REVIEWING THE BRITISH ENGLISH (BRE) AND AMERICAN ENGLISH (AME) DIALECTS I Wy Dirgeyasa [email protected] State University of Medan, Indonesia ABSTRACT Of the many different dialects of English such as British English (hereafter BrE), American English (hereafter AmE), Australian English (AsE), or Canadian English (CnE) or even Singaporean English (hereafter Singlish), etc, the most common widely use across the globe are BrE and AmE. The two dialects of English, as a matter of fact, are dominantly used in any kinds of fields to mention a few such as politics, economics, diplomatic relationship, medical, information communication and technology (ICT), and education as well. The debate about the use of BrE and AmE often centers on education especially in the process of learning and acquiring the English itself because the two dialects of English provide some different and distinctive features. Because of their differences and distinctive features, the learners often find difficulties and often make them confused which one to use. This paper is attempting to review the unique features of BrE and AmE focusing on the spellings. Keywords: British English (BrE); American English (AmE); Dialects INTRODUCTION fall has been used since the sixteenth Historically, from its root in the small century as a variant for the word autumn. colonies of the New World (the origin of the And it is still used in the United States until America state), beginning with Jamestown, now even though it has become uncommon Virginia in the early 17th century (1607), in the United Kingdom. was the rise of the varieties of English (BrE It is generally known that American and AmE). Since then, the American English English is also innovative, especially in its has become the most of mother-tongue words. Americanism, as words and varieties of English. Over the years, English meanings originating in American English spoken in the United States and in England are called, has enriched every facet of the started diverging from each other in various vocabulary and many of them have spread aspects such as spelling, lexis, to use in English worldwide. Sometimes the pronunciation, grammat-ical pattern and so settlers in the American colonies took old forth. This finally led two dialects in the form words and used them in new senses. The of the American English and British English word corn, for instance originally meant In some ways, the differences between the grain in general, and in England, often the two are not only in terms of pronunciation wheat in particular. American applied it to and grammar particularly but also in maize instead. Another example showing vocabulary. American English is that BrE is different from AmE is the word conservative, for example having preserved creek. The word creek in England refers to features from British. For example, the word an inlet or bay from the sea but in America, LANGUAGE CIRCLE Journal of Language and Literature Vol. IX/2 April 2015 | 105 it was used for a small stream (Webster, spelling to be typical American English 1996); (Hornby, 1973). spelling for reasons both philological and American also invented the new words nationalistic. He launched and proposed which are out of old elements, as Thomas many spelling changes in AmE. In terms of Jefferson did in coining belittle, a term that spelling, the majority of spelling differences might just as well have originated in between AmE and Br falls into two England. Garrymander, on the other hand, categories. The first category is Latin- arouse out of a particular event in the derived spelling and the second is Greek- political history of Massachusetts, and so it derived spelling. became the characteristics of American The Latin-derived spelling of AmE falls English. The history then noted that the into many form and patterns. There are a most famous and successful of all American number of Latin-derived spellings of AmE. invention is the expression OK. OK is a They vary in many different forms. First, (- word has pervaded not only other varieties our) is in BrE and (-or) is in AmE.These of English but many foreign languages as most words end in unstressed-our in BrE well. Despites effort to relate OK to several (e.g. colour, flavour, harbour, humour, other languages, including African ones, its labour, neighbour, rumouretc) end in -or in history as chronicled by Allen Walker Read AmE (e.g. color, flavor, harbor, humor, shows it is to be a native invention. The term labor, neighbor, rumor etc). was coined in a Boston newspaper in 1839 Second, (-re) is in BrE and (–er) is in as an abbreviation of the comic misspelling AmE. Actually in British English (BrE), some ollkorrect and was subsequently words are derived from French, Latin or popularized as the name of a political Greek end with a consonant followed by (– supporting President Martin Van Buren, who re), with the (–re) unstressed. In American was nicknamed Old Kinderhook from his English (AmE), most of these words have birth place (Webster, 1996); (Salim, 2006). the ending (–er). However, the differences are most common for words ending (–breor DESCRIPTION –tre). British spellings (e.g. calibre, centre, As stated previously, this paper is litre, manoeuvre, metre, nitre, reconnoitre, attempting to review the unique different saltpetre, spectre, theatere, etc) become features of BrE and AmE in terms of the (e.g. caliber, center, liter, manoeuver, meter, spelling and the tense aspects. These two niter, reconnoiter, saltpeter, specter, theater, aspects seemingly dominant showing their etc). However, most English words that uniqueness. In the real teaching and today either BrE or AmE use (–er) such as learning process the two aspects often chapter, disaster, enter, filter, letter, make confused and tend to disturb the minister, monster, oyster, parameter, process of communication either in the form powder, proper, sober, tender, etc of spoken and written. (Longman, 1982); (Webster, 1996). By history, Webster, one of the most In addition, still many words have (–er) proponent American linguists with his in BrE. These includes Germanic words like famous dictionary entitled Webster‘s New anger, mother, timber and water and Roman World College Dictionary firstly published in words like danger, quarter, and river. Then, 1988 proposed and reformed English then ending (–acre), such as in acre, lucre, 106 | LANGUAGE CIRCLE Journal of Language and Literature Vol. IX/2 April 2015 massacre, and mediocre are used both in also influenced and enriched by Greek BrE and AmE to show that the /c/ is language. Unlike BrE, spelling uses (– pronounced /k/ rather than /s/. Then, the iseize) in (-isation), the American spelling spelling ogre and euchre are also the same uses (–ize) in (-ization). The Greek-derived both in BrE and AmE. spelling of AmE falls into some forms and Third, (-ce) is in BrE and (–se) is in patterns such as( –ize, -yze, -og)etc. AmE. For the word advice/advise and First, (-ise) is in BrE and (-ize) is in device/devise, the BrE and AmE both keep AmE. In general, American spelling system the noun/verb distinction (where the avoid – ise ending in words like organize, pronunciation is -[s] for the noun and -[z] for realize, recognize, etc. While BrE tends to the verb). For the words like licence/license use both (–ize) and (-ise) (organise/ or practice/practise, BrE also keeps the organize, realise/realize, recognise/ noun/verb distinction (the two words in each recognize) etc.The (–ize) ending is actually pair are homophones with -[s], though). On used world-widely in scientific writing and other hand, AmE uses license orpractise for many international organization such as the both noun/verb (with -[s] pronunciation in International Organization for Standarization both case too. (IOS) and World Health Organization Also, the AmE has kept the Anglo- (WHO). However, The Cambridge University French spelling for defense and offense, Press, on the other hand, has long preferred which are usually defence and offence in to using (–ise) and many reference works, BrE. Likewise, there are the American including the Pocket Flower‘s Modern pretense and British pretence; but English Usage. Perhaps it is as a reaction to derivatives such as defensive, offensive, the ascendancy of American spelling. As and pretension are always, they are spelled mentioned previously, the (–ise) is more in both system. commonly used in UK mass media and Fourth, (-xion vs –action).It seems that newspaper like The Times, The Daily the use of the spelling connexion is now rare Telegraph, and the Economist. However in everyday British usage and it is not used (-ize) is also used in many British-based at all in the United States. The word academic publications as shown by Nature, connection has become the standard the Biochemical Journal, and The Time worldwide. Historically, according to the Literary Supplement. Oxford English Dictionary, the older spelling Second,(-yze)is in BrEand(-yse)is in is more etymologically conservative, since AmE. It is found that the ending (-yse) is the original Latin word had (–xio-). While British but –(zye) is in AmE. These two the American usage come from Webster, endings can be found in the world like who abandoned (–xion) in favour of (– analyse, catalyse, hydrolyse, andparalyse in action) by analogy with verb like the word BrE whereas like analyze, catalyze, connect. On the other hand, the word hydrolyze, and paralyze. Dating back to 17th complexion which comes from the word century and 18th century English, the word complex is standard worldwide but analyse was commonly used but many of complection is rare in use. the great dictionaries of that time such as The second is Greek-derived spellings. John Kersey‘s of 1702, Nathan Bailey‘s of It is a fact that American spelling system is 1721 and Samuel Johnson‘s of 1775 LANGUAGE CIRCLE Journal of Language and Literature Vol.