It happens that in several English-language sources the same words sound or are spelled differently, and some expressions are constructed in an unusual way or are completely incomprehensible. The reason lies in the difference between British and American English. How to avoid misunderstandings and not feel embarrassed in a conversation with foreigners? It is useful to know the main differences between American English and British English - and vice versa.
Currently, English is the international universal language. It is an official language in 59 countries around the world (as of 2017), native to more than 300 million people and the most studied language in the world. Interestingly, English is one of the few languages whose number of learners is several times higher than the number of those for whom the language is native. Most modernterms, including professional ones, comes from English. More than half of the sources on the Global Web are in English.
Of course, with such a spread, it is impossible to maintain the unity of the language. Even within one country there is a variety of dialects, to say nothing of the whole world.
The most significant is the division of English into British and American English. Which are unknown to many Russian-speaking students. The following paragraph discusses the fundamental differences between American and British English.
The term "British English"
British English is not actually a separate language. The term was introduced to distinguish classical English from numerous variations, including American.
In other words, British English is the spoken and written language of England. It is also called the royal language, refined English or Oxford English. In the UK, there is no agency that monitors the purity of the language; the standard for correct spelling and pronunciation is determined by the Oxford Dictionary. As already mentioned, there are many dialects of English in the UK, including Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Gaelic and Cornish.
History of British English
Traditional English has evolved unevenly and has undergone significant changes over the centuries. It takes its origin from the languages of the Germanic tribes:Jutes, Angles, Saxons.
When the Germanic tribes settled the territory of modern England, Latin and Celtic languages gradually began to be forced out of use. Their place is taken by words that came from Old Norse. At this time, Old English was born and existed until the Norman Conquest.
The period after the Norman Conquest (Middle English, XI-XV centuries) is characterized by a significant influence of the French language and the introduction of many French words into English - in modern English, about 30% of the words are borrowed from the French language. Such a grandiose influence is due to the fact that French was considered the language of the nobility and was adopted for communication in high society, art, music, military skill, science.
The next stage in the history of the English language is early modern English (XV-XVII centuries). During this period of time, Shakespeare makes the most significant contribution to the language - he is credited with introducing more than 1,700 new words and phrases into circulation.
The date of birth of modern English is considered to be April 15, 1755 - it was on this day that the Samuel Johnson dictionary of the English language was published.
It is worth noting that the number of borrowed words in the English language is huge and exceeds the number of native English words. In addition to French and Old Norse, Spanish, Persian, German, Italian and even Russian and Japanese also influenced the formation of the language.
The concept of "American English"
American English is the most widely spoken variant of English,accepted in the United States. Native to more than 80% of Native Americans, it is in fact the official language of the United States, although it is not enshrined in the Constitution as a state language.
Origin of American English
The history of its emergence and development is directly related to the history of the United States itself.
English was brought to America by British (mostly English) colonists in the 17th and 18th centuries. At this time, the Indians lived on the continent, speaking different languages. On the territory of the modern United States, in addition to the British, conquerors from other European countries - France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Russia - massively arrived. The successful development of new lands and the arrangement of life in unexplored territories required the availability of a language that was generally accessible and understandable to all settlers. Such a variety of peoples who use English naturally contributed to its modification and simplification.
Thus, based on British English, the American version has its own characteristics and differs from the original. In addition to changes acquired from outside, modern American English has its own words that arose already in the United States - the so-called "Americanisms".
Lexical differences between American English and British
There are several types of Americanisms. These may be words that are radically different from their British counterparts or even have opposite meanings; the words,used only in the USA; obsolete in England but widespread in America; American slang, etc. Let's look at some examples.
Derivative discrepancies
Such differences include similar words that come from the same root, but are formed in a different way, for example, using different suffixes, or by simplifying, which is typical of American English.
| British | American version | translation |
| acclimatize | acclimate | acclimatize |
| anticlockwise | counterclockwise | counterclockwise |
| pyjamas | pajamas | pajamas |
| tyre | tire | tire |
| pretence | pretense | pretending |
| cheque | check | check |
| analyse | analyze | analyze |
| realyse | realyze | be aware |
Given that American English always strives for simplification, one of its features is the omission of the unpronounceable letter, whether it be a vowel or a consonant. Most often this phenomenon occurs in a combination of letters -ou, but also inherent in other words:
| British | American version | translation |
| colour | color | color |
| honour | honor | honor |
| labour | labor | labor |
| favour | favor | service |
| neighbour | neighbor | neighbor |
| maths | math | math |
| programme | program | program |
Interestingly, in the case of -l and -ll, everything is not so clear. In most words, the double -l disappears in the American version, but in some cases, on the contrary, it appears in the absence of it in the British.
| British | American version | translation |
| jewellery | jewelry | jewel |
| traveler | travel(-l)er | traveler |
| enroll | enrol | register |
| but: | ||
| fulfil | fulfill | perform |
| skilful | skillful | skillful |
Notable is also the difference in the spelling of some words borrowed from French. The traditional British version retains the French word-final -re suffix, while in the 18th century American version -re becomes -er, for example:
- centre and center (center)
- metre and meter (meter)
- litre and litr (litre)
- theatre and theater (theater), etc.
Lexical discrepancies
In addition to the differences in the spelling of similar words, there are words in British and American English that are completely different in spelling and look completely different.
Below is a list of some of the words:
| British | American version | translation |
| flat | apartment | apartment |
| autumn | fall | autumn |
| film | movie | film |
| lift | elevator | elevator |
| underground | subway | metro |
| maize | corn | corn |
| elk | moose | moose |
| biscuit | cookie | cookies |
| clever | smart | smart |
British-American homonyms
As you know, homonyms are the same in spelling, but different in meaning words. In British and American languages, there are many words that are spelled the same, but are translated into other languages differently, and sometimes oppositely. For example, pavement: in Britain it is a sidewalk, while in the USA, on the contrary, it is a pavement, a carriageway, a road.
The word pants is also of interest: in the American style it is an analogue of the British word trousers - trousers. However, you should not make a remark about the British pants, because. it will cause confusion or evenaggression, because in classical English pants means an element of underwear.
American slang
In addition to the listed lexical differences between American English and British English, one should pay attention to another characteristic feature of American English - American slang. With a constant desire for simplification, American English allows the penetration of slang words into the literary language, while this is unacceptable for British English.
An example would be the well-known expression "OK", which is used to express agreement or gratitude, as well as a statement of the fact that things are going well.
In films and songs of American origin, you can often hear the phrases "I am gonna", "I wanna", "I gotta", which have no analogue in the British version. These phrases are abbreviations for the classic constructions "I am going to", "I want to", "I have to".
Grammar differences between British and American English
British and American English are two branches of the same language, so there are no fundamental differences in grammar between them. However, there is still some difference.
Using the Present Perfect
One of the features of Americanized grammar is the use of Past Indefinite instead of Present Perfect even with adverbs of time just, already, yet. This is all connected with the same simplification of structures.
For example:
| Americanoption | British | translation |
| The movie just began. | The film has just begun. | The movie has just started. |
| She already went. | She has already gone. | She's already gone. |
| I didn't tell him yet about my new job. | I haven't told him yet about my new job. | I haven't told him about my new job yet. |
Using the verb to have in its direct meaning
Misunderstanding can cause the use of have in the meaning of "to have", "to possess".
In British affirmative, interrogative and negative sentences, the verb is used in conjunction with "got", for example:
- I have got a car. - I have a car.
- Have you got a car? - Do you have a car?
- I haven't got a car. - I don't have a car.
It is more common for the American variant to use have as a regular action verb:
- I have a car.
- Do you have a car?
- I don't have a car.
Irregular verbs
You may notice that some irregular verbs are only irregular in British English: in American English, they form the past tense by adding -ed to the word stem, as is the case with regular verbs. For example:
| British | American version | translation |
| learnt | learned | taught |
| burnt | burned | burned |
| dreamt | dreamed | dream |
Pronunciation
Significant differences between American and British English are also present in phonetics. An American accent sounds very different from traditional British English. Many classical language learners find it difficult to understand American pronunciation. This is explained by the different emphasis in some words and intonation, as well as the American manner of pronouncing vowels more concisely, which are stretched in the British version.
Another feature of American pronunciation is the pronunciation of the letter "r" following a vowel, for example, in the words car, girl, part, start.
Notable is the disappearance of the melodic sound [j] in American pronunciation: words like tune, tuesday, lune sound like "toone", "toosday", "loone".
Which option to choose to study?
The answer to this question depends on the goals and needs. There is no better or worse option; each of the languages is appropriate in its element. American English is simpler, more modern, livelier and an integral part of American culture. The British language is a classic aristocratic language worthy of royal speech and preserved in the richest heritage of English literature.
