Divergence between modern British and American English in the aspect of phonetics, orthography and grammar

Summary

The article is aimed at research into main differences between American and British English. The aspects of the research are unsimilarities in phonetics, spelling and grammar. Moreover, historical and cultural causes of this diversity are presented in the article. The topic is actual due to growing popularity of American English throughout the world in a wide range of spheres of human life and activity in the field of material culture, economy and finance, education and health care and many others. This process is obviously happening because unlike the British version, American English is more flexible, open to change and easier to understand. Features of the modern English language in America have long attracted the attention of linguists. For a long time, most English-language printed publications were oriented towards the British version of the English language. However, due to the revival of tourist trips, professional internships, exchanges of information, the press, literature or productions of cinema, television, advertising, we increasingly come across inconsistencies that differ somewhat from the general British vocabulary.

The difference in the socio-cultural background determines the peculiarities in the development of each of the varieties. However, as scientists note, belonging to a single communicative language system, close and diverse connections between regions contribute to the convergence of language forms.

Thus, it is essential to gain awareness of peculiarities of American variant. Consideration of this topic will make it possible to adjust the process of learning English as an international language of communication, in such a way as to prepare students for the perception and use of different variants of English. Research and study of the differences between the British and American versions of the English language effectively contribute to the formation the worldview of the culture of the individual, deepens knowledge about the multifaceted relationship between different versions of the English language. The most significant differences between the English language in the UK and the USA are observed in phonetics and partially in spelling. However, these differences do not give any reason for insisting on the existence of a special, different from the English "American" language. Today, the study of the British version of the language is widespread in education. That is why it arises the problem of comparing these language options, which determines the relevance of the chosen topic.

Key words: divergence, linguistic differences, American English, phonetic differences, grammar aspect, modern English.

Анотація

Ковальова О. Б. Дивергенція сучасної британської та американської англійської мови в аспекті фонетики, орфографії та граматики

Стаття спрямована на дослідження основних відмінностей між американською та британською англійською. Аспектами дослідження є несхожість у фонетиці, орфографії та граматиці. Крім того, у статті представлено історичні та культурні причини такого розмаїття. Тема є актуальною у зв'язку зі зростанням популярності американської англійської мови в усьому світі в широкому спектрі сфер людського життя та діяльності в сфері матеріальної культури, економіки та фінансів, освіти та охорони здоров'я та багатьох інших. Цей процес очевидно відбувається тому, що, на відміну від британської версії, американська англійська більш гнучка, відкрита до змін і легша для розуміння. Таким чином, важливо отримати знання про особливості американського варіанту. Різниця в соціокультурному фоні визначає особливості розвитку кожного з різновидів. Проте, як зазначають науковці, належність до єдиної комунікативної мовної системи, тісні й різноманітні зв'язки між регіонами сприяють зближенню мовних форм. Особливості сучасної англійської мови в Америці давно привертають увагу лінгвістів. Довгий час більшість англомовних друкованих видань були орієнтовані на британську версію англійської мови. Однак у зв'язку з пожвавленням туристичних поїздок, професійних стажувань, обміну інформацією, пресою, літературою чи виробництвом кіно, телебачення, реклами ми все частіше стикаємося з невідповідностями, які дещо відрізняються від загальнобританської лексики. Розгляд даної теми дасть змогу налагодити процес вивчення англійської мови як міжнародної мови спілкування, таким чином, щоб підготувати учнів до сприйняття та використання різних варіантів англійської мови. Дослідження та вивчення відмінностей між британським та американським варіантами англійської мови ефективно сприяють формуванню світогляду культури особистості, поглиблюють знання про багатогранний зв'язок між різними варіантами англійської мови. Найбільш значні відмінності між англійською мовою Великобританії та США спостерігаються у фонетиці та частково в орфографії. Однак ці відмінності не дають підстав наполягати на існуванні особливої, відмінної від англійської «американської» мови. Сьогодні в освіті поширене вивчення британського варіанту мови. Тому виникає проблема зіставлення цих мовних варіантів, що визначає актуальність обраної теми.

Ключові слова: дивергенція, лінгвістичні відмінності, американська англійська мова, фонетичні відмінності, граматичний аспект, сучасна англійська мова.

Introduction

English is a multinational language: the British version started it the American version, and then the Australian and South African ones. And now, in the 21st century, we are dealing with Nigerian, Indian and Singaporean variants.

Nowadays, American version of the English language is particularly popular in a wide range of spheres of human life and activity in the field of material culture, economy and finance, education and health care and many others. American variant is spreading more and more widely throughout the world and is tending to supplant Britishisms.

Features of the modern English language in America have long attracted the attention of linguists. For a long time, most English-language printed publications were oriented towards the British version of the English language. However, due to the revival of tourist trips, professional internships, exchanges of information, the press, literature or productions of cinema, television, advertising, we increasingly come across inconsistencies that differ somewhat from the general British vocabulary [1].

The American version of modern English is irregular and does not follow the rules of the literary language. Unlike the British version, American English is more flexible, open to change and easier to understand. In particular, that is why it is becoming more widespread in the world. This is the language of a new generation without a certain nationality and place of residence, and brought up in mass culture.

Today, the study of the British version of the language is widespread in education. That is why it arises the problem of comparing these language options, which determines the relevance of the chosen topic.

Research Analysis. The basic sources for writing our work were the works of scientists who studied the English language in Britain and America, and in particular their differences: Dimitrova S., Bauer L., Dr Don R. McCreary, Gomez P, Lavren- chuk Ya. Yu, Brown L., and others.

The goal of the research. The main task is systematization and description of the main differences between the British and American versions of English.

Differences between the English language in England and America began to be felt as early as the 18th century. These discrepancies were noted by many authors. J. Witherspoon even offered to create an academy for the purpose of improving the English language in America, monitoring its development and publishing new data. At the end of the XVIII century, he was the first to create and introduce the term Americanism (Americanisms - words and expressions, pronunciation and spelling of words, as well as grammatical constructions that arose and were used in English on American territory) [1].

In Europe, English is the official language in the British Isles, as well as on the islands of the Mediterranean Sea - Malta and Gibraltar.

When speaking about English in America, they mean the United States first of all, although there are many countries on the territory of the American continent where English is the state language. This is Canada, where the two official languages are French and English; the former British colonies, the Bahamas and Barbados; Virgin Islands that were owned by Great Britain and the United States; Puerto Rico, which is subject to the US Congress; Trinidad and Tobago (former British possessions); Jamaica (former colony of Great Britain); Belize (formerly called British Honduras, was a colony of Great Britain); colonies of Great Britain - Bermuda and Falkland Islands.

Discussion and results

The basis of English in America is the language of the 17th century. However, under the influence of many factors, English in America has acquired some specific features that make up its features.

Hereby, it explains the fact that English is the language in America, a country with a multi-million population and territory, which is several times larger than the territory of Great Britain, has a relatively small number of utterances. The basis of the vocabulary is the words which are common in the language of England and the USA. american british english grammar

The number of words used in the USA to denote the most common objects and phenomena etc. and differ from those adopted in England are quite small.

At the current stage of historical development, the English language is a multinational language - it serves several nations and exists in the form of national variants, in particular, the American one. The difference in the socio-cultural background determines the peculiarities in the development of each of the varieties. However, as scientists note, belonging to a single communicative language system, close and diverse connections between regions contribute to the convergence of language forms, their convergence.

As for the entire vocabulary, the English language in America has more differences that concern the total number of "Americanisms" and peculiarities in semantics and the use of many words. However, these differences do not give any reason for insisting on the existence of a special, different from the English "American" language [1].

The most significant differences between the English language in the UK and the USA are observed in phonetics and partially in spelling. But here too there is a general presence of minor features in pronunciation do not give grounds for recognizing the existence of the "American” language.

It is necessary to dwell on the difference in the phonetics of the English language in England and America. Specific features of American pronunciation are as follows:

• before f, ft, ss, sk, sp, st, th, n (+consonant) is pronounced as [ж] Amer. English class [kla] [kla:s] dance [dans] [da:ns] path [pad] [pa:9] ask [ask][a:sk]

In some cases, we observe an intermediate pronunciation between [a:] and [ж], but typical pronunciation [ж] remains. An exception is the word father [fa:dd], where English pronunciation is preserved.

• The [r] sound is preserved in all positions:

a) before consonants: amer. English Amer. English art [art] [a:t] turn [tdrn] [td:n] b) in suffixes -er, -or: Amer. English Amer. English doctor ['doktsr] ['doktd] tractor ['traktdr]['traktd] c) at the end of the word combinations -ere, -re: Amer. English: sever [si'vidr] [si'vid] here [hidr][hid]

The pronunciation of r in the above cases is particularly characteristic of the language in central and eastern states [2].

• The vowel [o] often corresponds to [a]:

Amer. Eng. not [nat][not] top [tap] [top]

The sound [a] is close in articulation to [a:], but shorter than [a:] and more open than [Л]

• In certain words ei [ai] is pronounced as [i:]: either [4:ddr] instead of ['aids] neither ['ni:ddr] instead of ['naidd], etc.

• Combination ee in words like been is pronounced as [i]: been [bin] instead of [bi:n].

• The loss of unstressed vowels before r is rare. It is typical pronunciation: necessary ['nesissri] with Eng. ['nesisri].

• The melodiousness of speech is less expressive than with standard English pronunciation. Connected therefore the language acquires a monotonous character. The usual pace of speech is a little slower than in English [2].

• Nasal articulation of vowels (the so-called "twang") is common.

* Some words have deviations in pronunciation without certain regularities:

The peculiarities of individual dialects and diversity in pronunciation are much more significant. However, the language of the educated people, artists, the language of radio, cinema, television, etc. is characterized by much smaller differences from standard English pronunciation and does not have many of the features, which were mentioned above.

Differences in spelling are also important. Minor changes in American spelling indicate attempts to simplify spelling and bring it closer to the pronunciation. Below there are the main changes adopted in American orthography: a) spelling - or instead of -our in words such as: honor, color in Eng. honour, colour, etc.; b) spelling - er instead of -re in words like: center, theater when English centre, theatre, etc.; c) writing thru instead of English through, tho though,; d) simplification of consonant doubling: Amer. Traveler English traveller, Amer. wagon English waggon, Amer. councilor English councillor, e) replacement of letters: e by i Amer. gasolene - English gasoline, Amer. include - English enclose, etc.; in on and Amer. tyre - English tire, Amer. defense - English defence, Amer. pretense - English pretence, Amer. gayety - English gaiety, Amer. dryly - English drily etc.

In addition to the above, there are other, less significant features that are not common in use. It is worth noting that there are more attempts to simplify spelling in the US than in England. However, in both countries for effective simplification, the difference between spelling and pronunciation is still very little [3].

Let's also dwell on the differences in grammar. Many significant differences in grammar structure of English in England and America are not observed. In the literary language there are such deviations in the use of certain grammars forms:

a) verb to get: Eng. get - got - got Amer. get - got - gotten. There are also forms: boughten instead of bought; crep, crope instead of crept, etc.

b) use of Present Conjunctive: Eng. I suggest that he may (should) go Amer. I suggest that he go.

Other examples of the use of the conditional method can be: Eng. if I were you Amer. if I was you

Colloquial language in the USA is characterized by more noticeable deviations from grammatical norms of literary language [4]. The most important of them are the features in the system of conjugation of verbs: a) Auxiliary verb to have in Perfect forms is often completely omitted: seen him instead of have seen; not given instead of has not given, etc.

c) Formation of Past and Past Participle of irregular verbs often occurs with the help of the suffix -ed, -d, such as: knowed instead of knew; growed instead of grew, etc.

d) Some regular verbs form Past and Past Participle forms by irregular type: clomb instead of climbed, etc.

e) Negative forms of the verb to be in the Present Tense - am not, is not, are not- are is often used in the form of ain't (which also occurs in England, Canada, etc.).

f) Auxiliary verbs in the interrogative form are often omitted: You going to marry him? (Are you going... ?) Where you going? (Where are you...?)

g) Double negation is often used: You don't care for nobody but yourself. I can't see nothing.

h) The phrase (to) have got is often used: I haven't got any money in my purse, etc. I haven't got any memory. (Expression (to) have gotten means (to) have received, acquired).

Americans are quite flexible about the grammatical rules of the English language and prefer to simplify the language, for example, using Past Simple instead of Present Perfect Simple. The British, in turn, preserve traditions and follow grammatical rules. Compare: AmE: We already saw the Sphinx. BrE: We've already seen the Sphinx.

In English grammar, there is a rule - to use the preposition on before the days of the week: on Thursday, on Friday. The British strictly adhere to this rule, while Americans often omit the preposition. AmE: We've got a biology test Monday. - The biology test will be on Monday. BrE: We've got a biology test on Monday. - The biology test will be on Monday. Through instead of from ... to to indicate the duration of something, Americans usually use the preposition through, and the British use the prepositions from and to in this sense.AmE: I'm going to be on a trip Monday through Friday. BrE: I'm going to be on a trip from Monday to Friday.

The most noticeable differences between the English language in England and America can be observed in the vocabulary. These differences are caused by the following reasons:

1. English words have changed their meaning in the US language;

2. To designate some phenomena, concepts, objects, the words that were introduced in the USA different from the corresponding words in the English language in England;

3. Borrowings - non-English words - entered English in America originally [5].

The vocabulary of these two varieties of English also has differences. Such differences are caused by numerous borrowings in the American version from Native American and Spanish languages (mainly). Here are some differences in the vocabulary:

American variant - British variant: 1st Floor "groundfloor", Basement "cellar", 2nd Floor "secondfloor" 1st floor, Apartment - flat, soccer "football", etc. Many lexical differences are minor. For example, one word changes in phrases: Am. Keep tabs on - Brit. Keep check on - "follow someone". It is important to pay attention to those lexical differences that can cause confusion in understanding.

For example, subway in the US means "underground', and in the UK - "underpass"etc. [6].

There are also differences in English caused by the change in the meaning of an English word. Examples of this group of words can be: Amer. sick (sick) from English sick (weak, frail), mad (angry) mad (crazy, riotous), clever (good-natured) clever (clever), etc. The vocabulary of the English language in the USA includes words (e.g. fall, sick) that England were replaced by other words (such as autumn, ill). In other cases (mad, clever), one of the meanings has strengthened in the English language in the USA of the same word, rarely used in England, or obsolete. The number of words in this group is generally small.

There are also differences caused by having different words to denote the same subjects, concepts, etc. Words of this type (Amer. mail - English letters) make up a fairly large group: Amer. apartment English flat, Amer. elevator English lift, automobile motorcar, biscuit tea-cake and others [6].

We observe similar things both in the field of household goods and in the field of technology and production divergence: Amer. generator - English dynamo, Amer. radio - English wireless etc. The number of such words is quite large. Researchers provide a list of 122 words in the field of household, 51 words in the field of sports and entertainment, etc. In most of the words of the above group in English in the USA, a root is used (base) of an English word (such as rubbers, sidewalk, truck, etc.) or a borrowed word of foreign language origin (such as radio, elevator, generator, etc.).

Articles are used differently. Many stable expressions in the American version of the language are changing. For example, an American will say take a shower / a bath instead of have a shower / a bath. Instead of needn't, the complex form don't need to is used. To compare the lexical units of the British and American variants of the language, we provide the following examples, which are the most used: British variant (American variant) mobile phone (cellphone); flashlight (photo flash); petrol (gas); sweets (candy); pub (bar); lavatory (bathroom); biscuit (cookie); lift (elevator); baggage (luggage); post\letter (mail); film (movie); shop (store); boots (shoes); underground (subway); water closet, (W.C) (toilet); cab (taxi); tram (streetcar) [7].

Awareness of the American version of English is essential for successful communication with peers who are fluent in English and an important means of expanding knowledge, which causes students to further desire to continue the learning process for their own self-improvement.

Conclusions

The difference between the American and British version of English is fairly noticeable. However, the idea of significant differences is just a myth. In fact, there is not so much diversity, but there is a tendency to diversing every year.

Having analysed the literature and scientific sources, it is possible to conclude that consideration of this topic will make it possible to adjust the process of learning English as an international language of communication, in such a way as to prepare students for the perception and use of different variants of English. But this should be done taking into account the fact that the basic correct English is necessary to understand other language variants, dialects and features in order to master them. A person with knowledge of the classical English language will be able to adapt and get used to another language modification quite easily.

It can be said that the problems and differences between the British and American versions of the English language are quite noticeable, especially when using the acquired knowledge, practical skills and abilities.

Research and study of the differences between the British and American versions of the English language effectively contribute to the formation of the worldview of the culture of the individual, deepens knowledge about the multifaceted relationship between different versions of the English language.

References

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2. Dimitrova S. British and American Pronunciation. New York. Oxford University Press. 2010. pp. 1-18.

3. Gomez P British and American English Pronunciation Differences. Cambridge. Mayflower Press. 2009. pp. 3-8.

4. Кріцберг РЯ. Дивергенція та конвергенція регіональних варіантів англійської мови. Київ. 2001. 32 с.

5. Логвиненко Н.М. Відмінності між британськими та американським варіантами англійської мови крізь призму теорії та методики. Англійська мова та література. 2012. № 14 (348). С. 12-15.

6. Dr Don R. McCreary. British and American English. Macmillan English Dictionary. Oxford: Macmillan Publishers Limited. 2002.

7. Bauer L. An Introduction to International Varieties of English. Edinburgh University Press. 2003. 160 p.

8. Brown L. 10 Famous Names Brits and Americans Pronounce Differently. BBCAmerica. 2014. URL: https://www.bbcamerica.com/anglo- phenia/2014/07/10-celebrity-names-brits-americans-pronounce-dif- ferently.

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