BRITISH vs AMERICAN

ENGLISH

START

BRITISH AMERICAN

BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH

TAKE SOME NOTES FOR THE ACTIVITY YOU WILL DO HEREINAFTER

Spelling

Vocabulary

Grammar

Pronunciation

BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH

As we saw in topic 5, English has as many varitations as people who speak it... However, the most widespread varieties in terms of education are American English and British English. While it is true that British English (and the Received Pronunciation (RP) ) is the one taught in Spain EFL official programmes, knowing the differences between these variations is useful for us, as teachers, for our sts to face the real word language they'll encounter and for the OPOSICIONES EXAM The key and noteworthy major differences between American and British English can be classified in four categories: pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and several grammar distinctions.

Spelling

Vocabulary

Grammar

Pronunciation

BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH

As we saw in topic 5, English has as may varitations as people who speak it... However, the most widespread varieties in terms of education are English and british English. While it is true that British English (and the Received Pronunciation (RP) ) is the one taught in Spain EFL official programmes, knowing the differences between these variations is useful for us, as teachers, for our sts to face the real word language they'll encounter and for the OPOSICIONES EXAM The key and noteworthy major differences between American and British English can be classified in four categories: pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and several grammar distinctions.

PRONUNICATION OF SOME WORDS

PRONUNICATION OF LETTERS

VOWELS

PRONUNCIATION

Of course, accents among the speakers of American English are varied, as well as among speakers of British English (not the same American English from Texas than from New York, or London and Manchester). Nonetheless, some generalisations can be made

AE (British) vs. E (American)

LL vs L

YSE vs IZE

WORDS ENDING IN...

ISE vs IZE

OUR vs OR

SPELLING

Why are they so different? British English has tended to keep the spelling of words absorbed from other languages (e.g. French) while American English has adapted the spelling to reflect the way that the words sound when they're pronounced

There additionally are some words which do not follow any rule. They're just spelled differently.Some examples : - airplane (A) and aeroplane (B) - gray (A) and grey (B) - tire (A) and tyre (B) - mold (A) and mould (B)

-re vs. -er

WORDS ENDING IN...

-ogue vs. -og

-ence vs. -ense

SPELLING

Why are they so different? British English has tended to keep the spelling of words absorbed from other languages (e.g. French) while American English has adapted the spelling to reflect the way that the words sound when they're pronounced

VOCABULARY

SLANG

WORDS

VOCABULARY and SLANG

A very well-known example is British English uses the word football to refer to the sport that Americans know as soccer. For the sport that Americans know as football, Britsh use the term American football But there are thousands of examples

VOCABULARY

PAST TENSE FORMS

COLLECTIVE NOUNS

HAVE and TAKE

PREPOSITIONS

TENSES

GRAMMAR

There are also some grammar differences in British vs American English Some examples are presented here

Methodological question 2 "Teaching values is very important in FLT. how would you teach equality and respect towards others in your classroom? Take a 4th year group for you example" Use B/A English (depending on what you are assigned)

ACTIVITY (choose)

Methodological question 1 "Introducing traditional literature in the English Foreign Language classroom is an arduous task. Design how you could work with the book Oliver Twist in a class of 24 sixth graders." Use B/A English (depending on what you are assigned)

VOWEL SOUNDS

• The most common difference comes with the letter “a” in some words:
• The phonemic sound [æ] that’s basically an “a” and an “e” combined into one letter is very common in American English but not in British English.

¿Quieres personalizar tu escenario de bifurcación? Aquí tienes unos tips:

• Antes de editar en el propio escenario de bifurcación, edita en el esquema. Así obtendrás una visión general y sabrás qué preguntas y respuestas van en cada página.
• Edita siguiendo el orden de las páginas, desde la primera página o pregunta hasta llegar a las páginas finales.

Slang: very informal, more common in speech than writing, and typically restricted to a particular context or group of people.

Different slang words are used in American and British English to refer to the same things:

• A man: dude (American) vs. bloke (British)
• Very good: awesome (American) vs. ace (British)
• An anonymous man: John Doe (American) vs. John Smith (British)
• To waste time: lollygag (American) vs. faff about (British)

VOWEL SOUNDS

• The most common difference comes with the letter “a” in some words:
• The phonemic sound [æ] that’s basically an “a” and an “e” combined into one letter is very common in American English but not in British English.

French fries/fries (American) vs. chips (British) cotton candy (American) vs. candyfloss (British) apartment (American) vs. flat (British) garbage (American) vs. rub bish (British) cookie (American) vs. biscuit (British) green thumb (American) vs. green fingers (British) parking lot (American) vs. car park (British) pants (American) vs. trousers (British) windshield (American) vs. windscreen (British)

VOWEL SOUNDS

• The most common difference comes with the letter “a” in some words:
• The phonemic sound [æ] that’s basically an “a” and an “e” combined into one letter is very common in American English but not in British English.

-re (British) vs. -er (American)

• metre vs. meter
• lustre vs. luster

-ence (British) vs. -ense (American)

Examples: - defence vs. defense

SINGULAR OR PLURAL?

• In British English, a singular or plural verb can be used with a COLLECTIVE noun (noun that refers to a group of people or things).
• Plural is used when referring to the group as different individuals and singular is used when thinking of the group as a single unit:
• My team is/are winning the match.
• But, in American English, collective nouns are always followed by singular verbs:
• My team is loosing

VOWEL SOUNDS

• The most common difference comes with the letter “a” in some words:
• The phonemic sound [æ] that’s basically an “a” and an “e” combined into one letter is very common in American English but not in British English.

¿Quieres personalizar tu escenario de bifurcación? Aquí tienes unos tips:

• Antes de editar en el propio escenario de bifurcación, edita en el esquema. Así obtendrás una visión general y sabrás qué preguntas y respuestas van en cada página.
• Edita siguiendo el orden de las páginas, desde la primera página o pregunta hasta llegar a las páginas finales.

LETTER R

American accents are rhotic whereas most (but not all) British accents are nonrhotic This means that most Americans will pronounce the R in certain syllables while most Brits will not: - In the word number (pronounced as “numbuh” by a nonrhotic speaker). - Inhe word far is /fa:r/ in AmE and /fɑːr/ in BrE.

Doubling the L in a verb conjugation (British) vs. keeping the single L (American)

• travelled vs. traveled
• labelling vs. labeling

-ise or -ize (British) vs. only -ize (American)

• apologise vs. apologize
• fantasise vs. fantasize
• idolise vs. idolize

Exercise: Which one is the British one?

lift / elevator lorry / truck restroom / public toilet motorway / highway garbage / rubbish sidewalk / pavement crosswalk / pedestrian crossing queue / line shopping trolley / shopping cart stag night / bachelor party mad / angry

VOWEL SOUNDS

• The most common difference comes with the letter “a” in some words:
• The phonemic sound [æ] that’s basically an “a” and an “e” combined into one letter is very common in American English but not in British English.

HAVE or TAKE a bath?

• In British English, the verbs have and take are commonly used with
• nouns like bath, shower, wash to speak about washing
• nouns like break, holiday, rest to speak about resting.

In American English, only the verb take (and not the verb have) is used this way.

-yse (British) vs. –yze (American)

• analyse vs. analyze
• paralyse vs. paralyze

-ogue (British) vs. -og or -ogue (American)

• catalogue vs. catalog
• dialogue vs. dialog

They sometimes use a different preposition

• at the weekend (B) /on the weekend (A)
• I’m studying maths at university (B) / I’m studying math in college (A)
• I haven’t been there for years! (B) / I haven’t been there in years! (A)
• I work Monday to Friday (B) / I work Monday through Friday (A)

American English often doesn’t pronounce many t’s. - At the end of some words, (especially in short words): "what", while British English speakers tend to do so. - American English speakers don’t pronounce t’s is when the “t” follows the letter “n. ("as in "ant")

AE (British) vs. E (American)

• leukaemia vs. leukemia
• paediatrics vs. pediatrics

SINGULAR OR PLURAL?

• Some irregular verbs have different forms in British and in American English:
• GOT (british) GOTTEN (American)
• Burn, dream, lean, learn, smell, spell, spill and spoil are all regular in American English, but irregular in British

Americans tend to use past simple when describing something that has recently occurred, while British people are more likely to use the present perfect: - He isn't hungry. He has already had lunch. - He isn't hungry. He already had lunch.

our (British) vs. -or (American)

Examples: - colour vs. color - armour vs. armor - flavour vs. flavor

schedule American: [ skej-ool or skej-oo-uhl ] British: [ shed-yool or shej-ool ]

Pronunciation of:

Figure American: [ fig-yer ] British: [ fig-er ]