British and American English

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Revision as of 18:43, 19 March 2008 by imported>Hayford Peirce (95% of the time, I would say, the word potato is used with chips)
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This article examines the differences between British and American English in the areas of vocabulary, spelling and phonology.

Vocabulary

Lexical differences are:

British American
autumn autumn/fall
car-park parking lot
chips (French or french) fries [1]
crisps potato chips
curtains drapes
film movie [2]
flat apartment[3]
(Association) football soccer
lift elevator
lorry/truck[4] truck
nappy diaper
off-licence liquor-store
pavement sidewalk
petrol gasoline/gas
road pavement
petrol gasoline/gas
rubber eraser
condom rubber
sweets candy
sweetshop candy-store
pants underwear
trousers pants

Notes

  1. Though strictly, these are two different shapes, chips being broader than fries
  2. ‘Movie’ is nowadays normal in BrE when talking Hollywood
  3. Increasingly heard in British English
  4. British trucks are traditionally small, and pulled, typically on rails