British English VS American English on the vocabulary

英国英语就是英国人说的英语，而南部英国人所说的话则是英国的标准英语。

美国英语就是美国人说的英语。

为什么英国英语和美国英语有差别？这里有历史的原因。

美国是一个移民国家，最早的移民就是17世纪来自英国而在美国东部定居的英国移民，到18世纪后期，英国移民已有四百多万。

他们说的英语大致上还是英国英语。

但随后的两个世纪以来，陆续有大批的移民来自爱尔兰、德国、法国、斯堪纳维亚国家、东欧和南欧的一些国家。

此外还有从墨西哥来的西班牙人，和亚洲来的中国人和日本人。

所有这些人都须学英语才能生活下去，而这些人原来所说的本国语又都对英语带来影响。

但是总的来说，美国英语主要是17世纪英国英语在美国的进一步发展。

美国英语继承了英国英语的语法结构和基本词汇，但是在词汇方面也吸收了一些外来成分。

这些外来成分来自美洲印第安人的语言和许多移民国家的语言。

British English is the British say English, and south British said is Britain's standard English. American English is the American people say English.Why British English and American English has difference? Here are the historical reason. The United States is a nation of immigrants, and of the first settlers came from England and is 17 th century in the eastern United States settled English settlers, to the late eighteenth century, Britain more than four hundred immigrants. They say English in general or British English. But the next two centuries, has a large number of immigrants from Ireland, Germany, France, Campbell, Scandinavia, eastern and southern Europe countries of some countries. In addition to the Spanish people from Mexico, and Asia to the Chinese and Japanese. All of these people must learn English can live, but these people originally said to English native language and impact. But in general, the American English major is 17 th century British English in the further development of the United States. American English inherited British English grammar structure and basic vocabulary, but also in vocabulary absorbed some foreign elements. These foreign component from American indians language and many immigrants the language of the country.美国英语和英国英语之间的区别有以下几个方面：American English and British English is the difference between the following aspects:1.In the words：gas/gasoline (美) —— petrol（英）; baggage (美)——luggage(英); package (美)——parcel(英); mail(美)——post(英);美国英语所特有的词汇和短语可分为三类：第一类是美国人创造的新词，如movie（电影）、bootlegger（贩私酒人）、O.K.（全对）、flatfooted（直截了当的）等；The peculiar to the English words and phrases can be divided into three groups: the first kind is the American people to create new words, such as movie (film), bootlegger (bootlegging wine), O.K. (in the), flatfooted (direct);第二类是有些词虽然在英国英语中仍旧使用，但美国人给予新的涵义，如homely 这词，英国英语意为“家庭的”，但美国英语则有“不漂亮”的意思；The second type is some words while in British English still use, but the Americanpeople to give new meaning, such as homely this word, British English meaning"family", but the United States is English "not beautiful" mean;又如bug这词英国英语“臭虫”，美国英语则“昆虫”；And as a bug the word "bugs" British English and American English is "insects";再如mad这词英国英语意为“疯狂的”，但美国英语则为“生气的”与angry 意思相同；Be like again mad this word British English meaning "crazy", but the American English is "angry" means the same with angry;第三类为有些词在英国已失去原来的某种意义，但在美国还保留下来，如fall这词，美国英语中有“秋季”的意思，但在英国早已没有这个意义；The third class for some of the words in Britain has lost the original some kind of meaning, but the United States also remained, and fall like the word, the American English is "autumn" mean, but in Britain had no the meaning;再如sick这词，美国意为“有病的”，而在英国用ill而不用sick。

英国英语和美国英语在辅音发音和重音上的区别一位英国人和美国人在火车站不期而遇。

美国人性格开朗，善于结交朋友，说了几句客套话后就问：“What’s your job?”。

英国人回答说“I’m a clerk.”美国人听了十分惊讶：“Clock? Your job is to tick tick all day long?”由此可见，英国英语和美国英语上确实存在发音上的区别，并且时常造成一些误会。

要了解英国英语和美国英语在发音上的区别之前，我们很有必要知道美国英语是如何出现的。

美国英语是英国英语的一种区域语言变体，它起源于17~18世纪的英国英语。

英国在北美地区曾先后建立了13个殖民地，同时英国殖民者也把莎士比亚（Shakespeare）和弥尔顿（Milton）的英语带到了美洲。

诺亚•韦伯斯特（Noah Webster）1828年，出版《美语词典》（American Dictionary of English Language），从而开启了韦氏词典的历史。

正是他首创了“American English”，进而开启了美式英语的历史。

英语和美语的发音虽不像汉语那样自2001年起已有法定标准，但两者均有占据统治地位的相对标准，分别以BBC和VOA为代表，而这两个标准又分别被称为Received Pronunciation（英语公认标准）和General American（美语普通话），在专业著述中常使用其缩写RP和GA。

那么，它们之间在发音上又有什么具体的不同呢？本文主要从辅音发音和重音两方面进行讨论。

一、辅音（consonants）1. 英国英语中的轻爆破音[t]在美国英语中语音流变为介于清爆破音[t]和浊爆破音[d]之间的混合音[D]。

如：British English American Englishbetter ['betә] ['beDәr]writer ['raitә] ['raiDәr]city ['citi] ['siDi:]letter ['letә] ['leDәr]matter ['mætә] ['mæDәr]daughter ['dɔ:tә] ['dɔDәr]2. 两个元音之间的边辅音[l]在美国英语中要分读为两个[l]。

英美两国英语差别英语作文Differences between British and American English。

English is the most widely spoken language in the world, and it is spoken differently in different countries. Thetwo main forms of English are British English and American English. While both forms of English share a lot of similarities, there are also some differences between them. In this essay, I will discuss some of the differences between British and American English.One of the most obvious differences between British and American English is the accent. British English has a more formal and traditional accent, while American English has a more casual and modern accent. For example, in British English, the letter "r" is pronounced more strongly than in American English, and the vowel sounds are different. In addition, British English has a wider range of regional accents, while American English is more standardized.Another difference between British and American English is the spelling. There are many words that are spelled differently in the two forms of English. For example, in British English, the word "colour" is spelled with a "u", while in American English, it is spelled "color". Similarly, in British English, the word "centre" is spelled with an "re", while in American English, it is spelled "center". These spelling differences can cause confusion for people who are learning English, as they need to remember which spelling to use in different situations.Grammar is another area where British and American English differ. For example, in British English, collective nouns are often treated as plural, while in American English, they are treated as singular. So, in British English, you would say "The team are playing well", whilein American English, you would say "The team is playing well". Similarly, in British English, the past participleof "get" is "got", while in American English, it is "gotten".Vocabulary is also an area where British and AmericanEnglish differ. There are many words that are useddifferently in the two forms of English. For example, in British English, the word "biscuit" refers to a small,sweet cake, while in American English, it refers to a small, savory cake. Similarly, in British English, the word "boot" refers to the trunk of a car, while in American English, it refers to a type of footwear. These differences in vocabulary can cause confusion for people who are learning English, as they need to learn which words are used inwhich context.In conclusion, while British and American English share a lot of similarities, there are also some differences between them. These differences can cause confusion for people who are learning English, but they also add richness and diversity to the language. As English continues to evolve and change, it will be interesting to see how these differences continue to develop.。

英式英语和美式英语的区别作文英文回答：The main difference between British English and American English lies in the vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation. Let's start with vocabulary. In British English, the word "biscuit" refers to what Americans call a "cookie," while "chips" in British English are "fries" in American English. Additionally, the British use the term "boot" for the trunk of a car, whereas Americans use "trunk." These differences in vocabulary can sometimes lead to confusion, especially for non-native speakers.When it comes to spelling, there are several variations between British and American English. For example, words ending in "re" in British English often end in "er" in American English, such as "centre" and "center." Similarly, words ending in "our" in British English are spelled "or" in American English, as in "colour" and "color." These spelling differences can be quite tricky for learners ofEnglish, as they have to remember which version to use in different contexts.Pronunciation is another key difference between the two varieties of English. For instance, the British tend todrop the "r" sound at the end of words, while Americans pronounce it. This can be heard in words like "car" and "water." Additionally, the vowel sounds in certain wordsare also pronounced differently. For example, the word "schedule" is pronounced "shed-yool" in British English and "sked-yool" in American English.In terms of grammar, there are some differences as well. For instance, the use of the present perfect tense is more common in British English, while Americans often use the simple past tense in the same context. For example, aBritish person might say, "I have just eaten," whereas an American would say, "I just ate."Overall, these differences between British English and American English can sometimes lead to misunderstandings, but they also add richness and diversity to the Englishlanguage.中文回答：英式英语和美式英语的主要区别在于词汇、拼写和发音。

关于英国英语和美国英语的区别多有讨论，今天我给大家来个简单的总结吧。

在总结前有三句话说在前头：1. 倒退三四百年世界上没有所谓的标准英语，标准的英音和美音是上流社会经济和文化的产物。

2. 英式英语和美式英语沟通不存在问题，所以学那种都可以。

3. 英音和美音各有自己的特点，所以学那种都可以，不存在说美音的人听不懂英音的情况。

今天就给大家看几篇西方人对英美英语的区别的总结。

第一篇是位教书有10年的英国教师的总结There are many well-known differences between British and American English, but these differences won't cause you any serious problems if you come and work in Britain.First, there are a few noticeable GRAMMAR differences between British and American English: I'll talk about the two most important ones.First of all, when Americans make sentences using 'just', 'already' or 'yet', they normally use the past simple tense, while in Britain, we use the present perfect.So an American, for example, might say:"I already had lunch.""She didn't arrive yet."And a British person would say:"I've already had lunch." - That's "I have already had lunch."Or... "She hasn't arrived yet."Also, in Britain we often use 'have got' or 'has got' when we talk about possession, while Americans generally just use 'have' or 'has'.So, for example, in American English we might say:"I have a new car."In British English it's more normal to say:"I've got a new car."The meaning's the same, there's just a small grammatical difference that you might notice.There are these and a few other very small differences, but to be honest, these differences almost never make it difficult for us to understand each other.On the other hand, the differences in VOCABULARY between American English and British English are stronger than the grammatical differences, but again, these very rarely cause serious problems.A lot of the words which are different are informal or slang words...For example, I think many Americans would be unfamiliar with the British slang word 'naff', which means 'un-cool' or 'poor-quality'.On the other hand, a Brit (a British person) might be very confused by a sentence like:"The café is kitty-corner to the pharmacy."This means that the café is diagonally opposite to the pharmacy, but we don't have the word'kitty-corner' in British English.Another example would be telling the time...If we want to describe 2:45 in Britain, we might say:"Quarter to three", or 3:15 would be "Quarter past three".On the other hand, in America, these might be:"Quarter of three" for 2:45, or "Quarter after three" for 3:15.It's another small difference, but it's one that's not going to cause serious problems - it's quite easy to get used to.There are also some differences in SPELLING which I should mention.One example of this is the verb 'to practise':In British English, this is spelt with an 'S', so that'sP-R-A-C-T-I-S-E.In American English, it's spelt with two 'C's, so in American English it'sP-R-A-C-T-I-C-E.And there are lots of other examples of slight difference of spelling, but about 99% of the time, British and American people can understand each other without any trouble at all. In Britain we watch lots of American films and TV programs, and we listen to lots of American music, so American English is generally very familiar to us.This is probably not quite so true for an American coming to Britain. Americans, I think, don't watch quite so much British TV or British movies.I should also point out that regional English can be an important thing to think about. Not everyone in Britain talks like James Bond. There are some regional accents in Britain which you don't hear so often in the movies, and these might be a bit more difficult to get used to.However, I'd like to finish by saying that many, many Americans live and work in Britain, and they don't have any serious language problems at all. So, Brittney, my advice to you is: don't worry about the language, you'll be fine!第二篇关于两种拼写牛津在线词典给了详细的说明British and American spellingThere are several areas in which British and American spelling are different. These are the main ones to be aware of.Words ending in –reBritish English words that end in -re often end in -er in American English:Words ending in -ourBritish English words ending in -our usually end in -or in American English:Words ending in -ize or -iseVerbs in British English that can be spelled with either -ize or -ise at the end are always spelled with -ize at the end in American English:Words ending in -yseVerbs in British English that end in -yse are always spelled -yze in American English:Words ending in a vowel plus lIn British spelling, verbs ending in a vowel plus l double the l when adding endings that begin with a vowel. In American English, the l is not doubled:Words spelled with double vowelsBritish English words that are spelled with the double vowels ae or oe are just spelled with an e in American English:Note that in American English, certain terms, such as archaeology, keep the ae spelling as standard, although the spelling with just the e (i.e. archeology) is usually acceptable as well.Nouns ending with –enceSome nouns that end with -ence in British English are spelled -ense in American English:Nouns ending with –ogueSome nouns that end with -ogue in British English end with either -og or -ogue in American English:The distinctions here are not hard and fast. The spelling analogue is acceptable but not very common in American English; catalog has become the US norm, but catalogue is not uncommon; dialogue is still preferred over dialog.Aside from spelling differences, many items and practices have different names in British and American English. To explore further, see British and American terms.第三篇这位老师给了更详细的一个说明IntroductionSpeakers of American English generally use the present perfect tense (have/has + past participle) far less than speakers of British English. In spoken American English it is very common to use the simple past tense as an alternative in situations where the present perfect would usually have been used in British English. The two situations where this is especially likely are:(i) In sentences which talk about an action in the past that has an effect in the present: American English / British English•Jenny feels ill. She ate too much.•Jenny feels ill. She's eaten too much.•I can't find my keys. Did you see them anywhere?•I can't find my keys. Have you seen them anywhere?(ii) In sentences which contain the words already, just or yet:American English / British English•A: Are they going to the show tonight?•B: No. They already saw it.•A: Are they going to the show tonight?•B: No. They've already seen it.•A: Is Samantha here?•B: No, she just left.•A: Is Samantha here?•B: No, she's just left.•A: Can I borrow your book?•B: No, I didn't read it yet.•A: Can I borrow your book?•B: No, I haven't read it yet.1. Verb agreement with collective nounsIn British English collective nouns, (i.e. nouns referring to particular groups of people or things), (e.g. staff , government, class, team) can be followed by a singular or plural verb depending on whether the group is thought of as one idea, or as many individuals, e.g.:My team is winning.The other team are all sitting down.In American English collective nouns are always followed by a singular verb, so an American would usually say:Which team is losing?whereas in British English both plural and singular forms of the verb are possible, as in:Which team is/are losing?2. Use of delexical verbs have and takeIn British English, the verb have frequently functions as what is technically referred to as a delexical verb, i.e. it is used in contexts where it has very little meaning in itself but occurs with an object noun which describes an action, e.g.:I'd like to have a bath.Have is frequently used in this way with nouns referring to common activities such as washing or resting, e.g.:She's having a little nap.I'll just have a quick shower before we go out.In American English, the verb take, rather than have, is used in these contexts, e.g.:Joe's taking a shower.I'd like to take a bath.Let's take a short vacation.Why don't you take a rest now?3. Use of auxiliaries and modalsIn British English, the auxiliary do is often used as a substitute for a verb when replying to a question, e.g.:•A: Are you coming with us?•B: I might do.In American English, do is not used in this way, e.g.:•A: Are you coming with us?•B: I might.In British English needn't is often used instead of don't need to, e.g.:They needn't come to school today.They don't need to come to school today.In American English needn't is very unusual and the usual form is don't need to, i.e.:They don't need to come to school today.In British English, shall is sometimes used as an alternative to will to talk about the future, e.g.:I shall/will be there later.In American English, shall is unusual and will is normally used.In British English shall I / we is often used to ask for advice or an opinion, e.g.:Shall we ask him to come with us?In American English should is often used instead of shall, i.e.:Should we ask him to come with us?4. Use of prepositionsIn British English, at is used with many time expressions, e.g.:at Christmas/five 'o' clockat the weekendIn American English, on is always used when talking about the weekend, not at, e.g.:Will they still be there on the weekend?She'll be coming home on weekends.In British English, at is often used when talking about universities or other institutions, e.g.: She studied chemistry at university.In American English, in is often used, e.g.:She studied French in high school.In British English, to and from are used with the adjective different, e.g.:This place is different from/to anything I've seen before.In American English from and than are used with different, e.g.:This place is different from/than anything I've seen before.In British English to is always used after the verb write, e.g.:I promised to write to her every day.In American English, to can be omitted after write, i.e.:I promised to write her every day.5. Past tense formsBelow is a table showing verbs which have different simple past and past participle forms in American and British English. Note that the irregular past forms burnt, dreamt and spoilt are possible in American English, but less common than the forms ending in -ed.Infinitive Simple past(Br) Simple past(Am)Past participle(Br)Past participle(Am)burn burned/ burned/ burned/ burned/(Br) (Am) (Br) (Am)burnt burnt burnt burnt bust bust busted bust busteddive dived dove/diveddived diveddream dreamed/dreamt dreamed/dreamtdreamed/dreamtdreamed/dreamtget got got got gottenlean leaned/leant leaned leaned/leantleanedlearn learned/learnt learned learned/learntlearnedplead pleaded pleaded/pled pleaded pleaded/pledprove proved proved proved proved/provensaw sawed sawed sawn sawn/sawedsmell smelled/smelt smelled smelled/smeltsmelledspill spilled/spilt spilled spilled/spiltspilled(Br) (Am) (Br) (Am)spoil spoiled/spoilt spoiled/spoiltspoiled/spoiltspoiled/spoiltstink stank stank/stunkstunk stunkwake woke woke/wakedwoken wokenNote that have got is possible in American English, but is used with themeaning 'have', gotten is the usual past participle of get, e.g.American English British EnglishYou've got two brothers(= you have two brothers)You've got two brothersYou've gotten taller this year You've got taller this year6. Implications for teachingThe two major varieties of EnglishThe two varieties of English most widely found in print and taught around the world are British and American - it is therefore important for teachers to be aware of the major differences between the two. And while lexical differences are the easiest ones to notice, a knowledge of grammatical and phonological differences can be useful not only for teachers to be aware of, but also to be able to deal with should they come up in class.Which is better?An important point to make is that different doesn’t mean wrong. Comments such as “American English is inferior to British English”, or “American English is better than British English” have no solid basis other than the speaker’s opinion. The truth is that no language or regional variety of language is inherently better or worse than another. They are just different. Students will often have very firm beliefs on which English they think isbetter/easier to understand/clearer etc. While it may be true for that particular individual,there is no evidence to suggest that one variety is easier to learn or understand than the other.Materials and varietiesIf you are an American English speaker teaching with a British coursebook or vice versa, what do you say when the book is different from your English? The answer here is to point out the difference. The differences are not so numerous as to overload the students and often can be easily dealt with. For example, if you are an American English speaker using a lesson that has just included “at the weekend” it takes very little time to point out that in American English people say “on the weekend”. Accept either from your students then. If you decide to go along with the book and say “at the weekend” yourself, you’ll probably sound unnatural, and “on the weekend” might slip out anyway!Exams and essay writingIn most international exams, both varieties of English are accepted. However, while writing for an international exam (or writing in English generally) students should try to remain consistent. That means if they favour (or favor) American spelling and grammar, they should stick to that convention for the whole piece of writing.What role do other varieties of English have in the classroom?Although British and American varieties are the most documented, there are of course many other varieties of English. Scotland, Ireland, South Asia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, West Africa, the Caribbean, South Africa all have their own regional variations of English. The decision whether or not to highlight aspects of these Englishes would depend on two factors:if the students are going to live, or are already living, in one of these places - in which case the need to understand specific aspects of that English is clear; orif the teacher is from one of those places and therefore speaks a regional variation of English. In this case it could be useful to occasionally point out differences between your English and that of your Anchor Point:bottomcoursebook (see point 3 above about using your own variety).。

Differences Between American English and British English美国英语（American English）和英国英语（British English）存在着很大的区别，有其自身的特点。

这些区别和特点主要体现在如下三个方面：1.Pronunciation 语音特点美国英语和英国英语在发音方面区别很大，可以归纳为8点。

A. [r] 音：在英国英语中，r在元音后不卷舌，而在美国英语中则要卷舌，如horse, air, bird, work, north, actor, car, article, earth, firm, turn等。

B. [a]音：在英国英语中发长音[]或短音[]的地方，美国英语发成a ，口形比[]窄，且发音稍后，口形比[]宽，且发音稍前，介于[]和[]之间，如dog, pot, fox, rock, box, progress, possible, problem, body, shop, water等。

C. [æ] 音：在英国英语中发[] 的地方，美国英语发成[æ]，如在擦音s之前，ask, past, fast, glass, last, basket, vast, task，在擦音f之前，draft, raft, half, after, laugh, calf,等，在擦音θ之前，path, bath，在鼻音n之前，command, demand, advance, plant, dance, answer, 在鼻音m之前，example, sample等。

D. [☜] 音，在英国英语中，字母o和u或ou后面有r音，而r之后又有元音时，读作[✈]，而在美国英语中则读作[☜]，如hurry, hurry-scurry, hurricane, worry, current, courage, encourage等。

Reasons for the Differences between American English and BritishEnglishThesis statement:To study English well and use it flexibly English learners should know a little about the reasons for the differences between American English and British English.I. Introduction1. Problems caused by the differences between American English and British English2. Purpose of this paperⅡ. Differences that mostly tend to make us confused1. Phonetic differences2. Spelling differencesⅢ. Reasons that have caused differences between American English and British English1. Language reasons1.1 Development of language1.2 Absorption of many foreign words1.3 Independence of American English1.4 Features of American pronunciation1.4.1 Abdominal pronunciation1.4.2 Literal pronunciation1.4.3 Clear stressed and unstressed syllables2. Cultural reasons1. The American spirit of “Do-It-Yourself ”2. The law with a focus on equality3. The great achievement of science and technology and rapid economical development ofAmericaⅣ. ConclusionAbstract:With the popularity of American English, the differences between American English and British English are increasingly obvious, which inevitably raise some problems for English learners. This thesis will discuss the reasons for the differences between them from both of the two points of view: language and cultureand choose some of them to be analyzed so that the English learners can study English better and use it more flexibly.Key words: American English, British English, language difference, cultural differenceReasons for the Differences between American English and British EnglishⅠ.IntroductionAs we all know, American English and British English are “variants” of the English language, and the last few decades have witnessed an ever-increasing widespread of American English. A large quantity of current books, magazines are written in English; American radios, televisions, networks and movies are being spread all over the world. Even the BBC, which has long used British English speaking announcers exclusively, now has American announcers in its broadcasts, especially in programmers that go to countries like South Korea, where American English is favored. The most familiar one for us perhaps is the replacement of the American system of phonetic signs for British one in elementary and high school students‟ textbooks in our country. However, some problems, such as confusion, embarrassments or incomprehension have arisen in our daily-life situations when the addresser or the addressee who is only familiar with one of them. One example is about students and teacher in the classroom where a decision often has to be made about what form is correct. If the teacher and students know that fiber and fibre, faucet and tap, proctor and invigilator, five years back and five years ago, Monday through Friday and Monday to Friday, a half meter and half a meter are features of American and British English respectively, the teaching and the learning process can proceed smoothly. But it is dramatic, especially in a testing situation, when features used from one variety by one student are not known by the teacher／tester who is familiar only with the other variety, the student will then be unjustly penalized. Therefore, it is quite necessary for English learners to have some general ideas about the reasons for the differences between American English and British English, so that they can learn English better, and reach the goal of communcation.Ⅱ. Differences that mostly tend to make us confused1.Phonetic differencesIt is confirmed that most of us have heard some people read the following words answer, half, staff, advance, and broadcast as[ æns], [ hælf ], [ stæf ], [dˋvæns] and [‵br dkæst], but some of others read [ a:ns], [ sta:f ], [ ha:lf ], [d‵va:ns] and [‵br dka:st ]. And sometimes , [ I‵fekt ] (effect), [ Ik‵stend ] (extend), [ Ikˋspres ] (express) have been pronounced as [ e‵fekt ], [ ek‵stend ] and [ ek‵spres ]. Now the problem is which one is correct. In fact, both are right. They are just the same words with different pronunciation in American English and BritishEnglish.When the letter “ a ” appears in front of s, f, lf, th, ph and n, Americans read it [ æ ], but [ a: ] in British pronunciation, and when “ e ” is located among unstressed syllables, it is pronounced as [ e ] in American English, but [ i ] in British English. Except for what have been mentioned above, there are still some other examples, for example, as for the combined letters “ ei ”, it is read as [ I: ] in American English but [ ai ] in British English . Such as either, neither, direction, etc.How to deal with retroflec xion “ r ” is one of the problems for the differences between American English and British English. In American English, whenever we meet the letter “ r ”, we should roll our tongue, while in British English, “ r ” will be pronounced only when it is located before a vowel, such as, more and before, but when “ r ” appears in charge, work, perfect, matter, etc. the Birtish do not roll their tongues.Maybe the most confused and typical one is the sound “ t ”. In American English when it appears between two vowels and unstressed. It is pronounced almost as the sound [d], such as le tter, better, bitter and water. When it goes behind a vowel and followed by a dark [l], and unstressed too, it‟s also read as [d]. For example, battle, cattle, bottle, little, and settle. The third principle is that when it is located between a voiceless consonant or front nasal and a vowel or between a vowel and a front nasal,it will be pronounced as [d] too. For example, after, sister, chapter, actor, center, gentle, hasty, sixty, button, captain, certain, etc.2. Spelling differencesThere is no long sound diacritic in American English. For example[ i: ], [ : ], [ u: ], [ : ] have been written as [ I ], [ ], [ u ], [] in American English, and “ I ” has become “ I ” in American spelling. And all words with “ r ” pronounced and expressed as [] in diphthong have been written as “ r ” in American English, that is to say ,[I], [u], [ε] have become [ Ir ], [ ur ], [ εr ].The following two [] and [ ] enjoy the same feature, both of them are used to replace their counterparts in British English. [] was taken the places of [] and [Λ], such as those in cup , cut , luck , shut , touch , money and when we read [Λ] , our mouth is smaller than it in British pronunciation. [ ] replaces both [ a:] and [ ] in British spelling, the words with “ o ” pronounced as [ ] have become [ ] in American English , such as bottle , cop , job , hospital , etc .What‟s more, in American English –or, -er, -g, -se, and -ize as word endings are equalent to –our, -re, -gue, -ce, and -ise in British English. That is the reason why the words like memorize, defense, dialog, meter, and labor will be written as memorise, defence, dialogue, metre and labour in British spelling.And “ e ” as the final letter of the word in American English is always removed to form a compound adjective, while, British English still keeps it, therefore, likable, lovable and sizable are equal to likeable loveable and sizeable in British English.If a verb ends in a single “ l ”, the American forms of –ing, -ed, and –er also have a single “ l ”, whereas, the British forms have double “ l ”. For example, American English has traveling, traveledand traveler, but British English makes them travelled, travelling and traveller.Why there are so many confused differences between American English and British English? Now let‟s go deeply into the reasons by which these differences are caused.Ⅲ. Reasons that have caused the differences between American English and British English1. Language reasons1.1 Development of languageAs we all know, everything in the world is always changing and developing continuously, so language is no exception. Four hundred years ago, many British immigrants came to America, and most of them were students of Oxford and CambridgeUniversity. They played an important role in the development of American culture. The oldest university of America－Harvard University was established by a student of Cambridge －John Harvard and named with his own name. The students also brought the language spoken by Shakespear, Milton and Bunyan into America and then reserved it from generation to generation. Therefore, American English is a variant of British English which came into being on the basis of British English.However, because America and Britain have totally different geographical environment, and different political, educational and economic systems. It is natural for them to have some language differences, just as American linguistic Clark who was a professor of Minnssota University said , “ language tends to change variously in different places ” (郭伯愈，1979 : 20). For example, corn, fall and sick were actually used in Britain at very early time, with the time passing, they have been abolished in England, but Americans still use them. Professor Clark also pointed out that because the immigrates were far from homeland, the change of their language was not as rapid and intense as their fellows in their own country. So Americans keep using many words which have been abolished in Britain, and this makes one of the differences between them.1.2 Absorption of many foreign wordsAfter the independence of America, especially after the civil war, Americans expanded their territory gradually. And with the flourish of economy, exchanges in many fields among different countries and regions increased. They absorbed many foreign words to make the trade possible from such as, French, Dutch, Latin, Spanish and Italian and formed a unique American English. For example, Yankee was Dutch, California was Spanish, and Okay, to logroll okay, oklahorna stemed from Indian, which greatly enriched the content and vocabulary of American English. HoweverBritain did not posses this condition, so it was impossible for British people to do the same as American did.1.3 Independence of American EnglishAfter the publication of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, all patriots from thirteen states, such as novelist Cooper, dictionary compiler Webster and etc, did not only call for political independence, but also the independence of literary language. “Soon after the victory of the first independent war (1775-1783), another war broke out between America and Britain during the period of 1812-1814, Americans called it‘Real Independent War ’”(郭伯愈，1979：45). The war stimulated the enthusiasm of more and more Americans to struggle for the independence of their language. Finally, they got it in the nineteenth century. So the differences became more conspicuous. Later, Noah Webster and eminent persons like Benjianmin Franklin proposed numerous reforms on spelling, among which some were generally accepted and became the forms peculiar to American English. In Webster‟s publication An Essay on the Necessity, Advantages and practicability of Reforming the mode of Spelling, and of Rendering the Orthography of Words Correspondent to pronunciation,“he urged the omission of all superfluous or silent letters. In this sense, the most characteristic differences between American English and Britain English pract ice today are owed to Webster.” (侯维瑞, 1992 : 364)1.4 Features of American pronunciation1.4.1 Abdominal pronunciationGenerally speaking, it means that while giving a pronunciation of American vowel-sound we should concentrate our strength on our abdomens with the vibration of our vocal cords, which makes American English sound loudly and clearly. So the tone equality of American English is deep and rich, striking sympathetic chord for a long time. Moreover, American English has a strong nasal sound because of its geographical features.1.4.2 Literal pronunciationUsually we can read a new word correctly according to its spelling, because “American spelling tends to reflect pronunciation, but British English tends to reflect grammatical or historical i mplication as well.” (http://www.people.cornel,edu / pages/jjh26).For example, [veiz] (vase) is pronounced as [va:z] in British English, and letters “ z , s ” in memorize, denfense, inclose, license and etc. are the same, which obey the spelling rule in American English , that is “ the more economical and phonetic spelling rule, which means unnecessary letters are left out and words are spelled according to how theysound.”(/jphb/american.html ), and “ the omission of silent letters and the substitution of letters with definite sound ” (孙芳琴，1998 :132).1.4.3 Clear stressed and unstressed syllablesThe rhythm of American English is made of alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables. We should stress when it is needed, and we must not if it is not needed. Therefore, there are rises and falls of the voice in American English symbols, while British English sounds smoothly.There are the reasons that have brought the differences between American English and British English and they have extended slowly and gradually, but there are still some more profound cultural reasons if we go further. Because “language also grow as their respective cultures change.” (Robert E. Owens, Jr, 1996 : 10 )2. Cultural reasons2.1 The American spirit of “Do -It-Yourself”“ It is widely accepted that it is the peculiarity of America that made the American spirit of … DIY ‟ come into being ” ( 张奎武，2003 ：212 ) , just as a Chinese old saying which goes like “ 时事造英雄( ti mes make heroes ) ”. When the Europeans first came to settle in this land, they were very poor and what was waiting for them was just a great wilderness. Undoubtedly they had to deal every thing by their own hands. I do not, however, totally agree to it. Because American spirit of “ DIY ” exists not only in the past time but also in many aspects of modern American life. For example, the hostess of a rich family would probably cook her dinner herself and wash the dishes, help her husband wash car, dig in the flower beds, paint the house, lay basement, almost do all things she can, in which she got a great delight.Another example is that bringing up children to be independent has always been a part of American culture. At an early age, American children learn to do things depending on themselves, they learn to take care of themselves by cleaning their rooms, helping with the dishes and laundry and spending time away from their parents, either in day care with a baby sitter or alone. Most teenagers try to find summer or after-school jobs, so that they can have their own pocket money, while in college, young people usually work part-time during summer vacation, they work in a variety of jobs ranging from construction work to waiters in restaurants. Most young people move away from home when they finish high school, either to go to college or to get a job and live with friends.“ There is also another wide-spread popular American belief that every cowboy can dream of becoming a great man, even the president of the country ”( 张奎武，2003 : 214). “They believe the background of a person is not as important as his position. They value the ability to go from‘rags to riches’” ( 保罗·亚伯拉罕，1891:189), president Abroham Lincoln and boxer Mohammed Ali were typical examples. Both of them did not have the advantages of wealth, good educational opportunity or contact with powerful people, however, they succeeded finally. Therefore, Americans have great admiration for the self-made man, who fights his way to the top of society.Because of this spirit, America got its independence and made a great achievement in science and technology as well as a rapid development of economy, becoming one of the most developed countries in the world. As a result, theyestablished their own language. American English became more and more popular and accepted by the world.Admittedly, this doesn‟t mean that the British do not have the spirit. But Americans are extremely conspicuous for this spirit. Its influence and the important role it plays in the development of American language can not be ignored in any case.2.2 The law with a focus on equalityAmerica is characterized by much more informality and less social distinction than many other countries. But they care a great deal about equality. America, ideally is regarded as a “class-less” country, everyone in the US, whether rice or poor, has an equal opportunity to succeed. And there are laws that give every person in the US the chance to succeed. These laws guarantee equal opportunity for education and employment to all people. These laws are especially important to members of minorities, such as Hispanics, African Americans, and people with physical disabilities and many other ethnic religious and racial groups.Because of the equality, and less limitations and rules, immigrants contented to go to America with their own cultures and language, which made America become a “ Melting pot ” and a melting pot of ethnic and language. This also greatly enriched American English and stimulated American English to develop faster than British English.2.3 The great achievement of American science and technology and the rapideconomical development of AmericaAccording to Campbell and others, the beginning of a distinct lead of American English can be traced to the decades after World War II. After world warⅡ, a large number of American businessmen, scientists, engineers, scholars, correspondents, artists, and athletes worked all over the world and brought their culture and language into different countries, which greatly enlarged its influence. This coincides with the simultaneous rise of the US as a military and technological power and the decline of the British Empire, which drove many new words to American English. And from then on, American English has continuously sent its influences to every corner of the planet.There is also another thing which has to be mentioned, that is, film, television and aviation first appeared in America. Before the invention of dub technology, there was a large population of the world seeing American films only and in this way they had to learn American English. “ It was said that 70％French film was produced in America, and American life influenced each family.” (周有光, 2004 : 176 ). American English has become a technological language, for America is the mostly advanced country in the area of technological invention, many new technolo gical terms have been coined by American.The lead of the US in the computer and internet industry has long been established. Bill Gates and many other computer geniuses alike are Americans, they have created everything in the computer world by Americanism. As a consequence of the US domination of computer industry, the favored language of this industry isAmerican English, which forced people who use American computer hardware and software to accept the American English either consciously or unconsciously.What more, the simple and causal way of life and means of thinking of Americans have made American English obtain some features of its own which differ from British English.Ⅳ.ConclusionFrom what have been mentioned above, we can see that except for some language reasons there are also some cultural reasons which help to create American English and make American English become popular and have some differences from British English, especially in spelling and pronunciation. But we can see they are harmonious in general. Some maybe merely like to learn British English, because of its elegance, while others, especially most youth prefer American English for its fashionableness. One thing, however, we should bear in mind is that no matter which one we choose to learn, the purpose of learning language is communication. “Communication is the process participants used to exchange information and ideas, needs and desires. The degree to which a speaker is successful in communicating measured by the appropriateness and effectiveness of the message, is called communicative competence.”(Robert E. Owens, Jr, 1996: 11). Therefore, if we learn them by heart and with our efforts, we can able to use them flexibly in our study, our life and our future career, and reach the goal of communication.ReferencesRobert E. Owens, Jr, Language Development, New York: Allyn and Bacon BostonLondonToronto Sy.http://www.people. cornel, edu /pages /jjh26 //～jphb/american.html保罗·亚伯探罕，达芙尼·麦凯，Contact USA（走近美国），中央编译出版社，2003。

British English 和American English之间的区别我们在学习英语的过程中，往往会被英美之间的差异弄昏头脑，不仅要区别British English和American English的词汇上的区别，最好还要学会区别英音和美音，因此，我们要把British English和American English 做一个比较详细的比较，将他们区分开来，这样才有利于我们对于英语的学习。

在这里，我们主要从词汇上来区分，然后再对语法和发音这两方面进行对比，从总体上对British English和American English进行比较和区别。

1，词汇：A，British English和American English在词汇上有很大的区别，在单词的拼写上更是如此，其例子也是数不胜数，我们在学习英语的过程中会发现很多在拼写上的差异，甚至会发现一些规律，比如：-re和-er：British English部分以re结尾的词在American English中以er结尾，如: metre/meter,centimetre/centimeter, theatre/theater, centre/center 等等。

-our和-or：British English部分our在American English中的拼写为or，如：colour/color, favourite/favorite等等。

-ise和ize：British English中的-ise动词在American English中拼写为-ize，如：organise/organize, actualise/actualize, realise/realize因此而产生的衍生词也会有着相应的差别。

British English的许多词都是从法语演变过来的，有不少拼写都遵循着法语的拼写规则，而在美国经过了若干年的原因而产生了变化，但在英国依然基本上保持了这样的拼写规则。

英式英语和美式英语词汇对照表In English, there are many differences between British English and American English in terms of vocabulary. These differences often reflect the historical development and cultural influences on each form of the language. For example, in British English, the boot of a car is called the trunk in American English. Similarly, what Americans call an elevator, the British refer to as a lift. It is important for English learners to be aware of these differences in order to communicate effectively in both British and American English-speaking environments.在英语中，英式英语和美式英语在词汇上存在许多区别。

这些区别通常反映了各种语言形式的历史发展和文化影响。

例如，在英式英语中，汽车的后备箱被称为美式英语中的车厢。

同样，美国人称之为电梯的东西，英国人称之为升降机。

英语学习者要了解这些差异以便能够有效地在英国英语和美国英语环境中进行交流。

One of the most noticeable differences between British English and American English is the vocabulary related to food. For example, what Americans call chips, the British refer to as crisps. Similarly,while Americans use the term fries, the British use chips to refer tothe same fried potato dish. Additionally, the British use the term biscuit to refer to what Americans call cookies. Understanding these food-related vocabulary differences is crucial for anyone navigating a menu or cooking in an English-speaking country.英式英语和美式英语之间最显著的区别之一是与食物相关的词汇。