Lexical Differences between American and British English: A Survey Study

This paper aims at analysing reciprocal comprehension between American and British English native speakers. Although American and British English are generally mutually intelligible, there are enough differences to cause misunderstandings in everyday life language. After a brief historical description of the main issues that have led to a differentiation of the two languages, the paper focuses on a description of lexical differences in the fields of housing, transport, shopping, food, and numerical systems, as part of everyday language that could lead to a complete failure of communication. To verify how well American and British speakers understand each other and whether they are aware of the lexical differences, a survey has been conducted among speakers of the two varieties. The sample was asked to complete a questionnaire by writing the American equivalent of 45 British words proposed and vice versa for the British speaking sample. The results demonstrate that reciprocal knowledge of the lexical differences is far from good. The results raise questions about what can truly be considered 'correct' English, and even if it is right to talk about a 'proper' English variety. Major awareness is proposed as a strategy to improve mutual intelligibility and respect between the two cultures