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American vs British English | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| shahvlad Newbie Belgium Joined 5300 days ago 19 posts - 38 votes | Message 1 of 25 18 June 2010 at 1:31pm | IP Logged | ||
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Hi everyone
I have a few questions for those who, like myself, are studying English as a second language. I was wondering which of the main English standards you use and why. Do you use the same standard you were taught in school? If so, which variety did they teach you? Alternatively, do you mix the two standards, preferring to pick and choose what you're most comfortable with from both varieties instead of using a particular standard? I've decided to stick with [North] American English myself. I've always preferred it to British English even though virtually all of my teachers taught me British English. One of my current English teachers swears by British English while the other generally uses Received Pronunciation but prefers American spelling and often uses American idioms. My choice for American English is motivated by rational arguments, though in part it's also a matter of comfort. I seem to have a natural tendency toward American pronunciation and I've always preferred its spelling. However, I like the UK and North America equally as much. From a Belgian point of view, British might seem to be the most logical choice given Britain's regional importance. Yet on a global scale, American is just as important and useful - if not the most important variety - since it is ubiquitous in the media, international business as well as in science and technology. I'd be very interested to hear about your own preferences and opinions on this. Keep in mind, however, that this is not meant to be a debate on which of the two is superior to the other. Though I prefer the American variety, I can build just as strong a case for the British variety. Thanks! shahvlad Edited by shahvlad on 18 June 2010 at 1:32pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| zekecoma Senior Member United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5335 days ago 561 posts - 655 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: German, Spanish | Message 2 of 25 18 June 2010 at 3:26pm | IP Logged | ||
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I live in the US, but I like the British spelling over the American spelling. As far as I
know almost all UK and US pronunciation is the same except a few different words. Colour and Color are the same pronounced. So far iirc the only ones I came across different is Aeroplane vs Airplane and Aluminum vs Aluminium. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| YoshiYoshi Senior Member China Joined 5522 days ago 143 posts - 205 votes Speaks: Mandarin* | Message 3 of 25 18 June 2010 at 3:41pm | IP Logged | ||
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No offence! Personally I've got a clear preference for British English, because the pronunciation of the King's English attracts me deeply, it usually sounds gentle, noble, and close to other Germanic languages, while American English sounds somewhat harsh to the ears, maybe just like birds are singing brightly. In fact I've ever attempted to adapt myself to American English, and persuaded myself to choose American English in view of its widespread popularity, but I eventually decided to turn my attention back to British English, though American style seems more fashionable at the moment.
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| GREGORG4000 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5514 days ago 307 posts - 479 votes Speaks: English*, Finnish Studies: Japanese, Korean, Amharic, French | Message 4 of 25 18 June 2010 at 4:04pm | IP Logged | ||
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IMO Scottish > American = RP
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| dmaddock1 Senior Member United States Joined 5424 days ago 174 posts - 426 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian, Esperanto, Latin, Ancient Greek | Message 5 of 25 18 June 2010 at 4:08pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'm American, my wife is English, and we have two sons with dual citizenship so I'm straddling that fence daily. I think most Americans would also agree that British pronunciation sounds better (obviously ignoring the regional dialects of both). IMO, the real interesting differences are the idioms.
I'm curious about how different US/UK-focused English courses would actually be, but maybe 10+ years of marriage have jaded me to the differences. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| shahvlad Newbie Belgium Joined 5300 days ago 19 posts - 38 votes | Message 6 of 25 18 June 2010 at 4:26pm | IP Logged | ||
No offense taken! I like Received Pronunciation as well despite my preference for American English. It does sound refined and cultivated. However, most Britons I've encountered don't exactly speak the way BBC news anchors do and their English sounds very dialectical to me. It usually takes me a while to adapt to their speech and sometimes I just can't figure out what they're saying. Ditto with the Irish. Overall, I find American easier to understand. General [North] American pronunciation, compared with RP, sounds more direct and 'powerful' to my ears than RP. I suppose that's why I like it better. However, I admit that some Americans do have that annoying and harsh 'cat-like' pronunciation. That, I think, is one of the disadvantages of American English - there doesn't seem to be a fixed standard. On the other hand, it gives ESL students more freedom and room for personalization, which I think of as a good thing. Edited by shahvlad on 18 June 2010 at 4:27pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| shahvlad Newbie Belgium Joined 5300 days ago 19 posts - 38 votes | Message 7 of 25 18 June 2010 at 5:00pm | IP Logged | ||
I absolutely agree that the most significant differences are found in idioms but unfortunately that's an area that never received much attention in the classroom. In secondary school they only taught us some of the most obvious and important differences concerning irregular verbs, spelling and vocabulary, e.g. 'learnt' vs 'learned', 'colour' vs 'color', 'trousers' vs 'pants'. For many people in this country that might be sufficient but for those of us having to use English professionally, like myself, I think that's just too superficial. American business letters differ from British ones in style, expressions and terminology, i.e. technical and specialized vocabulary which may be very specific to the country. An example that comes to mind is that the word for both 'barrister' and 'solicitor' in the U.S. is 'attorney' but that's not because Americans can't or don't care to distinguish between barristers and 'solicitors', it's just that it's irrelevant to them since these distinct professions don't exist in the U.S. In some contexts it's absolutely imperative that you be aware of the differences. This is just one of the reasons why I prefer to stick with one standard rather than mixing them up. Btw, I think you'll like this site - Effington Post. Edited by shahvlad on 18 June 2010 at 5:04pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Romanist Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5273 days ago 261 posts - 366 votes Studies: Italian | Message 8 of 25 18 June 2010 at 7:04pm | IP Logged | ||
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Guys, I honestly don't think it matters in the least which form of English you learn! The nuances between US-English and UK-English are pretty darned small, aren't they? Really, from the point of view of a foreign learner, I can't see that it's ever going to be a serious issue.
(BTW let's not forget there are other options too: Australian-English, Canadian-English, etc. But again, it really doesn't matter which you learn - they are all 99% the same!) 3 persons have voted this message useful |
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