The English-speaking world

English is the most spoken language in the world. Many people speak English in addition to their first language. This makes English a language that people who speak different languages can use to communicate with each other, also called a lingua franca. English is a common language in computer coding, education and business.

Native speakers

English is an official language in 58 countries around the world. In 19 countries, most people speak English. The largest of these are the US (231 mil), the UK (60 mil), Canada (19 mil), Australia (at least 17 mil), New Zealand (4 mil) and South Africa (3 mil). In these countries, they have different pronunciation, vocabulary and spelling.

Non-native speakers

India and Hong Kong are examples of countries that have been British colonies. In these countries, many people speak English as a second language. But people from countries like Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands speak better English than from some countries that have been colonies.

The wide variety of English around the world leads to a great variety in the English language.

 

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Accents

An accent is how you speak the language. It can be how you change your voice when you talk, how high or low your voice is and so on. This is a sound pattern, and it can be different from language to language. It can also be different within the same language. There are many different accents in English.

Native and foreign accents

A native accent depends on where you come from, or your social group. A person from New York speaks English differently than a person from London, but they are both right. It is, for example, just as correct to pronounce the ‘a’ in tomato as the ‘a’ in baby as the ‘a’ in ‘father.’

We use the rules, structure and sounds from our own language when we speak a foreign language.

We all speak in different accents

It doesn’t matter which English accent we use when we speak.  It is just as correct to speak with an Indian accent as an American accent. It is also fine to speak with a Norwegian accent or a Jamaican accent.

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Local variations

In the English-speaking countries there are many different accents depending where they are from. Take a look at some British accents.

There are different English accents in the US as well. The Midwestern accent is viewed as the birth of the Standard American English accent.

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Same same, but different

For people who don’t have English as their first language it is easier to understand American and British English. We hear these two accents a lot through music, films and series. But how are American English and British English different?

Pronunciation

One of the main differences in all English accents is the way the r is or is not pronounced. In British English, the r is not pronounced when it comes after a vowel in the same syllable (as in car, hard or market). In American English, it is pronounced. There are also differences in the pronunciation of the consonant t, as well as differences in vowel sounds.

Spelling

Words ending -our in British English often end in -or in American English:

  • British English: colour, harbour and neighbour
  • American English: color, harbor and neighbor. 

Words ending in -re in British English often end in -er in American English:

  • British English: centre, litre
  • American English: center, liter.

Also, verbs ending in -ise in British English often get the ending -ize in American English:

  • British English: realise, organise
  • American English: realize, organize.
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There are some vocabulary differences between American and British English, for example:

Take a look at more examples here:

Soak in English!

There are a few things you can do to be better at English.

Read

Reading is a good way to learn new words. By reading, you also get better at grammar and sentence structure. You can read fiction or nonfiction. If you watch a good movie or your favorite series or even YouTube, you can turn on English text. You will learn a lot.

Listen

You can also learn new words and become better at pronunciation by listening to English. for example, on TV, podcasts, the radio or audiobooks.

Speak

Try to speak English as much as you can. Be active in English class, use English if you travel, and speak with people online. If you want to practice alone, you could try to listen to someone speaking, for example, in a YouTube video, and then try to repeat what they say while recording yourself. This will allow you to listen to and correct yourself.

Write

Practicing writing will also make you better at English. You can learn new words by finding synonyms for words you use a lot.

Try

If you don’t understand what people are saying, don’t be afraid to ask. Most people will explain what they mean. If you cannot find the words, try to explain in another way. Remember, you are not alone. Many people find it difficult to find the right words or the right grammar.

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Talk the talk!

The main point of learning a language is that you communicate with people. It doesn’t matter if you do it right or if you make some mistakes. As long as it is understandable, you are ok.

The worst thing that can happen if you make mistakes is that you learn from them.

Kilder:

Bilde – og  videorettigheter:

    1. Getty Images
    2. Adobe Stock
    3. The Daily Show – YouTube
    4. Adobe Stock
    5. Anglopheria – YouTube
    6. Insider Science – YouTube
    7. Adobe Stock
    8. BBC –YouTube
    9. Adobe Stock
    10. Adobe Stock
    11. Adobe Stock