A reflection on differences between American and British English by senior students in Ho Chi Minh City Open University

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HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

HO CHI MINH CITY VIETNAM

A REFLECTION ON DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AMERICAN AND BRITISH ENGLISH BY SENIOR STUDENTS IN HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

A PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN

ENGLISH

SUBMITTED BY TRAN THI VAN THAO SUPERVISED BY NGUYEN NGOC TUYEN, M.Ed

HO CHI MINH CITY, OCTOBER 2007

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ABSTRACT

*S

This minor thesis searches for a recognization the differences between American and British English so that an insight into and a broaden view of a much more effective study method English can be attained From needed information from books, and websites for professionals in the field of American English and British English, the thesis analyses a tendency of using American English of senior students in Ho Chi Minh City Open University - English Department

in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary The main differences between the two

variants of English in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary, are also identified as a

way to help students realize them Then a discussion based on the learned insight and a broader

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Content Page

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4 Significance of the study

5 Methodology

6 Limitation 7 Organization of the study

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2 DIÍÍETETC€S Quế 7 VN c raa3ẦẦ 7 2.1.1 Present P€rfEC( - - nh HH nh nh nh nh hy kh ro 7 PA ni 8

2.1.3 Regular and Irregular past tenses and participles 8

2.1.4 CollecfiVe ñOUTS , Q Q HH HH nh HH ch nh crxy 9

2.1.5 The word — order in words of river,valley, lake, 10

2.2 PTOTUICIAfIO cu nọ KH nh TH kh nh cv xế, 10

2.3 Spelling - LH TH TT « HT« HT cv ke He th Trà Tê 14

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V Xà s- nh ae 18 Chapter 4: Data Collection and analyÏS - - Ăn HH nh kh, 35

li 9u) nh ồn 4 35 1.1 GrammA ST SH nh KH kh kh kiện 35 1.2 SpelÏings .- cọ nọ HH nh KH KH KH bệ nh yệt 35

1.3 Vocabulary and PronunciatiOn -.c cành si, 35

2 Data AnalySlS cà cành ehiheteerdrerrrrrrr 2Õ VN C an dd 35

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Appendix A: Quesfionnaire V€TSỈOH c con Họ n4 4 kề ch yyneg 50

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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

ik

Communication is our link to the outside world and, in turn, our chance at economic

growth There is a trend all over the world to learn English now It seems that English has become the international language of business Most leading countries in the world speak English, or use English as their second language You can open up lots of doors if you master this

language

In Vietnam, English becomes more and more important, especially, after Vietnam is

considered as one of the members of World Trade Organization Vietnamese people today can speak English Many foreign language centers are mushrooming and English turns into a main

subject in the Vietnamese educational system as well

Being an international language, it is certain that English has got a lot of varieties among

the countries that English is spoken as their mother tongue, especially in the United States and England American and British English are the two varieties that are taught in most English as Second Language/English as Foreign Language programs Generally, it is agreed that no one version is “correct” The learners are often in a divided mind as in choosing which one to follow

If they decide that they want to use American English spellings, for instance, and then be

consistent in their spelling (i.e the color of the orange is also its flavour — color is American spelling and flavour is British), this is of course not always easy — or possible Within the framework of our minor thesis, we are going to point out the tendency of using the two variants

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CHAPTER TWO: SETTING OF THE STUDY

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1 Background of the problem

English is the main language in worldwide communication and business Therefore, the requirement of learning and teaching English is very essential and popular However, being an international language, English is different from one country to one country where English is

spoken as his mother tongue In Viet Nam, where English is used as a foreign language, many

English centers are mushrooming and they teach many variants of English: British English, American English, or Australian English If a Vietnamese student learns American English, he often has difficulty in differntiating it with other variants Therefore, the differences between the variants of English are concerned, especially the differeces between American English and British English which are the two variants that are taught in most English program

In general, differences between American English and British English have been mentioned in many former researches Yet, few studies particularly concern about the tendency

of using the two variants of English among Vietnamese students With this thesis, the tendency of using the two variants will be investigated in the fourth — year classes of Ho Chi Minh City Open University Due to this thesis, main differences between American English and British

English will be reflected clearly Therefore, the students can study better 2 Purpose of the study

The study aims at:

> Pointing out main differences between American English and British English

» Investigating the tendency in using variants of English among senior students of Ho Chi Minh City Open University

3 Research Questions

The research questions are:

e What are the main differences between American English and British English?

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4 Significance of the study

Being the students whose major is English, the senior students have to go on looking for

ways of improving themselves At the level of university students, the students are required to

have a good knowledge of English This study can show the essential information of the comparison between American and British English in both theory and reality

To be uppermost, this study offers the most benefits to the researcher herself The knowledge, statistics and understanding that were comprehended during the process of this thesis are precious experiences for not only a English learner but also a language learner To be conscious of the differences between the two variants of English, the researcher will well-prepare for her respectful and fully challenging profession

5 The methodology

To collect data for this study, the methods used are questionnaires for senior students in

Ho Chi Minh City Open University

The questionnaire was designed to evaluate the tendency of using American English and British English The questionnaire was delivered to 33 senior students

All details of the process in which the data was collected and analyzed will be mentioned carefully in chapter IV : Data Collection and Analysis

6 Limitation

Nowadays, learning English is very popular and many and many students share the same

difficulty in differentiating American English and British English However, because of the lack of time and experience, the thesis just concentrates on Ho Chi Minh City Open University, where questionnaires were collected from the senior students Besides, the thesis just consists of some main differences between American and British English In spite of the above limitation, the study expectedly has it own partial contribution to English learning of Ho Chi Minh City Open University

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This study contains six chapters:

e Chapter I, Introduction, provides general ideas about the thesis

¢ Chapter II, The setting of the study, includes the background of the problem, purpose of the study Moreover, the research questions, significance of the study and the

methodology as well as the limitation are mentioned respectively in orderly sections

¢ Chapter III, Literature Review, is the theoretical foundation of the thesis It contains many

sections and related subsections, which focus on the main differences between American English and British English

e Chapter IV, Data Collection and analysis, describes the selected sample and the way of collecting data from questionnaires It also contains description of analyzing data process ¢ Chapter V, Suggestions, presents the recommendations for the students in learning

English

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CHAPTER THREE: LITERATURE REVIEW

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English is one of the most important languages in the world with regard to both the ’ number of speakers and users for their international communication However, the English language spoken in Britain is different from the ones spoken elsewhere This is the result of the changes that occur in the language spoken in one area but are not spread to another area, or of the communication barrier that separates groups of speakers British English and American English are two such varieties (or variants) of the same English language They have many things in common, but there are still noticeable differences between them that should not be neglected

Chapter two is for the literature review of the thesis It provides the theoretical foundation

for the research topic The materials of this chapter are collected from many experts, educators,

authors and researchers through many kinds of books, journals, articles This chapter will concentrate on main differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary between American and British English Some of the examples are commonly known, but others may be

new to many readers

1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

According to Mencken (1936), the English language was first introduced to the American by British colonization, beginning in the early 17th century Similarly, the language

spread to numerous other parts of the world as a result of British colonization elsewhere and the spread of the former British Empire, which, by 1921, held sway over a population of about 470-570 million people: approximately a quarter of the world's population in that time

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Differences between American English and British English are mainly due to the

novel conditions, new environment and new experiences the colonists confronted, although

names for the new things encountered in America had begun to enter English already during the phase of exploration — a century before the actual colonization Later on, the new political and administrative system also required the invention of new words Words such as

congressman, presidential, and statehouse were introduced (Mathews, 1951)

Great numbers of words introduced to the language were borrowings from other

languages The colonists learned many words from the Native Americans, words like moose,

raccoon, and skunk for certain animals peculiar to North America, and wigwam, tomahawk,

and moccasin reflecting the way of life of the Native Americans The non-English-speaking colonists, too, contributed to the language For example, words like bureau, portage, and cache are borrowings from the French; cookie, coleslaw, and boss from the Dutch; noodle,

pretzel, and sauerkraut from the German (Craig M.Carver, 2000)

The person who affected the spelling of American English the most was Noah Webster (1758-1843) The majority of the different spellings in American English are due to his advocacy of them and the incorporation of them in his dictionaries In his dictionaries he stressed the American usage and pronunciation He also introduced quotations from American

authors (Trudgill, Peter and Jean Hannah, 2002)

Over the past 400 years, the form of the language used in the Americas — especially in

the United States — and that used in the United Kingdom and the rest of the British Isles have diverged in many ways, leading to the dialects now commonly referred to as American

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2, DIFFERENCES 2.1, Grammar

Differences in grammar are relatively minor, and normally do not affect mutual intelligibility Here are some of the most common:

2.1.1 Use of the Present Perfect

According to A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English, 1994, in British English the present perfect is used to express an action that has occurred in the recent past that has an effect

on the present moment For example:

- Garry? You have missed him He has just left In American English the following is also possible:

- Garry? You missed him He just left

Other differences involving the use of the present perfect in British English and simple past in American English include already, just and yet Past-time adverbs, such as just, already and yet are often used with the past simple in American English, whereas in British English they would normally be used with the present perfect Compare the following:

British English (A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English, 1994) : Thave just had lunch

Thave already seen that film

Have you finished your homework yet?

American English (A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English, 1994):

Ijust had lunch

Lalready saw that film

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2.1.2 Possession

There are two forms to express possession in English: ‘Have’ or ‘have got’ (Labov, Ash, & Boberg, 2006)

British English: Have you got time to finish this report before you leave?

We've got a new car

He hasn't got any friends

American English: Do you have time to finish this report before you leave?

We have a new car

He doesn’t have any friend

2.1.3 Regular and irregular past tenses and participles

The following verbs have two acceptable forms of the past simple/past participle in both American and British English, however, the irregular form is generally more common in British

English (the first form of the two) and the regular form is more common to American English

(Cheshire, 1991)

‘Burn burnt OR burned

Dream dreamt OR dreamed

Lean Leant OR leaned

Learn learnt OR learned

Smell smelt OR smelled

Spell [Spelt OR spelled

[Spill [spilt OR spilled

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¢ The kitchen smelled of roast chicken Dinner was ready

¢ The kitchen smelt of roast chicken, Dinner was ready

e have learned that it is better to be safe than sorry e Ihave learnt that it is better to be safe than sorry e Hehad spoiled his paper by spilling his coffee on it

e Hehad spoilt his paper by spilling his coffee on it

The following verbs are regular in British English, but irregular in American English:

dive, fit, wet

All her clothes fit into the suitcase e All her clothes fitted into the suitcase

« She wet her long blond hair before pushing it under her bathing cap

e She wetted her long hair before pushing it under her bathing cap

e Then she dove into the pool with all her clothes on

e Then she dived into the pool with all her clothes on

2.1.4, Collective nouns

The British sometimes treat collective nouns as plural where the Americans treat them as

singular (Labov, Ash, & Boberg, 2006)

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The government are announcing an important decision (Speaking of specific people in the

government)

The government is a constitutional monarchy (Speaking of the government as an institution) American English:

The government is announcing an important decision The government is a republic

2.1.5 The word — order in words of river, valley, lake (Cheshire, 1991)

British English American English

River Thames Mississippi River

River Clyde Hudson River University of London Harvard University

2.2 Pronunciation

According to Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 2000, there are certain distinctive features of pronunciation in American English that are considerably different from those of British English

- The letter 'r' in barn, park, cart, fart is still pronounced in American English as a fricative whereas in British English it is kept silent, making no distinction between barn and

(auto) bahn, except when immediately followed by a vowel

- In Britain, the ‘o’ vowel, [bp], in words like dog, hod, pot, is pronounced with rounded lips

and the tongue back in the mouth Americans do not have this vowel, instead pronouncing the same words using the [a] vowel with the lips unrounded and the tongue back but more relaxed

This is the same vowel in card or bard In some cases in the US the ‘o’ is pronounced using the

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- The British have the [a] vowel, (cat, hat) and the [a] vowel, as do Americans, but often in different places Trudgill [2002] notes that words with ‘a’ followed by [f] [6] [s] [nt] [ns] [ntf]

[nd] [mp] (laugh, path, grass, plant, dance, branch, demand, and sample) have [ze] in American

and [a:] in southern British Northern British bends a’s pretty flat in general compared to Southern English, and is generally the same as American, but there are exceptions like banana,

can’t, half, where the ‘a’ is more like in the south In Britain, words like what are pronounced

using the same vowel [p] as in dog, above, and so is phonetically spelled wot rather than wat

Perhaps this is why baloney (nonsense) is so spelled in American dictionaries, but primarily as

boloney in some British ones It should be noted that in America the ‘ah’ vowel (father, bard,

calm) is usually shorter and sometimes sounds a little closer to the ‘u’ vowel in cup So the long, firm [a:] in Britain really stands out in bath and dance where Americans have the short [z] mentioned above Even this southern English accent, with the long ‘a’ [a:] in words like father and bath, is not consistent Only a small group would put a long ‘a’ in a surveyor’s transit

- In many areas the American‘t’, when not the initial consonant in a word, is pronounced closer to a ‘d’, and in some cases can disappear altogether Thus /atter and butter sounds more

like ladder and budder, and words like twenty and dentist can sound like twenny and Dennis Why do Americans pronounce t as d? Perhaps because to pronounce the frequent ‘r’s at the end of words ending in ‘-er’ it is easier to say ‘-der’ than ‘-ter’

- Less words in American pronounce like a ‘y’ in front of a ‘u’ than in British (as in mule,

mute) Most American words don’t: assume, new, nude, tune, student, duke, and due In England

most of these words are pronounced with a ‘y’ in front of the ‘u’ Amongst older speakers, this is true for words like suit and /ute, and sometimes even in words like Susan and super

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- Although there are relatively few words pronounced completely differently, many are well known This list shows some of these, but the examples are not restrictive — leisure is pronounced both /eezhure and lezhure in the US, but leezhure is prevalent ( Simpson, 1989)

word US fillet filay herb *erb leisure leezhure lever l-e-ver privacy Pry-vacy route rout schedule skedule semi Sem-eye tomato Tom-ay-do UK filit herb Lezhure leever priv-acy root Shedule sem-ee tom-ah-to Vowels of American English

Here the vowels of American English are plotted according to the point of primary obstruction by the tongue in the articulation of the sound "Low" refers not only to the position of the tongue

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[x], a central Ll before r low

Vowels of British English

Here is another quadrilateral with samples of British vowels ( Simpson, 1989)

Chi

low White = no sample in database for sound

Word stress and sentence stress both are also weaker in American English pronunciation

and intonation is more level American speech is therefore more monotonous-in sound, but at the same time it is generally more distinct than the English speech Unstressed syllables are pronounced with more measured detachment and hence with greater clarity than in British

English On the whole we feel that the American English is slower in utterance Also in certain

parts of America the speakers speak so slowly as to drag out and diphthongize the stressed vowels, instead of 'yes' we hear 'yeis' and instead of 'class' we hear ‘kleis'

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- Stress differences, although minor, stand out Britons stress the first vowel in ballet, cafe (&

other borrowed French words), Americans the second, but they often stress the first vowel in

cigarette, police, and research There are many place names in Britain that also occur in the US,

especially on the eastern seaboard British towns ending in —ham, -wich, -cester, -mouth are fully

pronounced in America but reduced in Britain to - [am], - [sta], - [moé@] (e.g Birmingham,

Norwich, Gloucester, and Portsmouth) Similar reductions are found in British personal names,

for instance Raleigh is raylee in the US but ralee in Britain.(Pederson, 1986)

- American English prefers the double stress.( Peter Trudgill and Jean Hannah,1994)

eg

British English American English

Capillary [ka`pIlarT] Capillary [`k œ pL lerI] Centenary [son tInarï] Centenary [‘sent! ner]

‘Pentagon [~ 3] *Penta'gon [-o]

‘Territory [- 2] “Territory [-o]

“Stationary [- 9] ‘Stationary [-e]

“Secretary [-trl] “Secretary [-teri]

Advertisement [a - I] *Adver tisement [2 — al]

2.3 Spelling

- In the early 18th century, English spelling was not standardized Different standards became noticeable after the publishing of influential dictionaries Current British English spellings follow, for the most part, those of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language (1755) Many of the now characteristic American English spellings were introduced, although

often not created, by Noah Webster in his An American Dictionary of the English Language of

1828

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-0g Vs -ogue American British Analog Analogue Catalog Catalogue Dialog Dialogue

=> Americanisms have a tendency to make the spelling easier

- Many nouns that in American English end in —or, in British English end 1n —our

-or vs —our American British Arbor Arbour Behavior Behaviour Candor Candour Color | Colour

- Many words are written with ge or oe in British English, but a single e in American English

-€ VS -0e€ or —ae American - ‘British Encylopedia Encylycopaedia Maneuver Maneeuvre Medieval Mediaeval

- Some nouns that in American English end in -er, in British English end in -re

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-er vs —re American British Center Centre Fiber Fibre Kilometer Kilometre Meter Metre

- In British English, words that end in -/ preceded by a vowel usually double the -/ when a suffix is added, while in American English the letter is not doubled “7” ¡s doubled with the

stress on the second syllable

Base Word American British

Counsel Counsefing Counsefing

Equal Equaling Equalling

Model Modeling Modelling

quarrel Quarrefing Quarrelling

- The American -yze words are all -yse in Britain

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-er vs —re American British Center Centre Fiber Fibre Kilometer Kilometre Meter Metre

- In British English, words that end in -/ preceded by a vowel usually double the -/ when a

suffix is added, while in American English the letter is not doubled “7” is doubled with the

stress on the second syllable

Base Word American British

Counsel Counsefing Counselling

Equal Equafing IEquaifing

Model Modeling Modelling

tuanal Quarrefing Quarreffing

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- Nouns ending in -ce with -se verb forms: American English and British English both

retain the noun/verb distinction in advice / advise and device / devise, but American English

has lost the same distinction with licence / license and practice / practise that British spelling

retains American English uses practice and license for both meanings Also, American English has kept the Anglo-French spelling for defense and offense, which are usually defence and offence in British English; similarly there are the American pretense and British

pretence; but derivatives such as defensive, offensive, and pretension are always thus spelled in both systems.( Peter Trudgill and Jean Hannah, 1994)

- Other words also have variant spellings

American English British English

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2.4 Vocabulary

According to Bartlett (1848), there are many English words which are different to American words Clothes

British English American English Notes

The word "pants" refers to an Trousers Pants

undergarment in BE

In British usage "jumper" means a

Pinafore dress Jumper

sweater

In British usage "vest" refers to an

Waistcoat Vest

undergarment worn underneath a shirt

Wellington Boots / Tall rubberised boots

Galoshes

Wellies

There are interesting regional variations

in both British and American usage

“Pumps", "Plimsolls" and "Daps" are ail

Trainers Sneakers British regional variations American

regional variations include "Sneakers" (New England and Mid-Atlantic states) and "Tennis Shoes"

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At School

British English American English Notes

Rubber Eraser

Used to remove marks made by pencils, British pronunciation is eraZer, American is eraSer

Elementary school Primary school Attended by children from about 5 to

10

Secondary school

High school

The British system of education for those under 18 is quite different from

the US system From 5 to 11 children attend a primary school, often starting in a class called "reception" From 11

to 18 they will attend a secondary

school, in some areas they may transfer to sixth form colleges at the age of 16 The stages are referred to as years

starting at I (at age 5) up to 11 After the 11th year children may join the 6th: form (don't ask !) The phrase "high

school" when used refers to a school, often for girls, with selective entry via competitive examination A_ similar school for boys is often a “grammar

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school"; many of these are fairly ancient foundations and in recent years

have become co-educational AE

references to "freshmen",

"sophomores", "K12" etc., would not be

understood in the UK In Scotland "high school” means any secondary school

Public School Private School

You have to pay to go there In BE

"private school" means pretty much the

same thing as "public school"

State School Public School

You don't have to pay to go there The state, in the guise of local authorities,

pay OK, you ultimately pay via taxes

Holiday Vacation

BE does not distinguish between

"public" or statutory holidays

(sometimes called "bank" holidays

because banks are not open for

business) and individual holidays from

work In BE the verb is "to go on

holiday”

Play Time / Break Time Recess Gap in proceedings, usually for

refreshment when BE might specifically refer to a "lunch break" or a "dinner

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break", however British courts recess Both terms are also used in schools as a

rather grown-up version of "play time" |

On the Road

British English American English Notes

In British usage for journeys between towns and cities it’s a coach, always Coach Bus

single decker Within towns and cities

it's a bus, often double-decker

Zebra Crossing / Cross Walk Specially marked part of roadway

Pedestrian Crossing used by pedestrians crossing the road The British usage "zebra crossing" is obsolescent Many such crossings are controlled by traffic lights, some are

still uncontrolled but indicated by large orange globes on striped posts

known, after the presiding minister who first installed them, as Belisha beacons

Limited access high speed trunk road Motorway Freeway American usages "freeway",

"highway", "beltway", "causeway",

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"express way", "parkway” all have

similar meanings that are not differentiated in British usage

"Freeway" often implies that it isn't a toll road or turnpike Apart from a few

bridges, toll roads are currently

unknown in the UK, although the

countries first toll motorway is opened north of Birmingham in 2004

Main road Highway In British usage the word "highway" is

confined to formal and legal contexts

Lorry Truck

In BE "fallen off the back of a lorry”

means acquired in dubious

circumstances

Paved area Pavement

Many British people think, incorrectly, that the American usage "pavement"

refers to the surface of a road In fact, it refers to any area that is paved and sealed against water by asphalt or concrete Such areas can be for foot traffic as well as vehicular traffic

Petrol

Gas / Gasoline Fuel for motor vehicles British usage

reserves "gas" to mean an

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inflammable gas such as methane or

carbon monoxide piped to domestic

and industrial premises as a fuel The word gasoline would not be widely understood in Britain "Petroleum" is sometimes seen in legal and official notices British aeroplanes are fuelled

with "avgas" however, unless they're

jets, of course

Skip Dumpster Waste storage and transportation AE

term is proprietary

Fire Engine / fire

appliance Professional fire fighters deprecate

the usage "fire engine" and refer to

Fire Truck "fire appliances" (BE) or "fire apparatus" (AE) The phrase "fire engine" is also used in America

Buildings / Shops

British English American English Notes

Semi-Detached House

A pair of dwelling houses sharing a common wall The single-storied Duplex

version, which is very unusual, is

called a "semi-detached bungalow"

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in BE An apartment with two floors

would be called a "maisonette" in

BE CE as BE According to a

correspondent CE uses "duplex" and

"triplex" to mean a building

containing two or three self-

contained flats A correspondent has

also mentioned "shared-wall

dwelling" as AE bureaucrat-speak

Flat (one storey)

Apartment

A flat occupying more than one floor is called a "maisonette" in BE A correspondent suggests that AE uses

"townhouse" to refer to a multi-level

apartment Another correspondent suggests that AE reserves the word

“apartment” to refer to rented

accommodation BE does not

distinguish between owned flats and rented flat

Terrace

Town House A house, usually of more than one

_storey and with other houses sharing common walls on both sides It will have its own door onto the street In British usage "terrace housing”

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sometimes implies low quality housing reflecting the large number

of small dwellings of this type put up

to house the workers of the newly industrialised towns of the 19th century In British usage "town house" usually indicates an up-

market variant of the humble terrace

found in and near city centres

Shop Store

in British usage a store is a place

where things are stored such as a warehouse, however the American

usage is not uncommon in Britain

although confined to larger establishments

Chemists / Pharmacy Drug Store

‘Pharmacy refers specifically to a

place where medicines can be

obtained both on and off

prescription A chemist’s shop as

well as incorporating a pharmacy will also sell a variety of personal products such as soap, tooth brushes,

toothpaste, combs etc

Cafe / Caffs (not 24 hrs) Diner Strictly there is no British equivalent

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| of the traditional 12' wide American

diner In British usage the spelling

| "caff" (and pronunciation) is used to | indicate a rather lowly

- establishment | Food

British English American English Notes

Biscuit / Bickie Cookie In British usage "cookie" is

(A cookie is a large sometimes used to refer specifically

biscuit) to a biscuit with chips of chocolate

included known, I believe, as a

"chocolate chip cookie" in AE Fairy Cake Cup Cake Small individual cake

The word "candy" refers to a

Sweets Candy particular crystallised sugar

confection in British usage

Chips French Fries Sometimes just plain "fries" in AE

(French Fries in The variants "home fries", "steak

McDonald's) fries" and "shoestring fries" don't

map into BE, they're thick-cut chips, thin-cut chips and whatever you get in MacDonald's

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Starter / hors d'oeuvre Appetizer "hors d'oeuvre" is rather posh

Puddings / Afters /

Dessert / Sweets

Dessert Course after main course of a meal

other than breakfast "Pudding" usually implies that it has been cooked; otherwise "dessert" is often used Calling the course "after" is

thought rather common by most

British people It is also sometimes called a "sweet" in BE A correspondent has suggested that AE uses "pudding" with the same

meaning as the BE "jelly"

Jacket Potato / Baked

Potato Baked Potato

A potato cooked without removing the skin

Ice lolly

Popsicle

Frozen confectionary made of ice “cream or fruit juice The British

“version usually has a spatula like

wooden stick printed with

execrable jokes The old fashioned

version consisting of flavoured crystallised sugar may also be encountered “Popsicle” is

proprietary

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Parts of a Car

British English American English Notes Bonnet Hood Car

Windscreen Windshield Part of car

Boot Trunk of car

AE prefers "reverse light"

Reversing lights Back-up lights

according to a correspondent Part of vehicle exhaust system In

British usage a muffler is a sort of

Exhaust pipe Tail pipe / Muffler

scarf In AE a silencer is something you put on a gun

In and around the House

British English American English Notes

The Toilet / Loo / The Bathroom / Restroom Especially in a domestic context In John / BE a bathroom is a room

Bog / WC / Visiting the | containing a bath in a private

little boys (little girl's house or hotel

| room) | |

| In British usage "yard" means an Garden Backyard / Yard area of ground adjacent to a

28

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| building with a hard surface adapted for use by vehicles and

horses, a "garden" is a place where plants are grown In American

usage "yard" covers both, referring

to that part of the property not

covered by buildings I've received

some suggestions that AE uses "garden" to refer to that part of the property where crops, especially

vegetables, are grown for private

domestic use This would be a "vegetable garden" or a "kitchen

garden" in BE

Especially a walk-in wardrobe or

small storage room that is a

Wardrobe Closet

permanent fixture not a piece of

furniture

For cooking not heating In British

usage a domestic "cooker" comprises both a heated "hob”

Cooker Range or Stove comprising burners or hotplates on the top of the cooker ("cooktop" in AE) and a heated “oven” which

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forms the main part of the cooker

Couch / Sofa / Settee

Sofa

An upholstered seat for two or more people BE has several

variants with no specific words for two or three seated versions A

"chesterfield" has buttoned leather upholstery "Sofa" is a fairly

common alternative A "chaise

longue" has an arm at one end only

so you can lie down on it In BE a "love seat" has two seats side by side but facing in opposite

directions in a sort of "S" shape,

suitable only for the most chaste

amatory activities "Couch potato" means the same in BE as AE

British English

People

American English Notes

Postman

Mailman

"Mail lady" sounds improbable to

British ears In Britain she's called a post woman, “mail carrier" is an alternative

American usage and has the

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official approval of the US Postal

Service

Dustman

Garbage Man / Garbage

Collector

BE computer scientists talk about

“garbage collection" Political correctness has now given AE

"sanitation engineer", in BE this

term would refer to somebody

who designs and builds sewers

and associated facilities, a

specialised form of civil engineer

Shop assistant Sales clerk The rather grander sounding

"sales associate" is appearing in AE Sport

British English American English | Notes

‘Do not confuse with American

Football Soccer

football

_For "ping-pong" and similar

Bat (table tennis) Paddle (ping pong) |

games

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British English American English Notes

Lift Elevator

If it is for goods only BE has the

word “hoist” A "grain elevator" is called a "silo" in BE

Surgery Doctor's office

Contrary to the usage actual surgery is only done by surgeons in hospitals British senior surgical staff are often referred to as "Mr." rather than "Dr." no

matter how highly qualified This

probably dates back to the time

when doctors were qualified but surgeons were little more than

barbers unworthy of _ the

honorific title British dentists

and veterinarians never use the

title "Dr.”

Wireless / Radio Radio

"Radio" is now normal in BE, "wireless" sounds pleasantly archaic except when applied to non-wired local area networks

Differ from Differ than The American usage "different

than" grates terribly in British

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ears, in British English it's

"different from" and "differing

from”

VAT GST

Goods and Services Tax / Value

Added Tax A tax levied "at the

point of consumption" In the UK

shop prices are almost always

quoted inclusive of VAT

(currently 17.5%) so what you

see is what you pay In Canada shop prices are quoted exclusive of this tax so you're in for a surprise when you get to pay,

you can always blame "the

government" Canadian GST is

currently 7% but the provinces

levy their own provincial sales

tax (PST), typically at about the

same level as the government

tax

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heard the words one is using since in his/her variant of English there are different words altogether for the entities being referred to However, it is hard to predict which words a certain speaker of each variant will or will not understand

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CHAPTER FOUR: DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

&

1 DATA COLLECTION

Data collection was carried out with 33 fourth — year students in Ho Chi Minh Open

University English Department

The questionnaire consists of four parts (grammar, spelling, vocabulary and pronunciation) to find out which one between British and American variants of the English language the students use most

According to the collection, the result is as following: 1.1, GRAMMAR

74% of students prefer to use American English grammatical rules

1.2 SPELLING

65% of students has a tendency to use American English spelling

1.3 VOCABULARY and PRONUNCIATION

Most students can not finish part 3 and 4 of the questionnaire (vocabulary and pronunciation parts) They have difficulty in recognizing American and British English vocabulary and pronunciation It seems that they do not pay attention to where a word comes

from, they only use it

2 DATA ANALYSIS