The differences between American and British English

It has only been more than three hundred years since English truly became the language of Americans. 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. 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. But later, because most of the British immigrated to the American continent, another culture developed in the American continent that integrated Indian, Spanish, French and black cultures. In addition, the English language was rarely used in speaking and writing. Due to the influence of standardization and unification, English today has formed two forms: British English and American English. With the rapid progress and changes in social culture, English has also changed rapidly. In a certain sense, American English is a branch separated from English, or as some linguists say, American English is a transplanted language that has always been in the Americas.

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. Although the main parts of English and American English (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling, etc.) are the same, American English has been influenced by its unique history, culture, ethnicity, region and other factors in its development process, forming a Its own characteristics are significantly different from English. Mark Twain once said: "English and American are separate languages, ... When I speak my native tongue in its utmost purity an Englishman can’t understand me at all." (The en211 White Elephant, 1882). The main differences between English and American English are in vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling and speaking temperament. British people have always hated American English, but times have changed, and now some British children are starting to learn American English. The English textbooks of People's Education Press are also in American English. Elementary school (PEP), middle school (New Goal Go for it!). Vowels:

One of the biggest differences in pronunciation between English and American English is their treatment of muddy vowels (schwa, /?/ 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 [?], [?] respectively.) The pronunciation of the muddy vowel is variable, but it sounds almost like a sharp pronunciation between "Ru" and "Ah". There is another important difference in the pronunciation of vowels. One is the [?] sound: the short sound o (such as often) is only pronounced as a shortened long sound /?/ (such as or) in English, while the American short sound o sounds like the English short sound [? ] is very similar. At the same time, if there is an r after the long 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.

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 [ɑ?], 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: tu'er), tear (English: /t?/, American: /t? r/), pair (English: /pe?/, American: /p?r/). Even in the clarity just mentioned, English /'kler?ti/, American English /'kler?ti/.

In addition, the muddy vowels are made for u, i and other vowel combinations.

Other changes are mainly reflected in a and o

Words with the letter a in British English. If a is pronounced as /ɑ/, it is pronounced as /?/ in American English

For example, pass/p?s/ dance/d?ns/ fast/f?st/ laugh/l?f /

Common exceptions: father lava garage

British English words with the letter a. If a is pronounced as oh, it is pronounced as /a/ in American English

For example, swallow/'swɑl?/ want/wɑnt/

Words with the letter o in British English . If a is pronounced as oh, it is pronounced as /a/ in American English

For example, stop/stɑp/ got/gɑt/

Consonants:

English The consonants of are basically the same as those of American English, 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 doing consonants, the difference is actually that when r is at the end of the first word and the second word starts with a vowel, British English will read the r as the consonant of the vowel at the beginning of the next word, while American English will It will be read separately and still produce the original retroflex sound /r/. For example, the phrase clear animosity is pronounced as clea-ranimosity in English and clear-animosity 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 explain. 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 it's just a little bit different.

One more thing, for 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 likes to omit this o due to the influence of archaic forms, while in the United States, this o is often pronounced. (If you are interested in English poetry, you will find that many letters with muddy vowels are represented by a single quotation mark, indicating omission). In terms of spelling, Americans are a nation that values ??practicality, and they also adopt a pragmatic attitude when it comes to the spelling of their characters. In the development of American English, there has also been a movement similar to the Simplified Chinese character movement in spelling. Spelling Movement), which deletes some silent letters in the spelling of words. The difference in spelling is another difference between English and American English. To sum up, there are the following situations. 1. The silent ending -ue in English words is deleted in American spelling. English spelling American spelling Chinese interpretation catalogcatalog catalog dialoguedialog dialogue prologue prolog preface Note:

This rule only applies to words ending in -ogue. Words ending in -ague are not deleted in American English, such as league, etc.

In computer-related terms, American spelling is generally used. For example, analog. 2. In English, words ending with -our and pronounced as /-?/, in American English, the silent letter u is deleted and pronounced as /-?r/. English spelling American spelling Chinese meaning behavior behavior color color favoritefavorite special favorite flavor honor honor labor labor 3. Words ending with -re in English and pronounced /-?/ are changed to - in American English. It ends in er and is pronounced /-?r/. English spelling, American spelling, Chinese interpretation, centre, center, fibrefiber, fiber meter, meter (unit of length), theater, theater. Note: Some place names in the United States also use the British center, such as Centreville (middle town), Center College, Center County, Rockville Center, Stonebriar Center mall etc. In addition, the British word accoutre (equipment) ends in -er in The American Heritage Dictionary, but it also ends in -re in Merriam-Webster Dictionary. . Words ending in -c(h)re, such as lucre, massacre, euchre, acre, etc., end in -re in American and English. This is done mainly to indicate that the "c" in these words is pronounced as /k/, not as /s/. (Note: According to English spelling rules, c is pronounced as /s/ before the letters e, i, and y, and /k/ is pronounced in other cases.) The British metre (American meter) only represents the unit length "meter" . The word "measuring instrument" (including radius "diameter") must be spelled meter in both British and American styles, and the pronunciation is the same as the unit of length "meter". 4. Some words ending in -ence in English are changed to -ense in American English, and are still pronounced as /-?ns/. English spelling, American spelling, Chinese meaning, defense, defense, offence, criminal behavior, license, license, license, pretence, pretense, excuse. Note: For some of these words, in British style, -ence should be changed to -ense first, and then the suffix should be added. For example defensive, offensive, pretension.

5. Some words ending in -ise/-ize in English change to -ize in American English, and are still pronounced as /-aiz/. English spelling American spelling Chinese meaning organize/organizeorganize organize realize/realizerealize realize improve/improvizeimprovize create specialise/specializespecialize specialize in modernise/modernizemodernize modernize popularize/popularizepopularize popular note:

For the following words, British Like the American style, use -ize spelling: capsize, size, seize, prize.

For the following words, the American and British spellings are -ise: advertise, advise, arise, chastise, circumcise, comprise, compromise, demise, despise, devise, disguise, excise, exercise, franchise , guise, improve, incise, revise, rise, supervise, surprise, surprise, televise, wise. defensive, offensive, pretension. 6. If some words ending with l end with an unstressed syllable, when adding a suffix, sometimes the final letter l can be doubled or not. Among them, Bu Shuang is written in American spelling. English spelling American spelling Chinese interpretation travellertraveler traveler dialeddialed phone (past tense, past participle) shovellingshoveling eradicated (present participle) marvelousmarvelous incredible jeweleryjewelry jewelry, jewelry note:

Suffixes to which this rule applies: - ed, -ing, -er, -or, -est, -ry.

For the suffix -en, the British woollen and woolly should be doubled.

For the suffixes -ise and -ist, the British ones include tranquillise, duellist, medallist, panellist, and triallist.

For the suffix -ous, the British have marvelous and libellous.

For the suffix -ee, the British version has libellee.

For the suffix -age, the British version has pupillage.

For the following words, the American style uses "double l" like the British style: bimetallism, cancellation, chancellor, crystallize, excellence, tonsillitis, railery. The roots of these words mostly have unstressed syllables and end in l.

When there is a consonant before the "l" at the end of a word, or there are two vowels, there is usually no need to double it in British style. For example: hurling, revealing, fooling.

The British word calliper (micrometer, two-legged gauge) is spelled caliper in the United States, but the word is not composed of a "root suffix". 7. If some verbs ending with p end with an unstressed syllable, the final letter p can be doubled or not when adding a suffix. Among them, Bu Shuang is written in American spelling.

Handicappedhandicapped hindering (past tense, past participle) worshipingworshiping Worshiping (present participle) Note: This type of verb is mostly composed of "prefix noun (root)". 8. other tirestirefulfulfillfulfillenrolenrollregistration,registrationlikeablelikablelikeablescepticskepticskepticjudgementjudgmenttrialgaoljailprisonprogrammeprogramprogramomeletteomeletomeletomeletAmericanEnglishBritishEnglishnotes He just went home.He has just gone home. Do you have a problem?Have you (got) a problem?Formal British English and American English both use have to mean "have", while the perfect form have got is limited to informal British English. I've never really gotten to know her. I never really got to know her. Her feet were sore because her shoes fit badly.Her feet were sore because her shoes fitted badly.The committee meets tomorrow.The committee meet/meets tomorrow. It looks like it's going to rain.It looks as if/like it 's going to rain. He looked at me real strange.He looked at me really strangely.One should get to know his neighbors.One should get to know one's neighbors .British people sometimes like to use the article when Americans don't use it. British English American English It was a Tuesday and he wasn't back at work until the Wednesday. It was Tuesday and he wasn't back at work until Wednesday. Conversely, Americans use articles while British people do not. For example, British English: I had been out of hospital for six weeks. The use of prepositions is also different. British English American English at the weekend in the street on the weekend on the street Some parents are talking about keeping their children off school. Some parents are talking about keeping their children out of school. When expressing the meaning of "to have" in Chinese, American English (including orthodox British English) mostly uses the verb have, and British English (mainly spoken language) mostly uses the perfect verb have got.

British English American English She has got an interesting book. She has an interesting book. In some subjunctive mood sentences in American English, should can be omitted. In current Standard British English, this subjunctive mood form is the "should verb base form". British English American English I insisted that everything should be ready by six o'clock

that evening. I insisted that everything be ready by six o'clock that

evening. , there are differences in the way of expression in the United States and Britain. Putting the day first and the month second is the British style, while the American style is the opposite.

For example, March 2, 2009 is written as: March 2, 2009 (US), 2nd March 2009 (UK).

In American writing, the st, nd, and rd of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd are not used. Due to the different written expressions of dates, the pronunciation is also different. For example, April 20, 1987, is written in British style as 20th April 1987, which is pronounced as the twentieth of April, nineteen eighty-seven; in American style, April 20, 1987 is read as April the twentieth, nineteen eighty-seven. Similarly, there are differences between Britain and the United States when expressing dates entirely with numbers. May 6, 1998 should be written as 6/5/98 according to the British style, and 5/6/98 according to the American style; 01/08/1998 is August 1, 1998 in the British style, and according to the American expression But it is January 8, 1998. August 1, 1998 in the United States should be written as 08/01/1998. Therefore, when all numbers are used to express dates, misunderstandings often occur and must be used with caution in business activities.

There is a big difference between the British and American concepts of expressing numbers above a million. For example, one billion in English refers to "one trillion" or "trillion", while in American English it is only "one billion"; one trillion in English is equivalent to Million million million=1018, which means one billion, but in American English it is equivalent to one billion in British English, which means "trillion" or "trillion".

There are also differences between the two countries in terms of verbal expression of numbers. (175 U.S. dollars) is pronounced a/one hundred and seventy five dollars in English, and one hundred seventy five dollars in American English, and is often omitted. When expressing consecutive numbers with the same number, double or triple is used in English, but is generally not used in American English. For example, the phone number 320112 is pronounced three two zero, double one two in English, and three two zero one one two in American English. 999234 is pronounced nine double nine (triple nine) two three four in English, and nine nine nine two in American English. three four, but Americans also pronounce three consecutive identical numbers as three plus the plural form of this number, such as 999 as three nines. Business or Commercial English Correspondence refers to the communication used in transactions.

In the United States, Business writing is commonly used, which includes letters, telegrams, telephone calls, telexes, reports, postcards, etc.

There are certain differences in letter styles between English and American English, such as letterheads and salutations, letter formats, word choice, and ending politenesses. Generally speaking, British letters are more conservative, and many British people like to use old-fashioned epistolary style with more formal and rigid words, while American letters have a very lively and energetic language, and the format is relatively simple. Therefore, when we are writing to the United Kingdom or its old colonial countries, we must use Standard English Queen's English; if we are writing to the United States or an area within its sphere of influence, we must use American English. Of course, British language and culture have also changed in recent years, but overall, the differences between the two are obvious. Business English letters are generally required to be printed neatly with a typewriter or computer. Each line on the left starts vertically, which is called vertical or block format. This format is commonly used in the United States; the first word of each paragraph is indented, which is called block format. It is indented or zigzag (Indented). This format is commonly used in the UK. Vertical job titles and signatures are bounded by the left sidebar. This format has been commonly used by American companies that highly respect work efficiency.

Formal business English letters should include the name and address of the recipient company or the full name, position and address of the recipient above the title, which is called the inside address. There are also two ways to write addresses in letters: vertical and indented. The vertical and American styles put the lines side by side, and the indented or British style puts the lines in sequence. However, the author has noticed that in recent British business letters, the addresses in the letters are not indented sequentially, which seems to be the same as the American style. In addition, there is also a popular way of writing ordinary recipient addresses in the United States, which is to omit the house number and street name in the Inside Address of the letter.

In English letters, honorifics should be used. The most common honorifics are Mr, Mrs and Miss (for unmarried women). The British often use Esq. (the abbreviation of Esquire) after a male's name, but in business, they are slowly using Mr. Mmes. (the plural form of Madam) for more than two ladies. Messrs (plural form of Mr) is used for more than two men, or for a company or group composed of more than two men. In British English letters, Mr, Mrs, and Messrs are not abbreviated with periods. On the contrary, American English that tends to be progressive and liberal is accustomed to adding abbreviations with periods, such as Mr., Mrs., Messrs.

In terms of titles, the two most common ones in business are Gentlemen (American style) and Dear Sirs (British style), which are equivalent to our country's "Yours sincerely" or "Yours sincerely." If the letter is written to various company units and not to a specific person, use Gentlemen (plural form) in American English and Dear Sirs in English. If there is only one person in the other company, Sir/Dear Sir must be used. Punctuation marks are generally used after the salutation. The British style uses a comma (comma) and the American style uses a semicolon (colon).

There are many kinds of complimentary closes at the end of letters, which are equivalent to the sentences such as "salute", "salute" and "shunan" used at the end of letters in my country. The most typical American expressions are Sincerely and Best regards. The typical British expressions are Yours sincerely (acquaintance or know the other person's name), Best wishes, Kind regards and Yours faithfully (unknown name). In addition, there are special polite formats for British polite expressions, but these are no longer used except in special circumstances. The British have a cadence and high-pitched tone, which is somewhat similar to French (although they will not admit it), and the British laugh at Americans for speaking weakly, loosely and without rhythm.

Americans speak in a relatively steady and low tone, with sentences usually in a falling tone and at a slower pace.

Americans love to laugh at the slightly hysterical, effeminate tone of the British voice.

When talking on the phone, the United Kingdom and the United States also have different ways of expressing themselves. If we are a secretary or operator in an office and are not the person the other party is looking for, we often say "please wait" in English. The customary expression is Hold the line, please. In American English, Hold on is usually used; if you ask the other party (such as an operator) to transfer to the manager, the English expression is Could you connect me with the manager? American English usually uses the preposition "to" to replace the preposition "with" in the sentence.

British English or American English. It is important for us foreign learners. 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 English. Even if there are differences in spelling, pronunciation, etc., they must remain the same. 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.

In terms of titles, the two most common ones in business are Gentlemen (American style) and Dear Sirs (British style), which are equivalent to our country's "Yours sincerely" or "Yours sincerely." If the letter is written to various company units and not to a specific person, use Gentlemen (plural form) in American English and Dear Sirs in English. If there is only one person in the other company, Sir/Dear Sir must be used. Punctuation marks are generally used after the salutation. The British style uses a comma (comma) and the American style uses a semicolon (colon). Some scholars predict that the differences between British English and American English will become larger and larger; they worry that in the future, British and American people may not be able to understand each other's English. In fact, this worry is unnecessary, because the basic elements of these two branches of English are almost the same, and they maintain the common core of English. As Professor Zhou Haizhong, a well-known Chinese scholar, once pointed out: Although there are some differences between American English and British English in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar, their similarities far outweigh their differences. Affect the normative nature of English expression; therefore, these differences do not prevent Americans and British people from communicating with each other and exchanging ideas.