The World in Words   /     Americans, Brits and the foreignness of English

Summary

American English and British English aren't different languages. But they're not the same either, even if they're getting closer. There are all those different words for things: diaper/nappy, faucet/tap and so on. More challenging are common words used in subtly different ways: sure, reckon, middle class. Who better to ask about these and other terms than UK-based American linguist Lynne Murphy and her British husband and daughter? Spoiler alert: They don't always agree. Lynne Murphy is the author of The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between American and British English. Music in this episode by Josef Falkensköld, Stationary Sign, Rebecca Mardal and Luella Gren. Photo courtesy of Wellcome Images/Creative Commons. Read a transcript of this episode here. Sign up for Subtitle’s newsletter here.

Subtitle
American English and British English arent different languages. But theyre not the same either, even if theyre getting closer. There are all those different words for things: diaper/nappy, faucet/tap and so on. More challenging are common words used in s
Duration
00:24:32
Publishing date
2023-11-15 05:01
Link
https://subtitlepod.com/americans-brits-and-the-foreignness-of-english/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=americans-brits-and-the-foreignness-of-english
Contributors
  Quiet Juice
author  
Enclosures
https://subtitlepod.com/podcast-download/2653/americans-brits-and-the-foreignness-of-english.mp3
audio/mpeg

Shownotes

American English and British English aren't different languages. But they're not the same either, even if they're getting closer. There are all those different words for things: diaper/nappy, faucet/tap and so on. More challenging are common words used in subtly different ways: sure, reckon, middle class. Who better to ask about these and other terms than UK-based American linguist Lynne Murphy and her British husband and daughter? Spoiler alert: They don't always agree.

Lynne Murphy is the author of The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between American and British English. Music in this episode by Josef Falkensköld, Stationary Sign, Rebecca Mardal and Luella Gren. Photo courtesy of Wellcome Images/Creative Commons. Read a transcript of this episode here.

Sign up for Subtitle’s newsletter here.