UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE NICARAGUA, MANAGUA

FACULTAD REGIONAL MULTIDISCIPLINARIA

UNAN- MANAGUA -FAREM MATAGALPA
APPLIED LINGUISTICS

Topic: American English vs. British English

Objective: At the end of this lesson, the student will be able to identify the
differences between American English and British English.
Instructor: Julio Roa Rocha

A. Class Discussion

1. When the same language exists in more than one part of the world, there
are often some differences between the two languages. These are called
varieties of the language. Are there any varieties of your native
language? What do you think of the different varieties of your own
language?

2. If I wanted to learn your native language, would it matter what variety I

learn?

3. Have you ever spoken English with someone who speaks British
English?

4. Are you more in contact with American or British English (e.g. through
TV, websites, ¿music)?

5. How do you pronounce “Private and Advertisement” in English? Have

you ever consulted how these two words are pronounced in British
English?

6. Which sentence structure do you prefer to use?

I have got a cat or I have a cat.

B. Can you match these common British English words with their American
equivalent.

British English American English

1.estate car a. gas
2.biscuit b. subway
3.ground floor c. candy
4.petrol d. station wagon
5.pavement e. first floor
6.sweets f. cookie
7.tap g. sidewalk
8.underground h. faucet
 C. Find the correct American English expression and complete the table
below. Use the following words.
American English
elevator potato chips baggage notebook garbage
can automobile vacation pants sneakers
restroom railroad movies flashlight truck
purse french fries airplane cell phone fall
student cab gas station mailbox eraser
British English
lavoratory chemist´s lorry
lift luggage car
post box trousers cinema
chips crisps rubbish
bins
petrol handbag pupil
station
Mobile torch autumn
phone
trainers holiday taxi
railway underground rubber
train
exercise
book

D. Let´s watch “Extra English Episode 1 Hector Arrival (Part 2)

1. Focus on the pronunciation of the following words: here- understand-

twenty- hector- car – girl – visitor – hot – shower
2.
E. Use the Macmillan dictionary and listen to the pronunciation of the
following words: picture – water- here- car- little- better – daughter-
sister- brother- mother- father- color- father – neither- either – tomato-

BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH SPELLING

There are several areas in which British and American spelling are different.
The 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 that the words
actually sound when they're spoken.
If you're writing for British readers, you should only use British spellings. In one
or two cases, the preferred American spellings are acceptable in British English
as well, especially the -ize/-ization endings. While you can use both the -ise/-
isation or the -ize/ization endings in British English, it's important to stick to one
style or the other throughout the same piece of writing.
Here are the main ways in which British and American spelling are different.

Words ending in –re:British English words that end in -re often end in -er in
American English: centre: center / Fibre:fiber/ litre:liter / theatre: theater or
theathre

Words ending in –our: British English words ending in -our usually end in -
or in American English: color: color/ flavour:flavor/ humour:humor/
labour:labor/neighbour:neighbor

Words ending in -ize or –ise: Verbs in British English that can be spelled with
either -ize or -ise at the end are always spelled with -ize at the end in American
English: apologize or apologise: apologize/ organize or organise:organize/
recognize or recognize or recognise: recognize

Words ending in –yse: Verbs in British English that end in -yse are always
spelled -yze in American English: analyse: analyze / breathalyse: breathalyze/
paralyse: paralyze

Words ending in a vowel plus L

In British spelling, verbs ending in a vowel plus L double the Lwhen adding
endings that begin with a vowel. In American English, the l is not doubled:
Travel:travelled / travelling: traveling/ traveller: traveler/ fuelled: fueled /

Words spelled with double vowels: British English words that are spelled with
the double vowels ae or oe are just spelled with an e in American English:

Note that in American English, certain terms, such as archaeology, keep

the ae spelling as standard, although the spelling with just
the e (i.e. archeology) is usually acceptable as well.

Nouns ending with –ence: Some nouns that end with -ence in British English
are spelled -ense in American English: defence: defense / license: license /
offence: offense / pretence: pretense. Nouns ending with –ogue: Some nouns
that end with -ogue in British English end with either -og or -oguein American
English: analogue: analog or analogue/ catalogue: catalog or catalogue /
dialogue: dialog or dialogue
The distinctions here are not hard and fast. The spelling analogue is acceptable
but not very common in American English; catalog has become the US norm,
but catalogue is not uncommon; dialogue is still preferred over dialog.
Aside from spelling differences, many items and practices have different names
in British and American English.
Homework:
1. Find the correct American English word and complete the table below.
Use this website to help you.
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/words/be-ae.htm
British English American English British English American English
barrister - solicitor bill
at the weekend biscuit
to bath boot
aubergine brackets
car park cooker
caretaker cosy
bathing costume curriculum vitae
driving license favourite
film flat
football full stop
holiday humour
kilometre letter box
lorry match
motorway motorbike

2. Watch the video: CNN Business Traveller April 2013 (Part 1)

a. How many people arrive and depart each year in Paris Europe´s busiest
railway? ___________________________
b. What do they say about high-speed rail?

c. Discuss these questions in pairs. (Reflective Learning)

Do you find American or British accents easier to understand?

Would you like your accent to be American or British English?

Do you use American or British spelling? What about vocabulary?

 IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING

The two major varieties of English

The two varieties of English most widely found in print and taught around the
world are British and American – it is, therefore, important for teachers to be
aware of the major differences between the two. And while lexical differences
are the easiest ones to notice, a knowledge of grammatical and phonological
differences can be useful not only for teachers to be aware of, but also to be
able to deal with should they come up in class.

Which is better?
An important point to make is that different doesn’t mean wrong. Comments
such as “American English is inferior to British English”, or “American English is
better than British English” have no solid basis other than the speaker’s opinion.
The truth is that no language or regional variety of language is inherently better
or worse than another. They are just different. Students will often have very firm
beliefs on which English they think is better, clearer or easier to understand.
While it may be true for that particular individual, there is no evidence to
suggest that one variety is easier to learn or understand than the other.

Materials and varieties

If you are an American English speaker teaching with a British coursebook or
vice versa, what do you say when the book is different from your English? The
answer here is to point out the difference. The differences are not so numerous
as to overload the students and often can be easily dealt with. For example, if
you are an American English speaker using a lesson that has just included 'at
the weekend', it takes very little time to point out that in American English
people say “on the weekend”.

What role do other varieties of English have in the classroom?

Although British and American varieties are the most documented, there are of
course many other varieties of English. Scotland, Ireland, South Asia, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, West Africa, the Caribbean, South Africa all have their
own regional variations of English. The decision whether or not to highlight
aspects of these Englishes would depend on two factors:

 if the students are going to live, or are already living, in one of these places – in
which case the need to understand specific aspects of that English is clear; or
 if the teacher is from one of those places and therefore speaks a regional
variation of English. In this case, it could be useful to occasionally point out
differences between your English and that of your coursebook.

Sources:
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/spelling/british-and-spelling

http://www.onestopenglish.com/grammar/grammar-reference/american-english-vs-british-english/differences-in-
american-and-british-english-grammar-article/152820.article