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There are many differences between the English language spoken and written in the United Kingdom from that of the United States, in general they are not an impediment to understanding (but see the vocabulary section below).

Note to Wikipedians: There are a vast number of resources on the net in this area, all of which are suprisingly inaccurate and incomplete. I hope the process here will lead to a more useful reference. In particular, I would appreciate it if the Brits here would fill in usage details I may not know about.

Spelling

Some words shared by all English speakers are spelled differently by Americans and Britons. many of these are American "simplification" of the original spellings.

Grammar

Vocabulary

The differences most likely to create confusion are in the use of different words for concepts. Most of these are for modern concepts where new words were coined independently, or else the terms are slang or vulgar. Regional variations even within the US or the UK can create the same problems.

	British			American

	aerial			antenna?
        arse                    ass (buttocks)
	barrister		lawyer (litigator)
	bicarbonate of soda	[baking soda]?
	biscuit			cracker or cookie?
        bloody                  fucking
        bollocks                balls (testicles)
	bonnet			hood? (of a car)
	boot			trunk? (of a car)
        bum		        butt (buttocks)
	cafe			diner?
	candy floss		[cotton candy]?
	chemist                 pharmacist, pharmacy
	concession		discount?
	crisps			chips? (e.g., potato or corn)
	current account		[checking account]?
	dialling code		[area code]?
	dummy			pacifier?
	engaged tone		[busy signal]?
        fag		        cigarette
	fairy cake		cupcake?
	fanny			vagina - fanny=buttocks in Amer. Eng.
	flat			apartment?
	indicator		[turn signal]?
        laundrette	        laundromat
	lift			elevator?
	limited (Ltd)		incorporated?
	lorry			truck?
	lounge			[living room]?
	MD (managing director)	CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
	mobile (phone)		[cell phone]?
	nappy			diaper?
	paraffin		kerosene?
	petrol			gasoline
	pavement		sidewalk?
	pissed			drunk	
	pram			[baby carriage]?
	pudding			dessert
	randy			horny?
        ring someone            call someone
        rubbish	                garbage / trash
	settee			couch?
	shag			fuck?
	silencer		muffler?
	skip			dumpster?
	solicitor		lawyer (negotiator)
	sticking plaster	Band-Aid?
	torch			flashlight?
	tube			subway?
	underground		subway?
	zed			z (the letter)

British and American English differ in words borrowed from foreign languages. British English includes many words from the languages of its empire while American English has words from its Spanish speaking neighbors and European immigrants. Curry to a British speaker is a type of reportedly edible food. To an American, it is a rarely used spice called curry powder that you might throw in chili. British speakers may recognize cowboys but perhaps not vaqueros (not to be confused with huevos rancheros). For more on American borrowed words, see American English.

/British English Talk


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Last edited July 25, 2001 8:22 pm (diff)
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