# Forum Other Languages English for Russians - Изучаем английский язык Learn English - Грамматика, переводы, словарный запас  English and American langs

## pranki

We in Russia are commonly taught a mixture of British and American dialects. I want to realize the differences and choose one of the langs  ::  Can you help me? Maybe, any useful links or anything else? Or is my plan just a freak?  ::

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## Moryachka

First off, what are your goals?  What will you use English for?  Are you planning to travel?  If so, where to - the US or Britain?  And besides all that, which accent do you like better?  Which culture interests you more?  If you're learning English in order to visit the UK to go pub-crawling, watch a cricket or football match or just to tour historic sites, by all means, study the Queen's proper English.  If you're learning English to visit the US to go bar-hopping, watch a basketball or football (not round!) game, or just to tour historic sites, go ahead and learn yourself some good American   ::  .  Seriously, though, they are different languages and you're not at all crazy in deciding to choose between them.  Personally, you'll be understood almost anywhere no matter which version you learn, if you learn good grammar and passable pronunciation.  But although the Empire's gone, British English still seems to carry with it a certain prestige (when used naturally...Americans will sometimes fake a British accent when joking around), which might help in a business career.

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## Joel

We have some differnt slang term's and some differnt spellings.  The accent is differnt too, but chances are youll be stuck with a Russian accent anyways, and it isn't like differnt parts of the US don't have differnt accents.  You will be understood in both country's either way.  I would probally just pick which version sounds the nicest to you, and what you will be using more.   
Check out this link  http://esl.about.com/library/weekly/aa110698.htm

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## pranki

*Moryachka*, my main goal is not to be a laughing-stock  ::  I think, it will be very funny if one phrase I speak in British and another one in American  ::  So I must know at least main differences.  *Joel*, thank you for the link. I started to learn it  ::

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## DDT

> Seriously, though, they are different languages and you're not at all crazy in deciding to choose between them.  .

  This is the most inaccurate and misleading statement that I have ever heard of. Something that i would expect to hear from only the most self centered American.  
The only thing different about the ENGLISH spoken in  the USA and the ENGLISH spoken in Britain is the accent, except for what should be considered regional  colloquialisms that you would find in any language. 
The question you should ask yourself is "do  i want an American accent or British?"
I advise going with British because you will appear more educated no matter what English speaking country you are in.
These days it is better not to be connected to America when you travel to other countries. Even in  Australia, I was once berated in a Sydney pub by a rather attractive female for having  spent 10 years in America. All of Americas faults were seen as mine, because I had the "audacity" to stay there so long.
You can travel much further and broader speaking British English than American.   

> *Moryachka*, my main goal is not to be a laughing-stock  I think, it will be very funny if one phrase I speak in British and another one in American  So I must know at least main differences.

  No one will laugh at you for any mistake you may make. I had some friends from Iraq who spoke British English. They sounded very intelligent  and educated as such. You will not be able to hide your Russian accent either way.

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## pranki

> You will not be able to hide your Russian accent either way.

 But I can aim at this  ::

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## kwatts59

There is no significant difference between British English, American English, Austrailian English, Irish English, Scottish English. 
It is awkward to discuss the American accent since I am an American and most educated Americans I converse with sound fine to me.   ::   
But I have to admit that the British accent has some appeal.  For some reason the British accent sounds very Educated.  I do not know why. 
The Austrailian accent sounds un-educated to me.  I am not saying it is bad, I still find the accent appealing and pleasent to listen to.  Words like G'dye, barbie, mate, Ossie etc. 
Irish and Scottish English sound merry to me.  I guess it comes from listening to that lepracaun on the Lucky Charms cereal throughout my childhood years.

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## Darobat

Well there are also vocabulary differences.  For example, in American english, they say "bathroom", while if you go to Britain, they'll say "loo".  In American english, you hear "cell phone", while in Britain you will here "mobile phone".  Although on the whole, you would be able to get the gist of both of the dialects.

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## kalinka_vinnie

> The only thing different about the ENGLISH spoken in  the USA and the ENGLISH spoken in Britain is the accent, except for what should be considered regional  colloquialisms that you would find in any language.

 ... and some spelling, vocab and pronounciation! What kind of armour are you wearing, or is it armor? Do put your shotgun in the trunk or the boot? do you say alUminum or alumInium? DDT, you drive a truck or a lorry for a living? Do you go drinking on the weekend or at the weekend? do you recognize or recognise what I am trying to say?

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## kalinka_vinnie

But Pranki, the differences are so minute, that you should worry absolutely nil about it. English is english, you'll be understood 99.99% of the time.

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## DagothWarez

> do you say alUminum or alumInium?

 Чапаев – Бойцы, сегодня будем таскать люминий
Петька – Не люминий, Василий Иванович, а Алюминий.
Чапаев – А шибко умные будут таскать чугуний  ::

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## Moryachka

> This is the most inaccurate and misleading statement that I have ever heard of. Something that i would expect to hear from only the most self centered American.

 I'm sorry.  Didn't mean to come off that way.  All I meant was to jokingly point out a few differences.  Unfortunately, humour is not my strong point.  And, Pranki - DDT's right.  Nobody'll laugh at your accent.  Yes, British English is likely the better way to go.

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## Joel

Out of curiousity, what do you guys think of American accents?

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## Анатолий

There is a version of English, which is not Runglish, Chinglish or whatever, but English spoken by a lot of educated foreigners who speak English well and don't belong to an English-speaking country. They concentrate on getting their pronunciation right, probably closer to British but some have some American sound to it. Spelling is slightly different but it's OK to use either, as long as you're consistent. American accent can be good too if you speak like a TV commentator, not like a bus driver. So a foreigner (French, German, Russian, Chinese, whatever) who mastered English may choose correct British or correct American accent. 
Australian local accent does sound a bit undeducated but many Australian fix their accents and speak very decently without "ockering". Fro example TV reporters speak very good English in Australia and I enjoy their English more than those on CNN. 
Your Englsih will develop as you use it, the words and phrases you pick up depend on sources you use, so you may be influenced by American, British or other source, it's all English. I would focus on words and phrases understood by all English speakers first - slang words are just innumerable, they change all the time and may not be understood by other English speakers. Read English books/sites you like without bothering too much, which version it is and you will get most of it.

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## Jeff

In the contemporary world, the Americans lead and the English follow, so if you wish to learn a useful language, the American standard of English is the one to learn.  
During Soviet times, the standard taught was primarily that of the so-called "United Kingdom" (i.e. England). Recent textbooks, however, teach the American standard, apart from a few quirks of UK usage which haven't been noticed and edited out yet. 
Trying to use a compromise language will only make you sound like Austin Powers, and just like Austin Powers, you will be laughed at. 
That being said, most English speakers around the world are very tolerant of differences in pronunciation and accent, somewhat less tolerant of grammatical errors and rather intolerant of the irritating localisms of vocabulary that untraveled English people tend to use. The international standard that Anatolij writes about is the American standard of English spoken with various accents, any of which is acceptable, provided that the grammar and usage are basically American.

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## Rtyom

I would like to correct the name Anatoli*j* into Anatoli*y*.

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## DDT

> In the contemporary world, the Americans lead and the English follow,

  I can't wait till our UK members of MR get a load of you. wOOHoo!

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## Jeff

> Originally Posted by Jeff  In the contemporary world, the Americans lead and the English follow,      I can't wait till our UK members of MR get a load of you. wOOHoo!

 Well, in diplomacy, it's usually true, for better or worse.
In language, you should be able to see that the formal written standards of Australia and Canada have moved closer to that of the USA and that the specialized vocabulary of computing and communications technology was coined almost exclusively in the USA.

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## Анатолий

> I would like to correct the name Anatoli*j* into Anatoli*y*.

 It's all the matter of transliteration method used. My name Анатолий [letter-to-letter Anatoliy] has a short 'i' at the end, which can also be skipped when transliterated, it's spelled Anatoli in my passport as in my signature but more natural English spelling would be Anatoly. Letter j is pronounced as Y in 'yellow' in the majority of languages using Latin script, except perhaps English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. So Polish spelling could be Anatol or Anatoli*j*, same with German, Turkish, etc. French name is Anatole with the mute 'e'. 
I prefer Anatoli because that's the way I spell my name in English (I am not too fussed about people missplelling my name) but you will find other variations of spellings in English, in Russian there's only one full name - Анатолий.

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## Анатолий

> Originally Posted by DDT        Originally Posted by Jeff  In the contemporary world, the Americans lead and the English follow,      I can't wait till our UK members of MR get a load of you. wOOHoo!   Well, in diplomacy, it's usually true, for better or worse.
> In language, you should be able to see that the formal written standards of Australia and Canada have moved closer to that of the USA and that the specialized vocabulary of computing and communications technology was coined almost exclusively in the USA.

 True about Canada, not exactly about Australia. Australian spelling rules are a mixture of British and American, more British than American. It's organise, not organize, etc. It's much closer to British but a few American spelling rules were adopted as standard, e. g. program, not programme. 
Anyway, no one will be punished for spelling in American way, in other words it's a personal choice. 
In New Zealand schools they now allow both British and American spellings - a recent change. 
On pronunciation. Standard Australian pronunciation (used by TV/Radio commentators) is pretty much like British. In "Park" R makes the vowel longer but is not pronounced, etc. 
Some words like "schedule" can be pronounced both as "skejule" or "shedyule" by different people in Australia, the first being the American way. Route is pronounced "root", not "rowt" but router is usually pronounced "rowter" as in the US.

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## Jeff

Spelling is just spelling. It doesn't affect a language's grammar and (in English) it rarely even affects pronunciation. As evidence of Australian English moving closer to American English: Australian newspapers almost never use the strange English combination of singular noun and plural verb ("Manchester United _are_...").

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## Анатолий

> Spelling is just spelling. It doesn't affect a language's grammar and (in English) it rarely even affects pronunciation. As evidence of Australian English moving closer to American English: Australian newspapers almost never use the strange English combination of singular noun and plural verb ("Manchester United _are_...").

 But they use Police ARE..., The United States ARE..., etc, if this is waht you mean. Of course, there is American influence in Australia - thanks to movies and internet but as I said it's more British than American, especially pronunciation, vocab and grammar. They say truck, not lorry (not sure if "lorry" is still used in UK), but boot, not trunk.

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## DDT

But aren't you just making an assumption that the word "truck" is an "American" word in the first place? or "trunk" for that matter? 
What proof is there that Aussie english is even 'drifting"? Even in the early 1960's most people  used the word "truck" in Australia.
 I submit to you that all these words are of English origin.

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## Анатолий

> But aren't you just making an assumption that the word "truck" is an "American" word in the first place? or "trunk" for that matter? 
> What proof is there that Aussie english is even 'drifting"? Even in the early 1960's most people  used the word "truck" in Australia.
>  I submit to you that all these words are of English origin.

 No, the word "truck" doesn't prove anything about the drift - all I know that dictionaries show lorry as B.E. and truck is A.E. (used in the same meaning of a lorry, not a handcart). "Boot" (A.E.) is more common than "trunk" (B.E.). Everyone knows what diapers (A.E.) are but Australians just say nappies (B.E.). 
I can see the drift in kids, they use more American words than adults. It's more likely American English will take over in Australia, especially the vocabulary. 
English is not my first language, so I don't have the full picture of trends and differences. Australian English is closer to B.E. because English-speaking are descendents from England, many of them are just second generation Australians and they make the largest proportion of immigrants followed by New Zealanders. 
TV is dominated by Hollywood, of course except for ABC channel, which shows British movies and series non-stop. 
Back to the original question: In my opinion, as a non-native speaker, which version of English to learn is not important, it's not like choice between Mandarin or Cantonese. Variants of English are not separate languages. Even if you choose a version, what you read and who you talk to will influence your English.

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## Jeff

> But aren't you just making an assumption that the word "truck" is an "American" word in the first place? or "trunk" for that matter? 
> What proof is there that Aussie english is even 'drifting"? Even in the early 1960's most people  used the word "truck" in Australia.
>  I submit to you that all these words are of English origin.

 'Truck,' describing a road vehicle for freight, has its origin in America—even the obscenely Anglocentric Shorter Oxford English Dictionary concedes this fact. The Australians borrowed the word in that meaning from the Americans.

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## Milanya1

FYI http://esl.about.com/library/vocabulary/blbritam.htm

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## Jeff

Milanya, thank you for the link. I would suggest a few revisions to its author (and to any curious learners who may follow the link): 
An optometrist is an oculist, not an occultist (misspelled as "oculltist").  _Anyplace, someplace_ etc. are colloquial and should not be used in careful speech and writing.  _Rubber_ for 'condom' is most definitely an impolite usage—it should be classified as a mild obscenity.  _Angry_ is also used in the USA beside _mad_—they are synonyms in that sense. Indeed, _angry_ is, in my opinion, the more common word. 
There may be other mistakes but I didn't go through the whole list.

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## Joel

> _Angry_ is also used in the USA beside _mad_—they are synonyms in that sense. Indeed, _angry_ is, in my opinion, the more common word.

 I don't hear the word _angry_ near as often as I hear _mad_, but that is just me.

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## Анатолий

> Originally Posted by Jeff  _Angry_ is also used in the USA beside _mad_—they are synonyms in that sense. Indeed, _angry_ is, in my opinion, the more common word.   I don't hear the word _angry_ near as often as I hear _mad_, but that is just me.

 Same with me - when I watch American movies. In Australia "mad" means crazy. It's always funny to hear in movies people saying "Don't be mad", "Are you mad?", when they mean angry. 
--
On American/British English used in Australia. Everybody says and writes 'autumn', not 'fall' here.

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## Joel

> On American/British English used in Australia. Everybody says and writes 'autumn', not 'fall' here.

 I haven't heard anyone say the word _autumn_ for years  ::

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## Rtyom

> Originally Posted by Анатолий  On American/British English used in Australia. Everybody says and writes 'autumn', not 'fall' here.   I haven't heard anyone say the word _autumn_ for years

 Ask me!  ::

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## DDT

AS it turns out, you are quite right about the word "truck". I talked with an 80 year old Australian who remembers only hearing the word "lorry" for truck, in her childhood.

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## kwatts59

> Originally Posted by Joel        Originally Posted by Анатолий  On American/British English used in Australia. Everybody says and writes 'autumn', not 'fall' here.   I haven't heard anyone say the word _autumn_ for years    Ask me!

 I use "autumn" and "fall" equally, they are synonyms.  I actually prefer using the word "autumn" because "fall" is ambiguous.  People confuse it with the verb "to fall".

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## Анатолий

> Originally Posted by Анатолий  On American/British English used in Australia. Everybody says and writes 'autumn', not 'fall' here.   I haven't heard anyone say the word _autumn_ for years

 Check MY location, I am talking about English in AUSTRALIA, not US. My post was in answer to the question, which English is spoken in Australia, American or British.

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## Joel

[quote=Анатолий] 

> Originally Posted by "Анатолий":2gslpx3w  On American/British English used in Australia. Everybody says and writes 'autumn', not 'fall' here.   I haven't heard anyone say the word _autumn_ for years

 Check MY location, I am talking about English in AUSTRALIA, not US. My post was in answer to the question, which English is spoken in Australia, American or British.[/quote:2gslpx3w]I wasn't argueing with you.  I was just stating that I haven't heard anyone use the word _autumn_ in a long time.

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## Rtyom

And are there areas where people don't follow the influence and just prefer to use either "autumn" or "fall" just because of their sound (a case as with kwatts)?

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## Анатолий

> And are there areas where people don't follow the influence and just prefer to use either "autumn" or "fall" just because of their sound (a case as with kwatts)?

 No, I don't think so. As I said it's more British than American English in Australia (but there are things specific to only Australian English) because of their origin - Australians came from UK, not from US, some American influence doesn't change people's speech dramatically, some are even hostile to any influence and laugh imitating US accents and vocab (as some in America would laugh at British or Australian way of speaking).

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## Jeff

_Fall_ is the commoner word here in the USA, but _autumn_ is heard as well. (Tv weathermen/-women in particular seem to prefer it.) But _autumn_ is not common as a modifier: One is much more likely to hear _fall semester_ than _autumn semester_.

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## Dillen

Umm..  this may only be an accepted rule of thumb for my area of the good old red-white-and-blue..  but if we hear someone speaking with a british accent, and they say things that we don't really understand.  we just (mentally) shrug out shoulders and chalk it up as "those english and their language*.  If you try and pick up a british accent, then travel to america..  then you may be given more leeway (room for making errors), as noone really knows what the english are talking about half the time.  I know, I listened to an english shop owner in my area, and pretty much just listened to her accent and nodded a lot.  ^^;;  
........ 
In all seriousness, there will be words which do not translate very well, in either how they are used in a sentence, how they are pronounced, or..  OH, something important.  If you understand the word, and are comfortable with saying it's translated counterpart..  then also associate that word with a facial expression if it is a very serious topic or a very relaxed topic.  So when you are talking about a serious matter with someone, use a serious facial expression.  But when you are speaking about something everyday or something funny..  use a relaxed facial expression.  Even when we don't understand the words, understanding someone's facial expression helps to fill in the gaps..  some.

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## levitica

I'm English.  Although I get annoyed often with other English people using American spellings or words, I don't think anyone would think badly of a foreigner using American English.  Even a mix of the two will not get you laughed at (maybe misunderstood though if you start talking about jam/jelly/jello or chips/fries/crisps in the wrong way.)  If you come to English you will probably be surprised at how bad most people are at speaking proper English.  
There are probably more reasons for choosing American English.  It's more widely spoken, and for business you are probably (I may be wrong) more likely to meet Americans.  You're probably, unless you have an interest in England, more likely to visit America, and watch American TV shows and read American books.  The only reasons for choosing to speak English English is the fact that we are in the same continent and English is the original.  Once you've learned the differences, it will be easy for you to switch between when you need to.  I could easily write American English if I needed to, although I'd probably forget sometimes.

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## Тостер

As far as the American and British English not being two seperate languages, I read somewhere in a linguistic article (or maybe one of my German teachers told me, I can't remember because it's been several years now) that in the next 100-150 years American English and "Proper" English (British) are going to be so different, with new slang terms and gradualy changing gramatical structures, that they will be considered two different languages. I know that that is a long way off, and I agree that they are only very distinctive dialects now, but still.... 
As for which you should learn, as an American from the south I can state quite fankly that most people from my backwards home town find it very difficult to understand a British accent. Keep in mind that these are people who say things like, "Ya'll gunna come on down to da farm fer sum chicken?" I've exagerated a little, but not much. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that if you learn an American accent and our dialect of slang then you will be better understood in America AND the English will understand you just fine. 
I have a link for you, too. It's an online dictionary of British and American slang. I warn you that some of them are a little bawdy, but I think it will really help you out. http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/

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## Dobry

As usual, I get in on the tail-end of a juicy conversation...so I'll just add my 2 kopeks worth. 
As to the British vs. American English debate, I get bombarded almost daily with this issue, as I'm an American teaching English here in Madrid, where overwhelmingly most of the English teachers are British.   
Funny thing...MANY Spanish people, especially business people, specifically request American teachers...in order to pick up the American accent, phrasal verbs (a lot of differences), idioms, etc.  Less and less requests are coming for British teachers at our school.   
Also, most of my students have told me repeatedly that it is much easier for them to understand my American accent (which is clean and flat, coming from the Midwest), than it is to understand British accents.  In fact, I've known occasions when students will reject their British teacher, because they simply cannot understand their British teacher, but can more easily understand an American teacher. 
As to Aussies, of which we have a lot teaching in our school...Australian English may have its roots in British English...but honestly, I think Aussie English is much closer to American, albeit the accent and the obvious vocab differences.  And most students I've observed have a far easier and more productive time with their Aussie teachers, over the British counterparts.  I certainly have a much easier time understanding Aussie English than British English.  Countless times I've had to ask a Brit to repeat something because of the bloody strong accent...almost never a problem with an Aussie.

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## gRomoZeka

Guys, I have no idea, what you are talking about..   ::  
Could someone record one sentence and then record it once again imitating English accent (or vice versa   ::  ), please?  I really can't grasp the difference. 
Once I watched an episode of 'Friends", where Ross talked with British accent, and I didn't even noticed this, untill they said about this directly. It sounded like he howled a little bit, but Ross often talks like this.   ::

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## samba

My two cents: 
If you are travelling either in Britain or the US, either dialect will work well.  If you are travelling in non-english speaking countries, it is my experience that they are much more familiar with American English due to US media and more people come to the US for university than Britain. 
All in all, if you weigh everything, I'd suggest that you learn the American dialect of English. 
- Joseph

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## SEAL

> Irish and Scottish English sound merry to me.  I guess it comes from listening to that lepracaun on the Lucky Charms cereal throughout my childhood years.

 HAHA - you are so right   ::

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## DDT

I just spent the last 4 or 5 hours talking to a Russian friend of mine who learned British English and there is no way to tell that she learned British English instead of American English by listening to her. It will not make a difference what kind of English you learn because to us you will just sound like a Russian who speaks English.!!!!!!!!!! You will not lose your Russian accent. 
Dobry,
          Are those British teachers from Liverpool or Birmingham or something? In some areas the accents are thick. What ever happened to Brits with a BBC accent?

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## DDT

> As far as the American and British English not being two seperate languages, I read somewhere in a linguistic article (or maybe one of my German teachers told me, I can't remember because it's been several years now) that in the next 100-150 years American English and "Proper" English (British) are going to be so different, with new slang terms and gradualy changing gramatical structures, that they will be considered two different languages. /

 That has to be the dumbest thing I ever heard. It is more likely that the differences will abate.

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## Dobry

I agree with DDT, that I don't think British English and American English will become 2 completely distinct languages. 
Simple fact of today's world of commerce and business...it has brought Brits and Americans much closer and I think certain language differences are actually abating with time.  Dialects and accents are still there, but honestly I notice very little difference now in grammar and structure.

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## Dobry

> Dobry,
>           Are those British teachers from Liverpool or Birmingham or something? In some areas the accents are thick. What ever happened to Brits with a BBC accent?

 Strange thing...Brits from outside London seem to usually speak clearer, cleaner English.  We do have several teachers from Birmingham, and one from Liverpool, and their accents are thick.  But I think certain areas of London may be the worst in terms of accent. 
One of my closest friends is a very gifted linguist and teacher from Scotland, near Glasgow...fortunately she has worked hard to lose that Glasgow accent, but when she drops back into it for fun, forget it!

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## Rtyom

> I just spent the last 4 or 5 hours talking to a Russian friend of mine who learned British English and there is no way to tell that she learned British English instead of American English by listening to her. It will not make a difference what kind of English you learn because to us you will just sound like a Russian who speaks English.!!!!!!!!!! You will not lose your Russian accent. 
> Dobry,
>           Are those British teachers from Liverpool or Birmingham or something? In some areas the accents are thick. What ever happened to Brits with a BBC accent?

 DDT, since you're an Australian... Could you tell me some most distinct things between Australian and British 'BBC' English. I'm curious because my sister said that she understands BBC radio very well but almost nothing of any Asutralian radio. I don't have a possibility to compare no, that's why I'm asking.

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## Debs

I would have to say that the most prominant difference between British English and American English is Spelling and Pronunication  ::  
For example: 
Honour and Honor 
Colour and Color 
etc 
(In both cases, the first example is the British spelling and the second is the American spelling) 
Neither is wrong and neither is better than the other.   
Although as I have been told, Americans are easier to understand than British.    
I do have to agree that accents play a major part in your ability to listen to and understand the conversation.  Even I have difficulty understanding some British Accents, espically Cockney (London) and Brummy (Birmingham).    
My partners english is excellent, sometimes I forget it isn't his native language, but he has trouble understanding me in some cases, espically if I talk fast.  
 :P

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## translationsnmru

Talking of accents, I met a guy once who was Welsh by origin, but had moved to Australia many years before I met him. That was some accent! It was so thick that the proverbial knife wouldn't cut it  ::  It would probably take an axe.   ::

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## Volk

I think being half English and half Canadian has made me fluent in both English language types. 
When I'm in Canada I've hardly ever had trouble with certain words or meanings that differ to the UK and Canada. 
I think from TV and other sources, British English has been influenced heavily by American English. I grew up knowing certain terms from what I'd learned from TV. 
I agree with Debs on the prominent difference of spelling.

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## Анатолий

> Originally Posted by DDT  I just spent the last 4 or 5 hours talking to a Russian friend of mine who learned British English and there is no way to tell that she learned British English instead of American English by listening to her. It will not make a difference what kind of English you learn because to us you will just sound like a Russian who speaks English.!!!!!!!!!! You will not lose your Russian accent. 
> Dobry,
>           Are those British teachers from Liverpool or Birmingham or something? In some areas the accents are thick. What ever happened to Brits with a BBC accent?   DDT, since you're an Australian... Could you tell me some most distinct things between Australian and British 'BBC' English. I'm curious because my sister said that she understands BBC radio very well but almost nothing of any Asutralian radio. I don't have a possibility to compare no, that's why I'm asking.

 Rtyom, as you probably know, I am Russian living in Australia. English spoken in Australian TV and radio doesn't differ much from English. In fact, I was able to understand it well before coming to live in Australia and   found it easier to understand than American English. Mind you, I am talking about standard English spoken in Australia (e.g. spoken by TV announcers), not the Aussie slang. 
As for the Australian English spoken in the street, you might need some adapting. You might be put off by the vowels. At first 'lake' sounded like 'like' and 'time' like 'toym' to me. I heard Americans complain that Australians speak faster and less clearer, well, for me it's the other way around now, no problem with Australian English at all but I prefer to watch some American movies with subtitles...  http://www.australiatravelsearch.com.au/trc/slang.html http://www.imagesaustralia.com/australianslang.htm

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## Rtyom

Thank you, Анатолий. The experience of a Russian-turned-Australian is even better to know. So, it's the matter of "right place and right people" as it always has been with foreigners. 
Could you tell me how were you adapting to the colloquial speech? I understand that it's really hard to get the hang of the subject. How it was for the first times?

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## Vadim84

> "Boot" (A.E.) is more common than "trunk" (B.E.).

 I'm confused  :: 
My electronic dictionary says completely otherwise, that "boot" is B.E. and "trunk" is A.E.
Where is the truth?
And they both mean "багажник (автомобиля)", wright?

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## Анатолий

> Originally Posted by Анатолий  "Boot" (A.E.) is more common than "trunk" (B.E.).   I'm confused 
> My electronic dictionary says completely otherwise, that "boot" is B.E. and "trunk" is A.E.
> Where is the truth?

 Yes, you're right, my mistake. Anyway, boot is more common in Australia but  there are more British words than American in Australia (when they are different).    

> And they both mean "багажник (автомобиля)", wright?

 Correct.

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## Анатолий

> Thank you, Анатолий. The experience of a Russian-turned-Australian is even better to know. So, it's the matter of "right place and right people" as it always has been with foreigners. 
> Could you tell me how were you adapting to the colloquial speech? I understand that it's really hard to get the hang of the subject. How it was for the first times?

 It's not so bad when you are immersed in the foreign language, which was my hobby before, so I enjoyed it, although it was challenging and I felt uncomfortable if I couldn't follow. I gets better all the time. 
If you ask me how - listening to TV and radio apart from the talking helped a lot. Quite difficult were place and people's names, addresses, especially on the phone and when they spelled them out I couldn't write fast enough  ::  It was a matter of survival - if you can't speak - you can't eat (can't get a job, rent a flat, etc.) but I was keen, so overcame initial difficulties. I know lots of people who came with almost zero English and they picked it up pretty quickly.

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