Is it true the English used in USA and the UK isn’t identical but not too different to the point people would have trouble understanding each other?

[Anonymous]

Updates

10 mo

Like a person from the UK and the USA wouldn’t have trouble understanding and speaking too each other.

[JamesMI616]

Absolutely. With that said they use completely different slang. " American English is full of slang and various dialects and accents depending on the region and I'm sure the Queens English is the same. So we might not understand each other completely but certain American accents can be tough to understand. For example Baltimore or Louisiana accents sound nothing alike and they have completely different slang than each other and California slang has it's own popular idoms as well as urban legends and specific to the west coast. Minnesota has an almost Canadian accent similar to the accent My fellow Michiganders
swear they don't have that I only notice if I'm when I call home from another state. Same goes for a strong Canadian accent or any Australian accent. We'll have no problem communicating in general but certain slang might need translating. Australia is huge & is Canda so I assume they have their own slang and different dialects according to the region. BC is the west coast and Windsor is basically the other side of Detroit and they some of them speak French. It's the same in other languages too. Although they speak Spanis in Spain it's slightly different Spanish than in PR or Mexico depending on the and region. You can learn a lot about languages and cultures by spotting accents. I find accents fascinating and I can't count how many times I've genuinely connected with strangers this way. It's not only a great icebreaker for the anxious and introverted looking to be more outgoing but it's an honest way to share a bit of someone's culture with them or maybe make someone smile by reminding them of home.

[WindAtMyBack]

We sometimes have a hard time understanding each other, but most of the time it's not a problem. When we don't understand each other it's not about the language itself, it's about the accent and usage.

There are some slang words and collocations that are different and may not be understood.

Even in different parts of the US there is some difference. There have been rare times when I could not easily understand another American.

Even though I'm a native speaker, there are even some English sounds that I have a hard time pronouncing. For example the words "steel wool". I pronounce it more like "steo woe" without the L sound. I have a very hard time pronouncing the L.

[purplepoppy]

There's a huge variation in English across the UK in both dialect and accent. You'll find words and phrases unique to every town not heard elsewhere. Take grandmother as an example, gran, granny, nanny, nana, nain, all found across England and thats before you add wales and Scotland. Yet for the most part we understand each other. Throw in Americanisms, Australian, Canadian etc and it shows how adaptable our minds are.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Not really. Americans regularly joke about how they can’t understand Scottish accents.

[KostasKouvalis]

I mean, there are some different slangs and names of some things, but for the most part, unless they have a really thick regional accent, we can understand eachother fine.

@gwendoline , YOU'RE a Brit living in the US. Wanna chime in?

How about, @purplepoppy

[abc3643]

Certain nouns are different and the spelling is different but for the most part there's not a problem.

[slatyb]

Yes, that's true. English speakers all over the world are mutually intelligible.

[DrPepper12]

My uncle from Brooklyn lived in UK from 20s on. He sounded fucking retarded mixing Brooklyn & Cockney. Hope that helps!!

[Anonymous]

Im living in the us. I've had to learn to speak more American and stop using certain words and slang.

[Anonymous]

There are dialects used in England where even British people don't understand.

[Metaworld]

Anyone who uses Siri on an iPhone or iPad knows that if you're going to use voice control, you need to select the version of English you want. They are all different.

[Anonymous]

Yes, that is generally correct. Although they are not identical, people from USA and UK should be able to understand each other generally.

[Chazmatazz269]

That’s basically true.

[jahaims]

No way you are that stupid

[seeyounexttuesday]

That is true.

[Pterodon]

Yes it’s true.