10 American English words and their British English counterparts (written at the back)

Article about the difference between American and British English

“British English versus American English, is one better than the other?”

British English versus American English always sparks a lively discussion. We get some
great debates our TEFL course between the British and American students. We treat them
as language equals but people will be people.

In this article I cover: consistency, vocabulary, English as a living language and, teaching
implications and classroom problems. There’s also an addendum of relevant reader
comments.

I’m British but I lived in the USA (NewYork/New Jersey) for about 10 years. I have to say as
a bit of a non-sequitur that I liked it so much, I became a citizen.

As an English speaker, it took me a while to learn a new English. It took time to figure out
why street vendors were always asking me to “check things out.” I had no intention of
borrowing anything from them 🙂

The English spoken in the USA is different from the English spoken in the UK not only in
pronunciation but also in vocabulary and in some cases, word meaning as well. Luckily the
basis for both English flavours, the alphabet, is the same except for the letter Zed or Zee.

George Bernard Shaw probably got it right when he quipped:

“The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language.”

So which one is best? From a partisan viewpoint the answer is a foregone conclusion. Brits
will say that Americans don’t speak proper English and vice versa. There’s nothing worse
than national pride when it comes to language.

Forgetting the fact that there are people in both countries who sometimes cannot
understand what their fellow countrymen from other regions are saying, are there any
pointers to indicate that one flavour is better than the other?

Consistency
Let’s start with consistency. Is one flavour more consistent than the other?
My first focus would be spelling. In certain respects American English spelling is more
consistent with the way that we say words. The classics would be color versus colour,
center versus centre, words ending with “iz” versus “is” constructions, etc.

British English is much older than American English and these differences are mainly the
fault of the French who invaded England in 1066. At the time the English were not
impressed but the French did bring a little extra in the way of culture and cooking and a lot
in the way of enriching the English language. The estimated number of new words added to
English by the French is about 10,000. With these new words came the French spelling, the
“re”, “ou”, “is”, etc. constructs.

English came to North America via the first British settlements that eventually, via George
Washington, became the United States. During the 1700’s English was still an open
language and even the British did not have formal standards for spelling. In the 1750’s
Samuel Johnson established what was adopted as a standard British English dictionary and
about 60 years later Noah Webster established what was adopted as the standard
American English dictionary. As America was keen to distance itself from Britain and
Webster wanted to rationalise certain forms of spelling, the Americans adopted what some
Brits refer to as “wrong spelling”.

Both sides could claim the same.

Both languages have spelling standards so in this respect they are both consistent.

Pronunciation is not so obvious when it comes to consistency. Here are a couple of

examples:

Americans will pronounce the “ato” sound in tomato and potato the same way. Brits don’t
Brits will pronounce the “ine” sound in machine and iodine the same way. Americans don’t.
These are two simple examples but they both highlight pronunciation differences that are
not consistent with spelling. However, all Americans/Brits will pronounce words within
their flavour of English in a similar way. There will be regional differences but even with
the regional accent, the sound produced will be understandable.

Vocabulary
Now we get into the fun area.

In the main, British English and American English are very similar, even with differences in
spelling. In today’s world, American spelling is probably winning thanks to Microsoft’s spell
checker.
There are vocabulary differences and some can cause embarrassing situations if you only
know one flavour. Knickers, suspenders and fanny come to mind. In the US, men wear
suspenders, in the UK women wear suspenders. There’s a whole world of fun in some of
these differences. Brits can knock their friends up in the morning but this could be
considered inappropriate in the USA. I’ll leave you to research knickers and fanny.

There are also more mundane differences as well like: lift (UK) vs. elevator (USA) / lorry
(UK) vs. truck (USA) / solicitor (UK) vs. lawyer (USA) / petrol (UK) vs. gas or gasoline
(USA) / trainers (UK) vs. sneakers (USA) / drawing pin (UK) vs. thumb tack (USA) and
quite a few others.

Despite the fact that there are different meanings for the same word and that there are
some genuine differences in vocabulary, again both languages are consistent within their
own rules.

English is a living language

Both the British and Americans continually add new words as things change. When new
words are added, they fit the constructs and can be classified within the general English
language system: noun, verb, etc.

The two key dictionaries from either side of the Atlantic are Merriam-Webster (USA) and
Oxford (UK). Both dictionaries accept the differences between British and American
English and make references to both in their word definitions.

Teaching implications and classroom problems

Some may see this article as frivolous, some may not. Regardless of this, the differences
between American and British English can raise issues in the classroom that the teacher
must resolve. Some will take the form of a personal attack.

“You can’t spell properly.”, “You can’t pronounce properly.” or “You don’t know how to say
things in English.” are some of the criticisms that will be aimed at the teacher.

These problems may surface after a change of teacher, specifically from one speaker to the
other, British to American and vice versa.

“Color/Colour”, “iodine/iodine”, “elevator/lift” are three simple examples that highlight

where the problems come from. The differences in spelling, pronunciation and vocabulary
may raise doubts in the ELLS minds about the new teacher’s knowledge of English. Your
students are not joined at the hip with English like we are. It’s something new to them. The
nuances and subtleties of English are light-years away from their comprehension. They are
as far away from understanding these differences as we would be when faced with learning
a new language that we know nothing about.
They will certainly know that Americans and British have different accents but they will
not understand the aforementioned differences unless they are taught.

The teacher must explain that the two flavours of English are different and whenever
necessary highlight where these differences are. The teacher must also be consistent within
the rules of the English flavour they are teaching: spelling, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc.

To avoid disputes over meaning and spelling, always have either a Merriam-Webster or
Oxford pocket dictionary on hand. Both dictionaries will show the different spellings and
meanings of words. Dictionaries solve many classroom problems as they are independent
arbiters of disputes regarding spelling and meaning. If you also understand the phonetic
code, they resolve pronunciation issues as well.

Conclusion
So which one is better? My viewpoint is neither. They both serve a purpose and they are
both consistent within their rules. They can raise classroom issues but these can be dealt
with as described in the previous section.

Is one set of rules superior to the other? I don’t think so. Both have their own consistencies
and inconsistencies.

Is one easier to use than the other? Now it gets interesting. American is very slightly easier
to spell thanks to Mr. Webster’s spelling rationalisation. British and American
pronunciation styles both have their inconsistencies. For example: both have odd
pronunciations for place names like Leicester (Lester) Square in London or Conetoe
(Caneeta) in North Carolina.

Is one easier to listen to than the other? Yes and no. There are people who prefer one over
the other and people who don’t care. Enunciation when speaking can be good or bad, it
depends on the speaker not on what flavour of English they speak.

The only conclusion I can get to is that the British versus American English competition is
pretty much the same as the Coca Cola versus Pespi competition. There will be people
who’ll drink either because they like cola drinks and those who prefer one over the other.

Neither one is better. They’re the same but different 🙂

“Vive la diference” as all we English speakers would say, but make sure that your students
are aware of the differences as well.
Source: EBC TFL. (n.d). British English versus American English, which one is best?. Retrieved
August 18, 2018 from https://www.ebcteflcourse.com/british-english-versus-american-english-
one-best/
Dimayacyac, Ziara Jane S. D-ENGLIII
MEB11

Research article about Philippine English

“Philippines: A Friendly Country for English Speakers”

The Philippines has a long relationship with the English language that began at the turn of
the 20th century with the American occupation of the country following the Spanish-
American War and the subsequent Philippine-American War. More than 100 years later,
the Philippines is officially a bilingual nation under the country's constitution, which
distinguishes Filipino as the national language and both Filipino and English as official
languages for communication and instruction. Filipino is a standardized form of the
Tagalog language, just one of more than 150 recognized languages and dialects spoken in
homes across the Philippines.

The status of English in the Philippines is unique among countries in Southeast Asia. Aside
from the small city-state of Singapore, the Philippines is the only country in the region to
mandate a fully bilingual public education for all children beginning in grade school. Under
official policy, both Filipino and English are taught as language subjects in public schools,
with English being the sole language used in science, mathematics and technology courses.
This policy was introduced in 1987 following ratification of the country's new constitution.
Its effects have made the Philippines an attractive destination for retirees and tourists
hailing from English-speaking countries around the world.

The Prevalence of English in the Philippines

Although its official status has been in place for nearly 30 years, English has yet to reach
into all corners of the country. It has, however, made substantial gains in the population.
According to the 2000 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine
National Statistics Office, the most recent source of national language statistics, 63.7% of
Filipinos over the age of 5 reported an ability to speak English. In comparison, 96.4% of
Filipinos reported speaking Tagalog.

English prevalence in many of the more developed administrative regions of the

Philippines, especially those covering the northern island of Luzon, was even higher, rising
above 70%. In the case of metropolitan Manila, the capital of the Philippines, English-
speaking ability was reported by nearly 82% of residents. On the other hand, relatively
undeveloped rural areas of the country generally showed worse results, due largely to
inadequate educational infrastructure. The Philippines has not yet reached developed-
country status after all.
While updated figures are not available, reports suggest that practical English skills have
become even more prevalent among the population during the last 15 years. Recent years
have seen a substantial portion of the country's road signs converted into English, while
many government documents are available only in English. Numerous locally produced
English-language TV and radio stations are broadcast across the country, while dozens of
daily national and local newspapers are distributed across the Philippines. English-
language business signage is also more common than ever before. While Filipino and other
languages and dialects are still primary languages for many Filipinos, the importance of the
English language in the country continues to increase.

The Benefits for English-Speaking Visitors

English-language policy in the Philippines in recent decades has resulted in many
fundamental changes in Filipino society. These changes have made the country more
attractive to visitors from English-speaking countries. In fact, tourism in the Philippines is
booming. In the years from 2004 to 2014, the annual number of foreign tourists visiting the
Philippines more than doubled from 2.3 million to over 4.8 million. In 2014, four of the top
10 nationalities visiting the Philippines were from English-speaking countries: the United
States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. The U.S. has ranked behind South Korea
as the second-biggest source of tourist arrivals to the Philippines for years, and the
numbers continue to grow.

The Philippines is also growing as a retirement destination for English speakers. Although
no official Filipino government statistics are available, International Living magazine ranks
the Philippines among the fastest growing and most welcoming places to retire in the
world. In its 2015 study of international retirement destinations, the magazine praises the
Philippines' relatively low cost of living, its quality health-care system and its widespread
use of English.
Source: Carpenter, J. (2016). Philippines: A Friendly Country for English Speakers. Investopedia.
Retrieved August 18, 2018 from
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/012516/philippines-friendly-country-
english-speakers.asp

Research article
about
Philippine English

Dimayacyac, Ziara Jane S.

D-ENGLIII
MEB11
Dimayacyac, Ziara Jane S. D-ENGLIII
MEB11

Reaction paper about “How Culture Drives Behaviours” by Julien S. Bourrelle

“The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people”-Unknown.

As we look back in the past, we all know that there was once a supercontinent called
Pangea and later own was divided into several continents due to movements of plate
underneath. In relation to that history of the Earth, we can conclude that it was somehow
the reason why we’ve got a diverse culture all over the world. However, I believe that we
do had a common culture but it was modified through time as we cope up with the place we
live in.

While I was watching the video clip, little by little I understand how cultural
difference affect the way people communicate or treat each other. There were lots of cons
of having such diversity but if we dig deeper into it, we would admire the advantages it
could give us. I can attest to that for I also do experience that kind of situation. For 13 years
I only stayed in one school before I transferred to a new environment to finish my senior
high school. Those two institutions were built within the same community however, I felt
the impact of the culture shock. I had to cope up with how they manage things in my
current school for they can’t adjust for my needs. I also learn new things from the variety of
people I encounter each day for they were from other nearby provinces. It took me quite
some time to feel comfortable about my surroundings yet it was a great experience.

Likewise, the message of the speaker from the video clip wants to tell us that we
may have our own beliefs but we should be open with each other’s thoughts for we may not
know we would be of benefit from their unique characteristics. I strongly believe that no
man is an island. We were all created to help one another to survive and take good care of
this wonderful place that was provided for us. There are lots of possibilities ready made for
everyone. Thus, we should grab the chance to enhance our selves for better future.

This 12-minute clip should be disseminated to every part of the world in order for
them to realize the unity in diversity. Isn’t it in a work of art when you put variety of things
in harmony it creates one great image for the naked eye. We just have to view things on a
different perspective not ours alone because it only depicts one side of the story. This
would only lead to misunderstandings and discrimination rather than appreciating one’s
own difference. Let us create a wonderful connection within the hearts and minds of every
people.
 Nevertheless, we cannot please everyone to do same most especially when they
strongly hold on to what they truly believe. The only thing that you can do is start within
yourself, break the boundary whenever you meet someone new. Try to explore other
things that might suit your interest and it is where you can make a new beginning. It is the
small simple step that you can do to improve both the culture and your own personality as
you adapt to those wonderful traits.