The following article comprises about the history and origination of British English. It consists of brief information regarding the different sub-languages that British English has been divided into. Also the article discusses the differences between American English and British English on the basis of their origins, vocabulary and grammar.
“Importance of British English: Comparison b/w American English & British English”
English, the renowned global language has forever been a part of almost every historical event which has taken place in the past. There have been revolutions where amidst battles and conflicts, English language has prospered to become an internationally accepted tongue which is recognized by all.
A sub category of this West Germanic language is British English which even though might have similar idioms however there are certain distinct attributes about the spelling and pronunciation styles that differs from the standard American English.
About British English: Particularly the mother tongue of the residents of United Kingdom, British English is defined as the vernacular spoken in the British Isles, as is defined by the Oxford English Directory. However the British English of the Irish men is slightly different in sound and articulation hence their language has been categorized into the ‘Hiberno-English’ meant for the natives in Ireland. Although the homologous language is termed as British English however with slight variation in the accent, you’ll find how different the language sounds once you visit parts of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland etc.
History of British English: Originally a West Germanic language, English language which was created by the Anglo-Frisians first stepped into Britain because of the German settlers from the Netherlands and Western Germany. Initially Britain maintained a dialect known as ‘Brythonic’ and consisted of a group of languages put together consisting of Cumbric, Welsh and Cornish. Around the 8th, 9th and 11th centuries, two empires came to dominate the lands of Britain consisting of the Normans and the Anglo-Normans. Eventually as years passed by, British English was divided more or less into two basic linguistic branches which maintained grammatical ties with Anglo-Frisians and the Germans whose language descended from the Roman patois.
Why Is It Called a Variant?
Specifically British English has been subdivided into “English English” which is the vernacular accepted particularly in England, Welsh English, Irish English and Scottish English all of which differ from one another on the basic of accent, verbalization and syntax.
It was recorded in May 2007; a team of linguistic researchers authorized by Sally Johnson who is a prestigious professor at the Leeds University of linguistics and phonetics was awarded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council for their commendable work at obtaining resourceful data on the dialects spoken by the different regions in Britain.
British English and American English:
British English originated from the lands of United Kingdom and is associated with speech which is particularly restricted to the regions within the British Isles. American English is the vernacular type of English language which was established in the United States and was extended by the Yankees during the world war.
English once written in both British and American contexts won’t show much of a difference however it is the style with which both the language are spoken, the distinct origins of accents hence is observed. Even within England, speech is pronounced differently which is referred to as the ‘Queen’s English’ or ‘Oxford’s English’ which is based entirely upon the dictionary casing.
The history of origination of both British English and American English vary. Where on one hand British English originated from the German settlers, American English though widespread came from the Yankees of the American Civil War. As of date, American English has been classified into Midland, Western, Southern and Northern English. Similarly British English also has its respective classifications consisting of the Welsh, Irish, Scottish and England’s English Language.
British English has influenced parts of the world where British Raj originally alleged their claims upon, one of the best examples being India. In schools in India, British English is the vernacular which is being taught whereas in a few places situated of North America and several other regions like for example ‘Philippines’ American English is being taught to the upcoming generation.
Difference between American and British English: The Grammar
1. In case of British English, collective nouns can be either used alongside singular or plural verb forms which depends whether the entire body is being considered or just a single whereas for the case of American English, the collective nouns are used singularly.
For e.g.: Spain is the Champion (American English)
Spain are the Champions (British English)
2. For the case of verbs, both the regular and irregular forms are used in British English however in American English the irregular forms apart from burnt, dreamt and leapt aren’t used.
For e.g.: She learnt her lesson well (British English)
She learned her lesson well (American English)
3. Past participle ‘gotten’ and ‘proven’ are rarely used in British English. Instead British English prefers using ‘got’ and ‘proved’ as an expression. American English uses ‘gotten’ and ‘proven’ in a larger context.
For e.g.: She has proven to be smart (American English)
She has proved to be smart (British English)
4. The American English more or less substitutes the past perfect with simple past tense however they have recently started using ‘just’ in their sentences. The British English till today use ‘just’ and past perfect tense in their sentences.
For e.g.: I have just arrived home (British English)
I just arrived home (American English)
5. For the case of conditional sentences shortening ‘would have’ into ‘would’ve’ is common for the case of American English however British English still follows the authentic style of writing and pronouncing the complete tense.
For e.g.: I would’ve started work early this morning (American English)
I would have started work early this morning (British English)
6. Using ‘because’ in a sentence for British English is common however shortening it to ‘cause’ is another influential change of the American English context.
7. ‘Shall’ is uncommon within the American speech which is replaced by ‘will’ instead. Also ‘Shan’t’ is never heard in American English however extremely popular within the British English context.
For e.g.: I shan’t close the door (British English)
I will not close the door (American English)
8. For explaining the usage of prepositions the best examples are given below:
For e.g.: She is playing in a team (British English)
She is playing in the team (American English)
I will talk to him (British English)
I will have a talk with him (American English)
Difference between American and British English: The General Speech
1. At The Cinema (British English); At the Movies (American English)
2. Bonnet of a Car (British English); Hood of a Car (American English)
3. I have plenty of money (British English); I have plenty of bucks (American English)
4. Anti-clockwise (British English); Counter Clockwise (American English)
5. Caravan (British English); Trailer (American English)
6. Car Park (British English); Parking Lot (American English)
7. Finger Chips (British English); French Fries (American English)
8. Driving License (British English); Driver’s License (American English)
9. Post Code (British English); Zip Code (American English)
10. Rubber (British English); Eraser (American English)
11. Torch (British English); Flashlight (American English)
12. Waistcoat (British English); Vest (American English)
13. Maths (British English); Math (American English)
14. Crisps (British English); Potato Chips (American English)
15. Autumn (British English); Fall (American English)
The differences which have been outlined above with respect to American English and British English clearly indicate how amazingly distinct both the sub types are. Although the grammar, intonation and style of word usage is discrete individually, both the languages have their similarities since they’re extorts of the English language.
Hence we can say that British English is a variant of the English language since it maintains its individualistic approach towards the script.
References:
Crystal, David. [2004]. The Stories of English .Overlook Press
The Industrial Revolution 1760-1830 [n.d] [WWW page]. URL http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/lang_gallery_08.shtml
McCrum, Robert. , Cran, William. & Macneil, Robert. [Eds] 1986.
The Story of English Levin, Bernard. [Rev.ed] New York: Viking, 1986
What is English? History of English language [WWW. Page] URl http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
