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BRITISH ENGLISH vs AMERICAN ENGLISH

5/30/2012

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[Note: This is a continuation from yesterday’s blog in which I presented Britishism that began with the letters “a” through “g.”  Today, I present those beginning with “h” through “l.”]

 Once upon a time, I worked for a very large New York City book publisher, who, periodically, gave me British books to “Americanize” before publishing the books for American readers.  I changed both British spellings and British words that were foreign to Americans.  Of course, being a royal (lowercase “r”) Anglophile, I loved this task!  

In the United States, nearly all book publishers today use the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a reference for spelling and word meanings—while UK editors use the Oxford English Dictionary.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary is a direct descendant of the famous dictionary that Noah Webster wrote, An American Dictionary of the English Language.  Webster, a Connecticut Yankee who studied at Yale, was a lexicographer and English spelling reformer.  He thought British spellings were unnecessarily complex and simplified them—thus, for example, giving us “honor” instead of “honour.”  With two English-speaking countries calling upon different dictionaries to supply “proper English,” little wonder American English and British English parted ways.  Such would have been the case anyway, with the distance between our countries, but differing reference books helped cement the deal.

When I first started Americanizing books, I was quite surprised to find almost all of the unfamiliar words in the British books were, actually, in the Merriam-Webster dictionary—but they were typically labeled “chiefly British variant.”  Seeing words used in wonderful new ways fascinated me!  And like any good Anglophile, I soon incorporated them into my own vocabulary.  I hope you will too!

Below is an index of British words that confound many Americans.  Because the entire list is a bit long, I’ll present the information in my next few blogs posts.  Enjoy!

Britishism / Americanism

H

hair slide = barrette

headmaster/headmistress = principal

hire = rent

hob = stove cook-top

holiday = vacation

holiday-maker = vacationer

hooter = nose

Hoover (trade name) = vacuum

hot flush = hot flash

housing estate = subdivision

I

ice lolly = popsicle

immersion heater = hot water heater

indicator (on a car) – turn sigle

inverted commas = quotation marks

J

jam = jelly

jelly = Jell-o (trade name)

jim-jams = jammies, pajamas

Jobcentre = employment office

joiner = cabinetmaker

judder = vibrate

jumper = sweater

K

kerfuffle = fuss, commotion

kettle = tea kettle

kip = sleep

kirby grip = hairpin

knackered = tired, exhausted

knickers = panties

L

ladybird = ladybug

larder =  pantry

launderette = Laundromat

lavatory = bathroom, rest room

lead (electrical) = electrical cord

leasehold = property that may be purchased or sold but belongs to a third-party

let = offer for rent

letter-box = mailbox

lido = public outdoor swimming pool

lift = elevator

lipsalve = ChapStick (trade name)

litter bin = trash can

loft = attic

loo = john, toilet

lounge = family room

                                                          *****************************

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    I am a writer, artist, and incurable Anglophile! Thank you for reading my blog, and please feel free to join my discussions about Britain.  I look forward to hearing your comments and stories!

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