Differences Between AE And BE
Hoàng Hồng Thủy – LQT40A
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BRITISH ENGLISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH
INTRODUCTION
Those people who complain about the difficulties of learning German, don't know how lucky they really are - they only have one language to master. Admittedly, there are regional differences of dialect in German-speaking countries, but the non-native speaker who has learned Hochdeutsch (high or standard German) should have no problems in making himself understood by citizens of Germany, Austria or Switzerland. The difficulty for the non-native learner of English on the other hand is that there is no standard English form. They are confronted with two English dialects to learn: British English and American English (leaving aside Australian, Indian, South African English etc.). The term British English is used to distinguish the standard form of English used in Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the varieties used in other parts of the world. Similarly to the British English, American English is a term that describes a language that is spoken in the United States of America. And this essay will point out and compare differences between two major branches of English language: American English (also called General American) and British English (also called UK English or English English) through three main differences: spelling, vocabulary and grammar.
A. SPELLING DIFFERENCES
There are several areas in which British and American spelling are different. These differences often come about because British English has tended to keep the spelling of words it has absorbed from other languages (e.g. French) while American English has adapted the spelling to reflect the way of the words actually sound when they’re spoken. In general, where there are differences between British English (BE) and American English (AE) spelling, it can be said that American English has the more economical and phonetic spelling. Unnecessary letters are left out and words are spelled how
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BRITISH ENGLISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH
INTRODUCTION
Those people who complain about the difficulties of learning German, don't know how lucky they really are - they only have one language to master. Admittedly, there are regional differences of dialect in German-speaking countries, but the non-native speaker who has learned Hochdeutsch (high or standard German) should have no problems in making himself understood by citizens of Germany, Austria or Switzerland. The difficulty for the non-native learner of English on the other hand is that there is no standard English form. They are confronted with two English dialects to learn: British English and American English (leaving aside Australian, Indian, South African English etc.). The term British English is used to distinguish the standard form of English used in Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the varieties used in other parts of the world. Similarly to the British English, American English is a term that describes a language that is spoken in the United States of America. And this essay will point out and compare differences between two major branches of English language: American English (also called General American) and British English (also called UK English or English English) through three main differences: spelling, vocabulary and grammar.
A. SPELLING DIFFERENCES
There are several areas in which British and American spelling are different. These differences often come about because British English has tended to keep the spelling of words it has absorbed from other languages (e.g. French) while American English has adapted the spelling to reflect the way of the words actually sound when they’re spoken. In general, where there are differences between British English (BE) and American English (AE) spelling, it can be said that American English has the more economical and phonetic spelling. Unnecessary letters are left out and words are spelled how