There are some differences between American English and British English. Some differences are quite interesting.

When my friend Lily from London used the word “larder”, I didn’t know what it meant. Realizing I didn’t follow her, she used another word. I finally knew she wanted to find something to keep some food. The next word came up when we were planning a lunch date. She jotted down the date and time in her diary, while I marked my calendar. If she called me on the phone, she would ring me up. But if the line was busy, she would say the line was engaged.

Most times, I can know what Lily means. Last week, she regretted sending her boys to watch an early morning tennis game without their fleeces. I thought that she meant without their jackets or something like those. Other times, we have to ask each other. She recently told me a funny tale about a woman who was pissed. I wondered what had made the lady angry. It turns out that pissed means drunk.

Here is one more example. My British friend Jane was filling out a ticket at the grocery store recently. She asked the young man if he had a rubber. When she noticed he didn’t follow her, she quickly asked for an eraser, which, in England, is often called a rubber.

In order to communicate well with the British, we Americans should learn some words that the British use differently. And I think people who learn English as a second language should also realize that there are differences between American English and British English.

“My Story of Chinese Hanzi” International Competition Kicked off

The 2023 “My Story of Chinese Hanzi” international competition kicked off on June 12, 2023. This year’s theme is “Homeland”. We invite people to participate and share stories of exchanges, understanding and friendship among civilizations.

Who can participate in the competition?

Foreigners who work, live or study in China and neither they nor their parents speak Chinese as their mother tongue. Foreigners residing overseas who are also non-native speakers of Chinese.

How will the competition be held?

The competition consists of an online preliminary round, online semi-finals and offline finals. The online preliminary round includes two parts. Contestants (竞争者) will answer questions online. Upon completing the questions, they will be directed to a new page where they should write their favorite Chinese character. A poster image showcasing their handwritten Chinese character will be generated to share on WeChat. They must send a one-minute self-introduction video. The video should meet the following criteria: Format: MP4; Quality: 1080p; Duration: Not longer than one minute. The top 40 contestants will advance to the semi-finals. In the second round, contestants will participate in a video conversation where they will each take turns speaking on the spot. The top 10 contestants with the highest scores will advance to the finals.

At the finals, the finalists will each deliver a seven-minute speech. Judges will evaluate and score the speeches based on several criteria: the core message, their expressiveness, their proficiency (熟练) in the Chinese language and the effectiveness of their speeches in promoting cross-cultural understanding. These scores will be used to determine the final champion and other awards.

Awards

Each winner will receive a certificate, a souvenir and a cash prize that could be as high as 10,000 yuan. There will be a special award for the champion of the overseas competition zone.

When a student is learning to speak British English, he can’t help wondering: Can I communicate with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences?

Certainly, there are some differences between British and American English. There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British say “in hospital” and “Have you a pen?” ; Americans say “in the hospital” and “Do you have a pen?”

Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound “r” in words like “bird” and “hurt”. Some speakers of British English do not sound the “r” in these words. There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour” and “honour” are British; “color” and “honor” are American.

These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language.