American and British English use different terms, spelling, and pronunciation, sharing similarities and differences that English-speaking people try to consider when using the language.
Jeff Lucier’s Madam’s Mini is a children’s book that teaches values and composure to young readers. It follows Huey, a young boy on Victoria Street, who found friendship with their new neighbors, Madam and Sir Archie. Madam takes Huey to town in her ‘66 Mini Cooper S to “go to the market” and to “post letters.” During their ride to town, Huey witnesses a young man making fun of Madam and her Mini Cooper, which leads him to understand and learn more about values and composure. The book also features differences between American and British English, which gives the main protagonist an idea about the wonders of English.
Here is a list about why the American and British English are similar yet so different:
History
History has a great influence on why both American and British English would sound different from one another. Historically, the British people sailed and conquered American lands, leading to the changing of America and moving away from the Natives and Spanish-speaking Americans. After America’s independence from the power of Britain in 1776, American and British accents sound similar but have undergone drastic changes over the years.
Photo by Ivan Samkov
Before both British and American English are rhotic, an accent that uses a hard R- sound. However, in the 18th century, Britain accepted a standardized non-rhotic accent, dropping the R-sound of some words. This standardized, non-rhotic speech became a symbol of “prestige” in Britain.
American English remained rhotic over the years and tends to have different variations in some states, most especially in the South, where the R-sound became rounded and more prominent.
Noah Webster’s Influence and Spelling
The differences in American and British English tend to be more observable when written. The spelling of some words becomes different. For example, color in American English is spelled as colour in British English.
Photo by Robert Linder
Noah Webster hated some of the British spelling, so he created a speller, grammar, and reader compendium called A Grammatical Institute of the English Language. Webster recreated the spelling of some words that influenced a lot of Americans, giving rise to the differences in American and British spelling. Webster’s influence in language and diction is still very strong to this day.
Other examples:
Aluminum in American; Aluminium in British
Realize in American; Realise in British
Catalog in American; Catalogue in British
The Tenses
American and British English also have strong differences in their tenses. In American English, it is normal to put –d or –ed at the end of the verb when the action took place in the recent past. However, it is kind of different in British English as they would use –t in their words.
For example, the American past tense of spell is spelled, while in British, it is spelt.
Other examples:
Learn, dream, and burn in American English past tense would be learned, dreamed, and burned, respectively. In British English, they would be learnt, dreamt, and burnt, respectively.
Photo by Romain Vignes
Vocabulary
Another observable difference between American and British English is the diction or usage of vocabulary. There are several terms that might have different meanings in both English.
Going back to Jeff Lucier’s Madam’s Mini, Huey got acquainted with the vocabulary of the British Madam. When she said she had to “go to the market,” she meant she was going to the groceries. Madam also said she would go “post some letters,” she meant mailing letters.
Here are some examples of terms that could have different meanings or different words with the same meaning in American and British English:
– Rubber – in British, it means eraser; in American, it means condom.
– Football in Britain is Soccer in America.
– Candy Floss in British is cotton candy in American.
– Aubergine in British is Eggplant in American.
– Chips in British is French Fries in American.
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood
The American and British English and both powerful and influential to people around the globe. The language actually helps connect different continents to have a unified understanding. If not for the language, the cultural barriers between nations could be thick and impenetrable.
What are other differences between American and British English that you know?