Text 3. British English and American English

Match the following words and translations.

Standard English is the type of English that is used by educated people throughout the English-speaking world. Nevertheless, it is not completely uniform. There are differences between the national standards (e. g. in Britain, America, and Australia) and also variants within each English-speaking country. For example, within the Northern English, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The most firmly established national standards are British (B. E.) and American English (A. E.), the others tending to follow the usage of these two. It is this English that is taught in the education system of English-speaking countries and is also taught to foreigners. It is this variety that appears in print and in the spoken language of the mass media.

The Americans have developed their own particular style in various aspects of the language. Even with comparable education and social position, a present-day New-Yorker and a present-day Londoner can find themselves using forms of English which are equally correct but which are quite distinct in vocabulary, in grammar, in pronunciation and in spelling. In other words, there are rules and norms for A. E. which are independent of the corresponding rules and norms for B. E.

Differences in spelling, pronunciation and in grammar between B. E. and A. E. are relatively minor. More differences occur in vocabulary. They are called Americanisms. When we speak of Americanisms in language we mean words or other language features that are characteristic of the English used in the USA. Many usages that were originally Americanisms have been fully integrated into B. E. and their origin is no longer recognized: radio, immigrant, teenager, to locate, live wire, hot air, cold war, mass meeting, etc.

Americanisms of recent usages that are thought to originate in the United States are resistered by some British writers and speakers: O. K., I guess, to check up on, to win out, to lose out, etc.

The first American spelling reformer was Benjamin Franklin, the second was

Noah Webster. Here are some peculiarities of American spelling: honor, color for B. E. honour, colour; theater, meter for B. E. theatre, metre; defense, offense for B. E. defence, offence, etc.

A single consonant is used for the double one in B. E. in such words as traveler, traveled, wagon, etc. In American texts you find check for cheque in B. E.; draft for draught) program for programme, etc.

We must remember that many British writers use some American spellings and that certain American authors occasionally prefer British usage. Particularly numerous are Americanisms in scientific and technical literature. For instance, in A. E. a tram is a freight-car, the underground is a subway, petrol is gasoline, a pavement is a sidewalk. In America a man wears pants (trousers), drawers (pants), an undershirt (vest), suspenders (braces), and halfshoes (shoes).

Though less in number, there are important differences in grammar as well. Englishmen today no longer use the form gotten as the Past Participle of the verb get, but it is the form commonly accepted in America. Americans use the auxiliary do with the verb have in many cases where the English would not do so.

The numerous differences between these two standards create some difficulties for the language learner, who naturally wonders whether he should try to use English or American grammar, British or American words. Some learners hesitate which of the two forms is more correct. Perhaps the best attitude for the learner to take is not one of judging whether British English or American English is more correct, but rather to observe differences between them carefully and catalogue them in his mind. When speaking or writing, he should try to be consistent, that is, he should try to use British grammar and words, or American grammar and words throughout and avoid a mixture of the two.

The great number of differences that exist between B. E. and A. E. caused the question of whether they can be considered the same language at all.

It is to be hoped that the varieties of English will not diverge to the extent of impending international communication in English. This hope is based on the fact that in the course of time with the development of the modern means of communication the lexical differences between the two variants show a tendency to decrease, Americanisms penetrate into Standard English and Britishisms come to be widely used in American speech.