How's different British English and American English?

Question

I am a Turkish person who always plays video games, listen to rap songs, study on computer science and coding since my childhood, and always watch documentaries on YouTube.

So especially for the last 12 years, I learned American English mostly. And it sounds much better to my ears, much more clear and cool. And easier to understand. British/English Accent is hard to understand in general.

But I want to ask people who speak English as a first/native language, what are the main differences? Who updates the American English? Are there any laws about English in the US? If British English adds New words to itself, will those words also valid (to be added) in American English?

SnowedIn · Accepted Answer

There are a lot of differences but many of them are very subtle. @artsy_dragon captured it very well.

Set accents aside for a bit. They are different and they will impact your ability to understand the speaker, but that's not actually part of the language difference. That's the user verbally speaks the language.

One of the differences is spelling. Americans will use the letter z in places where the British will use the letter s. Realization versus realisation. Or, in Canada, Elisabeth versus Elizabeth. The big one is the addition of the letter u in words such as color, favor, and favorite (I'm using the American spellings).

HUGE differences exist in how some words are used. The British are LIGHT YEARS better at using the best word for its meaning. Not as examples for that specifically, but some examples where words are different: British say 'chips' for what Americans call 'French fries' or 'fries'; American 'chips' are British 'crisps'. Americans say 'vacation' for what the British call 'holiday'. British 'public' schools are fee-charging (not state) which in America are called 'private'. Americans keep a 'schedule' while British record their appointments in a 'diary' -- a 'diary' in America being stereotyped as that which teen girls record thoughts about their crushes. In America, a 'bar' is not only the piece of furniture at which drinks are prepared and served, it is also the building in which people drink, but it is also an organization to which practicing attorneys (lawyers) are admitted. There's another one: in America, everyone is a lawyer or attorney; in Britain there are barristers and solicitors. The list goes on.

There are also lots of idiom, nuance, and other cultural differences.

If you speak English, can you easily communicate in both countries? Yes. But if you speak one, you will make errors in the other country. Not bad. Not the kind that would get you killed, but you'll make mistakes.

CindyRuns · Accepted Answer

English is basically what people speak... words get added all the time.

I have a friend from India... he describes what is spoken in India as "Hinglish" ... when he goes back to visit his family, he hears words he doesn't know.

For the most part American and British English are very much the same. Each has some unique words they use but generally understandable to people from the other place.

artsy_dragon · Accepted Answer

Differences between American and British English include pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, idioms, and formatting of dates and numbers.

Anonymous · Answer

It is not difficult to understand the difference between them.

Anonymous · Answer

Its more about the accents, than anything else. The language doesn't change much.

Anonymous · Answer

Video games and rap songs? I'm sorry!

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