SPEAKING ENGLISH IN CHICAGO AND LONDON

As you travel across one English-speaking country, or as you travel from one English-speaking country to another, you often notice changes in pronunciation, word usage, spellings, and even grammar. of the many existing dialects of English, the two most influential varieties are standard American and standard British-the varieties of English spoken by educated natives of cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, on the one hand, and of London on the other.

Foreign speakers of English should perhaps (i) be aware of the main differences between these two dialects, (ii) consistently use either one dialect or the other, and (iii) consciously adjust their pronunciation, spelling, and choice of words to their audience. For instance, in a Nepali bank they would use the British Queue instead of the American stand in line. In a Nepali petrol station, they had beter ask their mechanic to check the mobil in their car, even though both Britons and Americans heck the oil.

Anyway, setting differences in pronunciatin aside, here are some frequently encountered differences between educated Chicago and London English:

Dates:

U.S. : My son was born on January 12, 1996. (1/12/96)

U.K.: My son was born on 12 January 1996. (12/1/96)

Have Questions;

U.S.: Do you have money? Do you have many friends in Nepalgunj?

U.K.: Have you money? Have you many friends in Nepalgunj?

A Few Different Spellings(U.S./U.K.):

airplane/aeroplane:

learned/learnt;

leveled/levelled;

traveled/travelled;

behavior/behaviour;

color/colour;

fabor/favour;

humor/humour;

organize/organise;

practice/practise

favor/fabour;

A Few Words Related to Transportation (U.S./U.K.)

gasoline/petrol;

hood/bonnet;

trunk/boot;

truck/lorry;