Why is it that even though we speak the same language English and Americans use different words?

Question

We say pavement and you say sidewalk.
We say lift and you say elevator.
What other words do you know that are different but mean the same thing?

Answer 1

It's worse than that. Texans have "beer barns" (drive thru liquor stores). You can say water fountain in the north and bubbler in the south. Is it Soda Pop? Pop? Soda? Sodie? Cola? or Coke?

It's a region thing. America and England are different because of an entire Ocean between them. North and South U.S. have mountains and economic differences. East and West have mountains, deserts, and the sheer fact of how long it was before settlers in the West were really connected to the Colonial East. Then add in the fact that the southwest borrowed words from the Spanish in Mexico. The Northeast got the French from Canada. The Northwest got the English/French mix from Canada. And the Midwest got the Native American thing happening! Also consider the melting pot that America has been......... Settlers from every corner of the world adding to our language, changing us every day!

England hasn't been immune to change, either. They've just not had the same experiences and therefore, their language changed differently than ours.

Answer 2

The reason is, all languages change over time. The differences between Standard American English and Received Pronunciation are minimal compared to the dialectal differences, particularly in the UK and British Isles. And it is true - American English is closer to Shakespearean English (Early Modern English) than British English.

Answer 3

The reason we speak, more or less, the same language (English), we speak different dialects. This is what happens when the same language gets isolated in two different locations. Both of our Englishes are evolving differently. In the future they will get less and less alike as they both evolve.

One other word difference: Americans say hood of a car, British people say bonnet.

Answer 4

While I am sure that you have similar experiences there, I should point out that Americans in different parts of the country use different word for the same items.

Soda, for example, is also referred to as cola, pop and soda pop.

As I mentioned, I am sure that there are regional differences in the UK, say between British English and Welsh English.

Answer 5

They say tomato and I say tomato.

There are a couple of thousand miles between our countries and the populations parted company a couple of centuries ago.

Compare to Latin America - they speak Spanish completely differently to the Spanish. Any words for things invented since the end of colonialism may well be different.

Other words - aeroplanes and airplanes

Answer 6

Contrary to popular belief american english (till few years ago anyway) was truer to the old english spoken in the mother country while the 'mother' country (britain) was constantly changing and adapting its language. Any new words from america was necessary to describe an entirely different environment incl. plant and animal species which Britain doesnt have. Apart from that their language remained as it was from the day they left British (and european shores).

Answer 7

There are two sects of English- real English and then American English. It's just because, as someone else said, we're thousands of miles apart. Words form differently in different places because things look different.

Answer 8

Dialect is what you are talking about. Besides dialect we also have accents and other quirks of speech affected mostly by the area we grow up in.

As the old song goes, you say tamoto and I say tomato.

Potato, spud, tater,

Lady, broad, woman, female, I bet there are 50 terms for a woman.

How many can you think of?

Answer 9

Mostly because we Americans have butchered the English langauge.

The first word that pops to mind is when I was working in an office with a English gentleman and he asked me to reach in the desk drawer and get him a RUBBER. I supposed it is short for rubber band but in America a rubber is a CONDOM. :)

Answer 10

By the way, for that American man who said he worked with an English man, who asked for a rubber... he meant "eraser" not elastic band or rubber band or whatever you wana call it.

Anyway, we (the English) made up the language, Americans should just accept it and follow our rules about spelling and stuff. English is English, not American!!