1 British and American usage TESL 2200 Word Usage and vocabulary in context Lecture 4

2 Introduction Origin of American English Classifying lexical differences Spelling differences

3 Origin of American English From around 1600, the English colonization of North America resulted in the creation of a distinct American variety of English.

4 Mayflower

5 Some English pronunciations and words "froze" when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English is.

6 For example trash for rubbish, loan as a verb instead of lend, and fall for autumn; Another example, frame-up, was re-imported into Britain through Hollywood gangster movies.

7 Influences of other languages on English Spanish also had an influence on American English, with words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante being examples of Spanish words that entered English through the settlement of the American West. French words (through Louisiana) and West African words (through the slave trade) also influenced American English.

8 Today, American English is particularly influential, due to the USA's dominance of cinema, television, popular music, trade and technology (including the Internet).

9 American English vs. British English Recent decades have seen a major increase in the amount of influence the two models have had on each other, especially American on British. What were originally fairly clear patterns of lexical differentiation have been obscured by borrowing on a worldwide scale.

10 Classifying lexical differences Some words are found only in American English (AmE). Some only in British English (BrE). Some (from either source) have become established throughout the world as part of world Standard English (WSE).

11 Some words reflect cultural differences but are not part of WSE. -AmE: Ivy League, Groundhog Day, revenue sharing; BrE: A-Level,giro, VAT. -There are no synonyms in the other variety. -Several of these words are likely to enter WSE in due course.

12 Some words are straightforward: they have a single sense, and a synonym in the other variety. -BrE current account=AmE checking account; -BrE estate car=AmE station wagon.

13 However, they are not, because we have to allow for words which have at least one WSE meaning and one or more additional meanings that are specific to either BrE or AmE. -An example is caravan, which in the sense of ‘group of travellers in a desert’ is common to both varieties; -But in the sense of 'vehicle towed by a car’ it is BrE(=AmE trailer)

14 Some words have one meaning in WSE and a synonym in one or other of the two varieties (sometimes both). -Both AmE and BrE have undertaker, but only AmE has mortician; -both have pharmacy, but AmE has drugstore and BrE has chemist’s.

15 Some words have no WSE meaning, but different meanings in AmE and BrE. -AmE flyover = BrE flypast; -however, BrE flyover= AmE overpass

16 junior.kent.sch.uk/CUSTOMS/questions/america nbritish/index.html

17 Spelling differences The spelling differences between British and American English were noted as one of the chief sources of variation in the world press. Several of them are productive, applying to large numbers of words, such as -BrE –re, AmE –er(centre/center); -BrE –our, AmE-or(colour/color).

18 sh_English_spelling_differences