British or American? Why? It is agreed that no one version is "correct" however, there are certainly preferences in use. What are the differences?

American English GenAm General American pronunciation is used by educated people and those from the media. As a result of the influence of the Internet, the mass media and the large influence of the United States in the world’s affair, American English has become more popular. idge/a/dif_ambrit.htm idge/a/dif_ambrit.htm “Teaching pronunciation, a coursebook and reference guide”

British English When people talk about learning British pronunciation, they usually think of Received Pronunciation (RP). RP is the pronunciation of the British upper class; it is sometimes called the Queen’s English. Although the role of British RP in the English world has changed very considerably in the last century, it continues to serve as a model in many parts of the world “Teaching pronunciation, a coursebook and reference guide”

Main differences in pronunciation Differences in vowel production: Differences in consonant production: Differences in consonant production:General American pronunciation is rhotic, which means that the letter r is always pronounced. RP is non-rhotic, which means that the letter r is usually “silent” Different pronunciation ofcommon words: “Teaching pronunciation, a coursebook and reference guide” Celce-Murcia, Brinton, Goodwin

Differences in word stress Differences in sentence stress Differences in intonation NAE speakers tend to perceive British speakers as pretencious and mannered and British speakers tend to perceive Americans as negative and monotonous.

Other kinds of differences Grammar US Did you do your homework yet? Brit. Have you done your homework yet? US I already ate. Brit. I’ve already eaten. In British English, ‘have got’ is often used for the possessive sense of ‘have’ and ‘have got to’ is informally used for ‘have to’. This is much less common in American English. Brit. I’ve got two sisters. US I have two sisters. Brit. I’ve got to go now. US I have to go now. and-american-english

Vocabulary angry (Brit.) = mad (US) autumn = fall boot (of a car) = trunk chemist’s = drug store cupboard = closet flat = apartment lift = elevator nappy = diaper pavement = sidewalk petrol = gas/gasoline rubbish = trash tap = faucet trousers = pants american-english

Spelling 1 Some words that end in ‘-tre’ in British English end in ‘-ter’ in American English. US theater, center Brit. theatre, centre 2 Some words that end in ‘-our’ in British English end in ‘-or’ in American English. US color, labor Brit. colour, labour 3 Some words are shorter in American English than in British English. US catalog, program Brit. catalogue, programme learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/grammar -reference/british-english-and-american- english

Finally, what aspects do you have to consider when choosing between American or British English for teaching? - Understand both British and American English -Have a clear idea why our students dediced to study English -The institution’s decision whether to use one or another -Which one will be more useful for you -With which you feel more confortable -Whether you choose General American or RP, you will be understood by all English speakers -Whether you simply prefer one of the accents -Which accent you find easier to imitate. - Source: material from the unit,

SOURCES Material from the unit “Teaching pronunciation, a coursebook and reference guide” Celce-Murcia, Brinton, Goodwin and-american-english