British english vs American english

[topkek]

British english vs American english

Which one you think it's more correct?
And why?

In my opinion, british english is the most correct and personaly I love the accent.

 

[Champleon]

Would it then not be better, rather than lecturing on a language, acquiring some basics about it?

British English vs American English

Which one do you think (it's) is (more) correct?
And why?

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

It's not a question of more or less correct since both varieties of English have evolved in different ways.

As for the accent, there are so many different ones in Britain that sweeping statements about them would be meaningless. I personally prefer what I am comfortable with, which in my case is the English of Southern England.

 

[Roman55]

Someone from Jamaica does not sound like someone from Scotland.

I am not a teacher.

What does Jamaica have to do with Britain? I don't think you should include the Commonwealth countries if making the distinction between BrE and AmE. The Commonwealth includes Canada, Australia, a third of Africa and a chunk of Asia. 53 countries very few of which speak BrE!

 

[Barb_D]

I can't let the statement that American English has formal rules that are determined by the MLA stand.

There is no "rule-making" authority in the U.S. There are rules students must follow to satisfy the requirements of their teachers. There are rules writers must follow to satisfy the requirements of their publishers.

There are "standards" we expect from people in the business world. There are usage panels for various dictionaries and other reference works that review certain use - and you'll see that some usage that is unacceptable to a majority in a usage panel one year is acceptable later. But they don't set the rules. They reflect what the users of the language are doing.

 

[MikeNewYork]

That is like asking which is better: protein or carbohydrates?

 

[bhaisahab]

There is no official body that regulates British English, either.

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Topkek:

I am joining the conversation only to introduce a slang term that you may not know yet.

If you were cooking some potatoes in boiling water, would you put your hand into the water?

Of course, not.

Well, as you can see from the other posters, people have very strong and different answers to your question.

So if you were to ask me that question, I would answer:

"Oh, thank you for asking me, but that question is a hot potato. I don't want to touch it."

(A hot potato can burn your fingers. If I answered your question, I could "burn my fingers." That is, my opinion could make some people angry with me. Of course, we do not want people to be angry with us. Many people, therefore, NEVER discuss anything that is a hot potato. They just smile and say, "Have a nice day!")



James

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

There is no official body that regulates British English, either.

Thanks! Glad to know it. One less thing I have to look up today!

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I can't let the statement that American English has formal rules that are determined by the MLA stand.

There is no "rule-making" authority in the U.S. There are rules students must follow to satisfy the requirements of their teachers. There are rules writers must follow to satisfy the requirements of their publishers.

There are "standards" we expect from people in the business world. There are usage panels for various dictionaries and other reference works that review certain use - and you'll see that some usage that is unacceptable to a majority in a usage panel one year is acceptable later. But they don't set the rules. They reflect what the users of the language are doing.

An old friend who chaired a U.S. university English department always treated MLA as the final authority. I'm glad to find out it's not. Thanks! The idea that there are official rules for how to talk has always seemed grossly elitist to me.

I deleted my post. No sense confusing Topkek more than is absolutely necessary.

 

[Tdol]

Which one you think it's more correct?

They're equally correct, though one may be more useful in a particular region. The fact that English has so many variants is one of its greatest strengths as a language to me- it travels well.