Differences Between American and British English

English was brought to America from the UK in 1607 when the first English colony was established in Jamestown, Virginia. British and American English are more similar than difference, most would agree, but the two dialects vary in areas like pronunciation, spelling, and grammar. This essay will focus on these differences. 

Pronunciation

Some examples of pronunciation differences in British and American English are as follows:

The British "r sound comes off much softer than that of British English. Odd as it is, given the origins, Americans follow the more traditional pronunciation pattern in this. This because British English was developed by the aristocracy in British society, so the softening of the r was done to come across more fashionable. This is why-in comparison with American English-most people agree that a British accent comes across more fancy sounding, and only applies when it is located near the end of the word. "Rabbit" for example is pronounced the same is both dialects because the r is located near the beginning of the word. However, in the word "heart" Americans pronounce the r clearly, and the British pronounce the r so softly that it is hardly pronounced at all. 

T in some words like water sounds like a t in Britain, but a d in America. So, in America, it is often pronounced like "wa-der," whereas in Britain is "wa-ter." Similar, the word totally is pronounced like "to-dally" in America, whereas in the UK, it is pronounced, "to-tally. This is known as the alveolar flap. The pattern can be found in 4 scenarios.

1. Between 2 vowel sounds.

examples: batter, city, letter, meter, relative, sweater, whatever

2. After a vowel+r sound.

examples: barter, comforting, dirty, quarter, thirty

3. Before syllabic /l/; aka, before the unstressed "ul" sound (International Phonetic Alphabet: /əl/)

examples: battle, bottle, capital, fatal, hospital, metal, turtle

4. In a phrase or sentence, before the stressed vowel at the start of the next word.

examples: know it all, meet Alice, not on, what are you doing?

Another major difference between American and British pronunciation can be found in the syllable emphasis area of different words.

Some examples of this include:

1. Address

British: ad-DRESS, American: AD-dress

Note: In the US, the stress on the word will change depending on whether it's used as a noun or a verb.

2. Debut

British: de-BUT, American: DE-but

Note: A pattern can be found in English words with French origins that British people stress the first syllable, while American people stress the second. 

3. Ice cream

British: ice CREAM, American: ICE cream

Note: Compound nouns also follow this pattern that Americans usually stress the first syllable, while the British usually stress the second. 

Spelling

Another major difference in how American English and British English differ, is in their spelling. This might be traced back to the original formation of American English, when Noah Webster created the first American English dictionary. He purposely changed the spelling of words, to promote a cultural independence from Britain.

Some words that were affected by this appear to be Webster's attempt at a simplification of the British word. To name a few:

British: doughnut, American: donut

British: chequerboard, American: checkerboard

British: aeroplane, American: airplane

Another difference between British English an American English can be found in words in end in that are spelled with an 'ise' are spelled with a 'ize' in America. This can be seen in words like 

British: organise, familiarise, civilise

American: organize, familiarize, civilize

Similarly, words ending in this same sound, but with the y being an i instead, follow the same pattern

British: analyse, paralyse

American: analyze, paralyze

The origins of this pattern have to do with British English having more of its influence coming from French word, while the influence of more of American English comes from Spanish English words. 

A last common difference between British and American English can be found in words ending in the British "re" or American "er." Some examples of this include:

British: calibre, centre, theatre

American: caliber, center, theater

This, too, has its roots predominantly found in the British version of these words being truer to the French ending that are exemplified in words like chambre (chamber/ room), and metre (meter/ about 3 feet)

Visit this page for a more complete list of differences between British and American English spelling

Grammar:

One major difference in grammar between grammar in American and British grammar can be seen in sentences that talk about an action in the past that has taken an effect in the present. This is usually expresses still in the past tense among Americans, but the British more often use the past participle tense in this situation. Some examples are listed below. 

American:

Jenny feels ill. She ate too much.

I can't find my keys. Did you see them anywhere?

They already saw the movie.

No, I didn't read that book yet.

British:

Jenny feels ill. She's eaten too much.

I can't find my keys. Have you seen them anywhere?

They've already seen the movie.

No, I haven't read it yet. 

Another difference grammatically that is common among British and American English is in the use of the verbs have and take, also known as delexical verbs. A delexical verb is used in contexts where there is little meaning in the word itself, but accompanies an action verb. American's typically use take in this context, whereas the British tend to prefer have.

Examples:

American: I'd like to take a bath.

Why don't you take a break?

British: I'd like to have a bath. 

Why don't you have a break?

Auxillaries and modals are another area where British and American English tend to differ in. an auxillary verb is a verb that doesn't show action in itself, but helps the action word. (i.e am, do, shall, have to, may). Modals are auxillary words that affect the meaning of a sentence or question. (i.e can, will, ought to, would, must)

In British English, the auxiliary do is often use as a substitute for a verb when replying to a question. 

Examples:

Question: Are you coming with us?

British: I might do.

American: I might. 

In British English, needn't is often used in place of don't need to. 

The last of differences that this article will address is the differences in preposition usage in American and British English. 

Use of prepositions

In British English, at is used with many time expressions, e.g.

It's not uncommon for British English and American English speakers to use different prepositions in the same context. Some examples to illustrate are listed below.

American: This place is different from anything I've seen before

She studied French in high school.

British: This place is different than anything I've seen before. 

She studied French at high school.

These are just some of the differences I can highlight between American and British English, and the reason for these differences. Please share this if you found this information valuable. Thanks a lot! Happy English teaching, learning, and using! :)