Teach English in Beiwenquan Jiedao - Chongqing

British English vs American English?Allo mate, gotta fag?? Oh my god, what did he just say?!? Yes, it is the same language, but sometimes it can seem as if it?s completely foreign. Nowadays, the world is getting smaller and it is becoming easier and easier to travel. More people from the UK are visiting the united states and more Americans are visiting the UK. Interaction between our two countries is becoming closer and the internet is bringing us together in ways we would have never imagined only 10 years ago. What does that mean for us? It means we are becoming closer to our cousins across the pond and find ourselves speaking with them more often. Even though we share a common language, there are words, phrases and slang that can be very difficult to understand and can often lead to problems and sometimes conflict. Let?s take a closer look at both forms of English: British English ? This is commonly spoken in the united kingdom and many former British Colonies. It is often referred to as ?Queens English?. For many Britains, it is a matter of self identity and pride that they speak proper Queens English. American English ? This is commonly spoken in the United States. It is mainly based upon British English with varying words, dialect and slang causing it to differ dramatically. American English is also spoken more often in non English speaking and developing countries. Now, it might sound confusing to some, but don?t forget that in its written form, English is understood by both cultures. Many American authors are popular in the UK and vice versa. However, when the words are spoken, the confusion begins. It would be easy for me to get technical now and discuss the various forms of verbs, tenses, transitions etc.. that are different in each form of the language, but that is not the point of this paper. The point is to explain why the language differs from each country and how we can cope with this. American English stems from england. However as America is the ?Great Melting Pot? of cultures, the language has been adapted to suit the needs of the people. Over the past 300 years people from every country in the world have arrived on the American shores in search of a better way of life. They brought their culture, heritage and language with them. If they wanted to succeed in America, they had to speak English. 2. Gradually, over many years, words were changed, accents faded and blended into one and the American English Language was born. At the same time as all of this was happening, British English was alive and strong in the UK. Although there is a large mix of cultures in england, the language has predominantly stayed the same and people have remained proud and steadfast to their language, which for many Britains is vital to their culture and heritage. At the end of the day, it is not a story of British English vs. American English, but rather a story of old vs. new. As mentioned previously, the internet is reshaping the world. Now people from Japan can video chat with people from brazil in real time online, for free! In this new technological, fast paced world of emails, instant messaging and texting the English language is constantly adapting to its users and a new Hybrid English is becoming the norm. Oh horror, what can we do? In my opinion, we can embrace this! There is room for British English, American English and Internet English. The most important thing is that people can communicate and understand each other. Tolerance to different languages, dialects and slang is one way that we can become closer while not losing our identity. People who are talking to each other are not fighting each other. It is our job as English Teachers to make sure that not only do they talk to each other but they understand each other. My grandmother barely even spoke English, but it didn?t make me love her any less and I always understood what she wanted. This paper might be a little unorthodox. This is probably because it was written in American English?.