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 #17 (permalink) Sun Feb 06, 2011 14:25 pm Re: Differences between British and American English? |
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| Torsten wrote: |
- How significant do you think are those differences?
- Do you think that the differences between American and British spelling are increasing or decreasing?
- Apart from spelling, what other differences are there between American and British English?
- What about other versions of English such as Canadian, Australian, South African etc.?
- Do you think that one version of English can be easier to understand than the other? |
First question: At the formal level, the differences are not very significant at all, because native speakers can sometimes read 50 pages into a book before detecting that it's not from their own country. When we're reading quickly, we don't always notice the spelling differences.
Second question: The spelling differences between American and British English aren't increasing that much, and they're not as great as most foreigners think they are. Foreigners often exaggerate the differences. If you look at what foreigners think is correct English spelling, and then you check the UK editions of Oxford dictionaries, you find the foreigners' spelling is often too "British".
However, the spelling differences between American English and the language called "Brusselese" have increased. Apparently the EU, without consulting the British, have revised "English" spelling rules to make them as different as possible from the American rules. So sometimes a spelling that is preferred in US and UK English is "wrong" in Brusselese. (I think they made these changes to make English spelling easier for the French. A lot of EU English is based on French and isn't easy for native English speakers to understand if they don't also know French.)
Third question: Besides spelling, some of the vocabulary and idioms are different. These especially include the terms for inventions that developed when communication across the Atlantic was still difficult, such as the names of various basic car parts (while the names of the newly invented parts are the same in the US and UK). And of course, the local slang is different. Many foreigners think the British speak "correct" English and the Americans speak "slang", but the British sometimes use so much slang that it's hard for anyone but the British to understand them, or maybe even for anyone from outside their own town.
Fifth question: Neither standard variety of English is harder to understand than the other. In fact, we understand all standard varieties. However, local dialects and slang can make things difficult. I believe it's easier for an Englishman to understand someone speaking standard American English than it is for him to understand someone speaking local Yorkshire English or one of the many other local UK dialects. |
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| #18 (permalink) Sun Feb 06, 2011 14:30 pm Re: A survey |
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| Jailbird wrote: |
| As my university teaches us only British English we all like it more. It`s nicer...well, I just like it more! |
I would be interested in hearing your English, because I'll bet it doesn't sound British.
Every semester I get students from Russia and many other countries who claim that they were taught "British" English in school, but so far not one of them has spoken like the British.
What they really learn is a foreign adaptation of English that their instructors claim is "British".
Usually the students with very good English never mention what kind of English they learned at school, but the ones whose English is so poor that they can barely communicate claim that it's because they learned "British" English in their country. This is, of course, nonsense. They learned bad English in their country, not British. |
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Jamie (K)
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| #19 (permalink) Sun Feb 06, 2011 14:44 pm Re: A survey |
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| Carbonarius wrote: |
| I think that in Spain they teach mostly British English, rather than American English. One of the reasons may be that students want to get the certificates issued by Cambridge University: First, Advanced, Proficiency. Besides, as Britain is quite close to Spain, most teachers are British, and Irish too. Anyway, everybody knows how important American English is, and so, I suppose that examiners are open-minded enough to accept an exam written in American English. |
The last time I taught English in Europe, the training materials for Cambridge certificates explicitly stated that it doesn't matter which variety of English you use on them, as long as your spelling is consistent. In other words, they don't care if the person uses British or American English on the tests. (I don't know what they do with people who learned in Canada, because Canadian spelling is part British and part American.)
I prepared many students for those exams, using my own American English, and none of them had any trouble passing. In fact, some claim their English was greatly praised by the British examiners.
| Carbonarius wrote: |
| As for me, I try to stick to British standard English. It's just a matter of chosing one, otherwise you would get lost. But I like American English too, it can be as elegant as British English. And it's easier to understand! Don't you think so? |
Native speakers learn from both British and American sources, and we don't get "lost". There's not enough difference between the two to get lost in.
If you think American English can't be as elegant as British English, you haven't heard a true Southern gentleman speak, or some very cultured African-Americans. Those people's English can be as elegant or more than any Englishman's. And many of the British don't speak elegantly at all.
It's common for languages to be more courtly in the New World than in Europe, which you can see from the very formal way the South Americans say some things in Spanish. The same can occasionally be true in English. I would sometimes run into British expressions in Cambridge ESL books that would be absolutely rude in the United States but are apparently fine in the UK. |
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Jamie (K)
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| #20 (permalink) Sun Feb 06, 2011 14:46 pm Re: A survey |
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| Samrat wrote: |
| I always like British English. May be one reason is that ,in Indian schools only British English is beeing taught. But in my general persepection, I rate British English more standard than Americans as I beleive the right pronounciation is captured only in British English. |
If the Indians learn British English, then why can't any of my students from India speak or write like the British? In fact, why is the English in magazines like "India Today" so different from British English? Once in a while we can't even understand it! |
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Jamie (K)
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| #21 (permalink) Sun Feb 06, 2011 15:00 pm Re: A survey |
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| Carbonarius wrote: |
| My question is: do people in the States, UK, Australia, etc., feel that they are part of a community that speaks the same language? Do they realize how important it is to look after the unity of the language? As for me, my opinion is that each country feels that it's way of speaking and writing English is THE way, and that they listen to each other with contempt. |
Generally, people in the English-speaking world consider themselves to be part of one community, not only because of language, but because of generally shared values on justice, human rights, etc. This is why Americans refer to "our English cousins", even though most Americans don't have British ancestry.
Generally, English speakers don't care which variety of English someone is speaking, as long as they are easy to understand and their expressions are not too comical. Like most Americans, I never paid much attention to differences between US and UK English until I got to Europe. I thought we all spoke variations on one English. However, if you're an American teaching English in Europe, the Europeans (but not the British) are constantly forcing you to defend your English. Often when you catch Europeans in mistakes -- especially European teachers -- they will falsely claim that the mistake is "British" English and that the American's correction is "wrong". It's really a form of bigotry.
There's a famous example where a teacher in France was teaching children to say "number phone". When two American children in the class corrected her and told her it's "phone number", she berated them, saying, "That may be acceptable in AMERICAN English, but in this class we are learning correct BRITISH English!" This is ridiculous, of course, because the British and the Americans say "phone number", and not "number phone". When you're an American, Canadian or Australian teaching English in Europe, the locals subject you to this abuse quite often. |
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Jamie (K)
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| #22 (permalink) Sun Feb 06, 2011 15:04 pm Which English is better -- British or American? (British vs. American English) |
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Hi,
I am interested in what is believed to be 'Oxford English' - a description resurrected from a thread alive some 5 years ago. What does it mean?
Alan
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| #23 (permalink) Sun Feb 06, 2011 15:13 pm Which English is better -- British or American? (British vs. American English) |
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| Alan wrote: |
| I am interested in what is believed to be 'Oxford English' - a description resurrected from a thread alive some 5 years ago. What does it mean? |
Who are you addressing? I made reference to Oxford dictionaries (i.e., from Oxford University Press), but I said nothing about Oxford English. |
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Jamie (K)
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| #24 (permalink) Sun Feb 06, 2011 15:34 pm Which English is better -- British or American? (British vs. American English) |
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I am referring to #16 .
Alan
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| #25 (permalink) Sun Feb 06, 2011 17:05 pm Which English is better -- British or American? (British vs. American English) |
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| Alan wrote: |
Hi,
I am interested in what is believed to be 'Oxford English' - a description resurrected from a thread alive some 5 years ago. What does it mean?
Alan |
Hi Al this thread came up in a search and I was just having my tuppence really just on the wording of the Title -
Im wondering if you're asking me a trick question here? - however my opinion of what Oxford English is would be pretty much what is contained in the current version of the Collins Oxford English Dictionary. From the list below it appears unavailable in the USA
The Oxford English Dictionary is a world-famous bestseller, chosen by thousands of users for its up-to-date and authoritative coverage of the English language. It contains over 240,000 words, phrases, and definitions, providing meanings for everyday words including scientific and technical vocabulary, as well as English from around the world. This revised edition of the dictionary has been updated with hundreds of new words and phrases drawn from ongoing language research of the Oxford Reading Programme and the Oxford English Corpus. This edition also features a new centre section, with quick-reference word lists (containing, for example, lists of Unusual Words, and Onomatopoeic Words), and a revised and updated English Uncovered supplement, which presents interesting facts about the English language. The revised edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary also retains such popular features as the Word Histories and Usage Notes that can be found throughout the A-Z text of the dictionary. This luxury edition includes thumb indexes and a page ribbon to mark your place, and is beautifully presented with printed endpapers and coloured head and tailbands. A convenient reference for the home, office, and school, it is also an ideal gift for friends or family. The dictionary includes 12 months' access* to Oxford's premium online dictionary and thesaurus service, Oxford Dictionaries Online, updated regularly with the latest developments to words and meanings, so you will have the most accurate picture of English available. Find out more about our living language using Oxford Dictionaries Online. Hear how words are spoken with thousands of audio pronunciations, and access over 1.9 million real English example sentences to see how words are used in context. Improve your confidence in writing with helpful grammar and punctuation guides, full thesaurus information, style and usage help, and much more. *Available in selected markets (UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, and South Africa)
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/page/access
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| #26 (permalink) Thu Feb 10, 2011 13:37 pm Re: A survey |
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| Jamie (K) wrote: |
Every semester I get students from Russia and many other countries who claim that they were taught "British" English in school, but so far not one of them has spoken like the British.
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Miracles don't happen, Jamie, especially in Russia.
If a person was born and raised in Russia, was taught English in Russia by a Russian teacher (who claims to speak British English, and not a smattering of American English. Though that teacher would be hard pressed if you ask him or her to define the term "British English"), it's a safe bet to conclude that the person in question speaks a garbled brand of English with a heavy russian accent, mispronouncing words here and there and making grammatical mistakes to boot. And you should consider yourself lucky if you manage to make out at least fifty percent of what that person says.
I know all too well the Russian approach to education: their top priority is good grades and not the knowledge that they are supposed to get by the end of a course. If they got all A's, they consider that they know everything related to the subject, which is, more often than not, far from the truth.
They should put aquired knowledge and skills above good grades.
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