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British english vs. American EnglishEnglish is becoming more and more global in today?s environment, it is necessary for almost everyone to learn or study english. International trading and communicating is very Major companies in Korea like Samsung and LG now require a high level of english from applicants to get a job there. The question is ?Whose english should we teach?? American english or British english? While there are certainly many more varieties of english, American and British english are the two varieties that are taught in most ESL/EFL programs. (About.com, english as a Second Language). I have been teaching english now for three years in Korea and I always run into questions from students? Is that British or American english?? My answer is always the same, ?American english? because in some schools in Korea, all of the text books are based upon the American curriculum. When students ask me questions about, British english vs. American english, I like to educate them on the historical perspectives and highlight some of the striking differences between structure, spelling and pronunciation. Some differences For example, spelling, If I decide that I want to use American english spellings then I have to be consistent in my spelling (i.e. The color of the orange is also its flavour - color is American spelling and flavour is British), this is of course not always easy - or possible. If we look at the grammatical structure of the verb ?get? The past participle of the verb get is gotten in American english. Example He's gotten much better at playing tennis. British english - He's got much better at playing tennis. This can be a challenge for me too because I grew up in Ireland but I lived in the states for 24 years. Another example, the major differences between British and American english lies in the choice of vocabulary. Some words mean different things in the two varieties for example: Mean: (American english - angry, bad humored, British english - not generous, tight fisted) Rubber: (American english - condom, British english - tool used to erase pencil markings). Let?s look at the use of prepositions. American english - on a team, British english - in a team. Past simple/past participles, American, burn, British burnt or burned, dream, dreamt or dreamed Historical Perspective British english (BrE) is the form of english used in the United Kingdom. It includes all english dialect used within the United Kingdom. American english (AmE) is the form of english used in the united states. It includes all english dialects used within the united states. The spoken forms of British english vary considerably, reflecting a long history of dialect development amid isolated populations. Dialects, word use and accents vary not only among the countries of the United Kingdom, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but also within these individual countries. Received Pronunciation (RP) refers to a way of pronouncing Standard english that is actually used by about two percent of the UK population (Kirby, 2008). It remains the accent upon which dictionary pronunciation guides are based, and for teaching english as a foreign language. It is referred to colloquially as "the Queen's english", "Oxford english" and "BBC english", although by no means all who live in Oxford speak with such accent and the BBC does not require or use it exclusively. In contrast, regional dialects in the united states typically reflect the elements of the language of the main immigrant groups in any particular region of the country, especially in terms of pronunciation and vernacular vocabulary. Scholars have mapped at least four major regional variations of spoken American english: Northern, Southern, Midland, and Western. After the American Civil War, the settlement of the western territories by migrants from the east led to dialect mixing and levelling, so that regional dialects are most strongly differentiated in the eastern parts of the country that were settled earlier. Localized dialects also exist with quite distinct variations, such as in Southern Appalachia and New York. In conclusion Exploring the differences, it is agreed that no one version is "correct" however, there are certainly preferences in use. The most important rule of thumb is to try to be consistent in our usage; if the teacher plans to teach British english then she/he needs to use all forms of British english, the same if American english is being taught. References: About.com. english as a second Language The difference between British english and American english Retrieved, May 9, 2012 Kirby, Terry (28 March 2007). "Are regional dialects dying out, and should we care if they are?". B Belfast Telegraph. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/are-regional-dialects-dying-out-and-should-we-care-if-they-are-13428248.html. Retrieved, May 9, 2012 RP:a Social Accent of english". The British Library. http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/case-studies/received-pronunciation/. Retrieved May 2012.
