Publicado:
15 de septiembre 2017
British Vs American English
Hannah Lucy Acton
Asistente de Inglés
As with the Spanish language, the English language also varies greatly depending on the country or region where it’s being spoken. What are the main differences between British and American English? Key variations are in grammar, vocabulary, spelling and also pronunciation. Most of the differences between the two languages are fairly minor and in today’s increasingly globalised world, the differences are becoming less and less noticeable.
There are some popular explanations for this… mainly the fact that in the UK there are is a lot of influence from US TV programs: think Greys Anatomy, The Big Bang Theory and Orange is The New Black to name just a few! Brits watch these TV shows and use the American vocabulary as their own, making it a part of the British language. Another area where American English is particularly dominant is in the business scene, so watch out British businessmen! You may be acquiring an American twang!
There are too many differences to fit them all in one article, but let’s take a look at a few of the noticeable variations in vocabulary and spelling to get us started!
Varying Vocabulary
There are several words which differ between British and American English. Give this short text a read to see a few of the different lexical choices that we have.
A Day in the Life of Someone in the US
I woke up early this morning a made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (PB & J) for breakfast. Then, I took a shower and threw on some pants and a t-shirt. I heard the garbage truck coming down the street, so I threw on my sneakers (or tennis shoes if you live in the south of the US) and took the garbage out. I went back into the house and grabbed my stuff before I threw it in the trunk of my car, put my kids in the back, drove down the highway and dropped them off at kindergarten. I kept driving until I arrived at the parking lot near my work. I jumped out the car and rushed down the sidewalk as I was running a little late. I hurried past the mall and arrived to work, but once I got inside the building I realized that the elevator was broken, so I took the stairs.
A Day in the Life of Someone in the UK
I woke up early this morning and made myself some jam on toast for breakfast. Then, I had a shower and threw on some trousers and a t-shirt. I heard the bin lorry coming down the road, so I put my trainers on and took the rubbish out. I went back into the house and grabbed my stuff before I threw it into the boot of the car, put my children in the back, drove down the motorway and dropped them off at nursery school. I carried on driving until I arrived at the car park nearest to my work. I jumped out of my car and rushed down the pavement as I was running a little late. I hurried past the shopping centre and arrived to work, but once I got inside the building I realised that the lift was broken, so I took the stairs.
You see? There are a lot of differences in vocabulary that you may not even have considered before! Is either paragraph “more” correct? No! Not at all!
Strenuous Spelling
So you may now be aware that the English language may not be as simple as it seems in terms of vocabulary, but did you know that there are some words which speakers of both British and American English use but spell differently? These spelling rules can seem a little complicated at first, but you'll soon become accustomed to the differences. Or, if you are like me, you have become so used to the two spellings that you are not quite sure which one you are using anymore!
| British example |
British Spelling |
American Spelling |
American example |
| The centre of the chocolate cake is moist. |
--re |
--er |
The center of the “pastel de pollo” was very dry. |
| American spelling causes offence in the UK. |
--nce |
--nse |
British English causes offense in the US. |
| The British realise that that a lot of American words are entering British English because of American TV. |
--ise |
--ize |
I didn’t realize there were so many differences between British and American English! |
| My neighbour is always using American slang. |
--our |
--or |
My neighbor lived in the UK for ten years. |
Generally, the spelling and grammar rules that you use and the vocabulary that you acquire will depend upon where in the world you are learning English, but don't be afraid. Pay attention to these rules and be consistent with your use of either British or American English, and you'll be sure to succeed! Don’t forget, if you have questions about the differences in the language, then pop into any of the three campus RosEA offices and ask us!