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Differences between British and American EnglishEnglish was created about 1000 years ago from the Germanic invasion of Britain. The language then changed again some 200 years later, by the Normans. Most of the modern english language is based on this form of english, called ?Angelo-Norman,? and many of the words were borrowed from languages such as, Dutch, German, Latin, and Ancient greek. The birth of modern British english was born sometime in the 15th century, during the ?Great Vowel Shift.? The language would once again see a historical change. In 1607, the British introduced the english language to the Americans. And over the next 200 years the language would start to take on some minor and major changes. In 1928, Noah Webster wrote the first American dictionary and a new dialect of the english language was official. Some of the differences in British english and American english include grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, units of measurement, idioms, and idiosyncratic differences Grammar between British and American english is often confused, or by some teachers corrected to suit their english dialect. Some areas of grammar that have differences are collective nouns, verbs, use of tenses, prepositions, possessions, and the definite article. Below are examples of differences between the two dialects. Collective nouns British english- The committee meet/meets today. American english- The committee meets today. Verbs British english- He has got a dog. American english- He has gotten a dog. Use of tenses British english- I have driven her home. American english- I drove her home. Prepositions British english- Let?s meet at the weekend. American english- Let?s meet on the weekend. Possessions British english- Do you got any money. American english- Do you have any money. Definite article British english- I am studying at university American english- I am studying at the University. Vocabulary is also one of the most noticeable differences between the two english languages. During the 19th and 20th century many new words were coined due to growing industries, new concepts, and new inventions. For example, almost all of the terms used in the automotive and railway industries are different between British and American english. For example: British english- does the cab have a boot? American english- does the taxi have a trunk? A majority of British idioms have the same meaning to those in America, but have slight lexical differences. For example: British english- sweep under the carpet American english- sweep under the rug The British and the Americans write and/or say numbers differently too. The British us an ?and?, when saying or writing numbers, and the Americans exclude the ?and.? Here is an example: British english- one hundred and fifty American english- one hundred fifty The way the British and the Americans use expressions also differs. Here is an example to the question, ?Would you like potato or rice?? British english- I don?t mind. American english- I don?t care. Overall, British and American english differ in many ways, but vary very little in features, and in mass media. A form of english that has been adopted by both countries is called, Standard english, which most media outlets use today. British english is used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries, while American english is used in the United Sates of America.
