British English Vs American English

The differences between American English and British English could be quite fun for people of both cultures to learn about. The differences are very interesting and cool to discover. I know that as an American I find it quite amusing to see what the British speakers say compared to the Americans. For example, an older British teacher whose lived in England for majority of her life would correct a person for saying “put that in the trash can please.” In England someone would say “put that in the bin, please.” And the same scenario works vice versa. A way to stop or have less of these communication problems is to inform oneself of both forms of English. As educated individuals we should be well educated in most English subjects and this is another important area to be familiar with.

Me in one of those famous London Phone booths

Which one? If a person is wanting to immigrate to Canada or America they should try practicing and using American English. If someone wants to go to the United Kingdom or Ireland, they should choose to practice British English. Also, sometimes as Americans if we want to sound fancy, we will use a British English word. For example, “I shall be headed off then.” instead of “I’ll be going now.” This is just a way to be more playful with our language.

Word Differences

There are many differences in words from American English and British English. Some are similar but some are so very different that it is almost laughable that it is the same language. Some Brits have even gone as far as saying that we might as well just call the language “American” now. Some of these differencing words are as follows, Aubergine versus Eggplant. Most European countries call it some form of Aubergine but America had to be different and name it something strange. Then there is Biscuit versus cookie. If a child is in New York and asks for a biscuit, he will be very disappointed to get a piece of heavy bread that usually goes under gravy. Then there is the classic chips versus fries debacle. An American goes to London for a vacation and orders “fish and chips” and they will be delighted to find out they actually have received fries and not potato chips. Another one is “going to the cinema” versus “going to the movie” that will be recognized the same in both countries, but they will be able to recognize that you are a foreigner by the choice of language. Another important difference is “is there a queue for the loo?” and American would be confused by this phrase as Americans say, “is there a line for the restroom?” The list goes on and on of funny, small differences between the two form of English.

What is the "subway" in NYC is called the "tube" in London

Spelling Differences

Spelling differences are another thing to examine when looking at the differences between American English and British English. In words like color versus colour, parlor versus parlour and favorite versus favourite. It has the same consistent spelling change. The same happens in words like theater versus theatre and city center versus city centre. The British form of this word may be easier for European people, the French in particular because that is how they spell and use those same words.

Swear Words

Another very interesting difference between these two language variations is the attitude towards swear words or (curse/cuss words). In America we are very uptight about the usage of various swear words. Some are less suvire like ass and damn, well hell they can't be that bad if they are in the bible. lol I will not state the more suvire words in case a younger viewer were to see this. But in England omg they throw cuss words around like it's nothing. The dreaded

C-word in America must NEVER be spoken whereas in England they use it all the time to address their mates (friends). My british friends will be like "oi oi what are you C***'s about to do today" and that just means can I join in on your plans? The cultural difference there is very day and night when it comes to swearing.

I encourage you to look up the differences because they are quite funny to see. :)

#British #American #Unitedkingdom #Unitedstates #language #Englishlanguage #BritishvsAmericanEnglish #America #England #travel #traveler #englishteacher #wanderlust #travelblog #blog #blogger #travelblog #contactme #london #newyork