Differences in Spelling
The spelling differences between BrE and AmE were noted as one of the chief sources of variation in the world press. Several of them are productive, applying to large numbers of words, such as BrE –re, AmE –er (centre/center), AmE –or, BrE –our (color/colour), AmE –og, BrE –ogue (catalog/catalogue), AmE –m, BrE –mme (program/programme). Many more apply to individual items, including the ones shown in the following list.
AmE
airplane
archeology
check
license (noun)
paralyze
pajamas
tire
BrE
aeroplane
archaeology
cheque
licence (noun)
paralyse
pyjamas
tyre
Stress Differences
There are many words whose stress varies between British and American English. Some of them can be grouped into patterns, such as those ending in -ary/ory (e.g. secretary, laboratory) or –et (e.g. ballet, beret).
This is one of the areas where American influence on BrE has been particularly strong, and probably most of the words in the second column can be heard in the UK these days with the American stress pattern, especially spoken by younger people.
AmE BrE
address address
café
cigarette
inquiry
laboratory
magazine
mustache
translate
cafe
cigarette
inquiry
laboratory
magazine
moustache
translate
Differences in Punctuation
Almost all the set of punctuation marks are shared by the two varieties, but there have been a few exceptions, for example, # is used for number in AmE (as in #12), but not in BrE (which would write No.12). However, this symbol, often called a ‘hash’ is increasingly used in BrE because of its role in computation work.
Exercises
Ex.1. Describe differences between British and American English in
vocabulary
grammar
spelling
stress patterns
punctuation
Ex.2. Translate the following texts into Russian:
An Impossible Lexical Contrast
With hierarchies in organization, it is often impossible to give a precise answer to the question. ‘What’s the equivalent of a – in BrE/AmE?’ because there is no one-to-one correspondence between the different ranks, or at best only a partial correspondence. A good example is the hierarchy of university teaching, shown below.
A British professor is not exactly equivalent to a US professor, because the latter category divides into three levels: full professor (the most senior), associate professor, and assistant professor (the most junior). In the UK, the ranks below professor are reader, then senior lecturer (though some universities treat these grades as equivalent in salary, but different in function), then lecturer. An associate professor is roughly equivalent to a reader, and lower grades of lecturer can be equated with an assistant professor. But it is not possible to identify the AmE equivalent of a senior lecturer, and in the days when tenured positions were serious academic options, there was even less equivalence, as a BrE lecturing post was usually tenured, whereas an AmE assistant professorial position was usually not (but rather, ‘tenure-track’).
PROFESSOR
UK US
Professor
Full Professor
R
eader/
Associate Professor
S
enior
Lecturer
Lecturer Assistant Professor
(From ‘Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language’ by D.Crystal)
‘The play was a real bomb!’
The question is: did the speaker like it or not? If you are an American reader, you are in no doubt: it was a total disaster. If you are a British reader, you are in no doubt: it was a tremendous success. The point illustrates the need to be careful with idioms, as well as individual words,when crossing the Atlantic. The author recalls a situation where he was at cross-purposes with a US acquaintance who had asked him what someone thought of book. The response Hilary was full of it! was interpreted by the American to mean that she hated it – whereas in BrE the meaning of this idiom is quite the reverse.
It is unusual for there to be an exact idiomatic equivalent between BrE and AmE. Among the exceptions are the following (in each case, the BrE variant is given first):
if the cap/shoe fits, wear it
the lie/lay of the land
to turn on sixpence/a dime
a skeleton in the cupboard/closet
cash on the nail/barrelhead
blow one’s own trumpet/horn
off the back of a lorry/truck
put in my two penniworth/two cents’ worth.
Most idioms have no easy equivalent, and must simply be interpreted. They include:
BrE
hard cheese! (=bad luck!)
drop a brick(=blunder)
in queer street(=in debt)
a turn-up for the book (=a surprise)
the best of British! (=good luck!)
AmE
right off the bat (=with no delay)
feel like two cents (=feel ashamed)
out of left field (=unexpectedly)
take the Fifth (=refuse to answer)
play hardball (=no holds barred)
a bum steer (=bad advice).
(From ‘Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language’ by D.Crystal)
Ex.3. What do the following words mean to you? Your answers will place you on one side or the other of a cultural gap wider than the Atlantic ocean.
1. bill
a) the demand for payment
b) a piece of paper money
2. chips
a) crisp pieces of potato served cold
b) fried potatoes served hot
3. purse
a) a woman’s bag for money, cosmetics
b) a woman’s container for carrying money
4. wash up
a) wash dirty dishes after eating
b) wash your hands and face
5. wallet
a) a container for money
b) a man’s container for money
6. gas
a) fuel for vehicles; fuel for cooking and heating
b) fuel for cooking and heating
7. first floor
a) the floor above the one where you enter the building
b) the floor where you enter the building
8. pavement
a) where traffic runs
b) where pedestrians walk
9.subway
a) a passage under a road for pedestrians
b) a railway under a city
Political System
Separation of Powers. The system of Checks and Balances
According to the American Constitution the functions of the executive (the Presidency), legislative (Congress) and judicial (the Supreme Court) branches of the federal government are strictly separated. Each institution is given its own limited and specific powers. A special system of checks and balances ensures that all the branches have certain authority over each other and that these powers are not abused.
Thus, the President may check Congress by vetoing bills passed by Congress, sending messages to Congress and appealing to the people while Congress may check the President by overriding a veto, impeaching the President, refusing to approve presidential appointments and failing to approve treaties. The Supreme Court may control the President and Congress by interpreting laws and treaties and declaring laws and executive acts unconstitutional. On the other hand, the President has a tremendous influence on the country's judicial affairs by appointing federal judges. Congress, in its turn, may also check the judiciary by impeaching judges and proposing an amendment to the Constitution if the Supreme Court finds a law unconstitutional.