Different between British English and American English
Abstract: This essay is going to study the lexical differences between British English and American English. The first part of the essay is going to give a brief account of the history and growth of American English. And the second part, which the emphasis will be laid upon, will make a comparison between British English and American English in regard to the spelling, pronunciation, grammar and usage. I hope that you would have a clearer recognition about the distinctions between British English and American English after reading this essay.
Key words: lexical; differences; American; British;
American English or U.S. English is the diverse form of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. It was mainly origin from British colonization English. Specifically, it was started from the establishment in 1607 of the settlement in North America which explorers called Jamestown marked the beginning of British colonization in America. At that time, American English and British English was mostly identical, which is similar to the language in Shakespeare ’s work. However, after the war of Independence in 18th century, the sense of nationality emerged, and in the field of language, it was manifested by the establishment of the American standard of English. “Noah Webster proclaimed that his countrymen had not only the right to adopt new words but were obliged to modify the language to suit the new circumstances, geographical and political, in which they were placed ” ( Zhang 213) . And in 1816, A Vocabulary, or Collection of Words and Phrases, which have been supposed to be peculiar to the United States of America, was published. And from then on, American English as a form of English language had taken root and began to influence British English. (Zhang 215)
As for the development of American English, from the early 19th century to the present time, the United States has gradually played an important role in the world. It reflected either in the First World War or on the eve of the Second World War. During those years, hundreds of thousands of scientific and technical inventions came out, which led to a great number of American words produced. Here are some American words and phrases created before the World War II: air-conditioned, immunology, pain-killer, power house; filling station, freight train, station wagon; brain trust, straw vote, TVA (Tennessee Valley Administration); chain store, jukebox, milk shake, newsreel, soda fountain. (Zhang 215) After the WWII, America’s dominant position in Western world has been confirmed. Meanwhile, its economy, science and technology have also made a rapid progress, leading to a great deal of new expressions and new meanings for existing words come into existence. While at the same time, British English was also developing its vocabulary, which became another essential factor for the differences between America English and British English.
The differences between America English and British English can mainly divided into 4 sections, including the pronunciation differences, spelling differences, grammatical differences and the different usages of words.
Firstly, it is about the different pronunciations between American English and British
English. Except for the differences of tone quality, American English also have some words which have different pronunciations from the British ones. For example, some words like bath, pass, after, path, rather, example, dance, which have the vowel sounds [ɑ:] in British English are pronounced [æ] in American English. There are about 300 words has such distinction. (Dai 123) There are also some words like borough, burrow, courage, concurrent, curry, flurry, furrow, hurricane, hurry, nourish, scurry, thorough, worry which have the vowel sounds [ʌ] in British English, but they are pronounced [ɝ] in American English. Other British words like febrile, fragile, futile, missile, puerile, tactile, virile which pronounce [ɑɪl] at the last syllable sound
[əl] or [ɪl] in American English. Further more, as to the consonants, in British English, the letter r is not pronounced before a consonant, and it is only pronounced if the next word begins with a vowel, e.g. , farm /fɑ: m/, door/dɑ:/, a member of /ə memb ər əv/; however, r is pronounced in all positions in American English. Besides, the digraph wh is pronounced /w/ in British English, while /hw/ in American English, e.g. when. (zhang 225) Further, there are also some individual words which have different phonemes, e.g. ate, depot, epoch, leisure, lieutenant, progress, schedule, tomato, vase. Beside, in regard to the stress and rhythm, there are also some distinctions between American English and British English, e.g. (Dai, 167)
As to the differences of spelling between American English and British English, most of the changes are made by Noah Webster and eminent persons like Benjamin Franklin, who proposed numerous reforms on spelling. The reforms have the tendency to simplify the spelling of words, or similar to the pronunciation. Actually, many American English spellings have been gradually accepted by British people. However, in order to prevent using British words and American words in a passage, it is still necessary for us to distinguish the different spellings. There are mainly four situations of the spelling distinctions.
Firstly, some American words tend to let their spellings correspond with their pronunciations.
E.g.defence(BrE)—defense(AmE);offence(BrE)—offense(AmE);pretence(BrE)—pret ense(AmE);realize(BrE)—realize(AmE);modernise(BrE)—modernize(AmE);practice(BrE)—practise(AmE); enquire(BrE)—inquire(AmE); gasolene(BrE)—gasoline(AmE); catalogue(BrE)-catalog(AmE);
Secondly, some American words omit the double consonant letters.
E.g.traveller(BrE)—traveler(AmE);whizz(BrE)—whiz(AmE);programme(BrE)—pro gram(AmE);waggon(BrE)—wagon(AmE);cigarette(BrE)—cigaret(AmE).
Thirdly, some American words omit the mute letters
E.g. axe (BrE)—ax (AmE); plough (BrE)—plow (AmE); good-bye (BrE)—good-by (AmE);
Fourthly, there are some individual American words which change their spelling irregularly.
E.g. pedlar (BrE)—peddler (AmE); storey (BrE)—story (AmE); sceptic (BrE)—skeptic (AmE);
Tyre(BrE)—tire(AmE);cheque(BrE)—check(AmE) ;pyjamas(BrE)—pajamas(AmE) ; smoulder(BrE)—smolder(AmE);syphoon(BrE)—siphon(AmE);
mediaeval(BrE)—medieval(AmE);aluminium(BrE)—aluminum(AmE);draught(BrE)—draft(AmE);grey(BrE)—gray(AmE); fuse (BrE)—fuze (AmE) ; speciality (BrE)—specialty(AmE); tsar(BrE)—tzar(AmE). (Lu 353)
As to the differences of grammar between American English and British English, there are very little distinctions, but there are still some regular differences. For example, some verbs have different past tenses between British and American. In British English, burnt, dreamt, dwelt, knelt, leant, learnt, spilt, spoilt are more frequently used. While in American English, burned, dreamed, dwelled, kneeled, leaned, learned, spilled, spoiled are most frequently used. Further, there are some auxiliary verbs like have, do , get have special usage in American English, for example, “have gotten” represent “have received”(I’ve just gotten a letter from her.), whereas this usage doesn’t exit in British English. However, “have ” as the meaning “own ” (Have you a book on this subject?) doesn ’t exit in American English either. There is a conversation between an American and a British, which show the distinction of grammar between American and British.
Amercian: Do you have children?
British: Yes, one a year.
Besides, we can also notice some interesting facts that for American, some nouns are usually in plurals, e.g. accommodations, sports, while are single in British, e.g. accommodation, sport. Contrary, some nouns are usually single in American English, e.g. overhead, math, but they are usually plurals in British English. And there are also some prepositions which has different usages between American English and British English.
E.g. Mary aims to become a writer. (AmE) Mary aims at becoming a writer. (BrE); Let ’s check that out. (AmE) Let’s check up on that. (BrE);
Please fill out the form. (AmE) Let ’s fill in the form. (BrE);
My plan is different than yours. (AmE) My plan is different from yours. (BrE); He starts his vacation Friday. (AmE) He starts his holidays on Friday. (BrE);
The conference begins March 1. (AmE) The conference begins on March 1. (BrE);
The swimming pool is open days from June through September. (AmE)
The swimming pool is open each day (daily) from June to September. (AmE) Is George home? (AmE) Is George at home? (BrE)
I live on Lawton Street. (AmE) I live in Lawton Street. (BrE)
Let ’s stay home this evening. (AmE) Let ’s stay at home this evening. (BrE) (Zhang 228)
Further more, there are also some differences in the usage of article
For example, with words like school, hospital, church, when the idea expressed concerns the use made of the building , the definite article is not used in BrE but used in AmE:
He has gone to school. (BrE)
He has gone to the school. (AmE) (Zhang 228)
As for the differences in the usage of vocabulary, it can be mainly divided into 2 sections. The first section is about different words in the two variants for a common
idea or object, which are called Synonymy in Lexicography. And the second section is about the same words with different meaning in the two forms of English, which are called Homonymy in English.
About the first section, there are many words have the similar or identical meaning between American and British.
E.g.
AmE BrE
Railroad railway
Engineer driver
Conductor guard
Luggage car van
Freight train goods train
Baggage luggage
Truck lorry
Windshield windscreen
Hood bonnet
Muffler silencer
Gasoline petrol
Checkers draughts
Cookie scone
Absorbent cotton cotton wool
Alumnus(of a school or university) graduate
Ball point biro
Billboard hoarding
Bar public house, pub
Booby pin hair grip
Can(as a can of soup) tin
Candy sweets
Clipping (from a newspaper or magazine) cutting
Closet cupboard
Commuter ticket season ticket
Conductor guard (train)
And there are also some word which have identical form and pronunciation, but expressing different meanings. For example, cracker means firecrackers in British English, but it means biscuit in American English; Vest in British English means undershirt, while in American English means waistcoat. Pants in American English mean socks , but in British English mean short . More interesting than that, public school means private school in British English. In British English, a skeleton in the cupboard means family scandal, but it means the wall chest in the kitchen in America.
Conclusion
Through the study of the differences between British English and American English, I found that the two forms of English mainly have 4 varieties of differences, including the pronunciation, spelling, grammar and the usage of words. And I can
have a clearer recognition of the distinctions of the two items after the study, which will prevent me from making some mistakes in English writing and also communication with either Americans or British.
Bibliography
Wang rongpei (2006), An advanced Reader of English Lexicology, Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press
Zhang yunwen (2012), An Introduction to Modern English Lexicology, Beijing: Beijing Normal University Press
Lu xiaojuan (2001), A Survey of English Lexicology, Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press
Wang rongpei (2002), An advanced Course of English Lexicology, Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press
伤不起的裤子：爆笑美式英语VS 英式英语
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/language_tips/auvideo/2012-06/04/content_15471574.htm
美国英语
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%BE%8E%E5%9B%BD%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD
Different between British English and American English
Abstract: This essay is going to study the lexical differences between British English and American English. The first part of the essay is going to give a brief account of the history and growth of American English. And the second part, which the emphasis will be laid upon, will make a comparison between British English and American English in regard to the spelling, pronunciation, grammar and usage. I hope that you would have a clearer recognition about the distinctions between British English and American English after reading this essay.
Key words: lexical; differences; American; British;
American English or U.S. English is the diverse form of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. It was mainly origin from British colonization English. Specifically, it was started from the establishment in 1607 of the settlement in North America which explorers called Jamestown marked the beginning of British colonization in America. At that time, American English and British English was mostly identical, which is similar to the language in Shakespeare ’s work. However, after the war of Independence in 18th century, the sense of nationality emerged, and in the field of language, it was manifested by the establishment of the American standard of English. “Noah Webster proclaimed that his countrymen had not only the right to adopt new words but were obliged to modify the language to suit the new circumstances, geographical and political, in which they were placed ” ( Zhang 213) . And in 1816, A Vocabulary, or Collection of Words and Phrases, which have been supposed to be peculiar to the United States of America, was published. And from then on, American English as a form of English language had taken root and began to influence British English. (Zhang 215)
As for the development of American English, from the early 19th century to the present time, the United States has gradually played an important role in the world. It reflected either in the First World War or on the eve of the Second World War. During those years, hundreds of thousands of scientific and technical inventions came out, which led to a great number of American words produced. Here are some American words and phrases created before the World War II: air-conditioned, immunology, pain-killer, power house; filling station, freight train, station wagon; brain trust, straw vote, TVA (Tennessee Valley Administration); chain store, jukebox, milk shake, newsreel, soda fountain. (Zhang 215) After the WWII, America’s dominant position in Western world has been confirmed. Meanwhile, its economy, science and technology have also made a rapid progress, leading to a great deal of new expressions and new meanings for existing words come into existence. While at the same time, British English was also developing its vocabulary, which became another essential factor for the differences between America English and British English.
The differences between America English and British English can mainly divided into 4 sections, including the pronunciation differences, spelling differences, grammatical differences and the different usages of words.
Firstly, it is about the different pronunciations between American English and British
English. Except for the differences of tone quality, American English also have some words which have different pronunciations from the British ones. For example, some words like bath, pass, after, path, rather, example, dance, which have the vowel sounds [ɑ:] in British English are pronounced [æ] in American English. There are about 300 words has such distinction. (Dai 123) There are also some words like borough, burrow, courage, concurrent, curry, flurry, furrow, hurricane, hurry, nourish, scurry, thorough, worry which have the vowel sounds [ʌ] in British English, but they are pronounced [ɝ] in American English. Other British words like febrile, fragile, futile, missile, puerile, tactile, virile which pronounce [ɑɪl] at the last syllable sound
[əl] or [ɪl] in American English. Further more, as to the consonants, in British English, the letter r is not pronounced before a consonant, and it is only pronounced if the next word begins with a vowel, e.g. , farm /fɑ: m/, door/dɑ:/, a member of /ə memb ər əv/; however, r is pronounced in all positions in American English. Besides, the digraph wh is pronounced /w/ in British English, while /hw/ in American English, e.g. when. (zhang 225) Further, there are also some individual words which have different phonemes, e.g. ate, depot, epoch, leisure, lieutenant, progress, schedule, tomato, vase. Beside, in regard to the stress and rhythm, there are also some distinctions between American English and British English, e.g. (Dai, 167)
As to the differences of spelling between American English and British English, most of the changes are made by Noah Webster and eminent persons like Benjamin Franklin, who proposed numerous reforms on spelling. The reforms have the tendency to simplify the spelling of words, or similar to the pronunciation. Actually, many American English spellings have been gradually accepted by British people. However, in order to prevent using British words and American words in a passage, it is still necessary for us to distinguish the different spellings. There are mainly four situations of the spelling distinctions.
Firstly, some American words tend to let their spellings correspond with their pronunciations.
E.g.defence(BrE)—defense(AmE);offence(BrE)—offense(AmE);pretence(BrE)—pret ense(AmE);realize(BrE)—realize(AmE);modernise(BrE)—modernize(AmE);practice(BrE)—practise(AmE); enquire(BrE)—inquire(AmE); gasolene(BrE)—gasoline(AmE); catalogue(BrE)-catalog(AmE);
Secondly, some American words omit the double consonant letters.
E.g.traveller(BrE)—traveler(AmE);whizz(BrE)—whiz(AmE);programme(BrE)—pro gram(AmE);waggon(BrE)—wagon(AmE);cigarette(BrE)—cigaret(AmE).
Thirdly, some American words omit the mute letters
E.g. axe (BrE)—ax (AmE); plough (BrE)—plow (AmE); good-bye (BrE)—good-by (AmE);
Fourthly, there are some individual American words which change their spelling irregularly.
E.g. pedlar (BrE)—peddler (AmE); storey (BrE)—story (AmE); sceptic (BrE)—skeptic (AmE);
Tyre(BrE)—tire(AmE);cheque(BrE)—check(AmE) ;pyjamas(BrE)—pajamas(AmE) ; smoulder(BrE)—smolder(AmE);syphoon(BrE)—siphon(AmE);
mediaeval(BrE)—medieval(AmE);aluminium(BrE)—aluminum(AmE);draught(BrE)—draft(AmE);grey(BrE)—gray(AmE); fuse (BrE)—fuze (AmE) ; speciality (BrE)—specialty(AmE); tsar(BrE)—tzar(AmE). (Lu 353)
As to the differences of grammar between American English and British English, there are very little distinctions, but there are still some regular differences. For example, some verbs have different past tenses between British and American. In British English, burnt, dreamt, dwelt, knelt, leant, learnt, spilt, spoilt are more frequently used. While in American English, burned, dreamed, dwelled, kneeled, leaned, learned, spilled, spoiled are most frequently used. Further, there are some auxiliary verbs like have, do , get have special usage in American English, for example, “have gotten” represent “have received”(I’ve just gotten a letter from her.), whereas this usage doesn’t exit in British English. However, “have ” as the meaning “own ” (Have you a book on this subject?) doesn ’t exit in American English either. There is a conversation between an American and a British, which show the distinction of grammar between American and British.
Amercian: Do you have children?
British: Yes, one a year.
Besides, we can also notice some interesting facts that for American, some nouns are usually in plurals, e.g. accommodations, sports, while are single in British, e.g. accommodation, sport. Contrary, some nouns are usually single in American English, e.g. overhead, math, but they are usually plurals in British English. And there are also some prepositions which has different usages between American English and British English.
E.g. Mary aims to become a writer. (AmE) Mary aims at becoming a writer. (BrE); Let ’s check that out. (AmE) Let’s check up on that. (BrE);
Please fill out the form. (AmE) Let ’s fill in the form. (BrE);
My plan is different than yours. (AmE) My plan is different from yours. (BrE); He starts his vacation Friday. (AmE) He starts his holidays on Friday. (BrE);
The conference begins March 1. (AmE) The conference begins on March 1. (BrE);
The swimming pool is open days from June through September. (AmE)
The swimming pool is open each day (daily) from June to September. (AmE) Is George home? (AmE) Is George at home? (BrE)
I live on Lawton Street. (AmE) I live in Lawton Street. (BrE)
Let ’s stay home this evening. (AmE) Let ’s stay at home this evening. (BrE) (Zhang 228)
Further more, there are also some differences in the usage of article
For example, with words like school, hospital, church, when the idea expressed concerns the use made of the building , the definite article is not used in BrE but used in AmE:
He has gone to school. (BrE)
He has gone to the school. (AmE) (Zhang 228)
As for the differences in the usage of vocabulary, it can be mainly divided into 2 sections. The first section is about different words in the two variants for a common
idea or object, which are called Synonymy in Lexicography. And the second section is about the same words with different meaning in the two forms of English, which are called Homonymy in English.
About the first section, there are many words have the similar or identical meaning between American and British.
E.g.
AmE BrE
Railroad railway
Engineer driver
Conductor guard
Luggage car van
Freight train goods train
Baggage luggage
Truck lorry
Windshield windscreen
Hood bonnet
Muffler silencer
Gasoline petrol
Checkers draughts
Cookie scone
Absorbent cotton cotton wool
Alumnus(of a school or university) graduate
Ball point biro
Billboard hoarding
Bar public house, pub
Booby pin hair grip
Can(as a can of soup) tin
Candy sweets
Clipping (from a newspaper or magazine) cutting
Closet cupboard
Commuter ticket season ticket
Conductor guard (train)
And there are also some word which have identical form and pronunciation, but expressing different meanings. For example, cracker means firecrackers in British English, but it means biscuit in American English; Vest in British English means undershirt, while in American English means waistcoat. Pants in American English mean socks , but in British English mean short . More interesting than that, public school means private school in British English. In British English, a skeleton in the cupboard means family scandal, but it means the wall chest in the kitchen in America.
Conclusion
Through the study of the differences between British English and American English, I found that the two forms of English mainly have 4 varieties of differences, including the pronunciation, spelling, grammar and the usage of words. And I can
have a clearer recognition of the distinctions of the two items after the study, which will prevent me from making some mistakes in English writing and also communication with either Americans or British.
Bibliography
Wang rongpei (2006), An advanced Reader of English Lexicology, Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press
Zhang yunwen (2012), An Introduction to Modern English Lexicology, Beijing: Beijing Normal University Press
Lu xiaojuan (2001), A Survey of English Lexicology, Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press
Wang rongpei (2002), An advanced Course of English Lexicology, Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press
伤不起的裤子：爆笑美式英语VS 英式英语
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/language_tips/auvideo/2012-06/04/content_15471574.htm
美国英语
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%BE%8E%E5%9B%BD%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD