differences between: AMERICAN ENGLISH

1
differences betweenAMERICAN ENGLISH BRITISH
ENGLISH

• Lauren Carney
• Lindsay Munnelly
• (Adapted by
• Francisco Moreno)

2
Visible Changes?

• There are quite a few noticeable differences
  between the British English dialect and the
  evolved dialect of American English.
• These are the ones we will cover
• Spelling
• Pronunciation sounds
• Pronunciation accent
• Grammar
• Vocabulary

3
Spelling.
AMERICAN -or BRITISH -our
Color Colour
Honor Honour
Favorite favourite
AMERICAN -ze BRITISH -se
Analyze Analyse
Criticize Criticise
Memorize Memorise
AMERICAN -ll BRITISH -l
Enrollment Enrolment
Fulfill Fulfil
Skillful skilful
4
Spelling, continued.
AMERICAN -er BRITISH -re
Center Centre
Meter Metre
Theater theatre

AMERICAN -og BRITISH -ogue
Analog Analogue
Catalog Catalogue
Dialog Dialogue
AMERICAN -ck or -k BRITISH -que
Bank Banque
Check Cheque
5
Spelling, continued.
AMERICAN -e BRITISH -ae or -oe
Encyclopedia Encyclopaedia
Maneuver Manoeuvre
Medieval Mediaeval

AMERICAN -dg -g -gu BRITISH -dge -ge -gue
Aging Ageing
Argument Arguement
Judgment Judgement
AMERICAN -ense BRITISH -ence
License Licence
Defense Defence
6
Spelling, continued.
Other word-specific differences --
AMERICAN BRITISH
Jewelry Jewellry
Draft Draught
Pajamas Pyjamas
Plow Plough
Program Programme
Tire Tyre
7
Spelling last one!.
Base words that end in L normally double the L in
British English when a suffix is added.
BASE WORD AMERICAN BRITISH
Counsel Counseling Counselling
Equal Equaled Equalled
Model Modeling Modelling
Quarrel Quarreling Quarrelling
Signal Signaled Signalled
Travel Traveling Travelling
The letter can double in American as well but
ONLY IF the stress is on the second syllable of
the base word.
BASE WORD AMERICAN BRITISH
Excel Excelling Excelling
Propel Propelling Propelling
8
Pronunciation sounds.
WORD AMERICAN PRONUNCIATION BRITISH PRONUNCIATION
Teacher
Father
Letter
Water
Aunt
Tomato
9
Pronunciation stress

• There are also other words borrowed from French
  that feature stress differences.
• American first-syllable British last-syllable
• Mustache Mustache
• Cigarette Cigarette

10
Pronunciation (accent)
The next 2 videos show a teacher saying the same
text first with the American accent and then with
the British accent
11
Grammar.

• VERBS
• morphology
• American -- "-ed"
• British -- "-t"
• i.e. learned/learnt, dreamed/dreamt
• British English rarely use gotten instead,
  got
• is much more common.
• Past participles often vary
• i.e. saw American sawed British
  sawn
• tenses
• British English employs the present perfect to
  talk about a recent event i.e. Ive already
  eaten, Ive just arrived home.
• auxiliaries
• British English often uses shall and shant
• American English uses will and wont

• NOUNS
• In British English, collective nouns can take
  either singular or plural verb forms, depending
  on whether the emphasis is on the body or the
  members within it.
• i.e.A committee was appointed.
• The committee were unable
• to agree.

12
Vocabulary.
AMERICAN BRITISH
Apartment Flat
Argument Row
Carriage/coach Pram
Bathroom Loo
Can Tin
Cookie Biscuit
Diaper Nappy
Elevator Lift
Eraser Rubber
Flashlight Torch
Fries Chips
Gas Petrol
Guy Bloke/chap

• American
• British
• English
• sometimes
• have
• different
• words for
• the same
• things --

13
More Vocabulary.
AMERICAN BRITISH
Highway Motorway
Hood of a car Bonnet
Jelly Jam
Kerosene Paraffin
Lawyer Solicitor
Line Queue
Mail Post
Napkin Serviette
Nothing Nought
Period Full stop
Potato chips crisps
AMERICAN BRITISH
Truck Lorry
Trunk Boot
Vacation Holiday
Windshield Windscreen
License Plate Number Plate
Pacifier Dummy
Parking lot Car park
Pharmacist Chemist
Sidewalk Pavement
Soccer Football
Trash can Bin
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More Vocabulary.

• American and British English speakers often use
  the same words but intend very different meaning
  with them

WORD AMERICAN BRITISH
Biscuit Dinner roll Cookie
Brew Beer Tea
Bureau Chest of drawers Writing table/desk
Casket Coffin Jewelry Box
First Floor Ground Floor Second Floor
To hire To employ To rent
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_words_having_
different_meanings_in_British_and_American_English
for more examples!
15
Sources.

• Intemann, Dr. F. Teaching English Grammar and
  Lexis.
• http//www-public.tu-bs.de8080/intemann/BA/gramm
  ar-lexis/bara-ristau-schubert.pdf
• Jones, Susan. List of American vs. British
  Spelling.
• http//www2.gsu.edu/wwwesl/egw/jones/spelling.htm
  
• Wallechinsky, David Irving Wallace. Trivia on
  History of Merriam-Websters Dictionary Part 1.
• http//www.trivia-library.com/b/history-of-merriam
  -webster-dictionary-part-1.htm
• Wikipedia. British English.
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_English
• Wikipedia. American and British English
  Differences.
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_
  English_differences