How British English and American English Are Different

Many Americans who love tea would turn up their noses at the idea of adding milk to it. Brits, on the other hand, are known for lacing their tea with milk. Though tea and milk are considered more of a staple in Great Britain and just an occasional preference in the United States, everyone can recognize the customs for what they are. The language that Americans and Brits share is a bit like that—spoken differently in the two locations, but understandable by both groups of speakers.

Early British American settlers interacted with Native Americans—as well as with immigrants from other countries—and they had to learn and use new words. Meanwhile, words came and went out of fashion in Great Britain, leaving their American counterparts none the wiser. Fast-forward four hundred years and the two dialects are bound to have quite a few differences.

Here are a few ways these English dialects differ, from vocabulary to punctuation:

American English words missing from British English

Eventually, the American colonies gained independence from Great Britain and became the United States. As the US continued to grow and integrate different world cultures, the American people developed linguistic differences from their British counterparts. Phrases that already existed in British English changed. Minced beef became ground beef, for example.

Additionally, new words were invented as science and technology advanced. After the invention of the automobile in the twentieth century, Americans began to fill their cars with gasoline while Brits filled theirs with petrol.  

Uniquely American things, such as s’mores or grits, don’t have British equivalents

Does the American English language differ from English and other languages?

English :

Eventually, the American colonies gained independence from Great Britain and became the United States. As the US continued to grow and integrate different world cultures, the American people developed linguistic differences from their British counterparts.

Indonesia:

Apakah bahasa Inggris Amerika berbeda dari bahasa Inggris dan bahasa lainnya?

Akhirnya, koloni Amerika memperoleh kemerdekaan dari Inggris Raya dan menjadi Amerika Serikat. Ketika AS terus tumbuh dan mengintegrasikan budaya dunia yang berbeda, orang Amerika mengembangkan perbedaan linguistik dari rekan Inggris mereka.

What makes British accents so different?

English : 

Many of these differences are related to the historical development of English in the British Isles. When Germanic tribes from the northwest of the European continent first began settling in Britain in the 5th century, they brought with them distinct dialects of their native Germanic languages.

Indonesia :

Apa yang membuat aksen Inggris begitu berbeda?

Banyak dari perbedaan ini terkait dengan perkembangan sejarah bahasa Inggris di Kepulauan Inggris. Ketika suku-suku Jermanik dari barat laut benua Eropa pertama kali mulai menetap di Inggris pada abad ke-5, mereka membawa serta dialek berbeda dari bahasa Jermanik asli mereka.

5 big reasons why US and UK English sound so different

We may share a language but there’s nothing similar when it comes to hearing someone from the US speak to someone from the UK. Everything from putting a z everywhere to words that are spelt the same but sound entirely different when you say them – there’s a whole ocean of linguistic differences (plus an actual physical ocean) between the world’s two major English-speaking players. But never fear! If you’re learning English in London and want to know what makes your accent different from your friend learning in New York, here’s what you need to know.

1. American English is actually older

This isn’t something you should tell to a British person, because we’re the country that gave birth to America as we know it today – but this fact really is true. When the first settlers set sail from England to America, they took with them the common tongue at the time, which was based on something called rhotic speech (when you pronounce the r sound in a word). Meanwhile, back in wealthy southern cities of the UK, people from the new higher classes wanted a way to distinguish themselves from everyone else, so they started changing their rhotic speech to a soft r sound, saying words like winter as “win-tuh” instead of “win-terr”. Of course, these people were posh and everyone wanted to copy them, so this new way of speaking – which British people now refer to as Received Pronunciation – spread across the rest of the south of England. It also explains why many places outside the south of England still have rhotic pronunciation as part of their regional accents. Basically, if you speak English from London, you sound more posh. Win.

2. British English is more like French

French has influenced English in more ways than English speakers would care to admit. The first time was when William the Conqueror invaded Britain in the 11th Century (more on the history of English here), bringing Norman French with him and making it the high language – used in schools, courts, universities, and the upper classes. It didn’t stick around, but instead evolved into Middle English, which was a mashup of all the linguistic influences around at the time. The second time was during the 1700s, when it became super trendy in the UK to use French-style words and spelling. Of course, Americans were already living their lives across the Atlantic and didn’t take part in this trend at all. This is why British English has more linguistic similarities to French than American English, and also explains our obsession with croissants. Or maybe that’s just me.