Americanvs.BritishEnglish.docVIP

American vs. British English By Rosanne Skirble and Avi Arditti Broadcast: Thursday, December 26, 2002 MUSIC: Help!/Beatles AA: Im Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble. This week on Wordmaster we talk about a few of the differences between American English and British English. RS: Its a question we often get. After all, some differences can lead to embarrassment, others to plain old confusion. AA: For instance, Americans put babies to sleep in a crib. The British call the same kind of bed a cot. RS: In America a cot is a flimsy, fold-up bed made of canvas. AA: Oh, you mean what the British call a camp bed. RS: In Britain, public school is what Americans would call private school, where you pay to have your children go. Now lets say you have to go -- or youre looking for the toilet. Here, its not polite to ask where the toilet is. Say bathroom or restroom when speaking to an American. Graphic Image AA: Joining us now from New York is the author of a handy little book called Speak American: A Survival Guide to the Language and Culture of the U-S-A. Dileri Borunda Johnston lived in England, so she knows what its like from both sides. JOHNSTON: A lot of the grammar is slightly different, so you would have things in British English that perhaps you wouldnt want an American child to learn because it might sound slightly incorrect. Like you wouldnt say I havent got any more. You would rather an American kid would learn to say I dont have any more. AA: Lets say a speaker of British English steps off a plane in the States. Just to catch a bus or train into town from the airport requires a different vocabulary. JOHNSTON: In England you would catch a coach whereas here you take the bus, or if youre taking the public transportation you would take the subway in America rather than the tube or the underground as you would in England. AA: Also, what the British call lorries we Americans call trucks. RS: Now lets say the weather is cold and wet, and our traveler didnt pack the