american english vs. british english
DESCRIPTION
An in depth study of the nuances between American English and British English: nuances in grammar, pronunciation, etc.TRANSCRIPT
AMERICAN ENGLISH AND BRITISH ENGLISH; AN ANALYSIS OF THEIR BASIC
DIFFERENCES, INCLUDING A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE ENGLISH
Joshua Gabriel Lontoc and Pamela Therese Isleta
BLL 101, WF 8:30-10:00
October 12, 2012
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
If someone asked you which variety of English do you speak-American English or British
English-what would your answer be? Are you even aware that American English and British
English are two national varieties of English? (Algeo, 2006). If you are aware of it, then that's
great, because not all people are aware that American English isn't to be confused with British
English. They are different when it comes to vocabulary, phonology, and in some aspects of
grammar such as the parts of speech (Algeo 2006).
Did you know that in British English “underwear” is called “pants”, and “sneakers” are called
“trainers”? And have you noticed that the Americans rarely say “bloody hell” or “cheers mate” in
contrast to the Britons?
So you see, American English is indeed different from British English. Here in the Philippines,
English is a widely spoken language, but most of us don't bother to know whether we speak
American English or British English. This is because for us Filipinos, basically it's just plain
English.
This mindset of ours must be corrected. When analyzed briefly, the English of the Filipinos leans
toward the American variety, but when it is scrutinized, it can be discovered that the Filipinos
somehow have their own unique variety of English-Philippine English (which will be discussed
later). Filipinos may use English words in such peculiar ways that both the American and Briton
can't understand.
Objectives
Not only does this paper aim to enlighten the reader regarding the basic differences
between American English and British English, it also aims to make the reader aware that there
is such a language called Philippine English—which is neither comprehensible for both the
Americans and the Britons.
Review of Related Literature
Not surprisingly, we the researchers aren't the only ones interested in studying the
differences between American and British English. We discovered a thesis written in the year
2011 by Lingyu Qiu, entitled British English VS American English. She chose to write about
about the differences between American and British English because according to her, not only is
English an international and very useful language, it is a language that she loves. She also
became interested in American and British English when she met a Briton (who of course spoke
British English) and a German man who spoke American English. She was just learning to speak
English during that time (she's Chinese), so consequently she couldn't understand some of the
words used by the the Briton and the German man.
Lingyu Qiu's thesis is somewhat similar to our own research paper in that it tackles the
areas of grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation. But her thesis mainly focuses on the
historical background, dialects, accents, and varieties of both American and British English. She
also discusses how Americans and Britons write differently from each other. Her research is
extensive and concise regardless of the fact that English isn't her first language. In its totality, her
thesis deserves a round of applause.
Scope and Delimitation
Even though the Filipinos were greatly influenced by the Americans and Britons, they are very
creative and unique in a lot of things, including their use of the English language. Thus, it is only
fair for this paper to have a discussion concerning Philippine English. However, this research
paper will not be covering all of the differences between American English and British English,
since they are numerous and too complicated to discuss, nor will it be giving an extensive
account on Philippine English. This research paper will also not be focusing on the historical
background of American and British English, nor will it tackle the area of writing differences.
Now, you may be wondering why this paper will be only discussing American English and
British English, despite the fact that there are many other varieties of English in the world like
Spanglish (Spanish English), Singlish (Singaporean English), etc. Well, we chose these two
varieties of English for three reasons: firstly, “...these two varieties are the ones spoken by most
native speakers of English and studied by most foreign learners.” (Algeo 2006)
In other words, American English and British English are the dominant varieties of English.
Secondly, these two varieties of English, compared to others, contain more observable and
comprehensive material to work on. “...they have a special status as the two principal national
varieties of language simply because there is more material available in them...” (Algeo 2006, 1)
And thirdly, we Filipinos use (relatively) American English and British English and often treat
them as one language out of sheer ignorance. The other varieties of English are thus meaningless
to include in this paper, since we are observably unaware of them and consequently don't use
them. Overall, this paper will be discussing the main differences between American English and
British English, as well as a brief and concise introduction to Philippine English.
Methodology
We gathered the data needed for this paper mainly by means of the internet: e-books, academic
articles, handbooks, and online dictionaries. We didn't conduct interviews, nor did we issue
surveys and questionnaires. Please remember that this paper will not discuss every aspect of
American English and British English differences, like all of the vowels, consonants, vocabulary
terms, grammar, etc.
Thesis Statement: Filipinos shouldn't consider or treat American English and British English as
one language, since they differ (though not completely) in the aspects of pronunciation,
vocabulary, and grammar; Filipinos may use these two national varieties of English, but they
also have their own variety-Philippine English.
Results and Discussion
American and British English Pronunciation Differences
One reliable method of identifying a person's nationality is by asking him/her to speak. And
why is that? Well, because when a person speaks, you will be able to listen to his/her “tune” of
language-the intonation that accompanies their utterances (Algeo 2006).
This “tune” is commonly known as “accent”. By a person's accent you can know if he/she is
from Germany, France, Japan, etc. This is because accent is intricately connected to nationality
or race. Therefore, it is legitimate to say that Americans and Britons are distinguishable through
their accents. Though both language groups speak English, the manner in which they speak it
isn't the same.
We Filipinos usually understand American English without difficulty, especially when it comes
to movies or TV shows. On the other hand, when we watch movies or TV shows whose
characters speak British English, we sometimes find ourselves scratching our heads in frustration
due to the fact that we can't understand what they're saying; the British accent is just too strong
sometimes that it makes words sound like rubbish.
With that thought in mind, we can say that the most obvious difference between American
English and British English is accent. “When a Briton or an American talks, they identify
themselves primarily by the tunes of their respective varieties.” (Algeo 2006, 2)
The latter statement however, isn't completely true. Singing could be an exception. When
Americans or Britons sing, their peculiar accents can be canceled out by the musical tune of the
song, making it more difficult to decide if the singer is an American or a Briton.
Take for example the famous British boy-band One Direction. When you watch them being
interviewed on YouTube, their accent is thick and apparent; you have to pay close attention or
read their lips in order to get the gist of what they're saying. But when they sing however, they
almost sound like Americans, and they could be understood without any difficulty.
Now, let us return to the subject at hand. Generally, there are four differences between American
English and British English when it comes to the area of pronunciation: rhotic accent, vowel
pronunciation, consonant pronunciation, and change of stress.
Rhotic Accent
Let us first discuss the presence of the rhotic accent. American English is different from British
English in that it is mostly rhotic (New York City and Boston are exceptions), while British
English is mostly non-rhotic (Scotland and Ireland are exceptions). Rhotic accent refers to the
way in which the letter r is articulated after a vowel within a syllable, like in the words Narnia,
barge, torn, or birth (Gomez 2012).
It can be said that people who have rhotic accents are lovers of the retroflex [r]. Here in the
Philippines, when we hear Americans speak Filipino words such as parang, tara, or sarado, we
sometimes find it funny because they pronounce these words in their rhotic accent.
If you can't imagine what this retroflex [r] sounds like, try to say the word parang in the best
American accent you can muster-don't pronounce the r with the trill of the tongue that may come
to you naturally as a Filipino. Instead, stiffen your tongue as it glides through the roof of your
mouth as you say the [r] sound. Then if you still don't understand this retroflex [r] concept, seek
the help of the internet or ask a prolific linguist to illustrate how it's pronounced.
Anyway, though most of America, Scotland, and Ireland are rhotic, their rhotic accents aren’t
completely identical. Besides the retroflex [r], the letter r can be pronounced on two other ways:
the alveolar approximant [?] and the alveolar flap [?] (Gomez 2012).
The alveolar approximant [?] occurs in phonetic environments wherein the letter r comes before
a vowel in a syllable or syllable cluster like in the words ran, trust, shrewd, or pray. The alveolar
flap [?] occurs in phonetic environments wherein the letter r is intervocalic, with the stress
placed on the preceding vowel like in the words parish or lurid (Gomez 2012).
Since explaining how these two varieties sound like is too complicated for us the researchers, all
you need to know is that the alveolar approximant [?] is shared by the Americans, and Britons;
while the alveolar flap [?] is unique to the Americans. Britons only use the alveolar approximant
[?]. The Americans may use either the alveolar approximant [?] or the alveolar flap [?]. Please
take note that only the Scots and Irish are the only Britons who have rhotic accents; the rest of
Great Britain is non-rhotic.
The cause of Scotland's and Ireland's deviance can be traced back to history. Up to 1776, when
the American Revolution started, the individual accents of America and Britain didn't exist. They
were treated as one, and no one bothered to see their differences. In other words, American and
British pride were weak at that time. It was only towards the end of the 18th century that the
Britons started to remove their rhotic accents (Gomez 2012).
“Received Pronunciation developed at the end of the eighteenth century, during the period of the
American Revolution. At that time there was no pronunciation by which people in America
could be distinguished from people in England. In the impressment controverisies of the 1790's,
naval officers on both sides found it so difficult to tell whether sailors were British or American
that the American Government considered providing certificates of citizenship.” (Algeo 2006,
71)
The upper classes of southern England started to eliminate their rhotic accent as a way of
attaining class distinction. After some time, a new accent was gradually developed and the
middle class adopted it as well. Unfortunately, this innovation didn't reach the Scots and Irish
who were mostly of the lower working class and were probably too burdened by poverty to care
about such “trivial” matters. They were the underdogs of Great Britain, so why should they care?
(Gomez 2012)
Vowel Pronunciation
When it comes to pronouncing vowels, Americans and Britons also differ. The vowels that this
paper will be focusing on are [o]. [æ], and [?]. Let us first discuss the vowel sound [o]. In
English in general, there are various ways of pronouncing [o]: [?], [?], [?], [?], or [u]. But to put
it “simply”, the “short o”-which usually occurs within a stressed syllable with a single o like in
dog or model-is pronounced as an open back rounded short sound [?] in British English, but is
pronounced as either an open back unrounded long sound [?:] or an open mid-back rounded long
sound [?:] in American English (Gomez 2012).
Britons love to use the sound [?] while the Americans only use [?:] or [?:]. For example, Britons
pronounce shot as [??t] while Americans pronounce it as [??:t] or [??:t]. It is interesting to note
that the Americans were once users of the sound [?] like the Britons. Their changing of [?] to [?:]
and [?:] happened because of two phonological phenomena: the father-bother merger and the lot-
cloth split. A split is defined as the appearance of a new sound, while a merger is defined as the
disappearance of an existing sound (Gomez 2012).
With the latter definitions in mind, the father-bother merger is the culprit behind the
transformation of [?] to [?:]. In this phenomenon, the vowel [?] was lengthened to [?:], then it
lost its roundedness and became [?:]. Roundedness is most likely the most distinctive difference
between [?] and [?:] in everyday speech rather than vowel length. (Gomez 2012 )
The second phonological phenomenon, the lot-cloth split, caused the transformation of [?] to
[?:]. Initially, [?] was lengthened to [?:], and then finally raised to [?:]. Usually, [?:] occurs
before the voiceless fricatives [f], [s], and [θ]; but they can also occur before the velars [k], [g],
and [?], like in song, dog, and chocolate. Please remember that only Americans use [?:] and that
Britons only use [?] (Gomez 2012).
The vowel sound [æ] is also pronounced differently in American English and British English.
The Britons aren't the only ones obsessed with using a particular vowel. When it comes to [æ],
Americans only pronounce it as it is while the Britons pronounce it as either [æ] or [?:],
depending on certain phonetic environments. This is because during the American Revolutionary
War, the Britons started to pronounce [æ] differently. Primarily, the near-open front unrounded
vowel [æ] was lengthened to [æ:]. Next, [æ:] was lowered to the open back unrounded vowel
[?:]. This alternate manner of pronouncing [æ] didn't kick-off in America though, so up to this
day, Americans still pronounce [æ] as it is (Gomez 2012).
As mentioned earlier, Britons pronounce [æ] as [?:] depending on certain phonetic
environments. Basically, [æ] becomes [?:] when it occurs before the sounds [f], [s], and [θ]-like
in cat, pal, cab, or brag-or when it is followed by the consonant clusters [ns], [nt], [nt?], and
[mpl] like in dance, can't, ranch, or sample. In British English, [æ] isn't pronounced as [?:] only
when it precedes the consonants [t], [l], [b], and [g], like in cat, pal, cab, and brag. (Gomez,
2012)
Finally, let us discuss the vowel sound [?]. In American English, [?] is usually pronounced as [?],
while it is usually pronounced as [a?]. This is true especially in the suffix -ization. The
Americans pronounce it as [?'zei?n], while the Britons pronounce it as [a?'ze??n] (Gomez 2012).
Pronunciation of the Consonant [t]
Generally, Americans and Britons pronounce all the consonants,except for [t], in the same
manner. In English, there are six different ways of pronouncing [t], depending on certain
phonetic environments.
1. Aspirated—this occurs when [t] is the first letter of a word like in touch, or when [t] is
stressed and in the middle of a word like in potential (Gomez 2012).
2. De-aspirated—this occurs when [t] is in a syllable without the stress like in tempting, when [t]
is preceded by [s] like in stop, or when [t] is at the end of a syllable like in pet or pat (Gomez
2012).
3. Alveolar flap—this [?] is usually a substitute for the plosive dental or de-aspirated [t]. “It
occurs when t is at an intervocalic position, the first vowel being stressed, as in water.” (Gomez
2012, 10)
4. Glottal stop—this [?] is a voiceless sound produced by blocking the airflow in the vocal tract
when you speak. It acts as a substitute for the de-aspirated [t] sound at the end of a word like in
put or report. It can also be found in a stressed syllable followed by the phonetic patterns
[t+vowel+n] or [tn], like in button or continent (Gomez 2012).
5. Glottalized stop—this [t?] is defined as the combination of the stop [t] and the glottal stop [?].
The process of producing this sound is quite vague, but it follows the same rules for pronouncing
the glottal stop [?]. It can be found in words like mutton or curtain (Gomez 2012).
6. Complete Omission—this occurs occasionally in the presence of the pattern formed by a
stressed vowel followed by the consonant cluster [nt], like in winter ['w?n?] or center ['sen?r].
This pattern is usually found in American English (Gomez 2012).
In totality, both American English and British English have the aspirated and de-aspirated [t]
sounds, as well as the glottal and glottalized stops, and the complete omission. They only differ
when it comes to the alveolar flap [?]. The Britons never use it. Instead, they pronounce [?] as
either a de-aspirated or glottalized [t] (Gomez 2012).
Change of Stress
Americans and Britons also differ in their placement of stress in words, more specifically in
French loanwords like café, or blasé. Americans put the stress in the last syllable while Britons
put it in an earlier syllable (Gomez 2012). So you see, we Filipinos aren't the only people who
borrow words from a foreign language.
In history, English was influenced by French during the invasion of England by William of
Normandy in 1066. This invasion marked the beginning of the Norman rule of England, which
would last for about four-hundred years until the end of the Hundred Years War. Anyway, during
the first years of the Norman rule, William of Normandy used his power to change the language
of the government, which was English. He then imposed institutions inspired by French ones.
During this period, only the low- and middle-classes were allowed to speak English. And as the
years passed, when more Normans migrated to England, the Britons started to yield themselves
to this language change and speak French naturally. However, there were still Britons who
remained to speak English insistently. Unfortunately, French was the current language of
politics, diplomacy, and the majority of society. These Britons were then forced to borrow words
from the French language as a compromise. The number of loanwords increased as the Normans
—which now included both the low- and middle-classes—provided the Britons with more
experiences and ways to name objects. Up to this day, we still use French loanwords (Gomez
2012).
Well, as for American English and British English, they adapted French loanwords in a different
way. Like we said earlier, Americans place the stress in the last syllable while Britons place the
stress in an earlier syllable. It appears that the American English phonology has retained the
fixed accent of the French language, which usually falls on the last syllable. (Gomez 2012)
Vocabulary Differences
As mentioned earlier in the introduction, Americans and Britons may use certain English words
in ways which are not shared by both nationalities. In totality, it can be said that British English
is somewhat more traditional than the dynamic and modern American English. So if you put
together an American and a Briton and then force them to interact with each other, there is a
small possibility that a misunderstanding would brew between them, solely because they differ in
using certain English words. Here are a few examples:
American EnglishBritish EnglishnapkinservietteeraserrubberelevatorliftFrench
frieschipspantiesknickerspantstrousersunderwearpantscopbobbycollegeunisweaterjumperdrunkpi
ssed
So as you can see from the previous table, Americans and Britons must choose some of their
words carefully when interacting with each other. For instance, a Briton asks an American for a
'serviette', the American wouldn't be able to indulge the Briton's request if he didn't know that
'serviette' means 'napkin'. Some British English words are very interesting. Who would've known
that it's legitimate to call an 'eraser' a 'rubber' or a 'cop' a 'bobby'? In British English you could
say “I belong to the Uni of Arts and Communication”, since 'uni' is the British term for 'college'.
Spelling Differences
Now that we've briefly discussed some vocabulary differences between American and British
English, let us now tackle the area of spelling. Have you ever found yourself in a situation
wherein you're contemplating whether to use neighbor instead of neighbour, or center or centre?
Though these pairs of words are spelled differently, each pair is semantically the same—they
refer to the same thing. Therefore, it really doesn't matter if you use neighbor instead of
neighbour, since either word is grammatically acceptable. The fact is, neighbor is used in
American English while neighbour is used in British English. The same fact goes for center and
centre. Here are a few more examples:
American EnglishBritish
Englishcolorcolourhonorhonourfiberfibrecatalogcataloguedefensedefencerealizerealisetraveled
travelledcheckcheque In British English, words ending in -or are spelled -our like in neighbour,
labour, and colour. Second, words ending in the suffix -ize are spelled -ise like in realise,
apologise, and organise. Third, words ending in -er are spelled -re like centre, theatre, and
metre. Fourth, words ending in -ense are spelled -ence like defence and licence. Fifth, words
ending in -og are spelled -ogue like dialogue and analogue. Sixth, words ending in -yze are
spelled -yse like analyse and paralyse. And lastly, the l at the end of a verb is doubled when
adding endings that start with a vowel like in the words travelled, modelling. and fuelling.
(Oxford Dictionaries 2012)
In American English, they use the word endings -or, -ize, -er, -ense, -og, and -yze. Also, the
letter l isn't doubled when it precedes a verb ending that starts with a vowel. The deceased
linguist Noah Webster is responsible for the simple spelling rules of American English. When he
published the first dictionary of American English in 1928, he eradicated the complicated
spelling methods of British English and replaced them with simpler ones. This act of Noah
Webster reflects the practical and arrogant spirit of the American nation (Benedikt, n.d.).
Basic Grammatical Differences
As a finale to the discussion on American and British English differences, let us now tackle some
of the aspects of grammar. First of all, in British English, collective nouns can be followed by
both singular and plural verbs, depending on whether the collective noun is thought of as a single
idea or as many people. For example, it is legitimate for Britons to say “The away team are
bullying the crying kids.” However, the latter statement is ungrammatical for the Americans who
would rather use is than are after a collective noun (Maxwell and Clandfield 2012).
In British English, the verb have often has a delexical function in a sentence—it is used in
contexts wherein it has insignificant meaning, occurring with an object noun which denotes a
particular action. For example, Britons would usually ask “Do you like to have a bath?”, as
opposed to the Americans who would rather ask “Do you like to take a bath?”. Here are a few
more examples:
American EnglishBritish EnglishLet's take a nap.Let's have a nap.I want to take a vacation in France!I want to have a vacation in France!I'm taking an exam in algebra tomorrow.I'm having
an exam in algebra tomorrow.
In totality, Britons are avid users of the verb have while Americans are avid users of the verb
take. Of course this only applies when either have or take has a delexical function. For example,
Americans wouldn't say “Yes, I take an eraser,” when asked if he/she has an eraser. Instead he
would say “Yes, I have an eraser.”
As for some auxiliary verbs and modals, Americans and Britons use them quite differently. For
Britons, the auxiliary verb do could be a substitute for another verb when answering a question.
For example, if you ask a Briton “Are you playing basketball with us?”, he would reply
“Hmm...I might do.” Americans on the other hand, would reply “Hmm...I might.”, since the
latter reply of the Briton is ungrammatical for for them (Maxwell and Clandfield 2012).
Britons also use needn't instead of don't need. Here are a few examples:
American EnglishBritish EnglishYou don't need to visit me all the time you know.You needn't
to visit me all the time you know.I said we don't need to come to class tomorrow!I said we
needn't come to class tomorrow!Oh, you don't need to feed us all the time.Oh, you needn't feed
us all the time.
As seen from the table above, needn't sounds more formal or sassy than don't need. Americans
are more practical, not caring whether their words sound sassy or not—they simply use don't
need. Britons, on the other hand, are distinctly known for their use of needn't (Maxwell and
Clandfield 2012).
Another testimony to the fanciness of British English is the Britons' occasional usage of the
modal shall as opposed to the Americans' consistent use of will and should. Britons use shall as
an alternative to will and should when talking about the future and when asking for someone's
advice or opinion. Here are a few examples:
American EnglishBritish EnglishI will punch your face if you don't shut up.I shall punch your face if you don't shut up.We will lose this game.We shall lose this game. Should I ask Grace to
marry me?Shall I ask Grace to marry me?
Britons in general are partial to using shall. On the other hand, shall is unusual and will and
should are normal for Americans. Both shall and will are grammatical though, so you needn't be
wary of using them in speaking or writing. Just remember that they are only used to refer to
things in the future.
Now let us examine the common past tense forms of verbs in American and British English.
(Maxwell and Clandfield 2012)
American EnglishBritish
Englishdreameddreamtsmelledsmelltspoiledspoiltburnedburntlearnedlearnt It can be seen
from the previous table that in British English the irregular form of verbs is more used while in
American English the regular form is common. Some of the British words above may even
sound ungrammatical to you: spoilt and learnt. Sometimes these words are even a little bit harder
to say compared to their American counterparts. But remember that though the latter words
might sound unusual, they are grammatical, nonetheless.
Now, let us examine the Briton's consistent use of the present perfect.
American EnglishBritish EnglishI broke my arm!I have broken my arm!I took my biology exam yesterday.I have taken my biology exam yesterday.I already saw that Harry Potter movie.I
have already seen that Harry Potter movie.
Generally, Britons use the present perfect tense to express an action that already happened in the
past but is still relevant in the present. The above sentences in the American English column are
considered ungrammatical in British English. So you see, British English can be more
complicated than American English in that using the present perfect tense is mandatory. In
American English, however, both the past and present perfect tenses are acceptable (Foundation
for International Education 2012).
And finally, let us examine the reductions in American English that are never found in British
English. A reduction happens when a native English speaker reduces or eliminates certain
sounds. (Quinones 2009)
American EnglishBritish English wannawant togonnagoing togimmegive megottagot to
Americans use reductions mainly for convenience, as well as for the smoothness of speech.
Reductions usually occur with function words—words we use to make our sentences
grammatical—but they rarely occur with content words—words we use to help us form mental
images (Quinones 2009). (On its Web site, Pronuncian teaches that function words include
pronouns, determiners, prepositions, and auxiliary verbs. Content words on the other hand
include nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.) This tendency of Americans to use reductions is
another reflection of their spirit of practicality, since reductions make pronouncing words easier.
This ends our discussion on the differences between American and British English.
A Brief Introduction to Philippine English
The Philippines is known to be one of the largest English speaking countries in the world. Even
though there are about 170 different languages spoken in the Philippines, the most widely used is
Tagalog, while English is the lingua franca (Binh n.d.).
Nowadays, both Tagalog and English have been used together while communicating,
making Taglish now a popular language used in the country. When Filipinos use English
however, they might sometimes use it in such a way that is incomprehensible to both the
Americans and Britons. This 'unusual' variety of English is known as Philippine English.
Basically, Philippine English is different from both American and British English in
terms of phonology, vocabulary, and grammar.
Phonology
There are not much notable differences between Philippine English and American
English when studying phonology; however, some allophones give an exception.
1The pronunciation of “r” after a vowel;
2The alveolar sounds /d/, /t/, /l/, and /n/ have a dental articulation (mentioned by
Millward and Hayes, 2011);
3/ð/ and /θ/ are often pronounced as /d/ and /t/ respectively;
4/v/ and /f/ are often pronounced as /b/ and /p/ respectively;
5The pronunciation of some words are similar to Spanish due to their great influence
in our language such as the word “strong” becomes “istrong” or “estrong”;
6 The pronunciation of similar vowels sound the same such as in the words “feel” and
“fill”, “full” and “fool”, and “top” and “tap”; and
7The diphthong /??/ is pronounced as /o:/.
Philippine English is syllable-timed because they learn their English from reading books
and watching television, not from communicating with the native speakers of the language (Binh
n.d., 1). Thus, there learning of the English language is secondhand rather than firsthand. It is
important to note that learning a language by means of the media—books, television, or the
radio—is ineffective, since the latter objects are inanimate and cannot therefore provide
'meaningful' learning but merely 'rote' learning. Also, these inanimate objects can't have eye
contact with the Filipinos learning English and can't possibly affirm or correct their linguistic
performances. Therefore, it is no wonder that the Filipinos (who strongly are under the influence
of their native tongue) often mispronounce the phonemes of the English language since there are
no available native speakers of English to correct them. Obviously, the media is the most
accessible English 'teacher' for most Filipinos.
Vocabulary
Filipinos sometimes use some English words in creative ways, changing their original
meanings depending on the various situations in their everyday lives. The Americans and Britons
might deem their use of the English language as inappropriate or funny, but the simply don't
understand that the phenomenon of language drifting is taking place. The Filipinos can't help but
make their own convenient version of English, just like the practical Americans couldn't help but
eradicate or simplify the complicated aspects of British English. The vocabulary of Philippine
English comes from a range of phenomena that includes semantic and part-of-speech shift, loan
interpretations, coinages and creative innovations, compounds and hybrids. (Binh n.d.)
The following are some examples of the terms mentioned above:
1Part-of-speech shift: the noun “traffic” being used as an adjective in the sentence “The street is
so traffic!”;
2Loan transitions: the word “eggs” was given a definition of “testicles” because in Spanish, the
word “huevos” has a definition of “eggs, testicles” (as cited in Thompson, 2003, p. 53-54);
3Coinages: “Colgate” referring to any brand of toothpaste;
4Compounds: “toilet” + “restroom” = “comfort room”; and
5Hybrids (word compounding from different languages): “buko juice” is the term used to refer
to the juice of a young coconut.
When it comes to the vocabulary of Filipinos though, American and British English do
have their influences, even though Philippine English is continuing to expand. Here are a few
examples:
American EnglishBritish EnglishPhilippine Englishelevatorliftelevatorpantstrouserspantshigh schoolsecondary school high
schoolcafeteriacanteencanteeneraserrubbereraserstovecookerstoveMonday thru FridayMonday to FridayMonday to Friday
Generally, Filipinos are more inclined to use American English terms rather than British
English terms. We, the researchers, have never heard a fellow Filipino call an eraser a rubber or
a stove a cooker.
Grammar
Listed below are some grammatical features of the Philippine English that are most of the
time considered ungrammatical in both American and British English: (Binh n.d.)
1The absence of subject-verb agreement: “She go to school.”
2The usage of present perfect in replacement of past simple: “Yesterday I have met her.”
3The usage of past perfect in replacement of present perfect or past simple: “Have some students
tell they class what they had seen”
4The usage of present continuous tense which refers to habits and routines: “He is going to
school by jeep every morning.”
5Transitive verbs are mistakenly used as intransitive verbs: “James don’t like.”;
6The usage of auxiliary verbs in present tense: “She said he has finished the test.”;
7Determiners aren’t commonly used: “United States” instead of “The United States”;
8Demonstratives used do not satisfy nouns: “This pencils”; and
9Non-count nouns become count nouns: “James has a beautiful hair”.
Conclusion(s) and Recommendations
In conclusion, American and British English are not completely the same. They differ in
some aspects of pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling, and grammar. British English is relatively
sophisticated and traditional, while American English is simple and dynamic. Filipinos are more
inclined to use American English than British English, but they still have their own variety
called Philippine English, which is incomprehensible for both the Americans and Britons.
We, the researchers recommend that the reader be open-minded and not treat the facts in
this paper as absolute truths. If the reader wants to know more about the subject, he/she must do
his/her own research or investigation. Nevertheless, our stand remains—don't think that
American and British English are completely the same, and don't underestimate the capacity of
the Filipinos to make the English language more convenient for their own use.
Reference List:
Online PDF Files and book
1 Algeo, John. British or American English (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 1-2,
71.
2Benedikt, Zdenek. Differences between American English and British English, accessed
September 17, 2012. http://www.fraus.cz/data/american_english_advanced/aea_differences.pdf
3Binh, Nguyen Thanh. A Brief Description of Philippine English, accessed September 17, 2012.
http://chuyen.tiengiang.edu.vn/FileUpload/Vanban/File772.pdf
4Foundation for International Education. British English Style Guide for Students, accessed
September 17, 2012.
http://www.fie.org.uk/content/upload/documents/British_English_Style_Guide.pdf
5Gomez, Paco. British and American English Pronunciation Differences, accessed September
17, 2012. http://www.ma.eui.upm.es/usuarios/Fmartin/Web/Idiomas/English/Br-Ame-pronun-
diff.pdf
Websites and Online Dictionary
1Kerry Maxwell and Lindsay Clandfield, “Differences in American and British English
Grammar,” onestopenglish.com, accessed October 10, 2012.
http://www.onestopenglish.com/grammar/grammar-reference/american-english-vs-british-
english/differences-in-american-and-british-english-grammar-article/152820.article
1 Oxford Dictionaries, s.v. “British and American Spelling,” accessed October 10, 2012,
http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/british-and-american-spelling.
2Quinones, Candice. “Spoken English Reductions: Whaddayasay?”. Presentation, IELC
Seminar, Fall 2010, accessed October 11, 2012. http://www.slideshare.net/cjq11983/spoken-
english-reductons