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Who hates Bruce Springsteen? British or American English?

febrero 27, 2023

Ah, the age-old debate about British English vs American English. It’s like a never-ending game of linguistic ping pong, with words being thrown back and forth across the pond faster than Carl Lewis on steroids.

It wasn´t Bruce Springsteen, but Louis Armstrong and Ella

Fitzegerald, (imagine me singing the following in my

surprisingly interesting voice. If you have never heard

my surprisingly interesting voice before, «Sign Up» at Complete English Club to hear me in my full

splendour), who sang the following –

“You say potato and I say potahto,

You say tomato and I say tomahto,

Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto,

Let´s call the whole thing off.”

It isn´t just pronunciation and musical tastes that divide the Brits and the Yanks, there are many other differences.

Vocabulary Differences

Let’s start with the basics. In Britain, they call a «biscuit» what Americans call a «cookie.» And don’t even get me started on the whole «chips vs fries» situation. In Britain, «chips» are thick-cut, fried potatoes that are served with fish. In America, «fries» are thin-cut, fried potatoes that come with every fast food burger. It’s like a culinary game of «spot the difference.»

 

Americans seem to have a tendency to add an extra syllable to words that Brits can say in half the time. For example, in Britain, «schedule» is pronounced «shed-yool,» while in America, it’s «sked-yool.» We can only imagine the frustration of a British person trying to book a «shed-yool» appointment with an American, only to be met with a confused look.

 

Whilst many words mean exactly the same in both countries there are some amusing differences. And in many instances a totally different word is used for the same thing.

 

If you don’t want to leave Brits scratching their heads to what you mean, then knowing the differences is a must. For instance asking for ‘gas’ in a petrol station in the UK won’t get you very far. And referring to the Brit´s beloved national game as ‘soccer’ won’t help you make many friends in Manchester.

Spelling Differences

When it comes to the differences in British English and American English spellings even Brits get caught out occasionally. The main difference is that British English keeps the spelling of words it has absorbed from other languages, mainly French and German. Whilst American English spellings are based mostly on how the word sounds when it is spoken.

English was introduced to what is modern day America in the 17th century by the British settlers. Since then the language has evolved and has been influenced by the many waves of immigration to the USA.

Look at the following patterns:

  • British English words ending in ‘our’ usually end in ‘or’ in American English:

BRITISH

US

colour

color

flavour

flavor

humour

humor

labour

labor

neighbour

neighbor

  • Verbs in British English that are normally spelt with ‘ise’ at the end are always spelt with ‘ize’ at the end in American English:

BRITISH

US

apologise

apologize

organise

organize

recognise

recognize

  • Some nouns that end with ‘ence’ in British English are spelt with ‘ense’ in American English:

BRITISH

US

defence

defense

licence

license

offence

offense

pretence

pretense

  • In British spelling, ‘L’ is doubled in verbs ending in a vowel plus ‘L’. In American English, the ‘L’ is not doubled:

BRITISH

US

travel

travel

travelled

traveled

travelling

traveling

traveller

traveler

  • British English words that are spelt with the double vowels ‘ae’ or ‘oe’ tend to be just spelt with an ‘e’ in American English : Although there are exceptions to the rule.  For example ‘archaeology’ is spelt in the same way as British English but ‘archeology’ would be acceptable in America but it is incorrect in the UK.

BRITISH

US

leukaemia

leukemia

manoeuvre

maneuver

paediatric

pediatric

  • Some nouns that end with ‘ogue’ in British English, end with either ‘og’ or ‘ogue’ in American English:

BRITISH

US

analogue

analog or analogue

catalogue

catalog or catalogue

dialogue

dialog or dialogue

  • Verbs in British English that end in ‘yse’    are always spelt ‘yze’ in American English:

    BRITISH

    US

    analyse

    analyze

    breathalyse

    breathalyze

    paralyse

    paralyze

In conclusion, the differences between British and American English are like two sides of the same coin. Both versions have their quirks and unique traits, but in the end, it’s all just a matter of perspective. So, whether you prefer your «biscuits» with a cup of tea or your «cookies» with a glass of milk, one thing is for sure : language is a funny old thing and if you were “Born in the USA” maybe Bruce isn´t that bad after all.

GLOSSARY

All the words in the blog highlighted in RED are explained below :

 

splendour (n) – magnificent and splendid appearance 

Yanks (n) – colloquial term for Americans

the pond (n) colloquial expression for the Atlantic Ocean

culinary (adj.) of or for cooking

tendency (n) an inclination towards a specific characteristic

to scratch – scratching (adj) – to rub with your fingernails

beloved (adj.) – dearly loved 

to catch out – caught out (v. past) – detect that someone has made a mistake

settlers (n) – people who set up home in one place

patterns (n) – a repeated decorative design

to apologise (v) – to say sorry for something you have done

pretence (n) – an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true

to manoeuvre (v) – to move skillfully or carefully

to breathalyse (v) – to test how much alcohol a person has consumed

quirks (n) – a peculiar aspect of someone´s character

traits (n) – a distinguishing quality or characteristic belonging to someone

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