How to distinguish English words from American ones. How is English different from American? Which option is better

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Sometimes, even speaking the same language, you can find yourself in a situation where “mine doesn’t understand yours.” And it’s not even about what you say, but how you say it. Of course, most of us, since school, perceive the English language as something prim, similar to Shakespeare’s sonnets, but in practice there is another player in this game - the United States of America, whose inhabitants, although they speak English, sometimes it seems that this language is unknown to us. And the trick is not that someone is smart and well done, but someone cannot pronounce half the alphabet. The difference in British and American pronunciation is the result of centuries of historical development and all we can do is try to understand the details of these 2 similar and at the same time different audio tracks, because if you started learning English, pronunciation is a basic skill, but without it no way. It’s something like tying your shoelaces, it seems like a small thing, but without it you could end up breaking your nose. Russian-speaking teachers and native speakers at the online English language school will help you tie your linguistic shoelaces with an American or British accent Englishdom http://www.englishdom.com/, because they have been improving their skills for years during trips abroad and at training seminars.

If we're talking about pronunciation, there are a few differences worth noting:

The inhabitants of Foggy Albion and the inhabitants of their former colonies have different stress on words that have 2 or more syllables:

British American
Ballet / ′bælei / / bæ′lei /
Debris / ′debri: / / də′bri: /

In words with several syllables (secretary), Americans place more emphasis than the British:

British American
Secretary / ′sekrətri / / ′sekrə′teri /
Territory / ′terətri / / ′terə′to::ri /

There is a difference in the pronunciation of /ju:/ and /u:/:

British American
Tune / tju:n / / tu:n /
News / nju:z / / nu:z /

Vowels are also sometimes pronounced differently:

British American
Ask /α:sk/ /æsk/
Bath /bα:θ/ /bæθ/
Last /lα:st/ /læst/
After /′α:ftə/ /′æftər/

The British often lose the /r/ sound when speaking, while Americans, on the contrary, pronounce it clearly.

British American
Bird /be:d/ /be:rd/

Let's get away from the serious for a minute. Do you think accent is for mere mortals? Here's a video from the red carpet of one of the film festivals, where British celebrities tried to sound like American and vice versa. http://www.tastefullyoffensive.com/2014/12/british-celebrities-attempt-to-do.html. Do you feel the difference? And here's how Paul McCartney swapped accents with the famous American presenter

Enjoy and try to practice it yourself!

The difference between British and American English may also lie in the different meanings of the same words. Well, of course, an excavator will still be an excavator (excavator!!!), but the word vest in Britain means a T-shirt, and in the States it means a vest. There are many such words, and we can pay attention to some of the most common examples. The British, for example, know that Americans use the word cookies instead of biscuits and flat instead of apartment. In the same way, Americans say that their yard is a garden in Britain, trucks are lorries, etc. A small list where the first word is a variation of Uncle Sam, and the second is a variation of Queen Elizabeth.

Closet - cupboard (buffet, closet)
Vacation - holiday (vacation)
Baggage - luggage (baggage)
Movie – film (film)
Drapes – curtains (curtains)
Elevator - lift (elevator)
Check - bill (account, check)
Line - queue
Candy - sweets (candy)
Gas – petrol (gasoline)

Are you happy? Don't be afraid, it's not over yet. Although we cannot say that we have finally saved the most difficult part. It is known that the British are simply obsessed with traditions, which is why the sound and spelling of some words have not changed since the time of King Arthur, but the Americans are quite the opposite - you give changes and simplifications from year to year. This may be why some words in American English are also different:

British American
-our -or
humor, labor, favorite, behavior humor, labor, favorite, behavior
-tre -ter
centre, liter, theater, spectre center, liter, theater, specter

Nce-nse
pretence, defense, offense pretense, defense, offense
-l— -ll-
skilful, fulfil, installationment, appal skillful, fulfill, installationment, appall

Of course, as a rule, these differences are not critical and you will not change the course of history by using luggage instead of baggage (although, if you think about it, customs officers are capricious people). But if you want to move towards perfection in English, remember a few of our tips today and you will succeed!

/ / /

There is no exact data on how many differences there are between American and British English, but one thing is certain: there are many more “differences” than we think. Linguists have recorded only differences in standard American and British, but in addition there are a huge number of regional differences in the spoken language, especially numerous among informal idiomatic expressions. So, my husband, a Briton, who was visiting my American friend, asked the question “How would you like your eggs?” Over easy or sunny side-up? caused confusion for a long time, because these words are not used in British English. And there are many such examples.

(Note: over-easy- a method of cooking scrambled eggs in which they are briefly turned over in a frying pan, yolks down, shortly before cooking. Sunny side-up- fried egg)

Let's start with pronunciation.

Besides the well-known fact that Americans pronounce the sound “r” after vowels, there are a number of words that are pronounced differently in British and American. For example:

Schedule in American English it begins with two consonants, as in the word “skin,” but in British English it begins with one consonant, as in the word “shin.”

Middle vowel sound "a" in a word tomato rhymes with "c" ar" in British, but with the word "m" a te" in American.

Route for many Americans it rhymes with “out”, but for the British it always rhymes with “root”.

Vase– vowel sounds in British English are pronounced the same as in the word “cars”, and Americans pronounce this word as “days”, that is, “ways”.

Many words differ in stress:

American: ball et, de bris, add ress, in quiry, maga zine

British: ba llet, de bris, ad dress, in quiry, maga zine

And there are also words that have one stress in British, but two in American English:

American: au di to r y, sec re ta ry, lab ora to r y

British: au ditory, sec r etary, la bor atory

One point to consider here is that there is a tendency towards Americanization in modern British. Young Britons are pronouncing words more and more in the American manner, and therefore teenagers in England pronounce the word “schedule” with “sk”, and not with “sh”, like their parents.

Spelling

I will give examples of typical differences between American and British spellings, but the matter is complicated by the fact that British English has more than once borrowed American spelling for some words (judgment, inquire, encyclopedia), and vice versa (enclose, judgment).

British -ou- colour, honor, labour, mold, smoulder

American -o- color, honor, labor, mold, smolder

British en- enclose, endorse, enquiry, ensure

American in- inclose, indorse, inquiry, insure

British -ae/oe- anaesthetic, encyclopaedia, foetus, manoeuvre

American -e- anesthetic, encyclopedia, fetus, maneuvre

British -re center, liter, theater, fiber

American -er center, liter, theater, fiber

British -ce defense, offence, license (noun)

American -se defense, offense, license (noun and verb)

British -ll- libellous, quarrelling, travelled, jewellery, woollen

American -l- libelous, quarreling, traveled, jewelery, woolen

British -l- fulfil, skilfil, installation

American -ll- fulfill, skillfil, installation

The following words also have different spellings (note that the uses of these words do not always coincide):

British: check, gaol, kerb, moustache, plough, storey, tire

American: check, jail, curb, mustache, plow, story, tire

British: tsar, pajamas, program, kidnapper, draft

American: czar, pajamas, program, kidnaper, draft

Grammar

British	American
twenty to four	twenty of four
five past eight	five after eight
River Thames	Thames River
really good	real good
different to/from	different than/from
behind the building	in back of the building
half an hour	a half hour
in the future...	in the future,…
I burn it	I burned it
He's got off the chair	He's gotten off the chair
I sneaked out quietly	I snuck out quietly
I shan't tell anyone	I won't tell anyone
I'd like you to go now	I'd like for you to go now
I’m visiting her tomorrow	I’m visiting with her tomorrow
I'll go and get the car	I'll go get the car
I've just eaten	I just ate
I asked him to leave	I asked that he leave
The government is/are stupid	The government is stupid
I want to get out	I want out
There were six millions	There were six million
He's in hospital	He's in the hospital
I've not seen it yet	I didn't see it yet
I'll see you at the weekend	I'll see you over the weekend
Look out of the window	Look out the window
I'll go in a moment	I'll go momentarily
I haven’t seen her for ages	I haven’t seen her in ages
On Mondays we take the bus	Mondays we take the bus
I’ll start on March 1st	I'll start March 1st
Monday to Friday inclusive	Monday through Friday

Vocabulary

Many words that are used in both American and British English have different meanings. Although, due to the same Americanization, British words acquire meanings that were previously used only in American. So, for example, in British English the word “homely” only meant “homely, cozy,” but in American English this word meant “ordinary, ugly (about people).” Now, in British English, this word has an American meaning. More examples:

	American	British
dumb	stupid/deaf-mute	deaf-mute
knock up	knock up (sl.)	force to answer
nervous	impudent	nervous
pants	trousers	men's briefs
pavement	carriageway	sidewalk
school	any educational institution	school
smart	smart	smart/elegant
thongs	rubber slides	thong panties

My British friend Rosie had a funny incident. A friend of hers from America came to visit her and when they were going to the beach, he asked her: “Are you wearing your thongs?” To which Rosie frowned and replied: “How dare you ask me such a question?!” “What's the problem?” – asked the American. When they finally figured out what was going on, they both found it very funny, because in British English “thongs” only means “thong panties,” but flip-flops (which the American asked about) in Britain mean “flip-flops.” Here is a real-life example of how important it is to know and not confuse British and American vocabulary.

It happens that Americans and British use different words for the same concepts. For example, “candy” for an American is “candy”, and for a Briton “sweets”. "Eggplant" in American English is "eggplant", and in British "aubergine".

Here is a list of the most common differences with translation into Russian.

American	translation	British
alumnus	student graduate	graduate
apartment	apartment	flat
attorney	lawyer, lawyer	solicitor/barrister
automobile	a car	motor car
baby buggy/carriage	baby carriage	pram
bar	bar, tavern	pub
can	tin	tin
changepurse	wallet	purse
checkers	checkers	drafts
crib	baby cot, cradle	cot
corn	corn	maize/sweet corn
custard	custard	egg custard
davenport	sofa, ottoman	sofa
dessert	dessert	sweet/pudding
diaper	diaper	nappy
broil	fry on a rasper	grill
buffet	buffet	sideboard
cab	Taxi	taxi
peek	peek	peep
pitcher	jug	jug
potato chips	potato chips	crisps
public school	free public school	state school
raise (salary)	salary increase	rise
realtor	real estate agent	estate agent
dish towel	kitchen towel	tea towel
drug store	pharmacy	chemist
elevator	elevator	lift
fall	autumn	autumn
faucet	tap	tap
first floor	first floor	ground floor
flashlight	flashlight	torch
garbage	garbage	rubbish
gas	petrol	petrol
grade school	Primary School	primary school
hobo	tramp, bum	tramp
hood (car)	hood	bonnet
intersection	crossroads	crossroads
jelly	jam	jam
mail	mail	post
line	queue	queue
math	mathematics	maths
molasses	syrup	Treacle
movie	film, cinema	film
sedan	passenger car with sedan body	saloon car
sick	sick	ill
sidewalk	sidewalk	pavement
sophomore	sophomore student	second-year student
term paper	abstract	essay (school)
thread	thread	cotton
traffic circle	roundabout	roundabout
truck	truck	lorry
trash	garbage	rubbish
trashcan	bin	dustbin
undershirt	T-shirt	vest
vest	vest	waistcoat
windshield	Windshield	windscreen
yard	garden	garden
zipper	zipper	zip
zip code	postal code, postal code	postal code
zucchini	zucchini	courgette

Many people, before starting to learn English, think about which version of the language they should learn. The choice is certainly yours, but only one thing is important: consistency. If you decide to become an adherent of British English, do not pronounce the “r” sound in the word “iron”, say “ain” instead of “iron” and do not use the word “baggage” instead of “luggage” and vice versa. Fight for the purity and beauty of your English.

Pimm A. N. © based on materials from Professor David Crystal

The British and Americans are two nations that speak the same language, but in completely different ways. Of course, they will understand each other perfectly, as well as the fact that in front of them is a person from another continent.

Personally, it has always been easier for me to communicate with Americans, because... their speech is simple and understandable. The British, on the other hand, can jabber so much that only isolated fragments of phrases are heard. The differences between British and American dialects are not only in pronunciation. They are in grammar, vocabulary, and writing.

To stick to one option and, more importantly, to be understood correctly, you need to know which words differ in meaning and pronunciation in America and Great Britain. This is important not only for simple communication, but also in order to avoid awkward situations. For example, if a New Yorker tells a woman: “You have nice pants,” she could easily consider this an insult. In America the word pants means trousers, while in Britain it means underwear (underpants).

Let's see how American and British English differ point by point.

Why are there differences between American and British English?

To find the answer to this question, you should pay attention to the history of the United States.

We know that America and the USA in particular were inhabited for a long time by immigrants from European countries, the local population was oppressed in some places, simply exterminated in some places, and along with the settlers, new languages ​​settled in the territories.

The large-scale colonization of America by the British, the greatest wave of which occurred in the 17th century, brought English to America, which began to take root in the local languages ​​and newcomers: German, French, Spanish.

To engage in production and establish trade, people vitally needed one language. It is not surprising that in America it was not the pretentious and sophisticated English that aristocrats used that took root, but the practical, accessible and understandable language of the people. Changes in priorities, exchange of experience between representatives of different nations, features of the local climate and nature led to a gradual modification of familiar English and the emergence of unique slang.

Differences in phonetics and pronunciation

American English is sharper and faster due to specific features in pronunciation. Let's consider the main characteristics of phonetics:

• Americans often prefer the sounds [æ] to the sound [ɑː]. For example, fast, answer [ænsə];
• in the sound [ju:] after consonants [j] almost disappears. US residents often pronounce words duty And student like [`du:ti ], ;
• the sound [r] is pronounced regardless of its location in words;
• Americans often do not pay much attention to diphthongs, for example, the word fate may sound like .

Some identical words are pronounced completely differently in the British and American versions. For example, the word schedule US residents pronounce it with a sound (at the beginning), and the British pronounce the sound [ʃ]. There are even more differences in pronunciation in the picture below:

People who study classical British English are aware of the meaning of intonation in phrases. It can be descending, ascending, sliding, stepped, etc. Americans do not attach much importance to the manner of pronunciation. Typically, a flat intonation scale and a falling tone are used.

It is worth noting that the peculiarities of American pronunciation do not necessarily need to be memorized. Once you are surrounded by native speakers, you will quickly begin to understand speech and learn to speak the same way as residents of the United States.

Differences in spelling

With regard to the spelling of British English and American English, it can be said that Americans adhere to a more economical and phonetic spelling.

• Unpronounceable letters are skipped, and words are written closer to their sound. For example, US residents quite often omit the letter u from the end -our :
  сolour – color (color)
  labor – labor (work)
  humor – humor (humor).
• Compare also the words traveling, jewelry and program with their British equivalents - travelling, jewelery and program.
• Some words that end in British -re, in the American "version" end with -er. For example, the word “theater”: theater (British) - theater (American).
• Words that end with in Great Britain -ise, in the USA end with -ize. For example, the word “realize”: realise (British) - realize (American).
• In the English language, new words regularly appear that are formed by compounding words (verbs and nouns). The difference is that the British use a participle for this purpose, while the Americans prefer not to bother and just connect two words. For example, a sailboat in the USA is called sailboat, In Great Britain - sailing boat.

Differences in vocabulary

Perhaps the differences in the lexical composition of American and British English can confuse a person even with an excellent level of knowledge.

Sometimes the same word can be translated differently in British and American English. The meanings of the same words in these two dialects may differ depending on the context or completely. Fortunately, misunderstandings between speakers of these two dialects are very rare - after all, the language is the same.

Examples of the most famous differences:

• Aubergine (BE) - eggplant (AE) - eggplant
• Milliard (BE) - billion (AE) - billion
• Lift (BE) - elevator (AE) - elevator
• Repair (BE) - fix (AE) - fix
• Queue (BE) - line (AE) - queue
• Pavement (BE) - sidewalk (AE) - sidewalk
• To book (BE) - to reserve (AE) - order
• Postal code (BE) - zip code (AE) - postal code
• Hoover (BE) - vacuum cleaner (AE) - vacuum cleaner
• Post (BE) - mail (AE) - mail
• Underground (BE) - subway (AE)
  

In addition, different words are used to translate the same Russian words in British and American English. For example, in the USA sweets are called candy, In Great Britain - sweets. In British English the word holidays most often used to refer to a long vacation or vacation. In the USA this word is in most cases replaced by the word vacation.

Look for even more differences in the names of items in the picture below.

click to enlarge

There is a difference in use prepositions:

On a team (AmE) - in a team (BrE)

On the weekend (AmE) - at the weekend (BrE)

Write smb (AmE) - write TO smb (BrE)

In American English you can safely omit on before the days of the week.

Colloquial/Slang Expressions

Also in American colloquial you can find the following forms:

Yep (yes) - yes

Nope (no) - no

Gonna (going to) - get ready

Wanna (want to) - want

Gotta (have got to) - must (do something)

Gotcha (got you) - got you

Gimme (give me) - give me

Lemme (let me) - let me

Differences in grammar

British English is quite famous. A huge number of words that can easily confuse not only a beginner is not the only feature of the language. In the USA, everything is much clearer and more concise. American English requires the use of simple tenses: Present, Future, Past Simple. Even the Present Perfect tense, used to denote a completed action that has a result in the present, is successfully replaced by the Past Simple.

For example: I have cooked dinner. Let's eat together! (British)
I cooked dinner = I have cooked dinner. (American) I prepared dinner. Let's eat together.

It is interesting that even the adverbs just, already and yet in American English can be used with the Past Simple, contrary to the rules that we are used to learning.

Mary has just received your letter.(British)
Mary just received your letter. = Mary has just received your letter.(American)
Mary has just received your letter.

Let's look at other grammatical differences between American and British English:

1. Ownership designation. British English requires the use of a verb have got, Americans can easily replace it with the form have. For example, in the USA you can say: Have you got a laptop?, so Do you have a laptop?(Do you have a laptop?).

2. Use will And shall . British English with first person subjects still uses the form shall. Most often used in American English will. (I shall call him later = I will call him later ).

3. Features of the subjunctive mood. American English requires the use of the subjunctive mood after many words: important, demand, advice, essential etc. In British English, the subjunctive mood is preferred exclusively in polite communication and correspondence.

4. Features of collective nouns. In British English they are used with singular verbs. and many more numbers. And American English words require a singular form. For example: The family is going/are going to emigrate (British). The family is going to emigrate (American) (The family is going to emigrate).

5. Usage as if And like(as if, as if). In American English the more common word is like, in the British version its use may be considered an error. Americans can say how She smiled as if she knew something , so She smiled like she knew something (She smiled as if she knew something.)

6. Using adverbs. People who study American English are aware that adverbs can be placed before auxiliary and regular verbs in a sentence. In British, on the contrary, they are placed after verbs. If a British person tells you I am always busy on Monday, then the American will say I'm always busy on Monday. (I'm always busy on Mondays).

Which version of English is worth learning?

In fact, British and American English have many more similarities than differences. The differences between American and British English are often exaggerated. If you understand one option, you will understand the other.

There are opposing opinions about which language variant to focus on when learning English. Supporters of the American version talk about its wider distribution, modernity, simplicity and convenience.

However, if you are not going to live in the USA, then it is better to study British English. Let's list a few reasons in favor of this decision:

• British English is universally recognized. This is what you need to study to pass most standardized international tests. You can rest assured that with your knowledge of British English you will be understood anywhere in the world.
• British English allows you to develop a complete understanding of grammar. By learning complex rules, you can easily use various designs in any situation.
• British English is more varied than American English. You have an excellent opportunity to significantly expand your vocabulary and make your speech much richer.

In contact with

From the history

In the 17th and 18th centuries, a crowd of immigrants poured into America (the New World) in the form of the French, Spaniards, Germans, Dutch, Norwegians and even Russians. But most of them were from England (the British Isles as a whole, which includes Scotland and Wales), where they spoke English. Even then, the English language was not uniform for all segments of the population: there were many differences in the speech of aristocrats, bourgeoisie and peasants. The new population of America simply needed to communicate with each other, the choice fell on the language that the majority spoke - English. But this was not aristocratic (royal) English, but the language of the bourgeoisie and peasants, who, as a rule, did not have a good enough education.
Throughout time, the inhabitants of America had different goals and objectives than the population of England, their history developed differently, they lived among a different natural world, which could not but affect the language, so it absorbed quite a lot of changes. This is how American English arose, along with British and other variants of its development

Differences between British and American English

Of course, there are more similarities between these variants than differences - after all, they are the same language! But still, there are a number of differences between them, the main one being the simplicity of the American version, because... Because of the need to communicate, peasant English became even simpler.

Spelling:

There are hundreds of words that are spelled differently in the British and American versions. Here are some of them:
- “color” (American) and “colour” (British) (*)
- “meter” (American) and “meter” (British) (**)
- “practise” (American) and “practise” (British)
- “organization” (American) and “organisation” (British)
- “traveled” (American) and “travelled (British)
- “kilogram” (American) and “kilogramme” (British)
- etc.

In the book Dictionary of the English Language author Noah Webster noted that:
In American they often write
-or instead of -our (examples * above)
-er instead of -re
-se instead of -ce
-z- instead of -s-
-l- instead of -ll-
There is no -me, -ue at the end of words.

Vocabulary:
It is known that many words that are used in America have not been used in England for a long time and vice versa.
The main difference in vocabulary is due to the fact that the Americans were very different from the life of the British. The influence of other languages ​​(especially Spanish, French, and Germanic) on English in the United States also depends. Lexical differences relate mainly to the area of ​​slang and to those words of normative language that denote purely American or purely British realities in the social, economic, political, technical and artistic spheres.
American English has created thousands of words and phrases that have entered both general English (hitchhike, landslide) and the world lexicon (okay, teenager).
Different climates, nature, surroundings and way of life have led to adaptation and the emergence of new words and concepts in local English. This category includes words that originated in the USA and did not become widespread in England: names of plants and animals of the North American continent (moose- “North American moose” in English elk, which in the USA received the meaning “wapiti deer”), various phenomena related to the state and political system of the USA ( dixiecrat- “a democrat from a southern state”), with the way of life of Americans ( drugstore- “pharmacy-snack”).
A special group consists of words that are used both in England and in the USA and in which only one of their inherent meanings is specifically American ( market- "grocery store" career- “professional”). Word faculty in England it is used to mean “faculty”, and in America “faculty”. Noun pavement for an Englishman it means “sidewalk”, and for an American it means “pavement”. The category of Americanisms also includes words that in England turned into archaisms or dialectisms, but are still widespread in the USA: fall- “autumn” instead of Franco-Norman autumn, apartment- “apartment” instead of flat, tardy- “belated” and others.

British	American
flat lawyer luggage milliard cab company city/town center chemist's lift autumn petrol motorway cross-roads living room coach post cinema trousers sleeper railway shop-assistant time-table football underground booking office to be sick advocate lorry boot	apartment attorney baggage billion billion taxi corporation downtown drugstore elevator fall gas highway intersection drawing room long-distance bus mail movies pants Pullman railroad saleman, clerk schedule soccer subway ticket office to be ill trial lawyer truck trunk

Grammar:
One of the main reasons why the British consider Americans careless with the language is that Americans practically do not use Perfect in colloquial speech., and use the Simple (Indefinite) group time instead.

There are practically no words used in the American language slowly And really- they are replaced slow And real
Many British English in the American version have become correct (for example, burn - burned, dream - dreamed, lean - leaned, learn - learned, smell - smelled, spell - spelled, spill - spilled, spoil - spoiled). Irregular verbs only cause unnecessary problems, Americans are sure.
In the American version, verbal nouns are more often formed ( to research- research, a research- study)
Of course, there are other differences between British English and American English that are aimed at simplifying the language, but, as a rule, they are used in colloquial speech.

Phonetics:
Between American and British English there are differences in pronunciation of some words and entire sentences.

1. Emphasis on words. The British and Americans pronounce some words with emphasis on different syllables, for example addr e ss (British) and a ddress (American), c a fe (British) and caf e(American).

2. Sounds in words. There are words in which the pronunciation of Americans and English differs in one or two sounds: ask is read in Britain and [əsk] in America, dance is pronounced both in England and in the USA. The sound [t] is pronounced like a weakly articulated [d], and the American letter combination tt located in the middle of the word is very similar to [d]. They do not “swallow” the [r] sound like the English, so their speech seems more rude and growling. Linguists have developed lists of letter combinations and situations in which the pronunciation of an Englishman and an American will differ.

3. Intonation in sentences. The British use many intonation patterns, but Americans have only two - flat and falling.

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“Which version of English is better to learn: British or American?” – students often ask.

Is this question correct? Are these really two very different versions of the language? For example, Lynn Murphy (Associate Professor at the Faculty of Linguistics at the British University of Sussex) believes that it will be more difficult for a Londoner to understand a Scot than a native of New York.

In addition, both the USA and Great Britain have a huge number of their own accents and dialects. Therefore, the concepts of “British English” and “American English” are rather general categories that combine all these varieties of language.

True, there are still some general differences: in grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation (probably to the least extent, because the accent will depend on the specific region of residence of the speaker).

So, I propose to discuss these three aspects, but still focus on vocabulary, since this is the most useful topic for us.

To make it more interesting for us, we will find specific examples from films and TV series, and also watch cool videos.

At the grammar level: about American simplifications

I will name a few rather striking differences:

1. American English tends to simplify, so in some cases the tenses of the “group” Perfect can be replaced by Simple.

The Past Simple is used, whereas the Present Perfect should be used with just.

2. Collective nouns (nouns denoting a group of persons – team, army, government etc.) in BrE can be both singular (when a group is meant as a whole) and plural (when a group is a collection of its members). In AmE such nouns usually agree in the singular.

The word government agrees with the verb thinks (third person, singular), while, for example, in the British civil service the term Government is always agreed in the plural in order to fulfill the principle of ministerial collective responsibility.

3. The first and second forms of the past tense of verbs learn, spoil, spell, burn, spill, leap etc. can be either correct (burned, leaped), and wrong (burnt, leapt).

In BrE both forms are used equally (the irregular form is more common, especially among speakers of Received Pronunciation).

In AmE, irregular forms of these verbs are almost never used.

A line from the song “Try” by American singer Pink

About pronunciation: is it easy to fake an American accent?

Vowel sounds:

– In words like student, new, duty Americans have virtually no sound [j], so these words sound like , , [`d u:ti] (Not “st yu dent", A “st at dent");

– Instead of a vowel [a:] in words like class, plant, answer sound is pronounced [ æ ] ;

– In unstressed position, many vowels turn into sound "schwa" or practically disappear: from may sound like “frm”, are may sound like "er"(this is why American speech is often called “chewed”, unintelligible).

American actors speak with a British accent

Consonants:

– In American English [r] at the end is almost always pronounced (unlike the classic British pronunciation).

– With falling intonation the sound [t], located between vowels, turns into [d](similar to short Russian [ R ]).

Remember how the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers said the phrase “Give it away” (sounds like “giveR hey”). Another example is Little Richard's song "Tutti Frutti" (pronounced "tu"R and fruR And")

– Sounds [t] And [d] may be barely audible and unintelligible after sound [n] in words like twenty(sounds like “you neither" , “fre ns" ).

Here I propose to end the conversation about pronunciation, since it is not entirely correct to compare it, because there is no single version of pronunciation in the UK and the USA, and each accent has its own characteristics.

British actors now speak with American accents

Vocabulary: what words an American will not understand

The most revealing layer of differences is still vocabulary. You can't argue with this: Americans call cookies "cookie", and the British - "biscuit". Let's find examples of the use of different words in TV series.

American TV series “Friends” and British “Sherlock” (word "apartment")

Apartment

Apartment – ​​flat

Another example: the American TV series “The Big Bang Theory” and again the British “Sherlock” (the word "elevator").

Elevator

Elevator

By the way, it turns out that the British “Harry Potter” was even translated into “American English” due to a large number of such inconsistencies. Here are some words that have been replaced:

So, I suggest you remember the words that differ in British and American English.
⠀

⠀BrE	⠀AmE	⠀Translation into Russian⠀
⠀ground floor	⠀1st floor	⠀first floor
⠀1st floor	⠀2nd floor	⠀second floor
⠀flat	⠀apartment	⠀apartment
⠀starter	⠀appetizer	⠀snack
⠀homework	⠀assignment	⠀homework
⠀assembly hall	⠀auditorium	⠀assembly hall
⠀luggage	⠀baggage	⠀luggage
⠀cellar	⠀basement	⠀basement
⠀banknote	⠀bill	⠀banknote
⠀billion	⠀billion	⠀billion
⠀sad	⠀blue	⠀sad
⠀tin	⠀can	⠀tin can
⠀drafts	⠀checkers	⠀checkers
⠀course	⠀class	⠀training course
⠀wardrobe	⠀closet	⠀wardrobe
⠀biscuit	⠀cookie	⠀cookies
⠀maize	⠀corn	⠀corn
⠀sofa	⠀couch	⠀sofa
⠀chemist	⠀druggist	⠀pharmacist
⠀lift	⠀elevator	⠀elevator
⠀autumn	⠀fall	⠀autumn
⠀repair	⠀fix	⠀repair
⠀motorway	⠀freeway	⠀highway
⠀match	⠀game	⠀match
⠀petrol	⠀gasoline	⠀gasoline
⠀mark	⠀grade	⠀mark
⠀ensure	⠀Insure	⠀guarantee
⠀cross-roads	⠀Intersection, junction⠀	⠀crossroads
⠀paraffin	⠀kerosene	⠀kerosene
⠀surname	⠀last name	⠀surname
⠀queue	⠀line	⠀queue
⠀lend	⠀loan	⠀to lend
⠀situated	⠀located	⠀located
⠀conjurer	⠀magician	⠀magician
⠀post	⠀mail	⠀mail
⠀tube/underground	⠀metro/subway	⠀metro
⠀cinema	⠀movies	⠀cinema
⠀serviette	⠀napkin	⠀napkin
⠀porridge	⠀oatmeal	⠀oatmeal
⠀parcel	⠀package	⠀package, parcel
⠀larder	⠀pantry	⠀pantry
⠀trousers	⠀pants	⠀pants
⠀white wax	⠀paraffin	⠀paraffin
⠀road	⠀pavement	⠀pavement
⠀billiards	⠀pool	⠀billiards
⠀chairman	⠀president	⠀chairman
⠀test, exam	⠀quiz	⠀control, test
⠀sultana	⠀raisin	⠀raisins
⠀book	⠀reserve	⠀order
⠀timetable	⠀schedule	⠀schedule
⠀drain	⠀sewer/soil pipe	⠀sewage pipe
⠀store	⠀shop	⠀shop
⠀briefs	⠀shorts	⠀shorts
⠀jab	⠀shot	⠀injection
⠀pavement	⠀sidewalk	⠀sidewalk
⠀football	⠀soccer	⠀football
⠀tram	⠀streetcar	⠀tram
⠀label	⠀tag	⠀label
⠀rates	⠀taxes	⠀taxes
⠀essay/project	⠀term paper	⠀course work
⠀lorry	⠀truck	⠀truck
⠀fortnight	⠀two weeks	⠀two weeks
⠀subway	⠀underpass	⠀underground passage
⠀holiday	⠀vacation	⠀vacations
⠀hoover	⠀vacuum cleaner	⠀vacuum cleaner
⠀quay	⠀wharf	⠀berth
⠀telegram	⠀wire	⠀telegram
⠀spanner	⠀wrench	⠀spanner
⠀zed	⠀zee	⠀letter Z
⠀postal code	⠀zip code	⠀postal code