Different Spellings for Various Pronunciations between American and British English - Essay Example

The commonly recognized differences are the accent used in the two languages: the British and the American. Accent refers to the pronunciation features of different people from different geographical regions, social class, age sex, or even the level of education. There are many accents and differences in spoken English among people from different regions but most common are the differences in American and British English (Werckmeister, 2012). The difference in American and British English dates to the period of world war two based on significant aspects such as political, cultural, economical, geographical, and technological aspects (Algeo, 2013).

For example, the origins of American English with its distinctive features can be traced back to the early settlers in America, the native Americans, and then the influx of European immigrants along with the growing African community (Dillard, 1992). These aspects resulted in different accents, pronunciations, and spellings between American and British English. Studies in linguistics show that American English is widely spoken globally (Davies, 2007). This is evident, considering the great influence American society has on the entire world.

There are many ways in which the two forms of English differ. Pronunciation, accents, and spellings are some of these ways. This paper focuses on General American English (GAE) as a whole without looking at specific southern or eastern accents (Wells, 1982). In this way, the pronunciation of GAE is a unified whole of American English. The accent is the way stress patterns work, while pronunciation is the articulation of phonemes, both vowels, and consonants. The essay will focus on these differences, most especially spellings and pronunciations, and discusses the issues in teaching the differences between the two varieties of English.

Literature Review Different spellings for different pronunciations between American and British EnglishThe RP and GAE differ mainly in spellings and pronunciations.