Why/How is British English different from American English?

[saintdomingo]

4 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

You must be an English teacher with that uneducated accent.

Not an English teacher but I did pass 'O' Level English Language too many decades ago.

I am told by some that I've lost my Scouse accent, others differ and I am not really bothered.

[saintdomingo]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

No, I don't mean 'snobby English'.  My family were middle class, living in a semi-detached house in working-class Leicester.  I was brought up to speak 'clear English'.

 

However, (and this is something that I mentioned in another thread), I also switched to a local, Leicester accent when chatting with school friends.  switching between RP and local accent according to the circumstances.

 

When I speak with adult colleagues who have local accents from eg - Birmingham, Manchester etc, and I ask them to switch off their local accent, they look at me as if I have come from Mars!  It seems they have no ability to switch off their local accent, and I find that positively weird!

 

If I encounter a taxi driver in Phuket who speaks with a Southern Thai accent, (which I find difficult to understand), I simply ask them to speak Bangkok Thai and they do so.

 

Are people not taught to switch off their accents? As a teacher, I am appalled when I hear an English teacher speaking with a 'thick' local accent.  It's not fair for the students and it shows a failing by the employer to ascertain whether or not the potential employee can speak English clearly. This kind of problem would be avoided if the teacher had learnt to switch off their accent when teaching students.

 

By the way, I am still trying to understand this 'waheh' for water 🙂.  Do you mean using a glottal stop in the middle and pronouncing the word as 'wor-er'?  

More or less, he means the Manc accent, they don't pronounce the t.

[Gandtee]

20 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Having a teacher from either London or Manchester, or both, or an American teacher, or all three, is good for students.

The classroom should reflect the diversity of the real world.

 

We do not live in a world filled by people speaking only one language, or one dialect, and with only one accent.

I enjoy listening to different accents.

But, I think I am most partial to the speech patterns of The Fine People of Ireland.

 

Does anyone recall that great film:

 

 

Filmed in Ireland, it was....

 

 

The Irish brogue of Barry Fitzgerald.But certainly not in Belfast.

[Captain Monday]

On 4/28/2024 at 7:45 PM, VocalNeal said:

^ Can i get a coffee?

It is the worst Americanism. 

[jak2002003]

'Why/How is British English different from American English?' 

 

Because American English is just wrong. 

 

Even British kids can get is right. 

[GammaGlobulin]

4 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

It is the worst Americanism. 

 

Really?

Because, there are so many of them, that it is difficult to decide on the worst, or even the worst of the worst.

 

What disturbs me is this strange phrase:  worst of the worst.

 

This never sounds logical.

 

If one is the worst, then there is only one. And that one is the worst.

 

However, it might seem more logical to have "the worst of the worse", simply because you might have many of something that was worse than something else.  You might think of having 10 balls. Ball A is bad. Ball B, C, D, are worse than ball A. And then you have another Blue Ball E which is the worst, ie, THE worst, one.

 

And so then, you would have a group of four Blue Balls, B, C, D, E, that were all worse than ball A.

 

Therefore, you could logically state that Ball E was the worst of the balls in the worse group: ie the WORST of the WORSE.

 

But, you could not logically say that Ball E was the worst of the worst, because Balls B, C, D, E are not the worst balls.

 

And so, logically speaking....

 

E is the worse of the worse.  E is also the worst of the worse.  BUT, you cannot logically state that Ball E is the worst of the worst!

 

It is incongruencies such as this which make our lives less than worth living.

 

But, what do you say, anyway?

 

Worst of the worst?

Even if it might not be logically pleasing?

 

 

And what is the worst of the worse?:  Have a Good One!

 

 

[daveAustin]

It isn’t. Topic title should be Why is American English different from English English? There is no ‘British’, as it would imply the Scottish and Welsh had a hand in it, while the latter borrowed it later. 

 

Beings as America was one largely borne of convict musings, they tended to speak improperly and cut short real words… saying what they saw if you like and pronouncing incorrectly… ‘leisure’ for example. Much like how some dialects roll, such as how the clipped southern Thai dialect differs from Central. 
 

Oftentimes American English is easier and more logical in that regard, but please have some respect for the source. 😋

[Captain Monday]

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Really?

Because, there are so many of them, that it is difficult to decide on the worst, or even the worst of the worst.

 

What disturbs me is this strange phrase:  worst of the worst.

 

This never sounds logical.

 

If one is the worst, then there is only one. And that one is the worst.

 

However, it might seem more logical to have "the worst of the worse", simply because you might have many of something that was worse than something else.  You might think of having 10 balls. Ball A is bad. Ball B, C, D, are worse than ball A. And then you have another Blue Ball E which is the worst, ie, THE worst, one.

 

And so then, you would have a group of four Blue Balls, B, C, D, E, that were all worse than ball A.

 

Therefore, you could logically state that Ball E was the worst of the balls in the worse group: ie the WORST of the WORSE.

 

But, you could not logically say that Ball E was the worst of the worst, because Balls B, C, D, E are not the worst balls.

 

And so, logically speaking....

 

E is the worse of the worse.  E is also the worst of the worse.  BUT, you cannot logically state that Ball E is the worst of the worst!

 

It is incongruencies such as this which make our lives less than worth living.

 

But, what do you say, anyway?

 

Worst of the worst?

Even if it might not be logically pleasing?

 

 

And what is the worst of the worse?:  Have a Good One!

 

 

You lost me on the logic above but it is 1) on the list linked below.  
 

Can I get a … really bothers me I reject it and always ask more politely as in “May I please have a coffee” or the alternative “ I would  like to order a coffee, please”

 

One time in Newark in line behind a local in Starbucks and the man said

 

“Lemme’ get a raspberry”

Even the barista had no idea what he wanted a tea, a Frappuccino? What size? 

 

https://lithub.com/38-americanisms-the-british-cant-bloody-stand/

[sandyf]

On 4/30/2024 at 1:36 PM, Purdey said:

The country is England. Its language is called English. Not British. Great Britain contains the countries of Wales and Scotland too, which have their own languages but use English for convenience, so there is no British English.

British English is a recognised name for a collective as in Standard British Southern English or embedded in BBC English.

However the American vernacular is a historical derivitive from the language of the British settlers.

Amazing that someone boasting that they had a flush toilet becomes common vocabulary.

[Dcheech]

Brits find the mericans constant use of the F--- word upsetting & abhorrent.

Mericans find the Brits constant use of the C--- word upsetting & abhorrent.

 

There is more but I can't be a-sed.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

4 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

Can I get a … really bothers me I reject it and always ask more politely as in “May I please have a coffee” or the alternative “ I would  like to order a coffee, please”

 

One time in Newark in line behind a local in Starbucks and the man said

 

“Lemme’ get a raspberry”

Even the barista had no idea what he wanted a tea, a Frappuccino? What size? 

 

Americans, as you and I know, being Americans, have been...

Boors from the Beginning, and...
Always will be boorish.

 

This is part of our heritage given to us by ancestors raised on the frontiers of places like The Klondike in Alaska, and the Oil Fields of Oklahoma.

 

We are....OAKIES, all of us, when you scratch off a bit of veneer of semi-civilization which coats most of us.

 

 

[Captain Monday]

8 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Americans, as you and I know, being Americans, have been...

Boors from the Beginning, and...
Always will be boorish.

 

This is part of our heritage given to us by ancestors raised on the frontiers of places like The Klondike in Alaska, and the Oil Fields of Oklahoma.

 

We are....OAKIES, all of us, when you scratch off a bit of veneer of semi-civilization which coats most of us.

 

 

Interesting is how American English branched off 

and became so distonct from the British and commonwealth accents and spelling

 

[RUSKATE6]

Speaking of interesting differences between British and American English, I recently stumbled upon a website called Omegle.fm for random video chats with people all over the world.

It's been a fascinating way to observe and experience diverse dialects and colloquialisms first-hand. In one chat, I might encounter someone from London using typically British phrases, and in the next, an American with a totally different vocabulary and accent.

While Omegle.fm isn't explicitly a language learning tool, I've found that engaging with native speakers from the UK and US has really highlighted for me some of the nuances and quirks that distinguish the two major English variants.

Of course, as with any online interaction, it's important to be cautious and keep things appropriate. But if you're interested in a live demonstration of British vs. American English in action, Omegle.fm is worth checking out.

I'm curious if anyone else has used similar platforms and noticed intriguing linguistic differences between international English speakers? Share your experiences!

[RUSKATE6]

This comparison between British and American English reminds me of fascinating conversations I've had on this exact topic. Just last month, I was discussing linguistic differences on this random text chat platform called lemonchat.app where I connected with both British and American literature professors.

One Oxford professor I chatted with pointed out how British English often employs understatement and passive voice ("her pants were let down") where American English prefers directness and active construction ("he took her pants down"). He argued this reflects deeper cultural differences in approaching awkward subjects.

The D.H. Lawrence reference is spot-on. During our text chat, an American professor mentioned that when "Lady Chatterley's Lover" was first published in the US, several distinctly British phrases had to be "translated" for American readers. Apparently, there were over 30 instances where British euphemisms were deemed too obscure for American audiences.

What fascinated me most was learning how certain words evolved completely different meanings across the Atlantic. The anonymous nature of the chat allowed for some rather colorful examples that would be inappropriate to share here, but suffice to say, ordering "pants" or asking to borrow a "rubber" can lead to wildly different outcomes depending on which side of the pond you're on!

[rough diamond]

Since the  word "pants" means trousers in the US and underpants (knickers) in the UK I find it's use in your post very strange.

[GinBoy2]

Neither is right or wrong, or for that matter the myriad of versions of English.

 

The beauty of the language is that it seems to evolved across the world with variants, which we all seem be to be able to understand.

 

I speak American Spanish, it's different than my family in Mexico, and it's a far cry from Spanish Spanish. I ain't got the snooty lisp!

 

But again we all can understand each other.

 

English, and Spanish in all their quirks and regional variations have created great literature and art.

 

So one is never better or worse, all just part of the family

 

....and it keeps evolving!

[Ralf001]

On 4/29/2024 at 9:09 AM, GammaGlobulin said:

Dear Men of Honor

 

 

You spelt honour wrong.

 

[GammaGlobulin]

16 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

You spelt honour wrong.

 

 

No I didn't.

 

Somebody on TV recently told me I spelled the word 'pablum" wrong...but....

They were wrong, too.

 

 

[Ralf001]

53 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

No I didn't.

 

Somebody on TV recently told me I spelled the word 'pablum" wrong...but....

They were wrong, too.

 

 

 

Yeah nah... you is wrong.

 

The English do not drop the U.... that's American bastardisation.