WORLD
ENGLISHES:
British vs.
American
World
Englishes
There are now many Englishes, referred to
as varieties of English. All are in equal in
the sense that each is best suited to the
communication needs of its speakers.
However, not all are equal in prestige.
In this lesson, the British and the
American English will be given emphasis.
ritish vs. merican
PRONUNCIATION
Silent r
The most obvious difference between standard American (GA)
and standard British (GB) is the omission of ‘r’ in GB: you only
pronounce a written < r > if there is a vowel sound after it, so we
don’t say it in PARK /pɑːk/, HORSE /hɔːs/ or FURTHER /ˈfɜːðə/. In
American, though, we pronounce every written /r/ so /pɑrk/, /hɔrs/
& /ˈfɜrðər/.
Listen on the audio provided in Level I – Engagement in your module
ritish vs. merican
PRONUNCIATION
Vowel Sound Changes
Many of the 19 vowel sounds are very similar in American and British,
however, there are 8 sounds that significantly change as follows:
Vowel Sounds Word British American
/ɒ/ to /ɑ/. shop /ʃɒp/ /ʃɑp/
/æ/ to /e/ carry /kæri/ /keri/
/ɜː/ to /ɜr/ first /fɜːst/ /fɜrst/
/ɔː/ to /ɔr/ & /ɑ caught /kɔːt/ /kɑt/
Listen on the audio provided in Level I – Engagement in your module
ritish vs. merican
PRONUNCIATION
Vowel Sound Changes
Many of the 19 vowel sounds are very similar in American and British,
however, there are 8 sounds that significantly change as follows:
Vowel Sounds Word British American
/ɑː/ to /ɑr/ & /æ/ car /kɑː/ /kɑr/
/eə/ to /er/ where /weə/ /wer/
/ɪə/ to /ɪr/ steer /stɪə/ /stɪr/
/əʊ/ to /oʊ/ go /əʊ/ starts in the centre of the mouth /goʊ/
Listen on the audio provided in Level I – Engagement in your module
ritish vs. merican
GRAMMAR
EXPLANATION
1. Present perfect and past simple
In British English, people use the present perfect to speak about a past action that
they consider relevant to the present.
The present perfect can be used in the same way in American English, but people
often use the past simple when they consider the action finished. This is especially
common with the adverbs already, just and yet.
ritish vs. merican
GRAMMAR
EXPLANATION
2. got and gotten
In British English, the past participle of the verb get is got. In American English,
people say gotten.
** Note that have got is commonly used in both to speak about possession or necessity. have gotten is
not correct here.
ritish vs. merican
GRAMMAR
EXPLANATION
3. Verb forms with collective nouns
In British English, a singular or plural verb can be used with a noun that refers to a
group of people or things (a collective noun). We use a plural verb when we think
of the group as individuals or a singular verb when we think of the group as a
single unit. In American English, a singular verb is used with collective nouns.
** Note that police is always followed by a plural verb.
ritish vs. merican
GRAMMAR
EXPLANATION
4. Have and Take
In British English, the verbs have and take are commonly used with nouns like
bath, shower, wash to speak about washing and with nouns like break, holiday,
rest to speak about resting. In American English, only the verb take (and not the
verb have) is used this way.
ritish vs. merican
GRAMMAR
EXPLANATION
5. Shall
In British English, people often use Shall I ...? to offer to do something and/or Shall
we ...? to make a suggestion.
It is very unusual for speakers of American English to use shall. They normally use
an alternative like Should/Can I ...? or Do you want/Would you like ...? or How
about ...? instead.
Other Differences
REFERENCES:
FROST, J. British vs. American English: 63 Differences (Infographic) 2017.
Retrieved from: https://www.grammarcheck.net/british-vs-american-english/
https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/what-are-the-differences-between-american-
and-british-english
Uychoco, M.T. Santos, M.L. Readings in World Englishes. Communication for
Society. 2018. Manila. Rexbookstore.
