Difference Between the English and the Americans

As English has spread, so has it changed, and there are now several recognized varieties of English. While the English spoken in Britain's former "white" colonies — the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — is still very similar to British English, and differs from it only in matters of vocabulary and phraseology, the English spoken in the West Indies and in countries such as India where English is the second language and can be very different in syntax and grammar.

American English, for example, has been influenced by American Indian languages, by Spanish, and by the languages of all the ethnic groups that have immigrated to the US over the years. But it still understood without difficulty by speakers of British English. Indeed, many "Americanisms" — words or phrases which originated in America — have been assimilated back into British English; words such as skunk (American Indian), canyon, banana, potato (Spanish) or expressions such as to take a back seat, to strike oil, to cave in.

Other words — automobile, cookie, crazy, highway, mail, movie, truck — still have an American flavour but are increasingly used by speakers of British English. A few words — remain decidedly American, as do some forms of spelling (color — colour, theatre — theatre, tire – tyre).

Australian English also has its own "home-grown" words, some of which have made their way into international English (boomerang, budgerigar), though others (cobber = friend, sheila = girl, tucker =food, dinkum = good) remain distinctively Australian.

The variety of English spoken in the USA has received the name of American English. American English can not be called a dialect although it is a regional variety, because it has a literary normalized form called Standard American, whereas by definition that any dialect has no literary form. Neither is it a separate language, as some American authors realize because it has neither grammar nor vocabulary of its own. From the lexical point of view one shall have to deal only with a heterogeneous set of Americanisms. An Americanism may be defined as a word or a set expression peculiar to the English language as spoken in the USA. The American English differs from the British English in pronunciation, some minor features of grammar, but chiefly in vocabulary.

The British and the Americans speak the same language. But life in the two nations can be very different. We asked some Americans what they like or don't like about Britain...

"The weather is awful. You don't seem to get any summer here. It's winter all year round".
Toni, San Francisco

"The tourists! The streets are so crowded. I think you should do something about them. And I can't stand the litter everywhere. It's a very dirty place".
Jose, Washington

"Walking and sitting on the grass in the parks, especially on a hot summer 's day. Oh, and the green countryside. But why is the beer warm? "
Max, Houston

"Well, they certainly seem rather unfriendly. Nobody ever talks on the buses. But maybe we haven't met any real English people yet".
Eva, Niagara Falls

"Feeling safe when you walk in the streets. Oh, and the police drivers who stop at a street crossing if they see someone waiting there"
Moon, Los Angeles

"Driving on the left. It's very confusing. I keep looking the wrong way ".
Paula, San Diego

So then we asked some British people what they like or don't like about America...

"Arriving at the airport. Immigration is slow, it takes hours to get through!"
Geff, London

"The waste of electricity. I just can't understand why their homes are extremely hot in winter and very cold in summer ".
Louise, Southampton

"The people, they're so generous. If they invite you home, you're sure of a big welcome!"
Amin, Bath

"Going shopping. I love it. It's so cheap everywhere —food, clothes, hotels, petrol".
Paul, Oxford

"Lying on the beach in the sunshine. In California the sun shines all day, every day. It's great".
Rose, Cardiff

"Driving on the right. It's very confusing. I keep looking the wrong way ".
Linda, Liverpool

Make the conclusion about the image of the USA and the UK in the eyes of strangers.

Make the same image of Russia. Explain why this image is made and what is different in real life.

Divided by a Common Language (British English & American English) George Bernard Shaw said that America and Britain were two nations divided by a common language. But how different is British English from American English? Some British and American people gave their definitions for some common words.

British English		American English
Something that you burn for heating and cooking	gas	Something you put in your car make it go	to

A school which is private	public school	A school that is open to everyone
A path which passes under a road	subway	A railway which runs under the ground.
Something that you wear under your trousers	pants	Something you wear to cover your legs, over your underpants
Clothing which you wear under your shirt.	vest	Clothing that you wear over your shirt and under your jacket
A list of things that you have bought or eaten in a restaurant and which tells you how much to pay.	.bill	Money which is made of paper —'
Long sticks of potato which you cook in deep oil and eat hot with a meal.	chips	Very thin slices of fried potato which you eat cold before a meal or as a snack

Confused? British and American English have lots of words, which look the same but have different meanings. Nobody ever gets into serious trouble if they make a mistake, although you may get a strange look if you ask for the wrong clothes. But things get even more complicated! Here are some American English words, which the British don't use at all.

druggist someone who sells medicine in a shop.
parking lot a place where you park the car.
drugstore a shop where you can buy medicine, beauty products, school supplies, small things.
main street the street in a town where all the shops are.
stop lights lights, which control the traffic.
faucet something you turn on and off to control water in a bath or a basin.

elevator a device which carries people from one floor to another in a building.

But most of the differences between British English and American English are minor and are only concerned with vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation. You can usually understand what words mean from the context. Good luck (British English) or break a leg (American English)!

Questions:

Decide if the speaker is using British English or American English, and cross out the incorrect answer.
1. We've decided to take our vacation in the autumn/fall this year.
2. At my son's high school the new term/semester starts next week.
3. I never eat biscuits or sweets/candy. v
4. Put that garbage in the dustbin/trashcan.
5. The trousers look nice with that waistcoat/vest.
6. The lorry/truck came past us on the highway.
7. My apartment is on the fourth floor but I 'm afraid there's no lift/elevator.
8. The people next door are on holiday/vacation. They 11 be away for a fortnight.
9. We left the car in the carpark/parking lot and took the subway to the centre.
10. My trainers are in the wardrobe/closet.