TIỂU LUẬN NGÔN NGỮ XÃ HỘI HỌC

HUE UNIVERSITY
INSTITUTE OF OPEN EDUCATION
AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
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SOCIOLINGUISTIC PROJECT

Lecturer:

Trần Thuần

Student’s name:

Trần Thị Hậu - Số thứ tự 25

Student’s code:

7052900545

Class:

Nghe An 6

Topic 1:
1. There are systematic differences between the English spoken in the
US and the English spoken in the UK, hence the terms ‘American English’
and ‘British English’ due to historical and political reasons.
It is highly plausible that a similar phenomenon, historically and politically
triggered, can be found in the Korean language. Investigate the (possible)
differences between the Korean spoken in North Korea (Democratic People’s

Republic Korea) and the Korean spoken in South Korea (Republic of Korea).

Nghe An, July 2023


1. There are systematic differences between the English spoken in the US
and the English spoken in the UK, hence the terms ‘American English’ and
‘British English’ due to historical and political reasons.
It is highly plausible that a similar phenomenon, historically and politically
triggered, can be found in the Korean language. Investigate the (possible)
differences between the Korean spoken in North Korea (Democratic People’s
Republic Korea) and the Korean spoken in South Korea (Republic of Korea).

Assignment
The British actually introduced the language to the Americas when they
reached these lands by sea between the 16th and 17th centuries. At that time,
spelling had not yet been standardised. It took the writing of the first
dictionaries to set in stone how these words appeared. In the UK, the
dictionary was compiled by London-based scholars. Meanwhile, in the United
States, the lexicographer was a man named Noah Webster. Allegedly, he
changed how the words were spelled to make the American version different
from the British as a way of showing cultural independence from its mother
country.
In terms of speech, the differences between American and British English
actually took place after the first settlers arrived in America. These groups of
people spoke using what was called rhotic speech, where the ‘r’ sounds of
words are pronounced. Meanwhile, the higher classes in the UK wanted to
distinguish the way they spoke from the common masses by softening their
pronunciation of the ‘r’ sounds. Since the elite even back then were
considered the standard for being fashionable, other people began to copy

their speech, until it eventually became the common way of speaking in the
south of England.
1. Spelling differences
British and American English have some spelling differences. The common
ones are presented in the table below.
British and American spellings diverge by the hundreds. This may be credited
to American lexicographer Noah Webster. The dictionary that bears Webster's
name may be a familiar name to you.
In the late 1700s, author, politician, and educator Noah Webster began an
endeavor to improve English spelling. The inconsistent spelling in English
irritated him. Webster sought to spell words as they appeared on the page.
The spelling change also showed America's independence from England.


American spellings of words like "color" (from "colour"), "honor" (from
"honour"), and "labor" (from "labour") show Webster's influence. Webster
took the letter "u" out of these words so their spelling would match how they
were said.
British English

American English

-oe-/-ae- (e.g. anaemia, diarrhoea,
encyclopaedia)

-e- (e.g. anemia, diarrhea, encyclopedia)

-t (e.g. burnt, dreamt, leapt)

-ed (e.g. burned, dreamed, leaped)

-ence (e.g. defence, offence, licence)

-ense (defense, offense, license)

-ell- (e.g. cancelled, jeweller,
marvellous)

-el- (e.g. canceled, jeweler, marvelous)

-ise (e.g. appetiser, familiarise,
organise)

-ize (e.g. appetizer, familiarize, organize)

-l- (e.g. enrol, fulfil, skilful)

-ll- (e.g. enroll, fulfill, skillfull)

-ogue (e.g. analogue, monologue,
catalogue)

-og (e.g. analog, monolog, catalog)
*Note that American English also
recognizes words spelled with –ogue

-ou (e.g. colour, behaviour, mould)

-o (e.g. color, behavior, mold)

-re (e.g. metre, fibre, centre)

-er (e.g. meter, fiber, center)

-y- (e.g. tyre)

-i- (e.g. tire)

2. Vocabulary differences
The Americans and the British also have some words that differ from each
other. The table below lists some of the everyday objects that have different
names, depending on what form of English you are using.
The vocabulary is the most obvious difference between American English and
British English. Numerous standard terms have diverse meanings. For
instance, Americans refer to a car's front end as the hood, whereas the British
refer to it as the bonnet.
While Britons have holidays or hols, Americans go on vacation.
Londoners live in flats, whereas New Yorkers reside in apartments. There are
a lot more instances than we can list here. The majority of Americans and
Britons, fortunately, can typically infer the meaning from the context of a
statement.

British English

American English

trousers

pants

flat

apartment

bonnet (the front of the car)

hood

boot (the back of the car)

trunk


lorry

truck

university

college

holiday

vacation

jumper

sweater

crisps

chips

chips

French fries

trainers

sneakers

fizzy drink

soda

postbox

mailbox

biscuit

cookie

chemist

drugstore


shop

store

football

soccer

3. Grammar differences
Aside from spelling and vocabulary, there are certain grammar differences
between British and American English. For instance, in American English,
collective nouns are considered singular (e.g. The band is playing). In
contrast, collective nouns can be either singular or plural in British English,
although the plural form is most often used (e.g. The band are playing).
The British are also more likely to use formal speech, such as ‘shall’, whereas
Americans favour the more informal ‘will’ or ‘should’.
Americans, however, continue to use ‘gotten’ as the past participle of ‘get’,
which the British have long since dropped in favour of ‘got’.
‘Needn’t’, which is commonly used in British English, is rarely, if at all used
in American English. In its place is ‘don’t need to’.
In British English, ‘at’ is the preposition in relation to time and place.
However, in American English, ‘on’ is used instead of the former and ‘in’ for
the latter.
Final point
While there may be certain differences between British and American
English, the key takeaway is that the two have more similarities. Accidentally
using one instead of the other will not automatically lead to
miscommunication. Americans and Brits can usually communicate with each
other without too much difficulty, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you are
unable to memorise the nuances of both languages.

4. Auxiliary Verbs


Another grammatical distinction is auxiliary verbs. Helping verbs and
auxiliary verbs are verbs that contribute to the formation of a grammatical
function. They "assist" the primary verb by providing details regarding time,
modality, and voice.
Let's examine the subordinating verb "shall." The word shall is occasionally
used by the British to signify the future. For example, "I shall go home now."
Though they are familiar with its meaning, Americans hardly ever use the
word in speech. It has a formal air to it. "I'll go home now" is probably how
Americans would phrase it. British people may ask, "Shall we go now?" while
Americans are more likely to ask, "Should we go now?"
When Americans don't feel like they have to do something, they say "do not
need" after the helping verb "do." "We do not need you in the office today."
Brits omit the helping verb and use the word not."You need not report to work
today."
5. Past Tense Verbs
Regular verbs also exhibit some slight irregularities in the past tense.
It is the past tense of "learn" in American English. In British English, you
may use either "learned" or "learnt." Learned and learnt, burned and burnt,
and dreamed and dreamt, all follow the same rules. The -t ending is more
common in British English, whereas the -ed ending is more common in
American English.
When a verb is irregular, Americans sometimes add the suffix -en to show
that the verb is now in the past tense. The phrase "I have never got caught" is
more likely to be used by a Brit than an American. In American English, both
got and gotten may mean "had" in the past. Got is a universally understood
British expression.
Don't stress too much over the fact that irregular verbs tend to have subtle

differences in their past tense. Those from both countries know the other's
method.
6. Tag Questions
Adding the tag question may transform a sentence from a declarative
statement into a question. For example, "This whole thing is sad, isn't it?" or
"You don't like him, do you?"


Pronouns with accompanying verbs (to be, to have, to do) form the tag.
Invoking tags prompts listeners to respond and show agreement. Tag
questions are also used by Americans, but much less often than in British
English. These days, Brits often use "innit?" slang to mean "isn't it".
7. Collective Nouns
The two versions of English have a few grammatical distinctions. Start by
looking at group nouns. Collective nouns are used to describe a group of
people.
Collective nouns in American English are singular. For instance, the terms
"staff," "band," and "team" denote groups of workers, musicians, and athletes,
respectively. "The band is excellent," as they would say in America.
However, collective nouns in British English may be either single or plural.
The phrase "The team are playing tonight" or "The team is playing tonight"
may be heard from a British speaker.
8. Two Ways To Show Possession
There are two verbs used in English to show that you possess something,
especially when speaking. They are "to have" and "have got"
American English: Do you have any friends here?
British English: Have you got any friends here?
American English: They have an amazing new car.
British English: They've got an amazing new car.
Both British and American English accept both forms, however, Brit speakers

prefer the use of "have got" while Americans speakers use "have" in their
sentences.
9. It Is Still English
English spoken in the United States and the United Kingdom is quite similar.
We believe the distinction between British and American English is often
overstated. If you can comprehend one style, you ought to be able to
comprehend the other style.


Most British and American citizens can communicate with one another
without a language barrier, with a few exceptions for regional accents. You
can use movies to help you distinguish between so many English accents if
you are interested in this topic!