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British and American English. Are there many differences between British and American English? Is it very important for us?. In the early part of the seventeenth century English settlers began to bring their language to America, the British language began to change.
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Are there many differences between British and American English? • Is it very important for us?
In the early part of the seventeenth century English settlers began to bring their language to America, the British language began to change.
The settlers borrowed words from Indian languages for such strange unfamiliar animals as raccoons woodchuck
from the French language: chowder prairie
from the Dutch language: sleigh scow
Nowadays, modern British English is much more influenced by American English.
There are three major differences between American and British English. • Pronunciation • Spelling • Vocabulary
Pronunciation Pronunciation between these types of English is very dissimilar. In American English the "r" at the end of the word almost always affects its pronunciation, whereas in British English the "r" is often silent. Also, the emphasis placed on the syllables of the word varies from British and American English. In Britain, the world adult has the emphasis on the first syllable, whereas in America it is placed on the second half of the word.
UK English/American English: favourite/ favorite neighbour / neighbor colour / color The reason for the spelling differences is in large part due to the "reforms" of Noah Webster who felt some words looked better or had unnecessary letters as in the "colour" cited above. Spelling UK / American capitalisation/ capitalization recognise / recognize
Vocabulary Most of the differences in lexis or vocabulary between British and American English are in connection with concepts originating from the 19th century to the mid 20th century, when new words were coined independently. Almost the entire vocabularies of the car/automobile and railway/railroad industries are different between the UK and US, for example.
Grammar Distinctions British and American English have some grammar differences . In Great Britain collective nouns are plural words, whereas in America they are singular. British English also uses the irregular form of the past participle of several verbs (learnt rather than learned). Also, British English tends to drop the definite article in some situations. For instance, British English speakers may refer to being "in hospital" instead of "in the hospital."
Use of the Present Perfect In British English the present perfect is used to express an action that has occurred in the recent past that has an effect on the present moment. For example: I've lost my key. Can you help me look for it? In American English the following is also possible: I lost my key. Can you help me look for it?
But I think we shouldn’t worry about the variety of English we have been learning. Finally, for most practical purposes it doesn't matter which variety of English you speak.
