Is American English the same as British English? Are they mutually intelligible?

Question

I can speak a little British English but I don't know any American English.

If I met an American would i be able to understand him?

Answer 1

Well basically there the same language but just have different ways of saying things ...

British >>>>> American

Bill >>> Check
Crisps >>> Potato Chips
Chemist >>> Drugstore
Autumn >>> Fall
Car Boot >>> Car Trunk
Dustbin >>> Trashcan
Estate Agent >>> Real Estate
Lift >>> Elevator
Motorway >>> Freeway
Petrol >>> Gas
Postcode >>> Zip Code
Sweets >>> Candies
Trainers >>> Sneakers
Trousers >>> Pants

Really i would advise to to keep learning British English rather than American English as the American way is just mostly slang.

The English language originates from Britain ( England ) so it is infact the proper way to speak.

Answer 2

American English and British English are quite similar and yes, I think they are mutually intelligible. The only problem is that people speak English with different accents so you must try to listen carefully to understand what the other person is saying. I live in an African country where the official language is English and it is spoken really slow, but my mom speaks British english. I've travelled to Canada and America where American English is spoken and I had no problem understanding them. The only hindrance is that some expressions may be new.
I think I'm good at English because I virtually hear and understand three types/ dialects of English depending on where I've been or what country I'm in, not withstanding the fact that English is my second language. My first language is also in no way related to the English or any other European language, so if I can understand an American, then you can do even better.We are taught the Queen's English in our school but apart from the English teachers and HeadTeacher, a majority of the rest of the school population ( including the teachers ) speak the local English; So
if you've lived in England all your life,or you speak the Queen's English then I think you won't have much of a problem understanding American English,since they are basically the same, except for some few words that may differ in both languages.
If you listen well, you'll be fine; just don't be afraid to ask if you don't understand anything, after all, no-one is perfect.

Answer 3

I once had a friend from Ireland visiting the States and in a bar he asked for a light for his f a g (ignition for his cigarette) - the bar tender thought he meant a lite beer for his gay friend..
I'm sure there anre many stories like this out there.


The serious bit..................


Whether or not AE and BE are mutually intelligible depends very much on the listener.

Much of the differences are to do with what's called 'lexis' (that is the words used in a particular dialect) and the semantics of the words that people used. In England there are many dialects and accents whereas America is strangely very uniform for such a big country - there are only a few regional (English) dialects and in the States.

Many of the words used in America such as the Fall, folk(s) etc are actually reminiscent of an older English than is generally spoken in England.

If you're talking about American Standard English and British Standard English the main variations are in grammar and the semantics of some words but there should be no real problem understanding either for an English speaker.

To the person who thinks the mid-western accent/dialect is the best in the world/easist to understand - I have been in a lot of countries and all over the states and I found your accent really difficult - especially the habit of making up syllables where there are none - example- I was trying to buy a ticket from a machine in an L station in Chicago and the assistant told me to press "vaayund" - it took me a moment to understand that he meant "vend" - so I guess it's all in the ear of the beholder..............

Answer 4

The answer is: It depends on the person's accent. It may sound quite a lot different from what you've been learning. But it would be even more difficult the other way round, because British regional varieties vary more than American. The underlying words in American English are mostly the same as British English, and they are written the same, but the pronunciation varies. With some accents, you will need to "tune your ear" to get used to them. One big difference is that Americans pronounce t as d, when it comes between two vowels; they also pronounce the vowels in "caught" and "cot" the same and make them with lips stretched to the sides, whereas British Engish makes them different and both have rounded lips. (But note: Scots English makes them the same, but rounded.) So Americans pronounce "water" as "wahder", while standard British English says "wawter".

And Americans use a much more nasal way of speaking than Brits. That's why you can always hear an American speaking across a crowded room. It's what gives the characteristic resonance to the drawl of the southern states. The slow speed and the nasality have the advantage, for a foreign speaker, of making it easy to hear what they are saying - except that they run the words together even more than we do!

Answer 5

First, you have to know the pronunciation is different. British is more nasal (as of Victorian times. American English is pronounced similar to how older British accents were.)

The spellings are the different part.

favourite becomes favorite, colour becomes color.

The slang is different as well. Lorries don't exist in the States. They're called semi trucks, or just semis.

You can decipher it, it's pretty much the same. (except embarrassingly, many can not understand an accent on television without subtitles.)

The Midwest has the best pronounced English in the states. (and in the world for that matter.)

The only problem there is if you come across a m'waukeen. ( a person from Milwaukee) we say things with a cross between a polish accent and say everything really slow.

you should be fine. if you can't understands, ask politely for someone to repeat their words.

Answer 6

Good question. I sometimes find it difficult understanding the British. It's mainly because their version of English is uhh....less lazy, than the American version. For example, when a British person says the word "little", they pronounce the "Ts" where as an American would more likely pronounce it "liddle". Also, both versions have slight differences depending on region. I have American friends from the South who are almost unintelligible. I assume the same to be true of the UK. Also, the languages are the same, but we call some things by differnet names, ie, Elevator in "American" and Lift in "British". Hmm...good luck. I would recommend asking those who are difficult to understand to slow their speech down and enunciate. Don't loose heart. English is my first language, and I stil have a hard time understand some fellow English speakers!

Answer 7

The good thing about American English is that it is so standard across the states. Yes, I know there are regional variations but compared to the regional variations in UK American English is fairly homogenous.

I think UK English speakers find Americanisms easy to comprehend because of TV but I'm not sure it works the other way round. Whatever, the similarities far outweigh the differences and you should have no problems.

Answer 8

I don't think you would have any trouble understanding an American speak. I find some British dialects harder to understand than listening to Americans. There used to be a comedy programme on TV here with a Glaswegian (Glasgow person) actor and I had to watch it with sub-titles!

Brit English differs only slightly from US English in sound but spellings differ more.
IE programme/program

Also the US would say bathroom and we would say toilet or loo.
An important difference you need to know in slang is that Americans call the bottom a fanny where to the Brits a fanny is a women's pubic area! So be careful.

Answer 9

I agree with the pronunciation thing. The English say Tomarto, the Americans say tomayto. Google a list of differences between GB English and US English, words like Pavement - Sidewalk Lorry - Truck Lift - Elevator.

Answer 10

'Two nations divided by a common language.' That's a quote. If I've got time I'll Google it and come back.
Brits tend to understand USA English because of films and TV program(me)s.
People from the USA have more problems. I met a woman from Georgia who had never heard the word 'lorry' until she moved to Hong Kong. While teaching Vietnamese refugee children English in Hong Kong, I used the word 'café'. A USA citizen said, 'You can't teach children that word.' What's wrong with 'café'? It's not a speak-easy.
I hate to say this, but it's probably better to learn USA English these days.