Should You Learn British or American English? 📖😱 — Transcript

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1. 0:07Hey, hey, my favorite beautiful people.
2. 0:10Ready for some easy and useful English?
3. 0:13>> Hi, everyone. I'm Emma.
4. 0:15>> And I'm Jack.
5. 0:17Emma, I got a question from a listener
6. 0:20this morning.
7. 0:21>> What did they ask?
8. 0:23>> They wanted to know if they should learn
9. 0:24British English or American English.
10. 0:28>> Oh, no. Not this question again.
11. 0:32>> What do you mean, again?
12. 0:34>> We get this question all the time.
13. 0:36People are so stressed about choosing.
14. 0:40>> Are you stressed about it?
15. 0:41>> Not anymore, but I used to be.
16. 0:44>> Really?
17. 0:45>> Yeah. When I first started learning, I
18. 0:48spent like 2 weeks researching which
19. 0:51English to learn.
20. 0:53>> 2 weeks?
21. 0:54>> I know, I know. It was a waste of time.
22. 0:58>> What did you decide?
23. 1:00>> I decided to learn British English
24. 1:02because I liked the accent.
25. 1:05>> And did you stick with it?
26. 1:07>> For like 3 months, and then I started
27. 1:10watching American movies, and everything
28. 1:12got mixed up.
29. 1:14>> So, now you speak a mix of both.
30. 1:17>> Pretty much, and honestly, nobody cares.
31. 1:21>> That's actually what we're going to talk
32. 1:23about today, listeners. Should you learn
33. 1:25British English or American English?
34. 1:28And spoiler alert, it doesn't matter as
35. 1:31much as you think.
36. 1:33>> Not at all, actually.
37. 1:35>> But, we'll explain why.
38. 1:37And before we dive in, quick reminder.
39. 1:40Subscribe so you don't miss our next
40. 1:42episodes. We'd love to have you back.
41. 1:45>> All right, Jack. Let's start with the
42. 1:47basics. What's the actual difference
43. 1:50between British English and American
44. 1:52English?
45. 1:53>> Well, there are a few differences.
46. 1:56First, pronunciation.
47. 1:58>> Yeah, like the R sound.
48. 2:01>> Exactly. Americans pronounce the R in
49. 2:04words like car and water. British people
50. 2:07often don't.
51. 2:09>> So, Americans say car with a strong R,
52. 2:13and British people say car.
53. 2:15>> Right. And there's also the A sound.
54. 2:19>> Like in the word bath?
55. 2:21>> Yes. Americans say bath with a short A
56. 2:24sound. British people say bath with a
57. 2:27long A.
58. 2:29>> Those differences are pretty noticeable.
59. 2:32>> They are, but honestly, both are
60. 2:34correct. It's just different styles.
61. 2:37>> What about vocabulary? Are there
62. 2:39different words?
63. 2:41>> Oh, yeah. Tons of different words.
64. 2:43>> Like what?
65. 2:45>> Like Americans say elevator, British
66. 2:48people say lift. Americans say
67. 2:50apartment, British people say flat.
68. 2:54>> Americans say truck, British people say
69. 2:57lorry.
70. 2:58>> Americans say vacation, British people
71. 3:01say holiday.
72. 3:03>> So many differences.
73. 3:05>> Yeah, and at first, these differences
74. 3:07can confuse people.
75. 3:09>> Wait, what does confuse mean?
76. 3:12>> Oh, confuse means to make someone
77. 3:15uncertain or unclear about something.
78. 3:18Like when you don't understand or you
79. 3:20mix things up.
80. 3:22>> Ah, so these vocabulary differences can
81. 3:25confuse learners because they hear
82. 3:27different words for the same thing.
83. 3:30>> Exactly. You learn the word elevator in
84. 3:32your textbook, and then you go to London
85. 3:35and see a sign that says lift.
86. 3:37>> And you're like, "What's a lift?"
87. 3:40>> Right. It can be a bit confusing at
88. 3:42first.
89. 3:43>> But Jack, don't people understand both
90. 3:46versions?
91. 3:47>> Most people do, yeah. Like an American
92. 3:50hears someone say lift, they know what
93. 3:52it means.
94. 3:54>> And a British person hears elevator,
95. 3:56they understand, too.
96. 3:58>> Exactly. So, even though the words are
97. 4:01different, communication still works.
98. 4:03>> Then, why do people worry so much about
99. 4:06choosing?
100. 4:07>> I think because they want to sound
101. 4:09correct or authentic.
102. 4:12>> Like they want to pick one accent and
103. 4:14stick with it perfectly.
104. 4:16>> Yeah, but that's actually really hard to
105. 4:18do.
106. 4:20>> Why?
107. 4:21>> Because English is everywhere now. You
108. 4:24watch American movies, British TV shows,
109. 4:27listen to music from different
110. 4:28countries.
111. 4:30>> So, you're exposed to all kinds of
112. 4:32English all the time.
113. 4:34>> Exactly. And your brain just absorbs
114. 4:36everything.
115. 4:38>> So, even if you try to learn only
116. 4:40British English, you'll probably pick up
117. 4:42some American words, too.
118. 4:44>> Right. And that's totally fine.
119. 4:47>> But some people think mixing is bad.
120. 4:51>> I know. I used to think that, too.
121. 4:54>> What changed your mind?
122. 4:56>> Well, I spent 6 months learning British
123. 4:58English. I watched British shows,
124. 5:01listened to British podcasts,
125. 5:03everything.
126. 5:04>> Okay.
127. 5:05>> Then, I moved to America for work.
128. 5:09>> Oh, no.
129. 5:10>> Yeah, and I panicked. I thought, "Oh,
130. 5:13no. I learned the wrong English."
131. 5:16>> But it wasn't wrong.
132. 5:18>> Not at all. Everyone understood me
133. 5:20perfectly.
134. 5:21>> Did they notice your British accent?
135. 5:24>> Some people did. They'd say, "Oh, you
136. 5:26sound British." But it wasn't a problem.
137. 5:29>> So, it didn't matter that you learned
138. 5:31British English.
139. 5:33>> Not even a little bit. I could
140. 5:35communicate just fine.
141. 5:37>> And now?
142. 5:39>> Now, I speak a complete mix. I say some
143. 5:42words the British way, some words the
144. 5:45American way.
145. 5:46>> Like what?
146. 5:47>> Like I say schedule the American way,
147. 5:51but I say tomato the British way.
148. 5:54>> That's so random.
149. 5:56>> I know, but that's what happens when
150. 5:58you're exposed to both.
151. 6:01>> And does it confuse people when you
152. 6:02talk?
153. 6:03>> Never. Nobody cares.
154. 6:06>> See, this is what I wish someone had
155. 6:08told me at the beginning.
156. 6:10>> What?
157. 6:11>> That it doesn't matter which one you
158. 6:13choose. Just pick one as your main
159. 6:15focus, but don't stress if you mix them.
160. 6:18>> Exactly. The goal is communication, not
161. 6:22perfection.
162. 6:23>> Right. If people understand you, you're
163. 6:25doing great.
164. 6:26>> Yeah, and honestly, I think most native
165. 6:29English speakers mix, too.
166. 6:32>> Really?
167. 6:33>> Oh, yeah. Americans use British words
168. 6:36sometimes, and British people use
169. 6:38American words.
170. 6:39>> Like what?
171. 6:41>> Like a lot of Americans now say cheers
172. 6:44to say thank you, which is very British.
173. 6:47>> And British people say cool and awesome,
174. 6:50which are very American.
175. 6:53>> Exactly. English is becoming more global
176. 6:56and mixed.
177. 6:57>> So, there's no pure British or pure
178. 7:00American anymore?
179. 7:02>> Not really, especially with the
180. 7:04internet. Everyone is exposed to
181. 7:06everything.
182. 7:08>> That makes me feel so much better.
183. 7:10>> Good. You should feel better. You're
184. 7:12doing fine.
185. 7:15>> Thanks, Jack. But okay, let's say
186. 7:17someone is just starting to learn
187. 7:19English. Should they pick one to focus
188. 7:21on?
189. 7:23>> I think so, yeah. Just to keep things
190. 7:25simple at the beginning.
191. 7:27>> So, like pick American English and stick
192. 7:30with American resources.
193. 7:32>> Yeah, or pick British and stick with
194. 7:34British resources, just for consistency.
195. 7:38>> But if they accidentally watch an
196. 7:40American movie while learning British
197. 7:42English, that's okay.
198. 7:44>> Totally okay. Don't stress about it.
199. 7:47>> What if they're learning English for a
200. 7:49specific reason, like they're moving to
201. 7:51America?
202. 7:52>> Then, yeah. It makes sense to focus on
203. 7:55American English.
204. 7:57>> Because that's what they'll hear every
205. 7:59day.
206. 8:00>> Right. It'll be easier to understand.
207. 8:03>> What about someone moving to England?
208. 8:06>> Same thing. Focus on British English.
209. 8:09>> But what if they don't know where
210. 8:11they'll end up? Like they just want to
211. 8:13learn English for travel or work?
212. 8:16>> Then, honestly, it doesn't matter. Pick
213. 8:18whichever you prefer.
214. 8:20>> Like whichever accent sounds nicer to
215. 8:22you.
216. 8:24>> Exactly. If you like British accents,
217. 8:26learn British. If you like American
218. 8:29accents, learn American.
219. 8:31>> And if you can't decide?
220. 8:33>> Then, just go with American because
221. 8:35there are more resources available.
222. 8:38>> That's true. Most textbooks and apps use
223. 8:41American English.
224. 8:43>> Yeah, and most movies and TV shows are
225. 8:45American.
226. 8:47>> So, it's easier to find practice
227. 8:48materials.
228. 8:50>> Right. But again, it's not a huge deal.
229. 8:53Both work fine.
230. 8:55>> Okay, but what about spelling? That's
231. 8:57different, too, right?
232. 8:59>> Oh, yeah. Spelling is different.
233. 9:02>> Like color versus colour.
234. 9:05>> Exactly. Americans spell it c o l o r.
235. 9:10British people spell it c o l o u r.
236. 9:15>> And favorite versus favourite.
237. 9:19>> Same thing. Americans drop the u.
238. 9:23>> Does that confuse people when they're
239. 9:25reading?
240. 9:26>> Not really. Everyone recognizes both
241. 9:29spellings.
242. 9:30>> So, if I spell color the American way in
243. 9:34an email to a British person, they won't
244. 9:37be confused?
245. 9:38>> No, they'll understand perfectly. They
246. 9:40might notice, but they won't care.
247. 9:43>> Okay, good. Because I mix up my
248. 9:46spellings all the time.
249. 9:48>> Me, too. Sometimes I spell things the
250. 9:51British way, sometimes the American way.
251. 9:54>> Does your computer's spell check get
252. 9:56mad?
253. 9:58>> All the time. It always puts red lines
254. 10:01under my words.
255. 10:03>> Same. I have to keep telling it which
256. 10:05English I'm using.
257. 10:07>> Yeah, that's probably the most annoying
258. 10:10part about mixing.
259. 10:12>> For sure, but it's not a real problem,
260. 10:14just a small annoyance.
261. 10:16>> Exactly.
262. 10:18Okay, so let's talk about something
263. 10:20important.
264. 10:21>> What?
265. 10:22>> I think the biggest mistake learners
266. 10:25make is trying to sound exactly like a
267. 10:28native speaker.
268. 10:29>> Like trying to have a perfect British or
269. 10:32American accent?
270. 10:33>> Yeah, they spend so much time and energy
271. 10:36on that.
272. 10:37>> And is that bad?
273. 10:39>> It's not bad, but it's not necessary,
274. 10:42either.
275. 10:43>> What do you mean?
276. 10:44>> Well, you don't need a perfect accent to
277. 10:47communicate well.
278. 10:49>> So, even if I have my own accent, people
279. 10:52will understand me?
280. 10:54>> Absolutely, as long as your
281. 10:55pronunciation is clear.
282. 10:58>> What's the difference between accent and
283. 11:00pronunciation?
284. 11:02>> Good question. Pronunciation is about
285. 11:05saying individual sounds correctly.
286. 11:08Accent is about the overall way you
287. 11:10speak.
288. 11:12>> So, I can have good pronunciation, but
289. 11:15still have an accent?
290. 11:16>> Exactly. You can pronounce words clearly
291. 11:19and correctly, but still sound like
292. 11:22you're from another country.
293. 11:24>> And that's okay.
294. 11:26>> More than okay. It's normal. Most people
295. 11:29who learn a second language have an
296. 11:31accent.
297. 11:32>> Even people who are really good at
298. 11:34English?
299. 11:35>> Even them, and it doesn't matter because
300. 11:38the goal is understanding, not sounding
301. 11:41native.
302. 11:42>> I feel like someone should tell all
303. 11:44English learners this.
304. 11:46>> Right? I wish I had known it earlier. I
305. 11:49spent years trying to sound perfectly
306. 11:51American.
307. 11:52>> And?
308. 11:54>> And I still have an accent, but nobody
309. 11:56cares.
310. 11:58>> As long as you're clear and easy to
311. 12:00understand.
312. 12:01>> Exactly.
313. 12:03>> Okay, so let me summarize what we've
314. 12:05said so far.
315. 12:07>> Go for it.
316. 12:09>> British and American English have some
317. 12:11differences in pronunciation,
318. 12:13vocabulary, and spelling.
319. 12:16>> Right.
320. 12:17>> But these differences don't really
321. 12:19matter for communication. People
322. 12:21understand both versions.
323. 12:23If you're just starting, pick one to
324. 12:25focus on for consistency, but don't
325. 12:27stress if you mix them.
326. 12:29>> Exactly.
327. 12:31>> If you're moving to a specific country,
328. 12:33learn that country's English, but if
329. 12:35you're just learning for general
330. 12:37purposes, pick whichever you prefer.
331. 12:40>> Perfect summary.
332. 12:42>> And most importantly, you don't need a
333. 12:44perfect accent. You just need to be
334. 12:46clear and understandable.
335. 12:49>> Yes, that's the key point.
336. 12:51>> I wish more people understood this.
337. 12:54>> Me, too. I think a lot of learners waste
338. 12:57time worrying about the wrong things.
339. 13:00>> Like worrying about British versus
340. 13:02American instead of just practicing.
341. 13:05>> Exactly. Just practice. Talk to people.
342. 13:08Watch movies. Listen to podcasts. Don't
343. 13:11overthink it.
344. 13:13>> And use whatever resources you enjoy.
345. 13:16>> Right. If you love British comedy, watch
346. 13:19British comedy. If you love American
347. 13:21music, listen to American music.
348. 13:24>> Don't force yourself to use resources
349. 13:26you hate just because you think you
350. 13:28should.
351. 13:29>> Exactly. Learning should be enjoyable.
352. 13:33>> And when it's enjoyable, you learn
353. 13:34faster.
354. 13:36>> So much faster.
355. 13:38>> All right. Do you have any other tips
356. 13:40for people who are still worried about
357. 13:42this?
358. 13:43>> Yeah, one more thing.
359. 13:45>> What?
360. 13:47>> Remember that there are more than just
361. 13:49British and American English.
362. 13:51>> Oh, that's a good point.
363. 13:53>> Yeah, there's Australian English,
364. 13:55Canadian English, Irish English, South
365. 13:58African English.
366. 14:00>> And they're all different, too.
367. 14:03>> Right, and they're all valid.
368. 14:05>> So, if you're trying to speak one
369. 14:07perfect type of English, you're going to
370. 14:09drive yourself crazy.
371. 14:11>> Exactly, because there is no one perfect
372. 14:14English.
373. 14:15>> There's just English in all its
374. 14:17different forms.
375. 14:19>> And they all work. They all communicate.
376. 14:22>> That's beautiful, Jack.
377. 14:24>> Thanks. I'm feeling philosophical today.
378. 14:28>> I can tell. All right, should we do a
379. 14:30quick recap?
380. 14:31>> Sure.
381. 14:33So, today we talked about whether you
382. 14:35should learn British or American
383. 14:37English.
384. 14:38>> The short answer is it doesn't really
385. 14:40matter.
386. 14:41>> Both are correct, both are useful, both
387. 14:44will help you communicate.
388. 14:46>> The main differences are pronunciation,
389. 14:49vocabulary, and spelling.
390. 14:51>> But native speakers understand both
391. 14:54versions easily.
392. 14:56>> If you're just starting, pick one for
393. 14:58consistency, but don't stress about
394. 15:00mixing them later.
395. 15:02>> If you're moving to a specific country,
396. 15:04learn that version. Otherwise, choose
397. 15:07whichever you prefer.
398. 15:09>> Focus on being clear and understandable,
399. 15:12not on having a perfect accent.
400. 15:14>> And remember, there are many types of
401. 15:16English in the world, not just British
402. 15:19and American.
403. 15:20>> The goal is communication, not
404. 15:23perfection.
405. 15:24>> Perfect recap.
406. 15:25>> Thanks, and I hope this helps listeners
407. 15:28stop stressing about this question.
408. 15:30>> Yeah, just pick one, start learning, and
409. 15:33don't overthink it.
410. 15:35>> And honestly, after a few months, you'll
411. 15:37probably naturally mix both anyway.
412. 15:40>> That's so true.
413. 15:42>> All right, before we finish, I have a
414. 15:44bonus tip.
415. 15:46>> What is it?
416. 15:48>> If you want to sound more natural in one
417. 15:50specific type of English, watch a lot of
418. 15:52content from that place.
419. 15:54>> Like if you want to sound American,
420. 15:57watch American TV shows.
421. 15:59>> Exactly. Your brain will start to pick
422. 16:01up the patterns and rhythms.
423. 16:03>> And the vocabulary.
424. 16:05>> Yeah, it happens naturally through
425. 16:07exposure.
426. 16:08>> That's a great tip, very practical.
427. 16:11>> Thanks.
428. 16:13Okay, let's remind everyone about our
429. 16:15word of the episode.
430. 16:17>> Right, the word was confuse.
431. 16:20>> It means to make someone uncertain or
432. 16:23unclear about something, or to mix
433. 16:25things up.
434. 16:26>> Like all these different accents
435. 16:28confused me at first, or don't confuse
436. 16:32British and American spelling in the
437. 16:34same document.
438. 16:36>> Perfect examples.
439. 16:38And listeners, try writing one sentence
440. 16:40in the comments using the word confuse.
441. 16:43This will help you remember the word
442. 16:44better because you'll create the context
443. 16:47and write it down yourself.
444. 16:49>> Yeah, try writing a sentence like, I
445. 16:51sometimes confuse British and American
446. 16:54words, or the different pronunciations
447. 16:57confused me at first.
448. 16:59>> Great examples. We'd love to see your
449. 17:01sentences.
450. 17:03>> All right, everyone, that's it for
451. 17:05today. Thank you so much for listening.
452. 17:08>> If this episode helped you, please like
453. 17:10it, share it, and subscribe. We really
454. 17:13appreciate your support.
455. 17:15>> And remember, British or American
456. 17:17doesn't matter. Just pick one and start
457. 17:20practicing.
458. 17:21>> Don't let this decision stop you from
459. 17:23learning.
460. 17:24>> See you in the next episode.
461. 17:26>> Bye, everyone, and stop stressing about
462. 17:28accents.
463. 17:29>> Just speak. That's what matters.
464. 17:32>> Bye.