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American vs British English | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| shahvlad Newbie Belgium Joined 5301 days ago 19 posts - 38 votes | Message 9 of 25 18 June 2010 at 9:08pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
But you're a native speaker, aren't you? Perhaps that's why you're downplaying the issue. Surely American and British are still one and the same language but there are considerable differences, many of which are due to historical and societal reasons. There is no such thing as an absolutely neutral international form of English so foreign language speakers are better off deciding which variety to use when dealing with others, although it is often not clear which is to be preferred. That is why I asked in this thread which variety is taught in other countries where English is not the official language, and which variety other learners prefer. Now there are very few reasons why anyone would study Australian or New Zealand English, especially if they plan on using the language professionally. That is because these varieties are very close to British English in usage, are more remote and don't have that much speakers and prestige. American English doesn't necessarily refer to U.S. English but can include Canadian English as well. At the end of the day, the American and British varieties are the only ones that really matter to ESL students. I've never encountered any European wondering whether to pick Australian or American, for instance. Edited by shahvlad on 18 June 2010 at 9:12pm 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| 2crazy Newbie United States Joined 5269 days ago 1 posts - 2 votes Studies: Korean, English* Studies: Japanese | Message 10 of 25 18 June 2010 at 11:10pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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I don't really understand why you're making a big deal about the difference between British and American English. I see your point about them using different terms for things, especially relating to professional matters, but it really isn't a big deal. I learn British terms all the time and it's no different from just learning new slang or jargon. That stuff has more to do with learning cultural nuances. And spelling difference are very minimal, you'll never be confused reading the one dialect if you know the other. After that it pretty much comes down to what you want to sound like. And chances are, if you're a non-native speaker just learning English, your English is probably going to be accented to the point where your foreign accent will mark your English out and any British or American accent would be undetectable. Of course, you can improve to point where your accent is unnoticeable, but then you would just sound like either an American or Englishman and definitely not everyone thinks an English accent is sexy or sounds "genteel" or whatever. I find most English accents neutral, and some definitely incomprehensible, but there have been times when someone's English accent seemed to sound so smarmy, arrogant, and condescending; that I just felt an urge to punch them in the face, even though I knew that they weren't any of those things. The only time I found a British accent cute is when I met a Korean girl with a Welsh accent from living there for awhile. And that was just for the novelty factor (for me, as a Korean American.) I'm pretty sure I wouldn't find anything novel about an European speaking a European language, even if it's his second, or third, or fourth...., never mind someone who's Flemish/Dutch.
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| tractor Tetraglot Senior Member Norway Joined 5445 days ago 1349 posts - 2292 votes  Speaks: Norwegian*, English, Spanish, Catalan Studies: French, German, Latin | Message 11 of 25 19 June 2010 at 12:24am | IP Logged | ||||||||
It's not a big deal. Just as the choice between Peninsular and Latin American Spanish or European and Brazilian Portuguese is not a big deal either.
This is only partly true because most non-native speakers are somewhere in between the beginner stages where the foreign accent overshadows everything else and the very advanced stages where you sound like a native. Besides, you will never reach the point where you sound like either an American or Englishman if you never settle on either accent. Edited by tractor on 19 June 2010 at 12:24am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Romanist Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5274 days ago 261 posts - 366 votes Studies: Italian | Message 12 of 25 19 June 2010 at 12:43am | IP Logged | ||||||||
IMO it is very unlikely you will ever sound "like a native" unless you spend 25 years or more living in the UK or US. There are many folks whose English is excellent, yet there are almost always little tell-tell signs if a person is non-native. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| chucknorrisman Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 5440 days ago 321 posts - 435 votes Speaks: Korean*, English, Spanish Studies: Russian, Mandarin, Lithuanian, French | Message 13 of 25 19 June 2010 at 4:07am | IP Logged | ||||||||
I use the American standard. But then, I've lived in the US for 10 years...
Interesting combination. :)
Both countries are important, but the differences are not likely to impede any comprehension. Anyways, choose whatever accent you like! I personally want to learn to speak Indian English. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| davidwelsh Heptaglot Senior Member Norway Joined 5521 days ago 141 posts - 307 votes Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, Norwegian, Esperanto, Swedish, Danish, French Studies: Polish, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Pali, Mandarin | Message 14 of 25 19 June 2010 at 8:01am | IP Logged | ||||||||
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There's an important distinction between written and spoken language here. English has two main written standards - British and American. Spoken language varies widely though, and there is no standard. Received Pronunciation is a bizarre construct based on the pronunciation of the UK's German royalty. I would even go so far as to say that the only people who really speak English with RP are non-native speakers!
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| tractor Tetraglot Senior Member Norway Joined 5445 days ago 1349 posts - 2292 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, English, Spanish, Catalan Studies: French, German, Latin | Message 15 of 25 19 June 2010 at 8:12am | IP Logged | ||||||||
Exactly the same thing can be said about almost every language. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| shahvlad Newbie Belgium Joined 5301 days ago 19 posts - 38 votes | Message 16 of 25 19 June 2010 at 11:49am | IP Logged | ||||||||
No, I am not making a big deal out of this. This thread was not meant to oppose British against American. You are a native speaker and have never been confronted with the choice non-native speakers face. If you read my initial post then you'll see I was specifically asking ESL students, i.e. non-native speakers of English, which variety they were taught in their native country and which they personally prefer to use. I think that is a legitimate question and it is not in any way meant to suggest American and British are diametrically opposed as if they were separate languages. Thanks to the other repliers who did get the point of my post. 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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