British or American English 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 Which one should you study?

171,167 views ・ 2018-02-22

mmmEnglish


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

00:07
Hello! I'm Emma from mmmEnglish!
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In this lesson, we're going to talk about
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American English and British English.
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Do you need to know the difference?
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Which one is right?
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Which one should you use?
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And which one do I use?
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These are all questions that I get asked
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all the time by my students!
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And in this video I'm going to answer them for you.
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So the first question.
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Do you need to know the difference
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between American English and British English?
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Well you need to know that there are differences.
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There are a few different spelling rules, grammar rules
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and of course there's different accents and vocabulary.
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You need to know that there are those differences
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but that doesn't necessarily mean that you need to
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study and learn them.
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The truth is that all English speakers understand
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each other, despite the differences in their English.
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We watch each other's movies,
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we read each other's books, we work with each other,
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we read each other's news.
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So we're often exposed to the different
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words and spellings that other English speakers use..
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which brings me to the next question.
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Should you care about the differences
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between American English and British English?
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Maybe.
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It depends on why you're learning English.
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You only need to care about the differences
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if you're studying for an English exam,
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you're applying for or attending an English university
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or you're using English professionally for your job.
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Usually in these situations,
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you need to pay attention to the spelling
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and the grammar rules because it can affect
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your score
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or even affect your reputation.
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So if this sounds like you, then you
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definitely do need to think about whether
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British English or American English
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is the right choice for you.
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So which one is right?
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Which one should you use?
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Its a hard question for me to answer.
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You need to think about you and your situation.
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Are you living in an English-speaking country?
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Then of course,
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use the type of English that is used there.
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But maybe you're planning to study
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in an English-speaking country.
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Which one?
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If it's America, then you should be training
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to learn American English.
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But if not, then focus on British English
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because most other English-speaking countries
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use British English grammar and spelling standards.
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Do you speak to a lot of clients or colleagues
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who are from America or from the UK?
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This can help you to decide whether you need to
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study American English or British English.
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You might think that one type of English is easier
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than the other
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and that can also tell you which one you should study.
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You could choose any of these reasons
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to help you decide which type of English to study.
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It definitely makes sense to focus on lessons,
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books and teachers that use one type of English.
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It just makes it a little less confusing
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while you're learning.
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So focus on either British or American English
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but remember that the other one exists.
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You don't have to choose one and then
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never, ever, ever use the other.
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In fact, that's almost impossible!
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And also one is not more important than the other.
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But
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for you, there is probably one that is more relevant
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to your situation.
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And that's the one that you should focus on
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- that you should study.
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Another question that I often get asked is
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"What type of English do I use?"
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Well I'm Australian and here in Australia we follow
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British English rules for spelling and grammar.
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And that's actually true for most
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English-speaking countries outside of America.
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Of course, all English-speaking countries have
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some unique vocabulary and slang
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so there will be different words that you come across
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that are used for the same thing.
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Now if you want some examples of that
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then check out this video right here.
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Finally, it's important for you to know
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that there are some native English speakers who get
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very protective about their language and they will
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argue about which way is right and which way is wrong.
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But most of you,
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you don't need to worry about this conversation
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and these arguments and discussions about
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whose English is better
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or whose English is right or wrong.
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What's important for you, is that you
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keep building your English skills and
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you practise communicating clearly and confidently.
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Accept that there are different types of English
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and that's no reason to get stressed or anxious.
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It just is how it is.
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The most important thing
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is that you focus on communicating your ideas
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and your feelings clearly in English.
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But I do think that it's important to know what
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the differences
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between British and American English are
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so that you know how to recognise them.
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So in my next lesson,
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I'll explain the main differences
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with lots of examples
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so make sure you subscribe
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by clicking that button down there.
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You'll find out as soon as that video is ready!
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And in the meantime, you can check out these lessons,
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right here,
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where I'll be speaking with some other native speakers
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with American and British accents.
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So thanks for watching
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and I will see you again next week.
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Bye for now!
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