British English and American English History and Differences – Transcript

Introduction of The English Corner

Hello there! My name is Michael and welcome to the first episode of The English Corner (British English vs. American English).

I am very happy that you are here with me.

To start, I am going to present the idea of this series. 

Simply put, the The English Corner is for people who are studying English and can’t find interesting things to watch and listen to. 

There are many different types of people who learn English. For example, for beginners, there are many resources online, including on our website englishacademy101.com to study grammar, vocabulary, etc…

On the other end of the spectrum, there are people with advanced levels who can easily read, listen, and watch content made for native English speakers.

However, between these two levels are people with an intermediate level in English. They have more than a basic understanding of English but still might have a hard time comprehending content made for native speakers such as the news or movies because they speak too quickly or use difficult vocabulary. 

Therefore, my goal with The English Corner is to help you learn English by presenting interesting videos about many different topics. For example, we will talk about the history and culture of the English language and English-speaking countries as well as many other subjects that you and I might find interesting.

When watching these episodes, it is normal that you might not understand everything that I say the first time. You might have to listen to the episode two, three, four, or many more times! This is normal. The more you listen, the better you will understand. To help, I have included subtitles for these episodes. In addition, I have included a full transcript of this episode on the website. There is a link in the description below. 

Episode Introduction

In today’s episode, we will be talking about American and British English and their history and differences.

English is the most spoken language in the world today by both native and non-native speakers. For example, it is an official language in 67 countries^[1]Lingoda – Learn About All The English Speaking Countries and accounts for 62.8% of websites.^[2]W3Techs – Usage statistics of content languages for websites

While English is very widespread, there are many different dialects. Therefore, it is important to define what a dialect is.

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines it as “the form of a language that is spoken in one area with grammar, words, and pronunciation that may be different from other forms of the same language” ^[3]Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries – dialect 

American and British English are the two main native English dialects. The American English family includes native English spoken in the United States and Canada. The British English family includes English spoken in the British Isles, West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, Rhodesia, and South Africa.

History of British English

To truly understand the differences between these two main dialects, we need to understand the history of the English language. 

The history of British English can be broken down into four parts.

Old English

The first part, according to Dennis Freeborn, the former Head of Language Studies at the College of Ripon and York St. John in the UK and former Chief Examiner in the English Language studies for the London University Schools Examinations Board. It is when English was first brought to the British Isles in the first half of the fifth century AD by “Angles” settlers from across the North Sea. 

The native inhabitants of the British Isles were called “Britons”. They spoke several Celtic dialects. On the other hand, the Angles spoke dialects from the West Germanic language family. Over time, the land became known as “Englalond” or “Angle-land” and the language as “Englisc”. Modern-day linguists refer to the new language that emerged in this period, up to around 1100 or 1150, as “Old English”. 

Middle English

The second part, known as the “Middle English” period, was from about 1100 to 1500. The language was greatly affected by the Norman-French Conquest period between 1066 to 1075, when William I, Duke of Normandy, also known as William the Conqueror, fought for and laid claim to the English crown.

During this period, the ruling French class was the minority but had a disproportionate influence on all aspects of English life as they controlled the cultural, economic, and political life in England. In fact, according to the research of the origins of the 10,000 most common words in English, 29% of them come from French. When looking at the core 5,000 English vocabulary words, French is even more dominant at 56%.^[4]Medium – The English language is a lot more French than we thought, here’s why Additionally, few works have survived of early Middle English as it was considered more prestigious to write in French than in English.

End of Middle English

The end of the Middle English period and the outsized influence of French on the English language came about due to two factors.

One of the major factors was the Black Death which negatively affected the French influence on the English language in three ways.

First, due to the death of a large number of French nobility, there wasn’t a large population of native French speakers living in England to keep the language alive. 

Second, as the English-speaking lower classes started to fill in the vacant prominent positions in society, they started exerting more influence over the traditional French-speaking courts. In fact, in 1362 Edward III declared “the Laws should be pleaded in the English Tongue,” because “the French Tongue . . . is unknown in the Realm”. 

Lastly, as Englishmen began to replace French nobility, they started to demand more literature in English rather than in French.^[5]Hektoen International – Plague epidemics and the evolution of language in England

The second major factor that saw to the end of Middle English and the French influence on the language was the Hundred Years’ War from 1337-1453. Due to over a century of fighting between these two countries, many Englishmen saw French as the language of the enemies. As such, it quickly lost popularity and the prominence of English rose.^[6]theclassroom – The Effects of the Hundred Years’ War on English Literature

Early Modern English

The third part of the history of the English language is known as “Early Modern English”. This period lasted from 1500-1800. During this period, England experienced a great time of technological, political, and cultural advancements, such as the introduction of the printing press in 1476 by William Caxton^[7]British Library – William Caxton and the exploration and colonization of the Americas.

The grammatical and orthographical features of the later periods of Early Modern English are still very influential in Modern Standard English. Many famous works from this period such as those by William Shakespeare and the King James Bible are still understandable to a modern audience. 

Modern English

The final part of the history of the English language in Britain often called “Modern English”, started from the 1800s until the present day. As the British Empire rose to global dominance, they also spread the English language, making it the first truly global language. It was also during this time that American English started to develop and branch off into its own distinct dialect.

History of American English

As such, it is important to look at this starting off point to best understand the history of American English. 

Early Modern English or Elizabethan English had a big impact on the early development of the American dialect. The first permanent English colony, Jamestown, Virginia, was found in 1607.^[8]bl.uk – English arrives in North America

However, even then, there wasn’t a uniform dialect in the Americas. British settlers came from many parts of the British Isles and brought a diverse mixture of dialects with them.

Other Influences

Additionally, we can’t only attribute the development of the American dialect to the establishment of the earliest British settlements. Several other sources contributed to this early period of American English development.

One of the sources was Basque. This language comes from the Basque Country, a region incorporating the areas of Northern Spain and Southwestern France. It heavily influenced American maritime language such as the word anchovy.^[9]Quicksilver – Bas que words in English

Another source that influenced the development of early American English was the Pidgin English of the Native Americans. Pidgin is a grammatically simplified language that is developed to allow two groups of people with dissimilar languages to talk to each other. Very often this is used for trade. The early Englishmen that came to the New World relied on the native population for survival with things such as food. This naturally led to them adopting new language norms and vocabulary to communicate.

Early American English was also influenced by the Pidgin English that was brought over by West African slaves in the 17th century.

Lastly, it is important to remember, that English was not the first European language in the Americas. For example, the Spanish were already in Texas for almost 100 years before the establishment of Jamestown. Additionally, the French also had colonies in the Americas in the 16th century.

Continuous Evolution

American English further developed after the initial Early Modern English period.

Through contact with many different cultures in the Americas, the language slowly evolved. However, it is interesting to note that the basic grammar and structure of the language kept its British roots. The main influence of these other languages was vocabulary. 

For example, during the early development of the Americas, Native American languages had a large influence on the development of the vocabulary. New settlers had to deal with many things that they couldn’t describe using the English that they had brought with them from Britain. This includes words such as igloo, tomahawk, kayak, and skunk.

Additionally, as the Spanish had already spread into many parts of the Americas, cultural contact was inevitable. This lead to the borrowing of words such as plaza, Creole, and sierra.

Furthermore, the Dutch presence in North America also added words such as Santa Clause, dumb, and boss to the American vocabulary.

Moving forward in time, the United States became a country. It opened its borders to immigrants from all around the world including Africa, Italy, China, and Germany. Immigrants from each of these places played their role in affecting and donating words to the American lexicon. 

However, even in more recent times, this process of cultural adoption continues as American English continues to borrow words and phrases from a new wave of immigrants from places such as southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

Why Did They Diverge?

As you can see, there are three main reasons that American and British English diverged becoming two distinct dialects. 

First, time and distance had a big influence. For example, when the Mayflower sailed to America in 1620, it took 66 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean.^[10]Mayflowerhistory – Voyage of the Mayflower Second, the social and political histories in both countries varied greatly. Third, as America went from being a colony of Britain to a sovereign nation, the relationship between these two countries also changed. 

Needless to say, British and American English have many similarities as well as some significant differences. In other words, an easy way to look at it is that these two dialects are like cousins. They come from the same family, therefore, they have a lot of similarities, but don’t live together, as such have some differences as well.

Intro to Vocabulary, Grammar, And Spelling 

Now that we have looked at a broad overview of the history of the English Language, let’s look into more detail about the biggest differences between American and British English. We can divide it broadly into 3 categories namely, vocabulary, grammar, and spelling.

While most words in American and British English are the same, due to the different historical influences on each dialect as we discussed earlier, both American English and British English do have some notable differences.

Vocabulary Differences

One of the most noticeable differences between American and British English is vocabulary which can sometimes lead to some rather funny miscommunication.

This can be seen in the development of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Noah Webster came of age during the American Revolution. As such, he adamantly believed in developing an American cultural identity. He went about doing this by first writing A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language in 1806 and later improving upon this with An American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828.^[11]Merriam-Webster – About Us

Some popular vocabulary differences include:

Biscuits vs. cookies

While the words biscuits exist in American English. It usually refers to a type of bread, rather than a sweet. 

Flat vs. apartment

Or 

Lift vs. elevator

For example, if I was speaking in British English, I might say, “I am going to take the lift to my flat.”

However, in American English, I might say, “I am going to take the elevator to my apartment.”

Football vs. soccer

Petrol vs. gas

Please feel free to check out our website to see some more vocabulary differences. We have included a link in the description below.

Grammar Differences

Grammar is another area that we can see some differences between American and British English.

Some of the most common differences are:

Present Perfect and Past Simple

The use of the present perfect and past simple. In British English, the present perfect is used to talk about a past action that is relevant to the present. 

In American English, this is also true. However, if an event is considered finished, it is much more common to use the past simple with adverbs such as yet, just, and already. 

For example, in British English, you might say

“I am not hungry. I have already had lunch.”

While in American English you might say

“I am not hungry. I already had lunch.”

Past Participle of “got”

Another difference is the past participle of “got”. In British English, it is “got” while in American English it is “gotten”.

For example, in British English, you might say

“He has got big!”

While in American English you might say

“He has gotten big!”

Collective Nouns

Another difference is the verb form with collective nouns. A collective noun is a name for a group of things or people such as a team, class, or army.^[12]Ginger – Collective nouns

In British English, a singular or plural verb can be used with collective nouns. This depends if you are looking at the group as a single unit or as a group of individuals. 

In American English, a singular verb is always used with collective nouns.

For example, In British English, you might say,

“The team is/are losing the match.”

This depends if you are referring to the team as a collection of individuals or as a single unit.

While in American English you can only say,

“The team is losing the match.”

An exception to this rule for both American and British English is when talking about the police.

You have to always use the plural verb.

For example, in both American and British English, you might say,

“The police are chasing the criminal.”

Spelling Differences

The last major difference between the American and British English dialects is spelling.

For example, American English words ending in ‘or’ normally end in ‘our’ in British English.^[13]Oxford International – The differences in British and American spelling

American English verbs ending in ‘ize’ can either end in ‘ize’ or ‘ise’ in British English.^[14]Oxford International – The differences in British and American spelling

American English verbs ending in ‘yze’ end in ‘yse’ in British English.^[15]Oxford International – The differences in British and American spelling

In American English spelling the ‘L’ is not doubled in verbs ending in a vowel and the letter ‘L’. In British English it is.^[16]Oxford International – The differences in British and American spelling

British English words that have an ‘oe’ or ‘ae’ spelling tend to be spelled with only an ‘e’ in American English.^[17]Oxford International – The differences in British and American spelling

Some nouns in American English that end in ‘ense’ end in ‘ence’ in British English.^[18]Oxford International – The differences in British and American spelling

Some nouns that end in ‘og’ or ‘ogue’ in American English end in ‘ogue’ in British English.^[19]Oxford International – The differences in British and American spelling

Conclusion

Both American and British English are the main English dialects worldwide. While American English may have originally derived from British English, due to many foreign, cultural, and societal differences, over time it broke off into its very own unique and distinct dialect. It has done this so much that it has also affected the British English that it originally came from.

That’s it for now! Don’t forget to subscribe and like. We hope that you found this subject interesting. If there are any subjects that you would like me to talk about, please feel free to write a question in the comments below. See you later!