Differences between British English and American English
The importance of learning English
Isn't it amazing how quickly English is taking over the world? It is a language that increasingly suspends more borders. It is present practically everywhere. That universality is what makes it so attractive to many people around the world. There are those who want to learn it to improve their job opportunities, others use it to travel and start new adventures, and many simply use it to maintain their own network of global relationships.
Without a doubt, this language has many loyal fans who want to become native speakers. But there is one important aspect of English culture that we should not overlook: the differences between British and American English. Obviously, in order to understand it first-hand, we recommend you live the experience in a host home, either in New York in the United States, or in a host family in Dublin, in Ireland.
Although it was previously believed that once one speaks English, one understands people from all over the world in the same language. However, the truth is that these two branches have their differences and always remember that to really understand this topic you have to talk about both types.
The importance of learning English is increasingly highlighted, not only for children who are beginning to enter the world of foreign languages, but also for adults. English is the lingua franca with the greatest presence in all corners of the world and it is essential to understand it if you want to have professional success or travel without problems. For this reason, studying the difference between British and American English has become very important when deciding what type of language one wants to learn. For this, it is necessary to speak with the natives of each area, so you can fully understand the proper use of language and its differences. The best thing is that you take advantage of the summer to live an English summer and thus be able to study this language in the best way.
Learning English is as important as knowing the alphabet. In fact, knowing a second language opens doors for you both at work and in your social life. And within English there are a variety of dialects, each with its own peculiarities that can make the difference between surprising a teacher, working well in an interview, or becoming the perfect target for all your jokes. That's why I want to tell you more about the language and all the differences between British and American English.
Differences between British English and American English
The main differences between both types of English are numerous and impact globally in various aspects. We are talking of course about the local dialect, the correct way to use regular and irregular verbs together with their respective conjugations, even the accents when pronouncing certain words or complete phrases. On the other hand, we find differences in terms of vocabulary and expressions typical of one country or another, as well as some linguistic peculiarities. In addition, there are cases in which the same items have distinctively different uses between languages when writing, from prepositions to sentence organization to connectors and syntax as a whole.
When we talk about British English, it is essential to underline the existence of a lot of embedded regionalisms that reflect the different accents and dialects characteristic of the United Kingdom. The same can be said of American English where there is also a great diversity full of peculiarities of accents, vocabulary and expressions.
If we synthesize the academic side of this subject, we could give as examples an infinite number of words or phrases that go from "Mobile Phone" instead of "Cell Phone" to "Trousers" where the American would write "Pants", also including complete expressions such as the formation of the past from the regular verb where in Great Britain and the United States they use different ways of expressing it.
To begin with, it must be said that there are some completely different words to refer to the same objects or events. For example "Elevator" for the United States and "Lift" in Great Britain; “Chips” for the United States and “Crisps' for Great Britain; "Gasoline" for the United States and "Petrol" for Great Britain. Also expressions and idioms are different between British and American English.
Finally there are certain differences even between the grammar. Most refer to how a word is spelled, such as case, or syntactic structure.
A reason to travel
That is why for those who want to speak English fluently and only speak their mother tongue it is important to know what the differences are between British and American English. And best of all, it also serves to discover more about the world by walking through its streets, drinking a coffee in a local bar and listening to the people.
And while there are differences between the dialects of British and American English, at the end of the day they both share an enormous amount of vocabulary, expressions, and ideas. That's why it doesn't matter if you speak English from the United States or from Great Britain, the entrance to the various countries will always be open to you. It's time to put on your hat and travel. The personal experience that a summer camp English can give you will enrich your vocabulary and your way of expressing yourself.
Despite all these differences that exist between one English and the other, for those of us who find it essential to learn this language, the main recommendation is not to limit ourselves to a single dialect but to immediately open up to others to be able to access all the variants with complete independence. . A good trip can become a great guide to discover first-hand all these peculiarities, prepare your english summer now.
We only have to recap and put an end to this article with a nice reminder: the English language is not one, but two, nothing less. So build your knowledge based on all possible forms of English, because knowledge does not take place and the more you learn, the richer your vocabulary will be. Until next time!