[General] among/amongst

[LaMelange]

Hello teachers,

Could both among and amongst be used in a chapter and, by extension, a monograph? Shouldn't we use either one of these?

Is there any difference between British and American usage regarding this?

Thanks you!

 

[GoesStation]

You will hardly ever see "amongst" in texts written by an American-English speaker, except perhaps in the phrase amongst others.

 

[LaMelange]

A check with several dictionaries at www.onelook.com shows that 'amongst' means the same as 'among'.

Yes, I checked a couple of dictionaries, but my question is, Can both the words be used in the same book (and in the same chapter) that follows British spelling?

Should we not follow either among or amongst in a single chapter for consistency?

I have the same question with regard to while/whist in British English.

Thank you, as always!

 

[Rover_KE]

You should be consistent in your own writing. Don't be surprised if others are less careful.

The same goes for while/whilst ('whist' is a card game).

 

[Phaedrus]

You will hardly ever see "amongst" in texts written by an American-English speaker, except perhaps in the phrase amongst others.

One phrase that I, a native AmE speaker, always use "amongst" in is "talking amongst ourselves" and its variants.