Tomas Havlicek - British
english vs. American
english
Even though there was once only "one
english" during the centuries the American and British
english became quite different in many aspects. Americans and Britons can certainly understand each other without any problems and the differences can only sometimes cause minor confusion or amusement. For the students studying
english as a foreign language this can however sometimes cause a lot of problems. In some countries is preferred the British
english and in some others the American
english, but the preference is quite individual and can differ from school to school or from
teacher to
teacher. For students this may cause problems understanding spoken or written
english. I suppose that the best, but not simplest, solution would be to teach both "versions" because none of them is correct or wrong. For students this would however mean an extra work and since learning foreign language is difficult enough not many
teachers or schools want to deal with this issue.
I would like to sate some of the important differences according to the several sources I found:
1) Different spelling
American
english X British
english
color X colour
fulfill X fulfil
center X centre
analyze X analyse
aging X ageing
dialog X dialogue
anesthesia X anaesthesia
2) Prepositions:
American
english - on the weekend X British
english - at the weekend
American
english - on a team X British
english - in a team
Source: http://www.diffen.com/difference/American_
english_vs_British_
english
3) Grammar difference:
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?
4) 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.
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.)
5) 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
Source: http://
esl.about.com/od/toeflieltscambridge/a/dif_ambrit.htm
5) Vocabulary
British
english X American
english
anti-clockwise X counter-clockwise
articulated lorry X trailer truck
autumn X autumn, fall
bill (restaurant) X bill, check
block of flats X apartment building
boot X trunk
bumper (car) X bumper, fender
car park X parking lot
chemist's shop X drugstore, pharmacy
chest of drawers X dresser, chest of drawers
chips fries X
french fries
the cinema X the movies
crisps X potato chips
cupboard X cupboard (in kitchen); closet (for clothes etc)
driving licence X driver's license
dummy (for baby) X pacifier
dustman X garbage collector
estate agent X real estate agent
flat tyre X flat tire
high street X main street
holiday X vacation
lift X elevator
main road X highway
maize X corn
maths X math
motorbike X motorcycle
nappy X diaper
pavement X sidewalk
petrol X gas, gasoline
post X mail
postbox X mailbox
postcode X zip code
public toilet X rest room
railway X railroad
return (ticket) X round-trip
rubber X eraser
solicitor X lawyer, attorney
timetable X schedule
tin X can
tube (train) X subway
underground (train)X subway
vest X undershirt
waistcoat X vest
wellington boots X rubber boots, rain boots
Source: http://www.
englishclub.com/vocabulary/british-american.htm