TEFL Royalton Minnesota

A British politician, visiting the city of Washington, pointed out that Britain had given the Americans the english language, but was baffled by the Americans not using it. Echoing George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, and a host of others, the politician drew attention to the differences between British english and American english. Differences in the way english is used on the opposite sides of “the pond” amount to more than mere accents. Certainly, pronunciation is significant. The englishman “et” supper yesterday, while the American “ate” supper. The British r is less pronounced than the American r (Thursday, word, more, car). Yet in New england and the American South, r's can be less pronounced as well. 1 The American t often becomes a d, as in little and startled, but is pronounced as a t in sat or try. Aside from pronunciation, perhaps most noticeable are differences in vocabulary: lorry vs, truck, bonnet vs. hood, boot vs. trunk, windscreen vs. windshield, tyres vs. tires and motorway vs. interstate. Moving from the roadways, we see and hear flat vs. apartment, lift vs. elevators, holiday vs. vacations, sweets vs. candy, trousers vs. pants, and jumpers vs. pullover sweaters. The list is endless. In spelling, the famous “u” marks British colour vs. American color (labour/labor, favour/favor, etc.) The British centre and fibre and countered in the U.S. by center and fiber. The spelling differences are largely due to Samuel Johnson's dictionary, in which he standardized the wide variety of spelling existing at the time, and incorporating many of the effects of the Norman french on the language. Noah Webster, who compiled the first standard American dictionary, was a spelling reformer, who imposed a number of changes, with less concern for the Normans. 2 In grammar, a most noticeable difference is the use of prepositions. British players are in a team. In the U.S. they are on a team. The British family may be going somewhere at the weekend, but in the U.S., they will do it on the weekend. An english auntie may live in the high street, but her American counterpart lives on the main street. Britons speak to someone, while Americans speak with them. Not surprisingly, idiomatic expressions are different as well. A host of American expressions come from baseball: cover the bases and struck out (used in Britain as well), to pinch hit for someone (meaning substitute), Shut-out, etc. An American with tired feet may say “My dogs are barking.” Importantly, dates and numbers differ depending on which side of the Atlantic one is. In the U.K. the day precedes the month and year. Thus 6/7/12 is the sixth day of July. In the U.S. the month precedes the day: 6/7/12 is the seventh day of June. In the U.S., $1,200 is commonly “twelve hundred dollars,” and in the U.K. “one thousand, two hundred.” For the efl teacher, the challenge is choosing whether to teach British english or American english. A number of factors will be weighed in the decision-making process: the native tongue spoken by the teacher, the reasons for the students taking the course, which course books are available, the desire/mandate of the school or company-client, the region where the course is taught, etc. Of primary importance is how the language will be used by the students. This “purpose driven” choice focuses on the field (business, tourism etc) in which the english will be used, as well as the geographical location. If the students will be using english in information technology, then American english is preferable, because this field is dominated by American english. In international transportation and emergency work, American english is also preferred. 3 In finance and other business applications, the choice is less clear. For example, British english will be useful in banking in Europe, but not in japan or china, where American english is more common. In the hospitality industry, the choice will depend on the guests/customers – are they South Africans, Indians, Germans, Swedes and Swiss? Better stick to British english. If dealing with Mexicans, Koreans or Filipinos, American english is better. In general, if english will be used in communicating with Europeans 4, or people of former British territories, one is better off with British english. If one is communicating with East Asians, Latin Americans or North Americans, American english is better. Some advocate using whichever version is spoken as a mother tongue by the teacher. This is more natural for the teacher and is less difficult. 5 However, this approach may ignore advantages or necessities for teaching the version which is not the teacher's native tongue. British english is more readily understood worldwide, but American english is dominant in entertainment which is not only present everywhere, but which permeates our lives. For this reason, some teachers end up teaching both versions. 6 Some students advocate learning both versions as well, arguing that both versions are widespread, and a student will want to know both to readily understand both. 7 The MacMillan Dictionary, an online tool, boasts that it provides information on both versions with each dictionary entry. 8 This could be a useful tool for the future of the student who is uncertain about how he will be using his english. But for the present, he will find it enough of a challenge to learn one version. In the final analysis, both versions are mutually understandable, despite their differences. 9 Most importantly, the teacher should be consistent with the version he uses. 10 Therefore, the choice which takes into account the purpose for which the students are taking the course will be the most beneficial to the students. A teacher can explain the differences when they are of significance, but otherwise, he can rely upon the fact that although “divided by a common language” Britons and Americans do understand each other. Endnotes: 1. American english vs. British english, http://teflpedia.com/American_english_v._British_english#General_2 2. Monika Salita, British english versus American english, http://www.happycatstefl.com/general-advice/british-english-versus-american-english-its-all-the-same-right/ 3. Interview with Craig Kayser, teacher of efl in france, 20 J.uly, 2012 4. Monika Salita, op cit 5. Teflpedia, http://teflpedia.com/American_english_v._British_english 6. Craig Kayser, op cit 7. Tomasz P. Szynalski, Choosing Between American and British Pronunciation, http://www.antimoon.com/how/pronunc-american-british.htm 8.MacMillan Dictionary http://www.macmillandictionary.com/options.html 9. Teflpedia, op cit 10. Kenneth Beare, Differences Between American and British english, http://esl.about.com/od/toeflieltscambridge/a/dif_ambrit.htm