HUE UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF OPEN EDUCATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ENGLISH LANGUAGE o0o SOCIOLINGUISTIC PROJECT Lecturer: Trần Thuần Student’s name: Trần Thị Hậu - Số thứ tự 25 Student’s code: 7052900545 Class: Nghe An Topic 1: There are systematic differences between the English spoken in the US and the English spoken in the UK, hence the terms ‘American English’ and ‘British English’ due to historical and political reasons It is highly plausible that a similar phenomenon, historically and politically triggered, can be found in the Korean language Investigate the (possible) differences between the Korean spoken in North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic Korea) and the Korean spoken in South Korea (Republic of Korea) Nghe An, July 2023 There are systematic differences between the English spoken in the US and the English spoken in the UK, hence the terms ‘American English’ and ‘British English’ due to historical and political reasons It is highly plausible that a similar phenomenon, historically and politically triggered, can be found in the Korean language Investigate the (possible) differences between the Korean spoken in North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic Korea) and the Korean spoken in South Korea (Republic of Korea) Assignment The British actually introduced the language to the Americas when they reached these lands by sea between the 16th and 17th centuries At that time, spelling had not yet been standardised It took the writing of the first dictionaries to set in stone how these words appeared In the UK, the dictionary was compiled by London-based scholars Meanwhile, in the United States, the lexicographer was a man named Noah Webster Allegedly, he changed how the words were spelled to make the American version different from the British as a way of showing cultural independence from its mother country In terms of speech, the differences between American and British English actually took place after the first settlers arrived in America These groups of people spoke using what was called rhotic speech, where the ‘r’ sounds of words are pronounced Meanwhile, the higher classes in the UK wanted to distinguish the way they spoke from the common masses by softening their pronunciation of the ‘r’ sounds Since the elite even back then were considered the standard for being fashionable, other people began to copy their speech, until it eventually became the common way of speaking in the south of England Spelling differences British and American English have some spelling differences The common ones are presented in the table below British and American spellings diverge by the hundreds This may be credited to American lexicographer Noah Webster The dictionary that bears Webster's name may be a familiar name to you In the late 1700s, author, politician, and educator Noah Webster began an endeavor to improve English spelling The inconsistent spelling in English irritated him Webster sought to spell words as they appeared on the page The spelling change also showed America's independence from England American spellings of words like "color" (from "colour"), "honor" (from "honour"), and "labor" (from "labour") show Webster's influence Webster took the letter "u" out of these words so their spelling would match how they were said British English American English -oe-/-ae- (e.g anaemia, diarrhoea, encyclopaedia) -e- (e.g anemia, diarrhea, encyclopedia) -t (e.g burnt, dreamt, leapt) -ed (e.g burned, dreamed, leaped) -ence (e.g defence, offence, licence) -ense (defense, offense, license) -ell- (e.g cancelled, jeweller, marvellous) -el- (e.g canceled, jeweler, marvelous) -ise (e.g appetiser, familiarise, organise) -ize (e.g appetizer, familiarize, organize) -l- (e.g enrol, fulfil, skilful) -ll- (e.g enroll, fulfill, skillfull) -ogue (e.g analogue, monologue, catalogue) -og (e.g analog, monolog, catalog) *Note that American English also recognizes words spelled with –ogue -ou (e.g colour, behaviour, mould) -o (e.g color, behavior, mold) -re (e.g metre, fibre, centre) -er (e.g meter, fiber, center) -y- (e.g tyre) -i- (e.g tire) Vocabulary differences The Americans and the British also have some words that differ from each other The table below lists some of the everyday objects that have different names, depending on what form of English you are using The vocabulary is the most obvious difference between American English and British English Numerous standard terms have diverse meanings For instance, Americans refer to a car's front end as the hood, whereas the British refer to it as the bonnet While Britons have holidays or hols, Americans go on vacation Londoners live in flats, whereas New Yorkers reside in apartments There are a lot more instances than we can list here The majority of Americans and Britons, fortunately, can typically infer the meaning from the context of a statement British English American English trousers pants flat apartment bonnet (the front of the car) hood boot (the back of the car) trunk lorry truck university college holiday vacation jumper sweater crisps chips chips French fries trainers sneakers fizzy drink soda postbox mailbox biscuit cookie chemist drugstore shop store football soccer Grammar differences Aside from spelling and vocabulary, there are certain grammar differences between British and American English For instance, in American English, collective nouns are considered singular (e.g The band is playing) In contrast, collective nouns can be either singular or plural in British English, although the plural form is most often used (e.g The band are playing) The British are also more likely to use formal speech, such as ‘shall’, whereas Americans favour the more informal ‘will’ or ‘should’ Americans, however, continue to use ‘gotten’ as the past participle of ‘get’, which the British have long since dropped in favour of ‘got’ ‘Needn’t’, which is commonly used in British English, is rarely, if at all used in American English In its place is ‘don’t need to’ In British English, ‘at’ is the preposition in relation to time and place However, in American English, ‘on’ is used instead of the former and ‘in’ for the latter Final point While there may be certain differences between British and American English, the key takeaway is that the two have more similarities Accidentally using one instead of the other will not automatically lead to miscommunication Americans and Brits can usually communicate with each other without too much difficulty, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you are unable to memorise the nuances of both languages Auxiliary Verbs Another grammatical distinction is auxiliary verbs Helping verbs and auxiliary verbs are verbs that contribute to the formation of a grammatical function They "assist" the primary verb by providing details regarding time, modality, and voice Let's examine the subordinating verb "shall." The word shall is occasionally used by the British to signify the future For example, "I shall go home now." Though they are familiar with its meaning, Americans hardly ever use the word in speech It has a formal air to it "I'll go home now" is probably how Americans would phrase it British people may ask, "Shall we go now?" while Americans are more likely to ask, "Should we go now?" When Americans don't feel like they have to something, they say "do not need" after the helping verb "do." "We not need you in the office today." Brits omit the helping verb and use the word not."You need not report to work today." Past Tense Verbs Regular verbs also exhibit some slight irregularities in the past tense It is the past tense of "learn" in American English In British English, you may use either "learned" or "learnt." Learned and learnt, burned and burnt, and dreamed and dreamt, all follow the same rules The -t ending is more common in British English, whereas the -ed ending is more common in American English When a verb is irregular, Americans sometimes add the suffix -en to show that the verb is now in the past tense The phrase "I have never got caught" is more likely to be used by a Brit than an American In American English, both got and gotten may mean "had" in the past Got is a universally understood British expression Don't stress too much over the fact that irregular verbs tend to have subtle differences in their past tense Those from both countries know the other's method Tag Questions Adding the tag question may transform a sentence from a declarative statement into a question For example, "This whole thing is sad, isn't it?" or "You don't like him, you?" Pronouns with accompanying verbs (to be, to have, to do) form the tag Invoking tags prompts listeners to respond and show agreement Tag questions are also used by Americans, but much less often than in British English These days, Brits often use "innit?" slang to mean "isn't it" Collective Nouns The two versions of English have a few grammatical distinctions Start by looking at group nouns Collective nouns are used to describe a group of people Collective nouns in American English are singular For instance, the terms "staff," "band," and "team" denote groups of workers, musicians, and athletes, respectively "The band is excellent," as they would say in America However, collective nouns in British English may be either single or plural The phrase "The team are playing tonight" or "The team is playing tonight" may be heard from a British speaker Two Ways To Show Possession There are two verbs used in English to show that you possess something, especially when speaking They are "to have" and "have got" American English: Do you have any friends here? British English: Have you got any friends here? American English: They have an amazing new car British English: They've got an amazing new car Both British and American English accept both forms, however, Brit speakers prefer the use of "have got" while Americans speakers use "have" in their sentences It Is Still English English spoken in the United States and the United Kingdom is quite similar We believe the distinction between British and American English is often overstated If you can comprehend one style, you ought to be able to comprehend the other style Most British and American citizens can communicate with one another without a language barrier, with a few exceptions for regional accents You can use movies to help you distinguish between so many English accents if you are interested in this topic!