Understanding American and British English

Dan Raj Regmi

"English and Anerican are separate languages. -Mark Twain (1882)
"The English used in the United States and that used in England
are overwhelmigly alike."
-Mitford M. Mathews (1931)
1.1Preliminary Remarks:
Undoubtedly, in this age of internationalism English is
growing as a dominant means of international communication
Consequently, the knowledge of the English language has been
an international commodity. The role of English as a means of
communication in facilitating international trade and
maintaining international peace and security is unquestionably
praiseworthy. Though English is used all over the world, it is
used differently in different parts of the world. The English used
in the UnitedStates differs from that used in Britain. Similarly,
the English used in Canada is different from that used in
Australia or South Africa, or the Caribbean. It is clear that there
are different national or regional varieties (i.e. different forms) of
English, which is taught in Nepal as a compulsory academic
discipline in different educational institutions. The mission of
learning English is to communicate correctly, fluently and
situationally. In consonance with this basic objective the
teaching materials for different levels have been designed
particularly based upon American English <AmE> and British
English <BrE>. However, these materials lack in providing some
basic dichotomies between American English and British
English in one place. In the formal written language the
differences between British and American English are minimal,
but in the informal language the differences are higniy

Lecturer in English Public Youth Canypus, TU, Kathmanduand Advocate.

6
 English require to be acquainted
of
noticeable. Thus, the learners
between American English and British
with the differences is a preliminary attempt to acquaintorder
the
English. This paperwith these two versions of English. In
learners of English analyse some divergent views
them, it is better to to classify the
to understand between them. In order
about the differences this paper will attempt to illustrate
dichotomies between them, of linguistics. At last we will
differences at different levels
suggesting some ways to understand them
conclude the paper
better.
views about British and American
1.2 Some divergent
English: that British English and
accepted fact
It is universally the most prominent in terms of
American English are English. British
population and influence of all the varieties of Pronunciation)
is generally represented by RP (Received
English English by GA (General
American). These two
and American varieties of English and both
versions are both standard national
intelligible to the speakers of English, However,
varieties are views which are stated below.
there are some divergent
Webster (1789) spent years trying to create a linguistic
Noah English. He stated that the
American and British
gulf between English from British English was
separation of American
unavoidable. Thomas Hamilton (1833) stated that
necessary and Americans would become
century the dialect of
in another
unintelligible to an Englishman. Mark Twain (1882)
utterly American English are separate
that British English and
opined views, Mitford M. Mathews
languages. In contrary to these and American English are
(1931) states that British English Stephen Leacock (1943),
overwhelmingly alike. Similarly, British English and American
Randoiph Quirk (1956) state that
two varieties in which there are not mnany absolute
English are is the dominant tendency of
convergence
distinctions and there Newton (1989) has
similarity. Anne C.
and even greater view about the differences between them.
presented a balanced growing differences
many predicted that the
She says in the past unintelligibility. But at present the two
would lead to mutual coming ever closer together. The
versions of English are sides can communicate freely and
speakers and writers of both some few
agrees that there are so
almost perfect intelligibility. She
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 persisting differences and regional variations within the two
versions of English. Now we are motuvated to state that thes
thev are converging to each other, Sull there are son
fundamental differences which should be studied very carof

1.3 Dichotomies between American English and British

English:
We have already noted that British and American Fngish
are not separate languages. They are the regional varieties
to show
of English. In this section we have made a plan different
systematically the distinctions between the two at
linguistic levels:
ti) Phonological level: In this level, we will try to illustrate the
most noticeable and prominent differences in the matters of
pronunciation in the spoken American and British English.
(a) În American English <AmE> 'a' in certain words has [æ]
whereas in British English <BrE> has [a:]. For Example,
ask, can't, dance, half, last, path
(bi In <AmE> O' in such words as hot, not, top, etc has [a] but
in <BrE> has a more rounded []
(c) In <AmE> Ir/ is fully articulated after vowels whereas in
<BrE> the preceding vowel is lengthened.
For example, far /far/ <AmE
Far /fa:/ <BrÉ>
In <BrE> a final /r/ is pronounced before a following vowel.
as in far away fa:rdwel/
d Vowel differences also occur in certain
individual words,
for example, the first wowel in evolution <BrE> i:).
([]and in privacy and vitamin <BrE> (I](<AmE> (oI)<AmE>
er In <AmE> 'tu' in the words latitude,
longitude, ampitude,
attitude, altitude, institution, is pronounced
<BrE>, it is pronounced as /t u:/. as Itu/ but in
fi In <AmE> 'wh' in the words
pronounced whether, where, why, when is
as hw/ and in <BrE>
g) Certain individual words in it is pronounced as /w/.
common
use have different pronunciation
Words SAmE>
in<AmE> and <BrE>
ate le:t/ B
Iet/
been bln/
clerk /bi:n/
klork/ kla:k/
 /lgydr/ /flgY/
figure /Isyu:/
iSSue /Uu:/
Ni:3ðr/ Me30:/
leisure
lieutenant lu:tendnt/ leftendnt/
schedule /skedzd/ /edzu:/
either lal l
/ni: 0ar/ /nalYa/
neither

h) In <AmE> -ile' in the words docile and futile is pronounced

/all/.
as Vwhereas in <BrE> it is pronounced as
we have tried to present a
ii) Vocabulary level: In this level,most
list, though not exhaustive, of important common use
differs from
words which show how American English in the two
British English. There are different words
versions of English:
<AmE>
apartment flat
elevator lift
hall, hallway passage
intersection crossroads, junction
mailbox pillarbox
the movies the cinema
parkway motorway
pedestrain crossing zebra crossing
sidewalk pavement
store shop
streetcar tram
subway underground, tube
toilet (bathroom) lavatory
yard garden
eraser rubber
faucet tap
flashlight torch
garbage can dustbin
package parcel
shopping bag carrier bag
stove cooker
thread cotton
water heater geyser
wrench Spanner
 tin
can sweets
candy biscuit
cookie biscuits
crackers sweet
dessert chips
French fries
and vegetablestore grean grocer's
fruit crips
potatochips nail varnish
nail polish trousers
pants
pantyhose tights
mackintosh (mac)
rain coat
run
ladder
suspenders braces
sweater poloneek
undershirt vest
zipper zip
lawyer solicitor
graduate student post graduate student
guy chap (spoken), fellow (written)
janitor caretaker
patrolman (police) constable
cop, policeman bobby
salesperson
period
shop assistant
fullstop
trunk boot
tire tyre
gear shift gear lever
gas tank
petrol tank
license plate number plate
hood bonnet
side-view mirror Wing mirror
windshield
taillight windscreen
fender rear light
muffler Wing
gas pedal silencer
left/right-turn acclerator pedal
turn signal light indicator light
license number indicator switch
registration number
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 gasolene petrol
bill note
Corn maize
druggist chemist
fall autumn
elevator lift
antenna aerial
vacation holiday
gotton got
dove dived
(iii) Spelling and Punctuation level: In formal written English
the most noticeable differences between American English
and British English are usually found in spelling. The
following seven major differences can be put forward for the
better understanding of British and American English.
(a) <Am E> -er; <BrE> : -re (center, fiber, meter, theater;
centre, fibre, metre, theatre)
(b) <AmE> : -0r; <BrE> : -our (color, favor, honor, valor, flavor,
endeavor, labor; colour, favour, honour, valour, flavour,
endeavour, labour, etc)
(c) <AmE>: -k; <BrE> :-que (check, mask;cheque, masque)
(d) <Am E>: - ense; <BrE> : -ence (defense, license, offense,
pretense; defence, licence, offence, pretense; defence,
licence, offence, pretence)
(e) <AmE> : -ize; <BrE>:- ise (realize, criticize, organize:
realise, criticise, organise)
<AmE>: -ction; <BrE> : -xion (connection, inflection,.
reflection; connexion, inflexion, reflexion)
g) <AmE> : single consonant; <BrE> : double consonant
(jeweler, traveled, traveling; jeweller, travelled, travelling)
Besides these fundamental differences some indivadual
words have different spellings in <AmE> and <BrE>:
<AmE> BE
curb kerb
plow plough
jail gaol
aluminum aluminium
ax axe
program programme
dialog dialogue
airplane aeroplane

41
 punctuation <Amb> places punctuation
In the matters of semicolons) inside closing quotation
and
marks (except colons places them outside. <AmE> uses double
marks while <BrE> uses single quotation marks.
<BrE> of an
quotation marks whereas comma at the end of each lineperiod
<AmE> does not placeuses a there. In <AmE> a
comma
address while <BrE>
after
a
abbreviations such as MT, Mrs, and
(i.e. full stop)is palced
Dr, while <BrE> doesInnot. we would try to see how <AmE>
Level: this level, level.
(iv)Syntactic<BrE>
differs from written at grammatical <BrE> in the
<AmE> differs from phrases:
English
(a) In formal article 'the' in certain
common
use of definite <BrE>
<AmE>
in the hospital
in hospital
at University
at the University
prepositional differences in <AmE> and
b) There are some
<BrE>: BrE>
<AmE> He lives in Kantipath.
Ram lives on Kantipath. He aims at getting
He aims to get success. Success.
She works from
She works from Monday though Monday to Friday.
Friday He is different fron
He is different than you.
you.
I liketo talk with you. Ilike to talk to you.
in the repeated
(e) There is also a difference between them
subject after one. In <AmE> we can say:
In <BrE> it is
Qne cannot succeed unless he tries hard.
expressed in this way.
One cannot succeed unless one tries hard.
like
(d) In <AmE> the subjunctive is used after the verbs
demand, require, insist, suggest, etc. as in,
The headmaster suggested that Ram be included in the
team <AmE>
The headmaster suggested that Ram should be included in
the team. <BrE>
In <Am E> request for repetition is made by using the
phrase, "Excuse me ?" while in <BrE> "Sorry ?" is used.
() In <AmE> aletter is closed by "Sincerely Yours" but in
 <BrE> it is closed by "Yours Sincerely".
(g) Attention is obtained in <AmE> by using "I beg your
pardon" while "Excuse me" is used in <BrE>.
(h) In <AmE> a singular verb is used after a group noun but in
<BrE> a plural verb is used, as in
The audience was enchanted by the speech of the leader.
<AmE>
The audience were enchanted by the speech of the leader.
<BrE>
(v) Semantic level: Even in semantic (i.e. meaning) level there
are some noticeable differences between <AmE and <BrE>.
They are illustrated below:
(a) In <AmE> the word 'apartment means a set of rooms
whereas in <BrE> it refers to a single room.
(b) In <AmE> 'graduate' means a person who has completed a
course at a school or college but in <BrE> it means one who
has a bachelor's degree.
(c) In <AmE> the word 'senior' refers to a college student in
his fourth year while in <BrE> it means a person of a higher
rank.
(d) For Americans "sick" means "ill" but for Britishers it
means "inclined to vomit."
It should be clear from the discussion that thanks to the
dictinctions between the two they are 'institutionalized' as
American English and British English (Randolph Quick,
1973).

1.4: Conclusion: Some years ago, a student of TU in the final

examination instead of writing answers for the compulsory
English, happened to draw a figure of alion (English)
beyond the ocean ready to pounce on rabbits (Nepali
students). It impies that English is an imposed subject to
Nepali students. Moreover, English is often charged for the
high percentage of failure in university examinations.
These two complaints lead us to question if English is really
a very difficult language to learn and teach. It would be
better to note that despite the attempts made with regard to
the improvement of English language teaching situation in
Nepal, still we are far away from the goal. A graduate
student is not confident whether he/she can write a social

43
 English. Though we have a short historvy
letter in acceptable teaching in Nepal, it is the high time to
of English language out specificmeasures to solve
and find
identify the problems time learners to question
for Nepali
them. It is not thebetter, American English or British
is
which English varieties equally dominant. We can use
are expression in English
English as both <BrE> in our
either <AmE> orobjective of learning English is to use it.
Moreover, as our should try to get more and more
communicatively, we student
communicative English. Only a few
exposure of dictionaries in their study. It is essential to
use standard consulting dictionaries. We should not.
cultivate our habit of perfect and writing makes exact.
makes
forget that reading state that there is no magic stick with
Thus, it is needless to in a day or just a few days
which we can learn English
examinations. Similarly, in the matters of better
before our British English we have to
underst.anding of American and suggestions may be
go ahead stepwise. The following
helpful in this regard:
(i) To be familiar with <AmE> and
<BrE> pronunciation, we
should cultivate our habit in listening to audio-cassettes,
<AmE> or
conversations between the native speakers of
<BrE> and imitating them. For this purpose, weand have to
read and listen to the available materials properly try to
pronounce themn carefully.
and <BrE>
(i) The distinctions so far made between <AmE>
should be studied attentively and while reading our
textbooks we should try to identify the two varieties. We
should also love to study literature written in British
English and American English.
(iii) We should always keep standard dictionaries which can
guide us for better understanding of English varieties.
(iv) The best key to understand them is our jeal for learning.
That is why we should always be ready to work hard until
we become the master of them At last, it is always
noteworthy, that language learning is not a dal-bhat
delight. It is a very complex and challenging job. Both the
learners and teachers of English language should devote
their life to better understanding of both varieties of English.

44
References "Teaching of the varieties
Bayracharyn, B. R 1993), paper presented at T
English and Intonation", a seminar
Seminar-cum-workshop.
U English Teachers,
Kathmandu.
Randolphad and Greenbaum, Sidney (1973): A
Quirk, English, ELBS/Longnan, London.
University Grammar of
Geoffrey and Svartvik, Jan (1973): ACornrnunicative
i) Leech,
Grammar of English, ELBS/Longman, London
Newton, Anne Covel (1989) (editor) : English Teaching
(iv) Vol. XXVII, No. 3
Forum (FORUM),
Evaluation of
Adikary, R. P. 1988) "Evaluation of the
(v)
presented at second
Compulsory English in T.U. apaper English Teachers,
National convention of T. U.
Kathmandu.
(vi) Twain, Mark (1882) The Stolen White Elephant quotation
used in FORUM,(1989).

(vii) Mathews, Mitfor M (1931) Beginings in American English.

quotation appeared in FORUM,(1989)
(viii) Webster, Noah (1789) Dissertations on the English
Language, quotation appeared in FORUM (1989)
(ix) Hamilton, Thomas (1833) : Men and Manners in America,
quotations appeared in FORUM (1989)
(x) Leacock, Stephen (1943): How to Write, quotations appeared
in FORUM (1989)

Quick, Randolph (1956) : The New York Times Magazine,

Dec. 2,quotations appeared in FORUM (1989)
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English, Ekta Books, Kathmandu, Nepal.

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