Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Jack Wings]

Dear teacher

I have listened defferent people speak lots kinds of English.
Some speak British English and others speak American English.
But what's the most different between them?
People speak chinese from China and from Taiwan are defferent, because china's poeple always curve there tongue when they speak.

And how can I distinguish British English from American English?

Thanks for your advise!! Please

[Bob S.]

[Jack Wings]

Ha Ha!!
OK I will try speaks English without R's and H's!
It's Interesting~
Thanks for you telling me this period's history!!!

[CP]

Other differences: The British tend to pronounce their consonants more distinctly than the Americans. A Brit would say butter as but-ter (or maybe but-tah), while the American would pronounce it more like budder.

The British are also more careful with their vowels. In American English, many unstressed vowels come out as schwas, more like "uh" than anything else.
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[Christine123]

The biggest difference between British and American English is our
pronunciation. There are many different accents among British and
American English, but all accents of American English will be quite
different from all accents of British English.

Another difference between British and American English is vocabulary.
Here are some examples:

American - trash/garbage British - rubbish
American - apartment British - flat
American - vacation British - holiday
American - diaper British - nappy

British and American English also vary in spelling. Here are some examples:
American - color British - colour
American - fetus British - foetus
American - theater British - theatre
American - memorize British - memorise
American - gray British - grey

Lastly, British and American English vary in grammar. One difference is the use of the dummy auxiliary verb "do." Americans use the word "do" when posing a question far more often than British speakers do.
Example: American - "Do you have the ketchup?" British - "Have you the ketchup?"
Another example is use of the past participle "gotten." "Gotten" is rarely used in British English. An American speaker would say "I have gotten to go to Australia," whereas British speakers would use only the past tense version: "I got to go to Australia."

[m_prime]

LOL - perhaps Bob S has watched 'Mary Poppins' a few too many times

With respect to both Bob S and CP, dropped H's and glottal stops can be commonly found in many British dialects, however, they are not a feature in RP (Received Pronunciation). A pure form of RP is only spoken by a very small percentage of British people but it is the dialect followed in many textbooks and dictionary guides to definition (or GA if they are using American English).

Jack Wings, do not start dropping your Hs or Rs. It will not impress your English teachers and may count as poor pronunciation in any English oral exams you may take. My advice, if you are trying to develop an accent, is to go for either RP or GA (depending which flavour of English you prefer). The worst that will happen is that you will sound middle class!

Lastly, I would agree with Christine123, it is perhaps more helpful to focus on vocabulary differences between British English and American English. This seems to be the thing that confuses my students the most; when they encounter a different word for exactly the same thing. Having a good knowledge of both British and American vocabulary will help to eliminate any confusion.