Differences between american and british english

MINISTRY OF HIGHER AND SECONDARY SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN

 

GULISTAN STATE UNIVERSITY

 

The English and Literature Department

 

Qualification work on speciality English philology

 

on the theme:

“Differences between American English and British English”

 

 

Supervisor: ___________

 

Gulistan 2008

 

I. Introduction

 

 

1.1 General American

 

 

In the early part of the seventeenth century English settlers began to bring their language to America, and another series of changes began to take place. The settlers borrowed words from Indian languages for such strange trees as the hickory and persimmon, such unfamiliar animals as raccoons and woodchucks. Later they borrowed other words from settlers from other countries - for instance, chowder and prairie from the French, scow and sleigh from the Dutch. They made new combinations of English words, such as backwoods and bullfrog, or gave old English words entirely new meanings, such as lumber (which in British English means approximately junk) and corn (which in British means any grain, especially wheat). Some of the new terms were needed, because there were new and un-English things to talk about. Others can be explained only on the general theory that languages are always changing, and American English is no exception.

 

Aside from the new vocabulary, differences in pronunciation, in grammatical construction, and especially in intonation developed. If the colonization had taken place a few centuries earlier, American might have become as different from English as French is from Italian. But the settlement occurred after the invention of printing, and continued through a period when the idea of educating everybody was making rapid progress. For a long time most of the books read in America came from England, and a surprising number of Americans read those books, in or out of school. Moreover, most of the colonists seem to have felt strong ties with England. In this they were unlike their Anglo-Saxon ancestors, who apparently made a clean break with their continental homes. The problem of the theme is that the problem of the theme is that: A good many Englishmen and some Americans used to condemn every difference that did develop, and as recently as a generation ago it was not unusual to hear all “Americanisms”  condemned, even in America. It is now generally recognized in this country that we are not bound to the Queen's English, but have a full right to work out our own habits. Even a good many of the English now concede this, though some of them object strongly to the fact that Americanisms are now having an influence on British usage.

 

The aim of the theme is to study deeply the differences of American and British English. There are thousands of differences in detail between British and American English, and occasionally they crowd together enough to make some difficulty. If you read that a man, having trouble with his lorry, got out his spanner and lifted the bonnet to see what was the matter, you might not realize that the driver of the truck had taken out his wrench and lifted the hood. It is amusing to play with such differences, but the theory that the American language is now essentially different from English does not hold up. It is often very difficult to decide whether a book was written by an American or an English man. Even in speech it would be hard to prove that national differences are greater than some local differences in either country. On the whole, it now seems probable that the language habits of the two countries will grow more, rather than less, alike, although some differences will undoubtedly remain and others may develop.

 

It also seems probable that there will be narrow-minded and snobbish people in both countries for some time to come. But generally speaking, anybody who learnsto speak and write the standard English of his own country, and to regard that of the other country as a legitimate variety with certain interesting differences, will have little trouble wherever he goes. General American--like the British Received Pronunciation as well as most standard language varieties of many other societies--was never the accent of the entire nation. Rather, it is most closely related to a generalized Midwestern accent and is spoken particularly by many newscasters, in part because the national broadcasters preferred to hire people who exhibited similar speech. Famous news anchor Walter Cronkite is a good example of a broadcaster using this accent. Since Cronkite was born in Missouri, and spent his first dozen years there, some assumed that General American was the regional accent of the state, although Cronkite's teen years were spent in Texas, which is not known for having "accentless" speakers. General American is sometimes promoted as preferable to other regional accents; in the United States, classes promising "accent reduction" generally attempt to teach speech patterns similar to this accent.

 

The well-known television journalist Linda Ellerbee, who worked hard early in her career to eliminate a Texas accent, stated, "in television you are not supposed to sound like you're from anywhere." Some sources[attribution needed] F.R.Palmer. Semantics. A new outline. - M. V.Sh. 1982 suggest this is less true today than it was formerly. GeneralAmerican is also the accent generally taught to individuals from other countries learning English as a second language in the United States, as well as outside the country to anyone who wishes to learn "American English."

 

II. Main part

 

 

2.1 Pronunciation symbols

 

 

The symbols used to render pronunciations are those that are used in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition (1992). These symbols are phonemic rather than phonetic. That is, they are designed to help you distinguish meaningful units of sound, such as the difference between cat and cad or pat and pet. They are not designed to represent the specific pronunciation of any individual or of any particular speech community. Thus they allow people from different speech communities to pronounce words correctly in their native dialect. In the discussions that follow, the term long vowel can refer to any of the following sounds: ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), (a), and ( ); it can also refer to the diphthongs (ou) and (oi). The term short vowel can refer to any of these sounds: ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), and ( ). A full pronunciation key can be found at Pronunciation Symbols.

 

1. a

 

2. aberrant

 

3. acumen

 

4. -ade

 

5. aerate

 

6. affluence affluent

 

7. -age

 

8. agoraphobia

 

9. ague

 

10. albumen albumin

 

11. alms

 

12. alumni alumnae

 

13. analogous

 

14. anesthetist

 

15. angina

 

16. Antarctic

 

17. apartheid

 

18. aplomb

 

19. arctic / Arctic

 

20. argot

 

21. ask

 

22. assimilation

 

23. asterisk

 

24. athlete

 

25. auxiliary

 

26. banal

 

27. barbiturate

 

28. blackguard

 

29. boatswain

 

30. bogeyman

 

31. bouquet

 

32. bowline

 

33. breeches

 

34. brooch

 

35. bulimia

 

36. buoy

 

37. C

 

38. cabal

 

39. cache

 

40. cadre

 

41. catacomb

 

42. Celt / Celtic

 

43. centenary

 

44. cerebral

 

45. Ch

 

46. choleric

 

47. clique

 

48. clothes

 

49. colander

 

50. comptroller

 

51. conch

 

52. coupon

 

53. covert

 

54. culinary

 

55. dais

 

56. debacle

 

57. deify / deity

 

58. demagogic demagogy

 

59. despicable

 

60. desultory

 

61. diphtheria

 

62. diphthong

 

63. disastrous

 

64. disparate

 

65. dissect

 

66. dissimilation

 

67. doughty

 

68. dour

 

69. dwarf

 

70. ebullience ebullient

 

71. -ed

 

72. either

 

73. envelope

 

74. environment

 

75. epoch

 

76. err

 

77. escalator

 

78. escape

 

79. espresso / expresso

 

80. et cetera

 

81. exquisite

 

82. February

 

83. flaccid

 

84. forecastle

 

85. formidable

 

86. forte

 

87. fulminant fulminate

 

88. fulsome

 

89. fungi

 

90. G

 

91. genealogy

 

92. genuine

 

93. genus

 

94. gerrymander

 

95. gibberish

 

96. governor

 

97. grievous

 

98. gunwale

 

99. H

 

100. harass

 

101. hegemony

 

102. height

 

103. heinous

 

104. herb

 

105. hoof

 

106. hovel / hover

 

107. impious

 

108. inherence / inherent

 

109. integral

 

110. interest

 

111. intrusion

 

112. inveigle

 

113. jewelry

 

114. junta

 

115. juvenilia

 

116. kerchief

 

117. kilometer

 

118. kudos

 

119. L

 

120. lasso

 

121. leeward

 

122. leisure

 

123. length

 

124. library

 

125. lived

 

126. lower / lour

 

127. machinate

 

128. mainsail

 

129. mauve

 

130. mayoral

 

131. metathesis

 

132. millenary

 

133. mineralogy

 

134. mischievous

 

135. moot

 

136. mores

 

137. naphtha naphthalene

 

138. neither

 

139. niche

 

140. nuclear

 

141. often

 

142. ophthalmia

 

143. -or

 

144. panegyric

 

145. penalize

 

146. poinsettia

 

147. portentous

 

148. posthumous

 

149. potpourri

 

150. primer

 

151.pronunciation spelling

 

152. prosody

 

153. pumpkin

 

154. quark

 

155. quasi

 

156. quay

 

157. quixotic

 

158. ration

 

159. Realtor

 

160. remonstrate

 

161. renaissance Renaissance

 

162. renege

 

163. renown

 

164. ribald

 

165. roof

 

166. row

 

167. sarcophagi

 

168. scarify

 

169. schism

 

170. scone

 

171. secretive

 

172. sheik

 

173. shone

 

174. similar

 

175. sloth

 

176. sonorous

 

177. spelling pronunciation

 

178. spontaneity

 

179. strength

 

180. the

 

181. tomato

 

182. topgallant topmast topsail

 

183. trauma

 

184. troth

 

185. valet

 

186. vase

 

187. victual

 

188. whilst

 

189. wizen

 

190. Xmas

 

191. zoo- / zo-

 

2.2 Pronunciation Challenges

 

 

Pronunciation Challenges Confusions and Controversy Differences Between American and British English

 

While there are certainly many more varieties of English, American and British English are the two varieties that are taught in most ESL/EFL F.R.Palmer. Semantics. A new outline. - M. V.Sh. 1982 programs. Generally, it is agreed that no one version is "correct" however, there are certainly preferences in use. The most important rule of thumb is to try to be consistent in your usage. If you decide that you want to use American English spellings then be consistent in your spelling (i.e. The color of the orange is also its flavour - color is American spelling and flavour is British), this is of course not always easy - or possible. The following guide is meant to point out the principal differences between these two varieties of English.

 

2.2.1 Use of the Present Perfect

 

In British English the present perfect is used to express an action that has occurred in the recent past that has an effect on the present moment. For example:

 

I've lost my key. Can you help me look for it?

 

In American English the following is also possible:

 

I lost my key. Can you help me look for it?

 

In British English the above would be considered incorrect. However, both forms are generally accepted in standard American English. Other differences involving the use of the present perfect in British English and simple past in American English include already, just and yet.

 

British English:

 

I've just had lunch

 

I've already seen that film

 

Have you finished your homework yet?

 

American English:

 

I just had lunch OR I've just had lunch

 

I've already seen that film OR I already saw that film.

 

Have your finished your homework yet? OR Did you finish your homework yet?

 

2.2.2 Possession

 

There are two forms to express possession in English. Have or Have got

 

Do you have a car?

 

Have you got a car?

 

He hasn't got any friends.

 

He doesn't have any friends.

 

She has a beautiful new home.

 

She's got a beautiful new home.

 

While both forms are correct (and accepted in both British and American English), have got (have you got, he hasn't got, etc.) is generally the preferred form in British English while most speakers of American English employ the have (do you have, he doesn't have etc.) London I. Martin Eden. - М., 1954

 

2.2.3 The Verb Get

 

The past participle of the verb get is gotten in American English. Example He's gotten much better at playing tennis. British English - He's got much better at playing tennis.

 

2.2.4 Vocabulary

 

Probably the major differences between British and American English lies in the choice of vocabulary. Some words mean different things in the two varieties for example:

 

Mean: (American English - angry, bad humored, British English - not generous, tight fisted)

 

Rubber: (American English - condom, British English - tool used to erase pencil markings)

 

There are many more examples (too many for me to list here). If there is a difference in usage, your dictionary will note the different meanings in its definition of the term. Many vocabulary items are also used in one form and not in the other. One of the best examples of this is the terminology used for automobiles.

 

American English - hood British English - bonnet

 

American English - trunk British English - boot

 

American English - truck British English - lorry

 

Once again, your dictionary should list whether the term is used in British English or American English.

 

For a more complete list of the vocabulary differences between British and American English use this British vs. American English vocabulary tool.

 

2.2.5 Prepositions

 

There are also a few differences in preposition use including the following:

 

American English - on the weekend British English - at the weekend

 

American English - on a team British English - in a team

 

American English - please write me soon British English - please write to me soon

 

2.2.6 Past Simple/Past Participles

 

The following verbs have two acceptable forms of the past simple/past participle in both American and British English, however, the irregular form is generally more common in British English (the first form of the two) and the regular form is more common to American English.

 

Burn Burnt OR burned

 

Dream dreamt OR dreamed

 

Lean leant OR leaned

 

Learn learnt OR learned

 

Smell smelt OR smelled

 

Spell spelt OR spelled

 

Spill spilt OR spilled

 

Spoil spoilt OR spoiled

 

2.2.7 Spelling

 

Here are some general differences between British and American spellings:

 

Words ending in -or (American) -our (British) color, color, humor, humor, flavor, flavor etc.

 

Words ending in -ize (American) -ise (British) recognize, recognize, patronize, patronize etc.