On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 20:38:53 +0100, migmam
<migmam2@nospam.com> wrote:
> What's is the difference between American English, British English and
> International English?
"Two nations divided by a common language." They started dividing in
the 17th century, when the first British colonies there started, each
side has kept some things and changed others. The US had immigrants
from all over, the UK had closer direct ties with France and the
Netherlands.
There are several books on the subject, more or less humorous. Some
common differences:
Words ending -our in BrEng (colour, honour etc.) usin -or in AmEng
(color, honor etc.).
Different phrasing and word choices, "Have you got a pencil?" in BrEng
being "Do you have a pencil?" in AmEng (at least some of the
dialects).
Different words for the same things:
BrEng AmEng
trousers pants
waistcoat vest
braces suspenders
suspenders garter belt
patio deck
bonnet hood (of a car)
boot trunk (of a car)
and many others.
There are also other variants: Canadian, Australian (and 'Strine' which
is a more extreme Australian dialect), New Zealand. There are also
variants within the British Isles, Geordie (north east England) is
virtually a different language, as are some of the Scottish versions,
and the Irish speak yet another (they also have the old Irish language
related to Scots Gaelic, which is totally different).
(There isn't an "International English", each country has its own
variants, some closer to American and others closer to British.)
Chris C
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