Fans of British English!

Emily   Wed Sep 06, 2006 2:11 pm GMT
When I used to go to School in The Netherlands i was taught to speak British even tough we all had an American accent. Couldn't tell the difference that time... anyway what i wanted to say was it does not matter if you speak British or American it is both Engish to me and to many other people from other countries, but it seems like the british and the American's have endless debates about which language is more dominant in countries outside the Uk and US why won't you guys just leave it.

To be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of the ignorant.
Pete from Peru   Fri Sep 29, 2006 5:16 pm GMT
Evvy, I agree with 4, 6, 7 and 8.

<<As for non-Brits trying to adopt any of their accents, please don't. Not only is it pretentious, it instantly identifies the speaker as a poseur and nothing in this world is more detestable than hoity-toity poseurs.>>

Ben, If we're taught British English, then we only have two choices. Never being able to speak native-like English, or adopting a certain British accent. What else would we expect? to end up speaking with a Navajo accent?

<<Alright. I'll keep my mouth shut. But I still maintain that speaking English with an indigeneous accent is perfectly acceptable, even desirable.>>

Hehe, well... for us, non-native speakers, adopting a British accent is the ultimate game of skill. You can't deny that if you have a native-like accent, then you'll be more widely understood and in general regarded as equal by the rest of the people. Some people,on the other hand, feel annoyed when their interlocutor has a foreign accent, sometimes it's like they look down upon people who don't speak English well.

Here in South America, most language schools offer American English. However we still have around 10% of those who teach British English. We get American films, American products, our Peruvian Spanish is influenced by some American English expressions (at least among young people), people try to copy with American lifestyle. In fact, their sweetest dream is: *being able to go to the USA one day*, it's what they call the "American dream".

In such enviroment, British English is an obscure thing, only known by very few people. In fact, if Peruvians hear anyone speaking English, they ask: "Are you American?" (I remember I was with some Scottish friends when this happened, it's very common). Many people wonder what British English really is, how it sounds, is it completely different from American?. The only ones that know, are the ones whose "American dream" has come true and have heard some British bloke speaking; or learnt from the Americans what "The British accent" sounds like. And also the ones that have studied British English themselves.

I am from Peru. And now I speak English with a sort of English accent, similar to some fellow you would find in Brixton or somewhere around South London (sorry, Sahf Lundun). It's brilliant when Europeans say I sound like an English person. Some English people are very confused when they hear me speak, at first they don't know where the hell my accent comes from, some even tend to think I'm English. But then as the conversation goes on they realise I'm not a native-speaker, then they ask me: "Where did you learn your English?".

Those are the reasons why I love my accent, and that's why other people should learn British English. It's been useful to get jobs... getting laid... loads of things.

<<Years ago, as an 'Englishman', I was hitching in New York State. I got a lift, and the driver asked me: "Do they speak English, in England?">>

Well, there are ignorant people anywhere in the world... not only in America.

Pete
Pete   Fri Sep 29, 2006 5:25 pm GMT
That reminds me a guy I met on a bus. When he asked where my teachers were from, I replied: "Oh, they were English.".

After a few seconds he questioned "The English are from England, right?"

And I cooly said: Yes. And thought to myself "Well, this nationality issue of the UK is confusing for some foreigners but... how come... anyway."

Pete
Uriel   Sat Sep 30, 2006 5:09 am GMT
Americans don't use shorter words than British people. What a strange misconception to have.
Adam   Sat Sep 30, 2006 10:53 am GMT
How how do you explain the Americans' use of "color", "honor", "valor" and "ax" compared to British English's use of "colour", "honour", "valour" and "axe"?
Liz   Sat Sep 30, 2006 3:33 pm GMT
<<How how do you explain the Americans' use of "color", "honor", "valor" and "ax" compared to British English's use of "colour", "honour", "valour" and "axe"?>>

That's the principle of economy in ortography, but the pronunciation is still the same as that of British English. The words pronounced in the American way are even a little longer, since the 'r'-s are not dropped. :-)
Adam   Sat Sep 30, 2006 5:25 pm GMT
"That's the principle of economy in ortography, but the pronunciation is still the same as that of British English. The words pronounced in the American way are even a little longer, since the 'r'-s are not dropped. :-) "
--------------------------------------------------

How can they be pronounced the same when the American pronounciation is longer?
Adam   Sat Sep 30, 2006 5:41 pm GMT
There are plenty of American English words that are not only shorter than their British counterparts but the pronounciation is also shorter.

One good example is "geological"/"geologic". The British use "geological" and the Americans use "geologic."

Another one is the American "aluminum", which has just three syllables, compared to the British "aluminium", which has five.

**************************************************
Other words that are shorter in American Engllish are "archeology" (in British English it's "archaeology"), "medieval" (British English is "mediaeval"), "catalog" (British is "catalogue"), "analog" (British is "analogue") and "dialog" (British is "dialogue")


Lots of American words ARE shorter than British words. Not only that, but the spelling of British words are usually much more difficult than their American equivalents. Just look.......


American -
Encyclopedia

British -
Encyclopaedia
----------

American -
Maneuver

British -
Manoeuvre
----------

American -
Bank check

British -
Bank cheque
----------

American -
Aging

British -
Ageing
---------

American -
Jewelry

British -
Jewellery
----------

American -
Draft

British -
Draught
---------

American -
Plow

British -
Plough
---------

American -
Program

British -
Programme
Adam   Sat Sep 30, 2006 5:42 pm GMT
"Another one is the American "aluminum", which has just three syllables, compared to the British "aluminium", which has five. "


That should be: "Another one is the American "aluminum", which has just FOUR syllables, compared to the British "aluminium", which has five."
Guest   Sun Oct 01, 2006 12:37 am GMT
>>"catalog" (British is "catalogue"), "analog" (British is "analogue") and "dialog" (British is "dialogue") <<

Ha ha. Those -gue endings just look French, not British.

>>There are plenty of American English words that are not only shorter than their British counterparts but the pronounciation is also shorter.<<

As a matter of fact, there are plenty of abbreviated pronunciations in British English:
militry (GAE: military)
territry (GAE: territory)
intresting (GAE: interesting)
delibrate (GAE: deliberate)
fo-red (GAE: forehead)
innit (GAE: isn't it)
ma?a (GAE: matter) --not to mention the non-pronunciation of R in many positions.

*GAE=General American English
Guest   Sun Oct 01, 2006 1:44 am GMT
You mean:
intresting (GAE: inneresting)
delibrate (GAE: duhliberit)
isn't it (GAE: izn it)
ma?a (GAE: madder)
Pete   Sun Oct 01, 2006 2:48 am GMT
*lol*
Uriel   Sun Oct 01, 2006 4:04 am GMT
I wasn't talking about the vagaries of pronunciation or spelling, I was referring to someone's assertion that Americans use shorter words. As in, they make different word choices wherein if one synonym has fewer syllables than the other, they opt for that word instead of the other. I simply don't think that's true. Compare the word lengths in one of Rick's posts to mine, and show me where his are consistently longer than mine.
Guest   Sun Oct 01, 2006 5:35 am GMT
>>You mean:
intresting (GAE: inneresting)
delibrate (GAE: duhliberit)
[innit] isn't it (GAE: izn it)
ma?a (GAE: madder)<<

At least they're not as abbreviated as the GAE forms, contrary to Adam's hypothesis.
Guest   Sun Oct 01, 2006 5:37 am GMT
*At least they're not as abbreviated as the British forms, contrary to Adam's hypothesis.