5 ms·

USA English and British English are normally distinct in sites that support lots of languages. I think that Australia inherited things like British spelling and

USA English and British English are normally distinct in sites that support lots of languages. I think that Australia inherited things like British spelling and is the same? Or are there differences? (Color vs Colour, etc)

skissane 5y ago
No Australian English and British English are different. For example, British say lorry but Australians say truck. Although on the whole Australian English is closer to British than American, that's one case where the opposite is true. (But the word truck doesn't mean quite the same thing in American English and Australian English – in American English it has a broader sense, in Australian English its sense is somewhat more narrow – Australians and Americans would both call a semi-trailer truck a truck, but what Americans call pickup trucks Australians generally don't call trucks, we call them utes instead – that term is pretty much unique to Australian and New Zealand English) And in some cases Australian English matches neither American English or British English. For example, Americans say bell peppers and British say sweet peppers, but Australians say capsicums. (Along with New Zealand English, Malaysian English, Indian English, Pakistani English, Bangladeshi English, and Sri Lankan English.) People need to get away from the idea that there are only two varieties of English, American and British. There are as many varieties of English as there are countries in which English is a major spoken language.
- scoopertrooper 5y ago
  I'd wager there is greater linguistic diversity between English spoken in Paddington and Merrylands than that of Paddington and the City of London. I know when folks address a group of people as 'yous' they mean 'you', but as a plural pronoun. When an American chef says bell peppers, they mean capsicums. I'd argue the former is a bigger step than the latter, given that 'you' is a far more common word. 'Australian English' is at best a dialect of British English, though I don't think the differences even amount to that. Also, I'd be very impressed if a website substituted lorry for truck when I clicked an Australian flag.
  - skissane 5y ago
    > I know when folks address a group of people as 'yous' they mean 'you', but as a plural pronoun. When an American chef says bell peppers, they mean capsicums. I'd argue the former is a bigger step than the latter, given that 'you' is a far more common word. The plural form yous or youse is very common across many dialects of English – it is found in Ireland, Scotland, England (in particular in Geordie and Scouse), Australia, New Zealand, and some regional dialects of American English (especially Philadelphia) > 'Australian English' is at best a dialect of British English, though I don't think the differences even amount to that. Linguists don't agree. Australian and British English are independent dialects. Even the UK contains multiple dialects of English – "British English" generally means just the way Oxbridge graduates, BBC staff, Whitehall mandarins, etc, speak and write. In fact, the UK arguably has more internal diversity in English than most other English-speaking countries – Geordie is a dialect of English, yet at times is barely intelligible to other native English speakers. Languages are usually the most diverse in their country of origin, since the processes of emigration/colonisation/etc tend to greatly reduce that original diversity.
    - scoopertrooper 5y ago
      I think my basic point here is that the words dialect and language are too coarse to describe two English variants with identical spelling and grammatical systems, but with some minor differences in pronunciation and word usage. Especially, given that they both have a high degree of internal variance (as you quite rightly said). If you compare the differences between English as spoken in Australia, England, and (even) America to the various dialects spoken in China, you can see how little descriptive value there is in referring to minor English variants as dialects or even independent languages. Ultimately, the decision to declare a cluster of variations a dialect or separate language, or even admit it exits is a political choice, closely tied to national identity. For instance, there is technically a New Zealand English, but it's essentially identical to Australian English aside from some minor differences in pronunciation. So, I don't see why people should really care if they see the Australian flag appears in the language menu.
      - 5y ago

skissane 5y ago

No Australian English and British English are different. For example, British say lorry but Australians say truck. Although on the whole Australian English is closer to British than American, that's one case where the opposite is true. (But the word truck doesn't mean quite the same thing in American English and Australian English – in American English it has a broader sense, in Australian English its sense is somewhat more narrow – Australians and Americans would both call a semi-trailer truck a truck, but what Americans call pickup trucks Australians generally don't call trucks, we call them utes instead – that term is pretty much unique to Australian and New Zealand English) And in some cases Australian English matches neither American English or British English. For example, Americans say bell peppers and British say sweet peppers, but Australians say capsicums. (Along with New Zealand English, Malaysian English, Indian English, Pakistani English, Bangladeshi English, and Sri Lankan English.) People need to get away from the idea that there are only two varieties of English, American and British. There are as many varieties of English as there are countries in which English is a major spoken language.

scoopertrooper 5y ago
I'd wager there is greater linguistic diversity between English spoken in Paddington and Merrylands than that of Paddington and the City of London. I know when folks address a group of people as 'yous' they mean 'you', but as a plural pronoun. When an American chef says bell peppers, they mean capsicums. I'd argue the former is a bigger step than the latter, given that 'you' is a far more common word. 'Australian English' is at best a dialect of British English, though I don't think the differences even amount to that. Also, I'd be very impressed if a website substituted lorry for truck when I clicked an Australian flag.
- skissane 5y ago
  > I know when folks address a group of people as 'yous' they mean 'you', but as a plural pronoun. When an American chef says bell peppers, they mean capsicums. I'd argue the former is a bigger step than the latter, given that 'you' is a far more common word. The plural form yous or youse is very common across many dialects of English – it is found in Ireland, Scotland, England (in particular in Geordie and Scouse), Australia, New Zealand, and some regional dialects of American English (especially Philadelphia) > 'Australian English' is at best a dialect of British English, though I don't think the differences even amount to that. Linguists don't agree. Australian and British English are independent dialects. Even the UK contains multiple dialects of English – "British English" generally means just the way Oxbridge graduates, BBC staff, Whitehall mandarins, etc, speak and write. In fact, the UK arguably has more internal diversity in English than most other English-speaking countries – Geordie is a dialect of English, yet at times is barely intelligible to other native English speakers. Languages are usually the most diverse in their country of origin, since the processes of emigration/colonisation/etc tend to greatly reduce that original diversity.
  - scoopertrooper 5y ago
    I think my basic point here is that the words dialect and language are too coarse to describe two English variants with identical spelling and grammatical systems, but with some minor differences in pronunciation and word usage. Especially, given that they both have a high degree of internal variance (as you quite rightly said). If you compare the differences between English as spoken in Australia, England, and (even) America to the various dialects spoken in China, you can see how little descriptive value there is in referring to minor English variants as dialects or even independent languages. Ultimately, the decision to declare a cluster of variations a dialect or separate language, or even admit it exits is a political choice, closely tied to national identity. For instance, there is technically a New Zealand English, but it's essentially identical to Australian English aside from some minor differences in pronunciation. So, I don't see why people should really care if they see the Australian flag appears in the language menu.
    - 5y ago