My husband and I, both from the Midwest of the United States, have spent the past week at the home of a man who was born and raised in London. Since all three of us enjoy learning other languages, our conversations have inevitably turned to the differences between English from England and English from the US.
In terms of vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation, and grammar, the two forms of English vary. And yet, when a Londoner talks to a Midwesterner, they understand each other. You might be saying to yourself, "Of course! A Madrileño can communicate with a Chilean, and a Carioca can converse with someone born and bred in Porto." And that's right! The changes that have taken place in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or French on one side of the Atlantic or the other have not yet transformed these languages to the point that those using the different styles cannot communicate with one another.
Here's a quick quiz about English English and American English:
1. Who expresses weight in pounds but not stones?
A) Those in the US do.
B) People in the UK do.
2. In the UK, they call it the bonnet of a car. In the US, what is it?
A) The rearview mirror
B) The tailpipe
C) The hood
3. In the US, we call it zucchini. What is it in the UK?
A) Courgette
B) Scourge
C) Porridge
4. In Los Angeles, people put the garbage in the garbage can or trash can. In London,
A) they put the dust in the stash receptacle.
B) they put the rubbish in the dustbin.
C) they put the junk in the dustbox.
5. "We've come to the realization that Marcus was adding up the wrong numbers on the form." Who probably wrote this message?
A) Someone from the US did.
B) Someone from the UK did.
-- ANSWERS -- ANSWERS -- ANSWERS -- ANSWERS -- ANSWERS --
1. A
2. C
3. A
4. B
5. A (In the UK, it's realisation with an S.)
Image by Pavlo Lys