Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[l49416502]

Hello, everyone. I'm a Taiwanese girl. My name is Sophia. I want to go to U.K. for studying some day, but I've learned American English since I was a little girl. Shall I learn Birtish English, when I go to U.K. for studying? Is it necessary?
Thanks for answering my question!
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Sophia(Shih-Ping)

[Anuradha Chepur]

Differences between AmE and BrE are not a big issue for me, atleast.
But it would certainly help to get acquainted with BrE, not only if you want to study in the UK, but also for general awareness, if you are someone who is fond of English.

[l49416502]

Thank you for replying. But I still have a question about BrE. What's different between BrE and AmE ' grammar? Could you give me an example?
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Sophia(Shih-Ping)

[Bob S.]

There is virtually no difference in Br and Am English grammar. The one you might notice is the verb choice (singlular or plural) associated with collective nouns. For example, My family is coming / my family are coming. The police is here / the police are here. But more notable than grammar differences are spelling differences and vocabulary differences.
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Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Lorikeet]

There are also pronunciation differences, and some informal grammar usage differences as well, such as the use of the present perfect. (Americans tend to accept the past tense in more situations, such as "Did you eat yet?")

[l49416502]

Thanks for giving me imformation about BrE. This is very important for me to learn BrE. By the way, Where is the best place in U.K. I must go? It's not for tourism.
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Sophia(Shih-Ping)

[RedRose]

There is some difference between AE and BE.

BE sounds very academic and formal, but AE sounds very very sexy.

I prefer AE.

[l49416502]

Thank you for replying.

Really? I'll compare AE and BE sounds. Then, I shall tell you " which one is sexy or different?"
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Sophia(Shih-Ping)

[Summertime]

Hi Sophia,

While there are some differences between British and American grammar and vocabulary, probably the biggest difference is in the pronunciation and accent.

Many people find the British accent to be slightly easier than the American accent. For example, the American T changes a lot depending on where it is in the word or sentence. But the British one tends to sound like /t/. Of course there are many regional differences.

I recommend really getting a feel for British English by listening. Start with BBC (formal), British podcasts (formal and informal), and British movies, particularly about average people going about their everyday lives. Of course hanging out with British friends would be fantastic.

Not only will you pick up the accent, if you pay attention, you will also pick up new grammar and vocabulary in a natural way.

Good luck!
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Sheri
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The American Accent Workshop
http://www.accentworkshop.com

[hhlake]

Hi, Sophia, I'm a graduate student in China and I major in English Eduaction. "Shall I learn Br E or Am E" is a frequently asked question posed by learners like you, even among the freshman in English department. However, I think it's not a question at all.
We learn English because we want to communicate with English-speaking people. As long as you can make yourself understood, any kinds of English is OK. For our Asian students, we are bound to have our Asian accent. Believe or not, no matter how carefully you speak, you can't speak pure British or American accent. Therefore, I recommend you to listen to and watch as many English material as possible in order to accquire different accent and improve your listinging.

[peterteacher]

For someone who is learning English as a second language I think American English is easier for spelling, and British English is better for pronunciation.

Eg, for spelling:

U.S. "color" and "program" are easier than U.K. "colour" and "programme"

Eg, for pronunciation:

With and American accent "hot" and "hat" can sound very similar. Also the last "t" in "can" and "can't" is the only difference when some Americans say the words. With a British accent the vowels in those words sound much more obviously different.
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Try some mini, on-line adventure games to help your English at: www.gameenglish.com

[scottish_tiger]

Hi,

It is good that you want to come here to the UK to live. As a former English teacher in Korea, Japan, Thailand & Singapore I can, from experience, tell you that these is no need to think that you need to learn BE in order to survive in Britain. Yes, as others have said, there are differences between spelling and pronounciation - which you may notice when you are in mixed company - but at the end of the day English is English, and you will find that all parts of the UK will clearly understand what you say and you will be able to communicate and live a happy life. I hope this helps & you will enjoy your time here, should you decide to follow your dream.

Scottish Tiger
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I am always happy to help you learn English.

[coolstufferik]

If you really want to learn proper English then you should start learning British English otherwise American English will serve all the purpose.

[redset]

There is no one 'British accent', and there is probably a wider range of accents than in the US! British English isn't easier or any more correct, but if you want to study in Britain then it would be useful to know some of the differences. The main issue is that some words mean different things in Britain and America, like faucet/tap, chips/crisps, fries/chips, semi/lorry etc. If people are unfamiliar with these meanings they'll have trouble understanding you, and vice versa!

Nobody will have any trouble understanding an American English accent, and the same goes for American spelling. If you're a student though, you'll probably be expected to use the correct British spelling and grammar for formal writing. I agree with those who said you should listen to some British accents though, you'll probably have some trouble understanding them at first - and like I said, there are a lot of different accents. Also, nobody uses Received Pronunciation anymore (except the Queen)!