Differences Between English And British English

Abstract

This study will discuss the differences between American English and British English. In the matter of pronunciation, we will discuss rhotic accent, different pronunciations of vowels and consonant, changes of stress and changes in articulation. We will also discuss the differences in levels of spelling, grammar and vocabulary.

Introduction

In the early seventeenth century, the Americans obtained the English language through British colonization. Due to the strength of the British Empire, English language has spread to many regions of the world. Over time, English spoken in the United States and in Britain started diverging from each other in various aspects, which led to two dialects in the form of the British English and the American

Everybody knows that younger people speak differently than older people. The speech of young people tends to show more elisions than that of older people. They are more likely to experiment with language, by inventing slang, deviant expressions, idioms and spellings. Over time, these additions become part of the standard. Another contributive factor is isolation; some dialects are separated by geographical features that naturally separate people. Moreover, the existence of different regional dialects is widely recognized and often the source of some humor for those living in different regions. Mutual comprehension is favoured by the spread of the media, although American films are exported in the United Kingdom rather than the other way round.

The materials collected in this study should be sufficient to acquire a basic understanding of the main differences between American English and British English. English, as a global language spoken by so many people over the world, presents wide variation in pronunciation. However, three standard pronunciations are to be

Spelling also could be a field of differentiation between American English and British English. American spelling is economical and phonetic, this means unnecessary letters are given out and words are spelled how they sound. The skip of the letter u in 'color ' in American English is an obvious example. Moreover, another case is the deletion of the second constant letter in many words with double consonants, as in the word ' waggon-wagon '. We should also notice the replacement of –re by –er in words with French origin, such as