On Grammatical Features of American English and British English

【Abstract】British English and American English are the two major varieties of English in the world. Due to their independent development with the different historical backgrounds， geography and culture， there are also many differences between them. As the English learners， it is necessary for people to get somewhat acquainted with the differences between them to help peoples study and keep people from unnecessary troubles. Because some people who dont know British and American English clearly and have a prejudice about British and American English. This paper makes an analysis and comparison of British and American English in terms of history， pronunciation， spelling and grammar， hoping to help people completely and objectively know the differences between British and American English.

【Key words】English variety； British English； American English； historical background； differences

1. The differences between British English and American English

Firstly， most vowels are pronounced a little different in American and British English. The follows are very different. The vowel [?u] （as in home） is a diphthong in British English； in American English it is closer to being a monophthong [o]， and it sounds very different. The vowel [ei] （as in make） is also a diphthong in British English； and in American English it is closer to being a monophthong [e].The vowel [o] （as in pot） is pronounced in American words without lip-rounding， and sounds like the vowel [a] （as in palm）. Many British people pronounce [a：] （a back vowel） in some words where Americans pronounce [?] （a front vowel）.

Secondly， The differences in spelling. There are sets of regular spelling differences that exist between the British English and American English. Some are due to American innovations or to overt attempts at spelling regularization. Others simply reflect the fact that English spelling was variable in earlier times and the two varieties choose different varieties as their standard.

Thirdly， the differences in vocabulary. The most frequent one is the different words with the same meaning， for example， flat（BrE） and apartment（AmE）.

2. The Reason for the differences between British English and American English

Political events， political figures， political movements， political parties and political policies can all lead to the language change. Sometimes， language will have dramatically changed especially when social and political change. Language is a real reflection of the objective world and a kind of social phenomenon. It is molded by the environment that people live in. Due to the differences in social customs and living styles， unique words are produced. Britain has a long cultural tradition and distinctive national features. Since the glorious revolution in 1688， Britain has never broken out the large-scale civil war or revolution. It is generally considered as the combining Marxism between empiricism and gradient doctrine. This cultural tradition had a significant impact on the development of English language.

3. Future development tendency of English

With the rise of emerging technologies and the full global integration of economic exchanges， political， economic and cultural exchanges between each other have become closer. People increasingly urgent need for all kinds of information， all kinds of information were fast spreading. English as a world language is the information exchange and information feedback tools， and it is increasingly shows its important role in international communication. English has no longer been the “national” language， it has become the public communication tool between different countries and different nationalities. Along with British and American cultural exchanges， the differences between British English and American English will become increasingly smaller. English will be toward “common and diversification coexist” direction.

Conclusion

English is one of the most important languages in the world. Large numbers of people in the world speak and write English as a foreign language for the purpose of science， technology， and international communication. In fact， no language is more widely studied and used as a foreign language than English. The desire to learn English is immense now and apparently insatiable not only in other countries， but also in China. English has also become a required subject in our middle schools， colleges， universities， and even in some primary schools.

References：

[1]Crystal，D.Language and the Internet.Cambridge：Cambridge University Press，2001.

[2]Ferguson，Charles，A.Heath & Shirley B.Language in the USA.NewYork：Cambridge Univerdity Press，1981.

[3]Hale，Constance，ed.Wired Style：Principles of English Usage in the Digital Age.San Francisco，CA：Hardwired M，1996.

作者简介：孙肖杰（1992-），女，汉族，山东潍坊人，2014级鲁东大学外国语学院英语语言文学专业，硕士研究生，研究方向：英美文学。