What is the difference between American English and British English?

All the differences between British English and American English

It has only been more than three hundred years since English truly became the language of the British. English as we know it developed from the Anglo-Saxon dialects in southern Britain around 1400 AD. There are also many letters in it, borrowed from the French spoken by the Normans who conquered England in 1066 AD. Wales, Scotland and Ireland were separate countries at the time. The languages ??spoken by the people are Celtic languages. At that time, Europeans did not know that North America existed; therefore, the language used by European scholars was Latin, and it took about 300 years for English to truly become the native language of the British. Everyone who has been exposed to English knows that English is a language originated from the United Kingdom. It is not only the language of the United Kingdom, but also the language of various English-speaking countries. These include the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. But since World War II, many countries have become colonies of English-speaking countries, and English has spread all over the world, and its scope of use is no longer limited to these English-speaking countries. Today, English can be said to have become a worldwide language. Of course, internationally, it has become the most common language and communication tool among different countries and nations. Especially in business, the enthusiasm of English is unquestionable. Because English is used as a mother tongue, second language, or foreign language and is used in administration, education, and business, English has developed into a form that is characteristic of various regions and peoples. There are two points worth mentioning as English has expanded its usage: First, the rapid development of science and technology in the past fifty years has resulted in a large amount of knowledge being published in English. Therefore, English has become the superior scientific language, and many people learn English in order to be able to access specialized scientific literature; secondly, English has become one of the main languages ??for international conferences, organizations, and publications. According to J. Donald Bowen, the author of the article "Trends of Foreign English", it is estimated that among the people who use English in the world, 300 million people are native speakers of English, and there are still another 300 million people who speak English as their second language. language, or converse with people in English when necessary. In order to better understand the differences between American English and British English, there are two reasons why we should emphasize the number of people using English and the cosmopolitan nature of English. First, English is not the only specialty of Americans or British, or their native English speakers. In addition, the more people speak English, the wider its geographical distribution. In the eyes of ordinary people, Britain is a very strict country. British people seem to be very strict and disciplined in their dress, dining etiquette, and work. Therefore, the public also has the same concept of British language and feels that British English is a rigorous language. The United States is a country composed of British immigrants. Its founding time is relatively short. Therefore, in people's impressions, the United States and the United Kingdom are very different. Americans are more enthusiastic and do whatever they want, so Americans should do the same when they speak. In American English, there are many very colloquial dialects and slangs. Just like our native Hokkien in Taiwan, there are many interesting slangs. Some people may think that adding some dialects and slangs to English conversations will make people Feeling vulgar or inferior. Not really. Because if you add some dialects or colloquialisms when you speak, you can make what you say more lively, richer, more connotative, and easier for others to understand. On the other hand, if you speak strictly and without breaking the rules, not only will you have to be careful when speaking, but others will not be able to talk to you easily. The English used by British and Americans follows established rules, but with the progress and changes of social trends, the English used by people has been changing, whether in the United Kingdom or the United States. It's just that in public perception, American English seems to be changing faster than British English. But in fact, studies by scholars believe that American English is more conservative than British English in some aspects.

In addition, scholars also believe that the biggest reason for the difference between the two is the difference in natural environment. For example: region, terrain, flora and fauna, and population density. In addition, some reasons are due to the different living backgrounds and social systems between British and Americans. For example: political system, educational system. The language of the United States is also called "English". It seems unreasonable at first because it should be the language of the United Kingdom. However, because Americans are immigrants from the United Kingdom, the language spoken by Americans and British people It's all the same language, which is "English". Although both countries speak the same language, there are still some slight differences. Although these differences may be obvious to ordinary people, the source of the differences is not necessarily clear. Before 1700, there was no distinction between British English and American English, because there was only Britain at that time, and American English did not exist at that time. However, later, because some British people immigrated to the American continent, another culture developed in the American continent that incorporated Indian, Spanish, French and black cultures. In addition, the English language was rarely standardized in terms of speaking and writing. And the influence of unification, therefore, today's English has formed two forms: British English and American English. With the rapid progress and changes in social culture, English has also changed rapidly. From this we can also know that the biggest difference between British English and American English is "pronunciation" and "letters". The more people use a language and the wider its scope, the easier it is for differences to arise. Although it is the same language, it has different systems and different forms. In fact, the English used in the United Kingdom and the United States is not the only two countries that have differences. The English used in all English-speaking countries is somewhat different, such as: Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the West Indies, South Africa...etc., these are all differences caused by the differences in social culture and national characteristics of each country. However, although the English used in each country has its own characteristics, only British English and American English are better known to the general public and are more borrowable. Therefore, we use these two more representative and more systematic ones. Study and discuss in English. This article studies the differences between British English and American English, which are roughly divided into three chapters: pronunciation, letters, and culture. These three main characteristics are used to deeply explore the differences between the two. In addition, this study will also use the current cultural and social phenomena in the United Kingdom and the United States as the background to deeply analyze the differences between the two, so as to increase readers' understanding of the two. Pronunciation: English accents vary across the world, but this is not a serious problem. Generally speaking, as long as you spend some time, you can easily get used to the accents in different places. Think about it, even in the same country, the same language may still have different pronunciations and accents. For example, the English spoken by people in the eastern and southern United States sounds very different, so what's more, the English spoken by people from the east and south of the United States sounds very different. What about people from different countries? British English and American English have significant differences. In terms of pronunciation, taking retroflex as an example, whether it is British English or American English, the speaker will pronounce sound when it appears before a vowel, but If it appears after a vowel, British people generally do not pronounce the sound, but people who speak American English will pronounce it very clearly with a retroflex sound.

In terms of pinyin: British English spelling is slightly different from American English spelling, for example: British English American English Chinese center center color color labor labor organize organize organize realize discover theater theater theater phrases/words Areas: British English American English Chinese autumn bangers and mash sausage and potato biscuit cook cookie birollie umbrella umbrella car automobile car care-taker anitor car park parking lot parking lot chips French fries crisps potato chips potato chips potato chips flat apartment apartment fullstoo period full stop jumper sweater sportswear lift elevator elevator lorry truck truck; large truck motorway freeway highway on your todd on your own your own way pavement sidewalk petrol gasoline gasoline rubber eraser eraser shop store store sweets candy Candy tap faucet faucet trainers sneakers sneakers trousers pants tube subway subway wellingtons rubber boots zebra crossing pedestrian crossing pedestrian crossing try to get used to the different usage and accents of British English and American English, we will learn more . In terms of listening, we must pay attention to where the stress is and how the continuous reading parts are coherent. Today's candidates mainly learn standard British pronunciation in middle school, and are more exposed to American pronunciation in college. Although the difference between American pronunciation and British pronunciation is very unclear, there are still some rules to follow. For example, in British pronunciation, r is not pronounced (such as arm, poor, etc.), but in American pronunciation, r is pronounced. Solving this problem requires not only systematic understanding, but also mainly relying on listening more and speaking more to develop the adaptability of the ears. It should be noted that there are also differences in word usage between British English and American English. For example: "autumn", autumn is commonly used in British English, while fall is often used in American English. If I am learning American English, is it difficult to understand British English? If you can understand an American and he can understand you, you and an Englishman will have no problem understanding each other. There are hundreds of different languages ??spoken around the world, but there is only one language that is widely understood on the planet, and that is the one used by 75% of the world's postal services; used in business, diplomacy, science and tourism The connecting line that connects different races; the common understanding between various cultures and different nationalities; that is English. The United Kingdom is the cradle of English. It is the country where English first sprouted, and it is also the place where the purest form of English is used. Because American English evolved from British English, Americans don't have any difficulty understanding British English, and the ones they use from one place in the country to another, or from one country to another. There is not much difference between the language and English, that is why English is one of the international languages.

There are three areas where the form of English may change: Tone: There are different ways of saying English tones all over the world, and there are probably only a few languages ??that don't have different tones, within or beyond national borders. Not only do New Yorkers have a different accent from Londoners, they even have a different accent from those in Texas. Trying to get used to a new accent only takes a short time and can be fun. Spelling: I have already given an example of this above, so I won’t give another example here. Vocabulary: There are some differences in vocabulary in this area, but an Englishman and an American can happily converse with each other for hours without a single word being missed. The more common exchanges are as follows: petrol and gasoline tap and faucet car and automobile lift and elevator care-taker and janitor car park and parking lot pavement and sidewalk trousers and pants trousers dustbin/waste paper basket and trash/garbage can flat and apartment apartment motorway and freeway highway lorry and truck large truck autumn and fall autumn rubber and eraser eraser sweets and candy candy shop and store biscuit and cookie biscuit fullstop and period period in grammar , there are also differences between the two: British people sometimes like to use the article when Americans don't use it. For example: British English: It was a Tuesday and he wasn't back at work until the Wednesday. Conversely, Americans use articles while British people don't. For example, British English: I had been out of hospital for six weeks. In addition, the usage of prepositions is also different. For example: British English: at the weekend American English: on the weekend British English: Some parents are talking about keeping their children off school. American English: Some parents are talking about keeping their children out of school. Let’s take a look next What is the distribution of these two kinds of English in the world: Which one is used more, British English or American English? Judging from the current number of English speakers in the world, there are about 1 billion people who use British English and about 250 million people who use American English. Countries that use British English are: Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Asia and other countries. Countries that learn British English include: Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Australia, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Greece and other European and African states, Japan (60), China (Hong Kong) Influence), most Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, and 70 South American countries. Countries that use American English include: United States, Philippines. Countries that learn American English include: China (20), Japan (30), South Korea, South America 33, etc. In fact, there are many types of English in the world, not just British and American.

There are many different dialects of American English in the United States alone. If you have stayed in Boston, New York, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles and other areas in the United States, you will find that the pronunciation, vocabulary, and even grammar in these places are slightly different from other places. Similarly, if you have been to London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Dublin, etc. in the UK, you will also find differences between cities. If you meet an American and an Englishman at a party, you can tell them apart within a few minutes based on their conversation. The most obvious clue is of course the pronunciation, such as dance, butter, no, bird, etc. Not only are the pronunciations of consonants and vowels different, but even the stress positions are often different. British English or American English. For us foreign learners, it is necessary. We can choose a way of speaking that we like. For example, some people like British English and think it is elegant; some people like American English and think it is fashionable. Nowadays, most young people prefer American English, which is not unrelated to the development of today's era. No matter what, everyone just needs to remember that no matter which English we prefer, as long as we learn it well, we can communicate with all people who speak English. This will not change. They are all in English. Even if there are differences in spelling, pronunciation and other aspects, they must be ignored. As long as we study hard and attentively, we can master it proficiently and use it flexibly in real life, so that our life, study and career can all embark on the road of internationalization. The difference between Standard Modern British English (English for short) and Standard American English (American English for short) is either big or small, but there is no substantive problem in understanding each other. The purpose of this article is to make a rough comparison of the differences between the two and provide a reference for interested friends, but it cannot be used as a teaching material for learning another accent. It is also full of loopholes. If there are any deficiencies, please ask experts to correct them. Vowels: One of the biggest differences in pronunciation between English and American English is their treatment of muddy vowels (schwa, e inverted in phonetic symbols). In English, muddy vowels often occur on some unstressed short a sounds (such as about) and short er sounds (such as computer) in single vowels. The er in American English rarely has a muddy vowel, and sometimes the short sound i (such as sentimental, actuality) and u (such as wuss), and even the short sound oo (such as hooker) adopt the muddy vowel. (The pronunciations of these four examples in English are [i], [i], [u:], [u] respectively.) The pronunciation of the muddy vowel is variable, but it sounds almost like a sharp sound between "Russian" and "Russian". ” and “ah” pronunciation. The most representative difference between the pronunciation of English and American English is the difference in the pronunciation of er. In English, the short er is a muddy vowel as mentioned above, but the long er is just an elongated muddy vowel, which sounds like a very exaggerated sound between "Ru" and "Ah" . In American English, er always sounds like a "son" sound (the exception is that it is pronounced as a muddy vowel in some common sayings). ar: Except for short sounds (such as singular) and followed by vowels (such as clarity), English ar is all long sound [a:], while in American English, it is "Al". In fact, whenever there is an r at the end of a syllable, the pronunciation in the United States and Britain is usually different, such as tour (English: spit, American: spit), tear (English: kick, American: kick), pair (English: pe, American: pe'er). Even in the clarity just mentioned, there is an important difference in the pronunciation of vowels in English ['kleriti] and American English ['kler(er)ti]. One is the [o] sound: the short sound o (such as often) is only pronounced as a shortened long sound o (such as or) in English, while the American short sound o sounds like the English short sound [/\] It's very similar. At the same time, if there is an r after the long sound o, it will usually be r as mentioned in the previous paragraph. If there is not (such as plausible, applause), it will automatically become a short o sound.

In addition, for the muddy vowelization of u, i and other vowel combinations, some are mentioned above, and others can only be experienced by yourself. Consonants: The consonants in English and American English are basically the same, but there are some differences in usage habits. There are only the following two that are more important: r: The letter r simply represents all the differences between Britain and the United States, and it is everywhere. When making consonants, the difference is actually that when r is at the end of the first word and the second word starts with a vowel, English treats r completely as a vowel, while American English treats r as the following one. The consonant of the vowel at the beginning of a word, such as the phrase clear animosity, will be pronounced clear|animosity in English, and clear-ranimosity in American English. Another obvious difference is d and t. In some unstressed syllables (such as paddle, rattle, actuality), English will clearly pronounce these two letters, but in American English d and t are often blurred into a sound that is difficult to interpret. Compared with other languages, If you know Spanish or Italian, it's very close to the short strum r; if you know Japanese, the consonants of らりるれろ行 are very similar. If you don't know, then the closest explanation is the side sound l, but there is a difference of one section, and it depends on your own experience. Another point is that in words such as history and factory, you may have noticed that the pronunciation of o (which is a muddy vowel) is bracketed in many phonetic notations. In the UK, English tends to omit this o due to the influence of classical Chinese, while in the United States, this o is often pronounced. (If you are interested in classical Chinese or poetry, you will find that many letters with muddy vowels are represented by a single quotation mark, indicating omission) Spelling: The spelling between English and American English is nothing more than the following differences: -re and -er: Some words ending in re end in er in American English, such as: metre/meter, centimetre/centimeter, theatre/theater, center/center, etc. Background: These words all come from French (respectively: mètre, centimètre, théa^tre, centre). Most of the other re words are, such as genre, hors-d'oeuvre, etc., but the spelling of these has not changed. Our and or: The English part our is spelled as or in American English, such as: colour/color, favorite/favorite, etc. Background: Most of these words also come from French, but it is not so obvious. Many of them have changed due to time. For example, color means couleur and favorite means favorite. -ise and ize: The -ise verb in English is spelled -ize in American English, such as: organize/organize, actualise/actualize, realize/realize. The derivation of these words also varies accordingly: organization/organization Background: These words still come from In French, they are organiser, actualiser, and réaliser respectively (but due to the evolution of language, the current meanings of these words in French and the current meanings of these words in English are not exactly the same. For example, actualise now means "realization", and Actualiser means "to upgrade and make it current"; realize now means "to be aware of", and réaliser has become "to realize"). There are other special modifications. I can't remember all the conventional changes at the moment. If there are any omissions, please feel free to add them. Word usage: Some of the same words in English and American English have different common meanings, or the same thing can be said in different words, and most of these words are related to cultural customs, but do not have any substantial impact on communication. Influence.

For example, the word jumper can refer to a sweater in the UK, but Americans rarely use this word to refer to clothing (it is an outdated word), and use sweater to refer to sweaters. Others include jersey, slacks, trousers, etc. There are many examples, I can’t think of them at the moment, you are welcome to add them. Sayings and Slang: There are so many of them! Even in different places in the United States, different places in the United Kingdom, and at different times, they are all different, so I won’t give examples one by one. But the word that can be mentioned is the British use of the word bloody. In the old days, when the word f-ck was completely unavailable (the word used to be printed in books with an asterisk f***, otherwise it would be punishable), the word bloody was no less obscene than the f-word today . But now times have changed, and British children can use it, but Americans no longer use this word. But in some other English-speaking countries (such as Egypt, India, etc.), you still have to be careful when using bloody. /CBD5C8F0E7F71227The difference between British English and American English.

British English is conservative and rigorous, which is reflected in the frequent mismatch between pronunciation and spelling. However, the British like to stick to this mismatch to show recognition and respect for the orthodox status of their language. Just like Kong Yiji believes that only those who can say that there are three other ways to write the word "hui" are truly knowledgeable... Unlike the rigidity and conservatism of the British, Americans use a different attitude when speaking English. They advocate Yes: Visible and readable! To put it more conventionally, it would be called: reading while reading. Basically, the irregular pronunciations in the British pronunciation have been revolutionized and turned into regular ones, for example: Forehead is pronounced in British [f?: rid], American is pronounced [f?: rhed]; Medicine is pronounced in British [medsin] ], i is not pronounced, and is pronounced in American style [medisin].

Even the regular pronunciation, which accounts for the vast majority of vocabulary, has changed due to the loose and lazy style of Americans. The performance is as follows:

1. Lazy vowels: Americans pronounce [a], [e], [i], [o], these vowels are not as obvious as the British ones, especially the soft vowels. They do not round their mouths to pronounce the o sound, and they do not lengthen their mouths to pronounce the u sound. , nor flatten the lips for the i sound, all of them are almost close to the easiest to pronounce [?] sound, for example, choose is almost the same as cheese, family does not pronounce ['f?mili] but pronounces ['f?m?li] , promise does not read [promis] but reads [prom?s].

2. I like to omit the semivowels [j], [w], and infrasound vowels. For example, new, kneen are pronounced [nu:], Renfrew is pronounced [renfru:]; forest is pronounced after The i sound is omitted and pronounced [fo: rst] instead of [fo: rist], and Jeremy is pronounced [dЗermi] instead of [dЗeremi].

3. Abuse loses the blast sound. In British style, only st, sk at the beginning of the word, t, k, and p in sp lose the blast sound and are read as d, g, b, while American t, k , p, tr and other sounds, regardless of whether they are at the beginning or end of a word, as long as they are preceded by s, or even followed by syllables such as ci, si, se, ce, etc., they will lose their blast. For example, the t in city is pronounced as [d] because it is preceded by the [si] sound, which is [sidi]; the c (k sound) in second is pronounced as [g] because it is preceded by the [se] sound, that is, [ seg?nd]...and these pronunciations are still pronounced [siti] and [sek?nd] in British because they do not follow the s immediately.

4. The t at the end of the word is pronounced as [d] sound, letter, water, seattle, dirty... As long as t is not at the beginning of the word, boldly read it as d and the sound is correct! p is also pronounced as b sound, but it is not as serious as t. It is more common when pp is double-written, such as slipper.

There are countless examples above, I hope you can draw inferences. It should be said that as long as you find the rules and adjust your pronunciation, speaking American English is still easier than British English.

British English is more formal, while American English is very colloquial and informal. American English is more colloquial, as long as you speak it and you can understand it. Since someone mentioned this issue, I will tell you what I know. The difference between Standard Modern British English (English for short) and Standard American English (American English for short) is either big or small, but there is no substantive problem in understanding each other. The purpose of this article is to analyze the differences between the two...

The difference between American English and British English (2)

2010-01-21 13:33 | (Classification : Miscellaneous)

British English is more formal, while American English is very colloquial and informal. American English is more colloquial, as long as you speak it and you can understand it. Since someone mentioned this issue, I will tell you what I know. The difference between Standard Modern British English (English for short) and Standard American English (American English for short) is either big or small, but there is no substantive problem in understanding each other. The purpose of this article is to make a rough comparison of the differences between the two and provide a reference for interested friends, but it cannot be used as a teaching material for learning another accent. It is also full of loopholes. If there are any deficiencies, please ask experts to correct them.

Vowels:

One of the biggest differences in pronunciation between English and American English is their treatment of muddy vowels (schwa, e inverted in phonetic symbols). In English, muddy vowels often occur on some unstressed short a sounds (such as about) and short er sounds (such as computer) in single vowels. The er in American English rarely has a muddy vowel, and sometimes the short sound i (such as sentimental, actuality) and u (such as wuss), and even the short sound oo (such as hooker) adopt the muddy vowel. (The pronunciations of these four examples in English are, , [u:], respectively.) The pronunciation of the muddy vowel is variable, but it sounds almost like a sharp pronunciation between "Ru" and "Ah".

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