlers arrived in America. These
    groups of people spoke using what was called
    rhotic speech, where the ‘r’ sounds of words are
    pronounced. Meanwhile, the higher classes in
    the UK wanted to distinguish the way they spoke
    from the common masses by softening their
    pronunciation of the ‘r’ sounds. 
    History
    Since the elite even back then were
    considered the standard for being
    fashionable, other people began to copy
    their speech, until it eventually became the
    common way of speaking in the south of
    England. 
    What does this mean?

    I put on a jumper and raced to catch a lift.


    Once outside, I discovered it was dark and
    I was feeling mad. "I should have brought
    a torch," I thought. At the underground I
    bought a return ticket. "How am I going to
    get a rise from my boss?" I wondered.
    Word confusions with one meaning
    American British
    Gas Petrol
    Truck Lorry
    Bathroom Loo
    Line Queue
    Stove Hob
    Napkins Serviettes
    Eggplant Aubergine
    Zuchinni Courgette
    Translate this sentence!
    British English:
    “I was waiting in queue for the loo before getting some petrol for my lorry
    when I realized I left the hob on and the aubergines were probably burning!”

    American English:
    “I was waiting in line for the bathroom before getting some gas for my truck
    when I realized I left the stove on and the eggplant was probably burning!”
    Word confusion with multiple
    meanings
     Appetizer/Entree  Flashlight/Torch
     Bank Teller/Cashier  A Flirt/Tart
     French fries/Chips  Hood (car)/Bonnet
     Cigarette/Fag  Jello/Jelly
     Dessert/Pudding  Jelly/Jam
     Eraser/Rubber  Pants/Trousers
     Soccer/Football  Private school/Public
    school
     Sweater/Jumper
     Public School/State school
     Suspenders/Braces
     Undershirt/Vest
     Underwear/Pants
    Potentially embarrassing situations:
    “rubber”

    Eraser Condom

    “Excuse me, do you have a rubber?”


    Potentially embarrasing situations”
    “pants”

    underwear trousers

    “ My other jeans ripped, so I’ve been wearing these


    pants for the past three days!”
    Potentially confusing situations
    *If a British person
    Asks you about football…
    …they mean soccer
    Asks you bring pudding…
    …they mean dessert
    Puts on a jumper…
    …they mean a sweater
    Wears braces….
    …wears suspenders
    Wears suspenders…
    …wears garters
    Other confusing situations…
     Ask for chips in England, and you’ll get
    French Fries, not potato “crisps”
     Tell a British friend to pick up some jelly at
    the store, and they’ll bring home gelatin
    (Jell-o) not jam
    A note on schooling
    In the US, a public In England, a public
    school is government school requires
    funded tutition

    In the US, a private In England, a state


    school requires tuition school is government
    funded
    Is there really a language barrier?

    In his history of the Second World War, Winston Churchill


    records that differences in the interpretation of the verb
    "to table" caused an argument between British and
    American planners. The British wanted a matter tabled
    immediately because it was important, and the
    Americans insisted it should not be tabled at all because
    it was important. In British English, the term means "to
    discuss now" (the issue is brought to the table), whereas
    in American English it means "to defer" (the issue is left
    on the table).
    How did this divergence occur?
     The Atlantic ocean served as a major
    divide, allowing the two dialects to develop
     American English picked up words from
    Native American languages as well as from
    Dutch, Spanish, and French settlers
     Noah Webster decided to solidify and
    standardize American English in his
    dictionary
    Noah Webster
     Writer of the first American
    dictionary in 1806
     Believed that Americans’ language
    should reflect the way they spoke,
    and be distinct from British English
     Came of age during the American
    revolution, and therefore placed
    great emphasis on America’s cultural
    separation from England
     Simplified spellings of many words,
    such as ploughplow
    centrecenter colourcolor
     Added uniquely American words,
    such as squash and chowder
    The languages diverge…and converge

     The differences in the languages reached


    its peak right after the industrial revolution

     With the spread of modern technology,


    more terms are becoming common
    Final point
    While there may be certain differences
    between British and American English, the key
    takeaway is that the two have more
    similarities. Accidentally using one instead of
    the other will not automatically lead to
    miscommunication. Americans and Brits can
    usually communicate with each other without
    too much difficulty, so don’t be too hard on
    yourself if you are unable to memorise the
    nuances of both languages.
    Just for fun!

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