Title: American English and British English differences.
1American English and British English differences.
2 - 1. Introduction
- 2.American English and British English
differences. - 2.1.Spelling
- 2.2.Pronunciation
- 2.3.Vocabulary
- 2.4.Grammar
- 2.5.Conclusion
- 3.The differences in business cultures
- 4.Conclusion
3 Spelling
- British English
- Centre
- Theatre
- Realise
- Catalogue
- Programme
- Travelled
- Neighbour
- Grey
- Plough
- To practise
- Practise
- cheque
- American English
- Center
- Theater
- Realize
- Catalog
- Program
- Traveled
- Neighbor
- Gray
- Plow
- To practice
- Practice
- Check
4 Pronunciation
- British English
- advErtisement
- dEtalis
- American English
- Advertisement
- detAIls
5 Vocabulary
- British English
- Lift
- Boot
- Autumm
- Litter
- Crossroad
- Trousers
- American English
- Elevator
- Trunk
- Fall
- Garbage
- Crossing
- Pants
6 Grammar
- The differences in American and British grammar
are as small and few as holds true for both
versions of their lexicon. Still, here are some
of them
7 Grammar
- Use of the Present PerfectIn
British English the present perfect is used to
express an action that has occurred in the recent
past that has an effect on the present moment. - In British English the above would be considered
incorrect. However, both forms are generally
accepted in standard American English. Other
differences involving the use of the present
perfect in British English and simple past in
American English include "already", "just" and
"yet".
8 Grammar.Possession
- There are two forms to express possession in
English. -- "have" or "have got -
- "Do you have a computer?" "Have you got a
computer?" "She hasnt got any hobbies." "She
doesnt have any hobbies." "She has an
interesting new book." "Shes got an interesting
new book. - While both forms are correct (and accepted in
both British and American English), "have got"
("have you got", "he hasnt got", etc.) is
generally the preferred form in British English
while most speakers of American English use the
"have" ("do you have", "he doesnt have" etc.)
9Present Progressive (also known as Present
Continuous)There are some verbs in British
English that cannot be used in the Present
Progressive while in American English they can.
Here are two examples
- British English
- "I like this conversation more and more.
- "I remember this quite clearly."
- American English
- "Im liking this conversation more and more.
- "Im remembering this quite clearly."
10 AdverbsAmericans tend to use
adjectives instead of adverbs. Instead of "Thats
really good" you might hear them say "Thats real
good" or instead of "Im doing very well" they
say "Im doing pretty good".
- British English
- He did that really quickly.
- Lets take things slowly.
- Her car drives more quickly.
- American English
- He did that real quick.
- Lets take things slow.
- Her car drives quicker.
11 Plurals
- British English
- types of accommodation
- types of food
- a lot of fruit
- strands of hair
- American English
- Accommodation
- Foods
- many foods
- hairs
12Conclusion
- British and American English are more similar
than they are different. - In the past people learning a new language didn't
pay much attention to the cultural aspects of the
country in question. Nowadays, however, it is
much more common for language courses to
specifically look at the cultural aspects of a
given country when teaching the language. - This is especially important when it comes to
communicating in business terms and it can also
make it far easier when visiting a foreign
country. The fact is that it is no longer good
enough to learn a language and then to simply
translate what needs to be said directly from
English -- it's also important to understand the
cultural aspects of a language before it can be
used correctly.
13The differences in business cultures
- Business people working in foreign countries will
find it far easier to do business successfully if
they take the time to learn appropriate
languages. Fluency is good to have but is not
vital -- the majority of foreigners will simply
appreciate the courtesy and effort that has gone
into beginning to learn the language. It is,
after all, a lot easier when a foreign
businessman takes some time to learn business
English.Learning a foreign language helps
people understand how other cultures work. For
example, dealing with certain nationalities can
be a lot different than dealing with your own.
The Chinese, for example, like to build up
long-term relationships, don't like to lose
'face' and find it hard to actually say no. So,
taking the time to learn the language here makes
it far easier to negotiate the 'maybe', 'perhaps'
and 'we'll see' culture and to understand what
the answers given will actually mean.
14 Conclusion
- English is a very compact language. The average
English word for example is shorter than its
German equivalent. That's because English verbs,
nouns and adjectives don't have endings. But
don't forget the Present Tense that has the
letter "s" for the third person as in "he
speaks". Also, there are many more English words
containing only 3 or 4 letters than in the German
language for example. -
- There is almost no declension and no
conjugation in the English language which makes
it much easier for someone who is learning the
language to form simple sentences that are
grammatically correct.
15- There are 19 German equivalents to the possessive
adjective "your". - There is only one definite article in the
English language whereas in German there are
three. - Most words in English have several meanings. This
can be an advantage for learners as you can
convey different meanings using the same word in
a different context. On the other hand this might
cause confusion especially for beginners. - The English language contains a lot of
homophones. These are words that have the same
pronunciation but are spelled differently. Of
course they have different meanings.
16 In English all nouns are spelled with small
letters. Exceptions are
- proper names
- the days of the week
- the personal pronoun "I"
- the names of the months
- titles, positions and greetings such as Mr, Mrs,
Dr, Director of Marketing, CEO, etc. -
17Thank you.