British vs. American Pronunciation: Practice

Watch the video and complete the exercise:

USA vs. UK pronunciation

EXERCISE: Say which pronunciation is British and which is American. Write BE / AE

TOMATO	/təˈmeɪtəʊ /  …….	/təˈmɑːtəʊ/   …….
COLOR	/ ˈkʌlər /   …….	/ ˈkʌlə(r)/      ……..
MAM	/mʌm/    ……..	/mɒm/     ……..
BANANA	/bəˈnænə /   ……..	/bəˈnɑːnə/    ……..
WATER	/ˈwɔː.tər/    ……….	/ˈwɑː.t ̬ɚ/    ………
YOGURT	/ ˈjəʊɡərt /   …….	/ ˈjɒɡət/   ………
AIRPLANE	/'eəpleɪn/  ……..	/ ˈeərəpleɪn/ ……..

American vs. British Lexicon: Practice

For this practice, follow these links and correct yourselves. When done them, it would be interesting to write down your answers to get more material for your final exam.

1. crossword
2. fill the gap
3. pictures

British vs. American Orthography: Practice

A. Match the words of the two columns

American	British	Answer
1. Diaper	a. Angry
2.Elevator	b. Bum
3. Fall	c. Nappy
4. Fanny	d. Shop
5. Faucet	e. Lift
6. Mad	f. Autumn
7. Panties	g. Boot
8. Round trip	h. Knickers
9. Store	i. Return ticket
10. Trunk	j. Tap

B. Fill the gap with the correct spelling.

American	British	Translation
Ax	……………..	................................
………………	catalogue	………………………………
Center	………………	……………………………….
………………	Colour	……………………………….
Cozy	………………	……………………………….
Gray	………………..	……………………………….
Labor	………………..	……………………………….
Meter	………………..	……………………………….
……………….	Moustache	……………………………….
……………….	Theatre	……………………………….
Tire	…………………	……………………………….

British vs. American English: Lexicon

You have here a table containing differences in vocabulary between British and American English:

American            English	Lexicon
American English	British English
Ass	Arse
Bartender	Barman
Bill	Note
Creek	Stream
Elevator	Lift
Fall	Autumn
Gas	Petrol
Grade	Class
Mail	Post
Pants	Trousers
Sanitarium	Sanatory
Store	Shop
Vest	waistcoat

British vs. American English: Orthography

You have here a table containing differences in spelling between British and American English:

American	English	Orthography
Forms	British English	American English
-ll	Traveller Marvellous Fullfil	Traveler Marvelous fulfill
-our	Colour Honour Behaviour	Color Honor Behavior
-ence	Licence Defence Offence	License Defense Offense
-tre	Theatre Centre Metre	Theater Center Meter
French words	Café Matinée fête	Cafe Fete Matinee
ae, oe	Gyneacologist Haemophilia Faeces	Gynecologist Hemophilia Feces
Miscelaneous	Civvies Skeptic Ageing	Civies Sceptic Aging

British vs. American English: Pronunciation

Of course, American and British English prnunciation is not the same. This table presents you the main bifferences in pronunciation between them:

American	English	Pronunciation
RP	Gen Am.	Examples
æ	æ	Bat, bad, ham, mass
ɒ	ɑ:	Lock, cod, post, shock
ɔ	ɒ:	Caught
ɜ	ɜ´	Hurt, herd, earn, earth
ə	ɚ	Longer, eastern, mother
t	t̬	Better, enter, internet.

Here you have a link in which you can get more information about American sounds: American sounds


These pages will also help you in understanding better the American English pronunciation:
words with "r" (Part 1)
words with "r" (Part 2)
words with "r" (Part 3)
words with "r" (Part 4)
words with "r" (Part 5)

American sense of national identity

Despite differences in vocabulary, the spoken English of USA and Britain was still essentially the same until 1776. After the Declaration of Independence, the patriotism of the newly independent United States of America found its linguistic expression in Noah Webster. His first books, on English spelling and grammar, were extremely successful. He was an icon for American English.

In 1828, he published An American Dictionary of the English Language, which was the foundation of American lexicography, and was held in similar esteem to Johnson´s Dictionary in England. Webster´s aim was to show the way the language was developing independently in America. He introduced several spelling reforms, which resulted in spellings as color, center, defense, and traveler. 

Here you have a very good page, which provides you further information about the differences between American and British English: American and British English

The origins of American state names

	American state names.
Alabama	Choctaw “I open the thicket” (i.e. one who clears land)
Alaska	Eskimo “great land”
Arizona	Papago “place of the small spring”
Arkansas	Sioux “land of the south wind people”
Colorado	Spanish “red” (color of the earth)
Connecticut	Mohican “at the long tidal river”
Delaware	Named after the English governor Lord the la Warr
Florida	Spanish “land of flowers”
Georgia	Named after King George II
Hawaii	Hawaiian “homeland”
Idaho	Shoshone “light on the mountains”
Illinois	French from Algonquian “warriors”
Indiana	English “land of the Indians”
Kansas	Sioux “land of the south wind people”
Kentucky	Iroquois “meadow land”
Louisiana	Named after King Louis XIV of France
Maine	Named after a French province
Maryland	Named after Henrietta Maria, Charles I´s queen
Massachusetts	Algonquian place of the big hill
Michigan	Chippewa “big water”
Minnesota	Dakota Sioux “sky-colored water”
Mississippi	Chippewa “big river”
Missouri	Probably French from Algonquian “muddy water”
Montana	Spanish “mountainous”
Nebraska	Omaha “river in the flatness”
Nevada	Spanish “snowy”
New Hampshire	Named after Hampshire, England
New Jersey	Named after Jersey (Channel Islands)
New Mexico	Named after Mexico
New York	Named after the Duke of York
North Carolina	Named after King Charles II
North Dakota	Sioux “friend”
Ohio	Iroquois “beautiful water”
Oklahoma	Choctaw “red people”
Oregon	Possibly Algonquian “beautiful water” or “beaver place”
Pennsylvania	Named after Quaker William Penn + Latin for “woodland”
Rhode Island	Dutch “red clay” island
South Carolina	Named after King Charles II
South Dakota	Sioux “friend”
Tennessee	Name of a Cherokee settlement-unknown origin
Texas	Spanish “allies”
Utah	Possibly Navaho “upper land” or “land of the Ute”
Vermont	French “green mountain”
Virginia	Named after Queen Elizabeth I
Washington	Named after George Washington
West Virginia	Derived from Virginia
Wyoming	Algonquian “place of the big flats”