WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE AMERICAN AND BRITISH VARIETIES OF ENGLISH
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What did you notice in Sentence 1 and Sentence 2 below?
SENTENCE 1
I love the sense of humour of my neighbour.
SENTENCE 2
The sense of humor of my neighbor is enviable.
The simple answer to the question is that different varieties of English language was used in the two sentences, with the British English (BrE) in the first sentence and American English (AmE) in the second language.
English is a language that is widely spoken in almost every part of the world which results in the formation of different varieties of English. Lots of varieties are developed because of language contact between English and other unrelated languages and cultures and these variations affects almost all the levels of language analysis, that is, phonological, grammatical, syntactic, grammatical, lexical and so on. It would be worthy of consideration that there are some English language spoken by Ghanaians that Nigerians may find it difficult to understand and vice versa. The reason for this is that such English language has been localised and indigenised due to contact with their way of life – Culture.
Theatre in British English (BrE) and American English (AmE) in Theater
In this piece, our focus shall be on the American (AmE) and British (BrE) varieties of English. Basically, these two varieties are the two standard recognized varieties of English with slight differences in their pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and more importantly, spellings. British English (BrE) is attributed to the varieties spoken in England, Ireland, wales, Scotland, Australia, and South Africa. Canada and United states are mainly the users of the American English (AmE). ‘Americanism’ is a term that is used to describe words and phrases that is peculiar to the English spoken in USA.
Below are some of the differences between the British English (BrE) and American English (AmE) at different levels of language use.
A. SPELLING
| BRITISH ENGLISH (BrE) | AMERICAN ENGLISH (AmE) |
|---|---|
| Colour | Color |
| Honour | Honor |
| Humour | Humor |
| Calibre | Caliber |
| Centre | Center |
| Theatre | Theater |
| Defence | Defense |
| Pretence | Pretense |
| Organize | Organise |
| Colonization | Colonisation |
| Organization | Organisation |
| Analyse | Analyze |
| Paralyse | Paralyze |
| Analogue | Analog |
| Dialogue | Dialog |
| Cancelled | Canceled |
| Modelling | Modeling |
| Instalment | Installment |
Pyjamas in British English (BrE) and American English (AmE) in Pajamas
B. VOCABULARY
| BRITISH ENGLISH (BrE) | AMERICAN ENGLISH (AmE) |
|---|---|
| Underground | Subway |
| Passage | Hall |
| Toilet | Restroom |
| Boot | Trunk |
| Number plate | License plate |
| Windscreen | Windshield |
| Fog lamp | Fog light |
| Cooker | Stove |
| Grill | Broil |
| Braces | Suspenders |
| Trousers | Pants |
| Pinafore | Jumper |
| Pyjamas | Pajamas |
Either of the two varieties could be adopted by users of English language as they are standard and widely recognized. In Nigeria, the British variety is mostly used by people, some use American variety and a few use the two together but it is advised in an educational setting to choose one variety rather than combining the two. Some of the factors that affect the variety one adopts include the orientation of elementary schools attended, types of books one is exposed to, parental and teachers influence as well as exposure to the media.
In addition, it must be noted when writing an international letter, for instance, one must adopt the variety that is peculiar to such region as your letter may end up in the trash bin if you send a letter to the United States written in the British variety. This may send a hint to the recipients that you don’t have mastery in English language.
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Educative post. Many Nigerians are very ignorant of the differences.
That's very true @preciouz. For instance, most students shoot themselves in the leg by combining the two varieties together and complain they are being failed by their prospective tutors or lecturers. Lecturers, especially those in the humanities or Art related courses don't focus on your contents alone but also your diction, that is, choice of words.
Thanks for reading😊
Best wishes!!!
Thanks for the education. I think we are accustomed to british english
A large percentage of Nigerians adopt the British English. We have few people that make use of the American variety and some people use both too. It's a matter of choice. But the most important thing is consistency. You've to be consistent with whichever variety you adopt. Thanks for stopping by.
Do have a great day!
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Hehehehehe
I remember when I started building my public speaking skills, I wanted a British accent.
As time went on, I decided to go for American. It's less stressful.
Do you think American accent is easier than British? Well, I prefer the British tho. I think American English, both spoken and written is complicated in a way.