Do write to us with
your views about the English language and any questions you
may have.
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Dear Sirs
I am planning to attend a language course in order to
improve my English. I should like to know whether to learn
British or American English. Which is better? Must I have
a British teacher if I wish to learn British English?
Yours truly
Manuel Gonzales
Pamplona
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The Editor's reply
English is a global language with many varieties of spoken English.
American and British English are the two dominant varieties.
They each have many regional accents: the English of a Bostonian,
for example, sounds very different from that of a Texan.
The major differences between American and
English are essentially differences of accent, inflection,
spelling and, above all, vocabulary.
(Variations in tense-usage exist but are not a big problem for
learners of English). Some people claim that British English
is superior to American English but really it is a matter of
one's own preference and needs as to which variety is learnt.
So, "useful" is probably a more appropriate word than "better".
If you need to use English exclusively with British people (for
example, if you are going to live in the United Kingdom) then
it would probably be a good idea to have at least one British
teacher on your programme.
However, in a lot of cases, learners of English as a foreign
language need to use it to communicate with native speakers from
all over the world. Many will need to speak English with other
non-native speakers (for example, a Swede with an Italian). In
such cases, whether your teacher is American or British is not
particularly important.
In addition, there are excellent teaching books, audio and video
cassettes, devoted to either British or American English. Your
teacher will be able to select from these in order to provide
you with relevant listening comprehension work and vocabulary
input.
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