American English or British English?

[Auze]

Saying British English is like saying Chinese food in China. It's just food.

There's different dishes of course but it's just food.

To distinguish from English then, sure, add American or Australian or shortern to Singlish.
.

Not really the same, especially since it has been proven that American English is more conservative than British English in some ways.

Is this even a question?

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British English, on the grounds that more people use it than the American system.

thanks Commonwealth

For native speakers, American wins by a mile.
For L2 speakers, it's somewhat closer, but Latin America is proving a boost in that regard for American. Anyway, I think the British should at least capitulate on "petrol", what with it not being petroleum (Gasoline, on the other hand, is unrelated to gas in word origin, so it is fine).

[Farnhamia]

English conquers all!

Allegedly, a Pan Am 727 flight waiting for start clearance in Munich overheard the following: Lufthansa (in German): “Ground, what is our start clearance time?” Ground (in English): “If you want an answer you must speak in English.” Lufthansa (in English): “I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany. Why must I speak English?” Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): “Because you lost the bloody war.”

---

Yes. Mexican Spanish is the most spoken form but is almost unintelligible to Europeans, Argentinian and Chilean Spanish borrow a lot from Italian and German, Dominicans speak at 10,000 words a second, etc..

Sure but when I view language options I might see American English vs British English but I don't remember seeing, say, Mexican Spanish.. so I'm wondering if it's a thing rather than wondering if there's differences in the languages.

There are differences in vocabulary, certainly, among the Latin American nations. Between them and the Europeans, Spaniards and Portuguese, there are definite differences. A Portuguese-English dictionary I have says that things said in Brazil may be considered incorrect in Portugal and in some cases, even inappropriate. The only one I can think of is the Brazilian "automoveis" versus the European Portuguese "automobiles." It's all badly pronounced, provincial lower class Latin, of course ...

But we digress.

[Bombadil]

Saying British English is like saying Chinese food in China. It's just food.

There's different dishes of course but it's just food.

To distinguish from English then, sure, add American or Australian or shortern to Singlish.
.

Not really the same, especially since it has been proven that American English is more conservative than British English in some ways.

It can be lazier and crap as well, for example the way Americans say 'I could care less', which means the opposite of what they're trying to convey. As for conservatism, Johnson's dictionary was only published in 1755 and I don't think spelling was really standardised til later so I'm not sure one can claim any variation is more conservative or not.

My mother teaches, or taught, essentially the evolution of languages. We've had long debates over the need for correct spelling and grammar - I say it's really not important given letters and words are just symbols and it's the meaning that's important, as long as it's understood then fine, but she's a real stickler especially for grammar.

Having said that Americans are generally far easier for me to understand than, say, a Glaswegian or someone from Newcastle.

[Mongol Ul]

Australian English.

[Farnhamia]

Not really the same, especially since it has been proven that American English is more conservative than British English in some ways.

It can be lazier and crap as well, for example the way Americans say 'I could care less', which means the opposite of what they're trying to convey. As for conservatism, Johnson's dictionary was only published in 1755 and I don't think spelling was really standardised til later so I'm not sure one can claim any variation is more conservative or not.

My mother teaches, or taught, essentially the evolution of languages. We've had long debates over the need for correct spelling and grammar - I say it's really not important given letters and words are just symbols and it's the meaning that's important, as long as it's understood then fine, but she's a real stickler especially for grammar.

Having said that Americans are generally far easier for me to understand than, say, a Glaswegian or someone from Newcastle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8zhp699FXg

[Liriena]

I prefer British English on an aesthetic level, but almost a decade of reading and writing stuff almost exclusively in American English has left me a bit out of practice.

[Aureumterra]

I learned British English almost exclusively, but recently, as I get more interested in US politics and talk to more Americans (both IRL and online,) I have started using American spellings much more often, although I still say stuff like chips or sellotape

[Farnhamia]

I prefer British English on an aesthetic level, but almost a decade of reading and writing stuff almost exclusively in American English has left me a bit out of practice.

Easy, just say everything without opening your mouth more than 15mm.

[Ors Might]

American English best English :]

[Bombadil]

It can be lazier and crap as well, for example the way Americans say 'I could care less', which means the opposite of what they're trying to convey. As for conservatism, Johnson's dictionary was only published in 1755 and I don't think spelling was really standardised til later so I'm not sure one can claim any variation is more conservative or not.

My mother teaches, or taught, essentially the evolution of languages. We've had long debates over the need for correct spelling and grammar - I say it's really not important given letters and words are just symbols and it's the meaning that's important, as long as it's understood then fine, but she's a real stickler especially for grammar.

Having said that Americans are generally far easier for me to understand than, say, a Glaswegian or someone from Newcastle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8zhp699FXg

“Lara walked along the tracks following a path worn by pilgrims and then turned into the fields. Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. For a moment she rediscovered the purpose of her life. She was here on earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and to call each thing by its right name, or, if this were not within her power, to give birth out of love for life to successors who would do it in her place.”

[Farnhamia]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8zhp699FXg

“Lara walked along the tracks following a path worn by pilgrims and then turned into the fields. Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. For a moment she rediscovered the purpose of her life. She was here on earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and to call each thing by its right name, or, if this were not within her power, to give birth out of love for life to successors who would do it in her place.”

Ah, Boris Leonidovich ... And of course that is true, for Lara is a true daughter of Eve. Adam said, in his diary ...

If there is anything on the planet that she is not interested in it is not in my list. There are animals that I am indifferent to, but it is not so with her. She has no discrimination, she takes to all of them, she thinks they are all treasures, every new one is welcome.

When the mighty brontosaurus came striding into camp, she regarded it as an acquisition, I considered it a calamity; that is a good sample of the lack of harmony that prevails in our views of things. She wanted to domesticate it, I wanted to make it a present of the homestead and move out. She believed it could be tamed by kind treatment and would be a good pet; I said a pet twenty-one feet high and eight-four feet long would be no proper thing to have about the place, because, even with the best intentions and without meaning any harm, it could sit down on the house and mash it, for any one could see by the look of its eye that it was absent-minded.

[Kombinita Socialisma Demokratio]

Decided to make a interesting topic about the two Englishes now before you say "Both Englishes are the same" they are not since American English and British English spell their words differently.

Here are some examples from both Englishes.

British Examples: Aeroplane, aluminium, chips, and colour.

American Examples: Airplane, aluminum, french fries and color.

With these differences in mind I ask you which one is better to use for writing and grammar? If you say British then should Americans learn it as well?

In my opinion I think both are great I mean there is no reason to hate both Englishes. I think the only reason why we have two Englishes is because of culture when America gained its independence I think they wanted their own identity and be different than the British like with the words Aeroplane and chips. But I do think Americans should learn how to spell British words like colour and aluminium since the British were the ones that set up the English language.

What do you say NSG? Do you prefer American or British English? And should Americans use British spelling in their writing?

What about Canadian English or Scottish English? Canada's English sounds just like America's, And the Scottish English is hardly understandable to Americans.

I actually find Scottish English as easy or easier to understand than Appalachian dialects or Cajun dialects. However, people with those accents (or even similar dialects) have asked me if I was British or Australian before.

I suppose that I use an odd mix of British/American English (along with some peculiarities (presumably from German) learned from my grandparents), with the former being used more often the more formal the situation is. I use colour, the serial coma, grey, aeroplane, tap, aluminum, truck, hood, ...
For some reason rural people (who grew up within thirty minutes from me) ask me where I am from, and I have been told that I sound somewhat like Siri...

[Farnhamia]

What about Canadian English or Scottish English? Canada's English sounds just like America's, And the Scottish English is hardly understandable to Americans.

I actually find Scottish English as easy or easier to understand than Appalachian dialects or Cajun dialects. However, people with those accents (or even similar dialects) have asked me if I was British or Australian before.

I suppose that I use an odd mix of British/American English (along with some peculiarities (presumably from German) learned from my grandparents), with the former being used more often the more formal the situation is. I use colour, the serial coma, grey, aeroplane, tap, aluminum, truck, hood, ...
For some reason rural people (who grew up within thirty minutes from me) ask me where I am from, and I have been told that I sound somewhat like Siri...

Serial comas? Man, that must be awful.

[TURTLESHROOM II]

Simplified American English. It is more efficient, easier to learn, easier to spell, and doesn't look as stupid. When it comes to British English, those unnecessary letters you don't pronounce are stupid. Why are they there? Why have them? I've never seen a person who pronounces "aluminum" as "all-loo-men-nee-um" and not "all-loo-men-um". Only Dexter says "lah-bore-uh-tory", although both the UK and USA spell it the same.

"Programme" is inefficient and "nappy" for diaper actually makes me angry for some reason.

[TURTLESHROOM II]

Serial comas? Man, that must be awful.

Imagine a world without the Oxford Comma. Imagine being this wrong. I'd rather not meet two prostitutes, Hitler and Stalin.

COMMAS SAVE LIVES.

[Bombadil]

What about Canadian English or Scottish English? Canada's English sounds just like America's, And the Scottish English is hardly understandable to Americans.

I actually find Scottish English as easy or easier to understand than Appalachian dialects or Cajun dialects. However, people with those accents (or even similar dialects) have asked me if I was British or Australian before.

I suppose that I use an odd mix of British/American English (along with some peculiarities (presumably from German) learned from my grandparents), with the former being used more often the more formal the situation is. I use colour, the serial coma, grey, aeroplane, tap, aluminum, truck, hood, ...
For some reason rural people (who grew up within thirty minutes from me) ask me where I am from, and I have been told that I sound somewhat like Siri...

Even Scots are wildly variable in their accent, the difference between a Glaswegian, unintelligible, and someone from Edinburgh, a delightful tone, is pretty wide.

There is a video somewhere of some person with a theory that pigeons have regional accents as well.

Hmm.. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-env ... scientists

I don't know if a pitch difference given environment counts, the original video has a guy really saying Yorkshire pigeons have, like, a Yorkshire accent.

Like this bird.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k034lTC0aVM

[Farnhamia]

I actually find Scottish English as easy or easier to understand than Appalachian dialects or Cajun dialects. However, people with those accents (or even similar dialects) have asked me if I was British or Australian before.

I suppose that I use an odd mix of British/American English (along with some peculiarities (presumably from German) learned from my grandparents), with the former being used more often the more formal the situation is. I use colour, the serial coma, grey, aeroplane, tap, aluminum, truck, hood, ...
For some reason rural people (who grew up within thirty minutes from me) ask me where I am from, and I have been told that I sound somewhat like Siri...

Even Scots are wildly variable in their accent, the difference between a Glaswegian, unintelligible, and someone from Edinburgh, a delightful tone, is pretty wide.

There is a video somewhere of some person with a theory that pigeons have regional accents as well.

Hmm.. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-env ... scientists

I don't know if a pitch difference given environment counts, the original video has a guy really saying Yorkshire pigeons have, like, a Yorkshire accent.

Like this bird.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k034lTC0aVM

So ... Yorkshire pigeons sound like they're extras in All Creatures Great and Small?

[Bombadil]

Even Scots are wildly variable in their accent, the difference between a Glaswegian, unintelligible, and someone from Edinburgh, a delightful tone, is pretty wide.

There is a video somewhere of some person with a theory that pigeons have regional accents as well.

Hmm.. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-env ... scientists

I don't know if a pitch difference given environment counts, the original video has a guy really saying Yorkshire pigeons have, like, a Yorkshire accent.

Like this bird.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k034lTC0aVM

So ... Yorkshire pigeons sound like they're extras in All Creatures Great and Small?

Oddly they used Welsh pigeons for that show, though no one noticed despite an outcry from the pigeon's actors union.

[Risottia]

Serial comas? Man, that must be awful.

It's what happens normally when you strRRRoll thRRRough EdinbRRRah WaveRRRley and pRRRomoteRRRs hand you a can of cucumbeRRR-flavouRRRed SpRRRite, whispeRRRing "it's peRRRfect with JEN!" - and then you follow the advice, again, and again, and again.

[Shrillland]

Serial comas? Man, that must be awful.

It's what happens normally when you strRRRoll thRRRough EdinbRRRah WaveRRRley and pRRRomoteRRRs hand you a can of cucumbeRRR-flavouRRRed SpRRRite, whispeRRRing "it's peRRRfect with JEN!" - and then you follow the advice, again, and again, and again.

With that strong of a trill, they're probably handing out Irn Bru to be honest.

[The Blaatschapen]

Decided to make a interesting topic about the two Englishes now before you say "Both Englishes are the same" they are not since American English and British English spell their words differently.

Here are some examples from both Englishes.

British Examples: Aeroplane, aluminium, chips, and colour.

American Examples: Airplane, aluminum, french fries and color.

With these differences in mind I ask you which one is better to use for writing and grammar? If you say British then should Americans learn it as well?

In my opinion I think both are great I mean there is no reason to hate both Englishes. I think the only reason why we have two Englishes is because of culture when America gained its independence I think they wanted their own identity and be different than the British like with the words Aeroplane and chips. But I do think Americans should learn how to spell British words like colour and aluminium since the British were the ones that set up the English language.

What do you say NSG? Do you prefer American or British English? And should Americans use British spelling in their writing?

What people do not understand is that part of the Lend-Lease program during WW2 was a clause that transferred custody of the "common language" to the United States. Under the agreement, should the United States Department of State decide that Great Britain has committed a linguistic offense, the United States is entitled to take military action to arrest the person or persons committing said offense, and to remove extraneous U's from words like "honor" or "color."

Will this military action include nucular missiles?

[Aclion]

Not really the same, especially since it has been proven that American English is more conservative than British English in some ways.

It can be lazier and crap as well, for example the way Americans say 'I could care less', which means the opposite of what they're trying to convey. As for conservatism, Johnson's dictionary was only published in 1755 and I don't think spelling was really standardised til later so I'm not sure one can claim any variation is more conservative or not.

By having linguists study how language evolves in different areas.
Isolated areas are slower to be exposed to and adopt changes, which means that as American English, and British English, evolve these areas preserve the older dialects with little change. So you get places like the Appalachians, which are isolated both from Britain and from the rest of the US, where you can find communities that still speak English very much like they did in the 16th century.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

I was listening to an old reel to reel tape recording of my grandparents family from the 1950s. Their Forest of Dean accents are so strong I find it quite hard to follow. I also visited Guernsey again after nearly forty years and nobody really had a strong Guernsey accent anymore. Exposure to mass media I guess, meaning that I find it easier to understand someone in the present day from America than my own family from the past.

[Abarri]

Having said that do people say Mexican Spanish, or Colombian Spanish or do they simply speak Spanish with variations.

The various South-American Spanish dialects are almost unintelligible to my ears, which are more used to actual Castellano.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_d ... f_variants

I want that! I can't seem to pick up words in Castilian. On TV and videos all I hear are r's and th sounds.

[Jack Thomas Lang]

All variants of spelling and pronunciation within English dialects are legitimate.

We must break down the barriers that divide English speakers, whether American, British, Australian, Canadian, South African, etc.