Practical English usage

1) What are the most important differences between British English and American English? (pp. 39-44)

The most important differences are in vocabulary and idiom.

Vocabulary

American vs British
Ex. Airplane vs Aéroplane
Vacation vs Holiday
Aluminum vs Aluminium
Color, favor and Colour, favour
Realize vs Realise/Realize

Idiom

Ex. He just went home. vs He has just gone home.
Or
He has just gone home.

It looks like it is going to rain. vs It looks as if it is going to rain.


2) What is standard English?

Standard English is the form of English that is generally accepted for use in government, the law, business, education, and literature.

Ex. I can not, I do not (no contraction)
According to (not “as per”) (slang words)
Yes (not “yeah”) (slang words)


3) What is a dialect?

A dialect is the way people speak in a specific region. There are many dialects which vary depending on where people live.

Ex. I ain’t done anything = I haven’t done anything.
I bain’t ready = I’m not ready.


4) What are the characteristics of formal English as oppose to informal or spoken English?

Formal English is normally the structure we use in writings.
Informal English is often used for speaking, or in writing to familiar people such as friends, and family.

Ex.: Formal vs Informal

it has gone. It is not possible vs It’s gone. It isn’t possible.

In which century did he live? vs Which century did he live in?

Whom did they elect? vs Who did they elect?


5) Do languages change over time? How and why?

Yes, languages do. Younger people adopt newer form of expressions while older people resist to these changes.

Changes appear due to communicative needs, due to the influence from other dialects, due to languages that simplify themselves, small vocabulary confusion disappears, new forms of vocabulary appear, informal unknown words become acceptable by people, mistakes that are widely spread become accepted, and phonetically sounds disappear.

Ex. thou (singular) or ye (plural) vs now: you for both
I feel as if (older British) vs now: I feel like
If you’d have (if you would have)
sunk vs sung
I understand French a lot better now vs I’m understanding French a lot better now.
John and me vs John and I
datum vs data vs now data
I’ve got vs I got