# Clarification between British and American English



## Jimbob_Disco

i think it would be beneficial in all forums involving English (either solely or bilingually) to require clarification between BE and AE to avoid confusion - they ARE different languages and this would avoid confusion for foreigners, as they could be learning either form.


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## Peterdg

They are NOT two different languages. They are just two flavours of the same language. If there are significant differences, they are usually discussed in the threads.

Moreover, there are more flavours than Britsih English and American English; there is also  Australian English and Irish English.


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## bearded

...and South African English and Indian English.... 
In Italy we usually call them ''accents'' or ''varieties'' of the same language. Another example on a much smaller scale: in Switzerland (Ticino/Tessin) they speak Italian with an accent different from the Italian standard, and similar to the regional accent of Lombardy (It.region).


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## velisarius

What sort of clarification did you have in mind, Jimbob?

I agree that it would help if members who are interested only in answers from, for example, speakers of AE , would declare that from the first post, and not halfway through the thread.

Most threads are enriched by answers from members from around the globe, I think. We aren't always aware of which English expressions we use are not common elsewhere in the "Anglosphere", or have a different meaning, or are  not understood at all.  WR is often an eye-opener for me.

All members with English as their native language are required to state (in their profile) which version of English they use.


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## tsoapm

I find English-speakers usually pipe up on their own if a proposal seems unsuited for their variety of English. Ditto with any possible ambiguities in the source for this reason.


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## Jimbob_Disco

velisarius said:


> What sort of clarification did you have in mind, Jimbob?
> 
> I agree that it would help if members who are interested only in answers from, for example, speakers of AE , would declare that from the first post, and not halfway through the thread.
> 
> Most threads are enriched by answers from members from around the globe, I think. We aren't always aware of which English expressions we use are not common elsewhere in the "Anglosphere", or have a different meaning, or are  not understood at all.  WR is often an eye-opener for me.
> 
> All members with English as their native language are required to state (in their profile) which version of English they use.


For instance, when a foreigner poses a question it would be incredibly usedul to know which form of English they lesrn, to avoid mistranslations, etc. Also, clarification for idioms, etc. It’s not really a problem with natives, as it says on our profile icons which form we speak.



bearded said:


> ...and South African English and Indian English....
> In Italy we usually call them ''accents'' or ''varieties'' of the same language. Another example on a much smaller scale: in Switzerland (Ticino/Tessin) they speak Italian with an accent different from the Italian standard, and similar to the regional accent of Lombardy (It.region).


Yes, ‘variety’ would be fine but the differences are quite widespread, perhaps suggesting something a bit more than this.


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## velisarius

I see. If in doubt, we can always ask them in the thread. It's one of the reasons we ask for source, since knowing whether quoted material is from a BE or an AE source (or other) is often essential for correct interpretation.

I tend to assume that members from European countries are likely to be learning BrE unless they say otherwise, also members from the Indian subcontinent — but members from China more often seem interested in AE. When I know that a turn of a phrase I'm recommending is one that's peculiar to BE, I try to remember to point out that I'm a BE speaker.

I haven't noticed that it's much of a problem really.


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## Jimbob_Disco

velisarius said:


> I see. If in doubt, we can always ask them in the thread. It's one of the reasons we ask for source, since knowing whether quoted material is from a BE or an AE source (or other) is often essential for correct interpretation.
> 
> I tend to assume that members from European countries are likely to be learning BrE unless they say otherwise, also members from the Indian subcontinent — but members from China more often seem interested in AE. When I know that a turn of a phrase I'm recommending is one that's peculiar to BE, I try to remember to point out that I'm a BE speaker.
> 
> I haven't noticed that it's much of a problem really.


Thank you!


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## desi4life

I think there are significant differences within British English itself. I don’t perceive the English of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to be the same.


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## Jimbob_Disco

desi4life said:


> I think there are significant differences within British English itself. I don’t perceive the English of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to be the same.


I couldn't agree more! What form do you speak?


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