The World of the English Language

QUESTION:
Which language is spoken by the highest number of people in the world ?
The World of the English Language

The World of the English Language
ANSWER ?
It depends what sources of information you use.
Many countries do not have accurate population numbers or data on the languages the different sections of the populations speak.
And many countries try to emphasise the importance of their own language.

The World of the English Language
So, what is the answer ?
Chinese ?

The World of English Language
Strictly speaking, there is no such language as Chinese, just like there is no Czechoslovakian, Belgian or Swiss language.
In China they have many languages (called dialects by the Chinese). The only thing they all have in common is the Chinese characters.
The most commonly spoken dialects are Chinese Mandarin and then Cantonese.

The World of the English Language
The only thing which all Chinese have in common is their characters - Chinese characters are difficult to learn but they constitute the oldest continuously-used system of writing in the world

The World of the English Language
Mandarin Chinese is spoken by about 750 million to 1 billion people (depending on the source of your information), more than any other language in the world (not all Chinese in the population of 1.4 billion can speak Mandarin)
But try to see how far “Chinese“ gets you in Rome, Madrid, Prague or Stockholm, or even Buenos Aires or Johanesburg on the other side of the globe.

The World of the English Language
So, how many people around the world speak English?

The World of the English Language
ENGLISH is used either as the main or one of the official languages in 105 countries around the world, which include USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India (with 1.2 billion people), Pakistan, Hong Kong, South Africa, etc.
ENGLISH is therefore the most widely distributed language in the world.

The World of the English Language
The range of estimates of speakers of various
languages by UNESCO and other organisations:
English 1 billion* speakers
Chinese Mandarin speakers 800 million to 1 billion
Hindi (with Urdu) in India 500 million
Spanish (remember: Brazil speaks Portuguese) 450 million
Russian 326 million
Arabic 250 million
French, German 125 million each
* Some estimates go as high as 1.4 billion people who speak English. Of those, half a billion people use English as their first language

The World of the English Language
Countries where English is spoken as a 1st or official language

The World of the English Language
Populations of some of the larger countries
where English is spoken as a 1st or 2nd (official) language:
USA 313 million
UK 63 million
Canada 35 million (22 million English speakers)
Australia 22 million
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
India 1.2 billion
Pakistan 177 million
Nigeria 167 million
Philippines 94 million
South Africa 50 million
Kenya 41 million
Malaysia 28 million
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language

The World of the English Language
Countries where English is a major language:
English is the primary language in:
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey, Guyana, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jersey, Montserrat, Nauru, New Zealand, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan de Cunha, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the United Kingdom and the United States

The World of the English Language
In some countries where English is not the most spoken language, it is an official language; these countries include:
Botswana, Cameroon, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagaskar, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines (Philippine English), Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Souith Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Also there are countries where in a part of the territory English became a co-official language, e.g. Colombia's San Andrés y Providencia and Nicaragua's Mosquito Coast. This was a result of the influence of British colonisation in the area.

The World of the English Language
More than one official language
English is also one of the 11 official languages that are given equal status in South Africa (South African English).
English is the official language in the current dependent territories of Australia (Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and Cocos Island)
and of the United States (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Also, the former British colony of Hong Kong.

The World of the English Language
A very interesting point:
English is not an official language in the United States !
English is the de facto national language of the United States, with 82% of the population claiming it as a mother tongue
and some 96% claiming to speak it "well" or "very well.“ However, no official language exists at the federal level.
Nevertheless, at the state level, English has been given official status by 30 of the 50 state governments.
Indeed, there are more people speaking English in Asia (about 320 million or more) than in the USA !

The World of the English Language
Although falling short of official status, English is also an important language in several former colonies and protectorates of the United Kingdom, such as:
Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cyprus, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The World of the English Language
As we can see, English is now the most widely spread language in the world, particularly in business, science, trade, diplomacy, travel and, especially, in computers.
Chinese also has many speakers, but the vast majority are in China. It is not a world language.
Why people use English?
Probably because it is a very adaptable language with around one million terms !

The World of the English Language
By comparison with Chinese, English is the most global of languages
and most important language in the world today:
Two thirds of all scientific papers are published in English
(The Economist)
Nearly half of all business deals in Europe are conducted in English
(The Story of English)
More than 70% of the world's mail is written and addressed in English

The World of the English Language
Because English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a "world language", the lingua franca of the modern era, and while it is not an official language in most countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a foreign language.
Some linguists believe that it is no longer the exclusive cultural property of "native English speakers", but is rather a language that is absorbing aspects of cultures worldwide as it continues to grow. It is, by international treaty, the official language for aerial and maritime communications.
English is an official language of the United Nations and many other international organisations, including the International Olympic Committee.

The World of the English Language
English is the language most often studied as a foreign language in the European Union, by 89% of schoolchildren, ahead of French at 32%, while the perception of the usefulness of foreign languages amongst Europeans is 68% in favour of English ahead of 25% for French.
Among some non-English speaking EU countries, a large percentage of the adult population claims to be able to converse in English – in particular:
85% in Sweden,
83% in Denmark,
79% in the Netherlands,
66% in Luxembourg
and over 50% in Finland, Slovenia, Austria, Belgium, and Germany.

The World of the English Language
Books, magazines, and newspapers written in English are available in many countries around the world, and English is the most commonly used language in the sciences with Science Citation Index reporting as early as 1997 that 95% of its articles were written in English, even though only half of them came from authors in English-speaking countries.

The World of the English Language
Future of English – Experts’ prognoses
Language researcher in Washington, David Graddol, said that “English is likely to remain one of the world’s most important languages for the foreseeable future, but its future is more problematic — and complex — than most people appreciate”.
As of 1995, he reported, English was the second most-common native tongue in the world, trailing only Chinese.
But, by 2050, he says, Chinese will continue its predominance, with Hindi-Urdu of India and Arabic overtaking English, and Spanish nearly equal to it.

The World of the English Language
On the other hand, a British linguist David Harrison noted, that “the global share of English is much larger if you count second-language speakers, and will continue to rise, even as the proportion of native speakers declines.”
Scholars say that about one-fourth (1.75 billion) of the world's population can communicate to some degree in English.
English is the common language in almost every endeavour, from science to air traffic control to the global jihad, where it is apparently the means of communication between speakers of Arabic and other languages.

The World of the English Language
There may be more native speakers of Chinese, Spanish or Hindi, but it is English they speak when they talk across cultures, and English they teach their children to help them become citizens of an increasingly intertwined world.
At telephone call centres around the world, the key points of a globalized workplace, the language spoken is, naturally, English.
On the radio, pop music carries the sounds of English to almost every corner of the earth.
"English has become the second language of everybody," said Mark Warschauer, a professor of education and informatics at the University of California, Irvine:
"It's gotten to the point where almost in any part of the world to be educated means to know English."

The World of the English Language
There are many ways of studying English. After learning basic English
at school we can attend advanced courses such as:
English for Specific Purposes (ESP), which is a specialised area of teaching English language. It includes many types, such as:
1. Academic English
2. Business English
2. Technical English
3. Scientific English
4. Legal English
5. English for medical professionals
6. Aviation English (ESP taught to pilots and air traffic
controllers and radio communicators)
7. Diplomatic English
There are also specialised classes of English for tourism, sport, waiters, and many other areas of professional activities.

The World of the English Language
ESP is taught in many universitiesESP is taught in many universities of the world. Many professional associations of teachers of English (TESOLESP is taught in many universities of the world. Many professional associations of teachers of English (TESOL, IATEFL) have ESP sections.
Much attention is devoted to ESP course design
ESP teaching has much in common with English as a Foreign or Second LanguageESP teaching has much in common with English as a Foreign or Second Language and English for Academic Purposes (EAP).
Quickly developing Business English can be considered as part of a larger concept of English for Specific Purposes.

The World of the English Language
What is the aim of
English for Academic Purposes (EAP) ?
EAP trains students, usually in Higher Education, to use English language appropriately for study
in EAP the students practise vocabularyin EAP the students practise vocabulary and grammar
and the four skills:
1. reading (selected texts each week)
2. writing (2 – 3 essays)
3. speaking - including standard pronunciation
4. and listening
The students acquire study skillsThe students acquire study skills and learn about differences in educational culture, for example, what counts as plagiarism.

The World of the English Language
At this university we use British English because we are part of and live in Europe
in Cambridge tests – must choose either GB or US English – if you mix the two = failed exam
We should not worry about our accents, but should be proud of our nationalities
But we should worry about our pronunciation – because we want other people to understand what we are saying
And we also want to be able to understand what other people are saying

The World of the English Language
HISTORY OF ENGLISH
English is a Germanic language which belongs to the Indo-European
Family of languages.
English has originated form Old Norse and Saxon.
The closest languages to English are those in the Germanic Branch:
German
Dutch
then:
Swedish - has tones, which is unusual in European languages
Norwegian
Danish
Icelandic - is the least changed of the Germanic languages,
it is close to Old Norse

The World of the English Language
Other related Germanic languages are:
Flemish and Afrikaans = varieties of Dutch
Yiddish = variety of German (which is written using Hebrew script)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
German has a system of four cases and three genders for its nouns. Case is the property where a noun takes a different ending depending on its role in a sentence. An example in English: lady, lady's, ladies and ladies'.
The genders in German are masculine, feminine and neuter.
English has lost gender and case.
Only a few words form their plurals like German (ox, oxen and child, children). Most words in English now add an "s", having been influenced by Norman French

The World of the English Language
WHY WE PREFER ENGLISH
English is concise (brief) and flexible. Compare English with examples of other languages:
German:
Wirtschaftstreuhandgessellschaft
(a business trust company)
Bundesbahnangestelltenwitwe (a widow of a federal railway employee), and
Kriegsgefangenanentschädigungsgesetz
(a law pertaining to war reparations)

The World of the English Language
While in Holland companies commonly have names of forty letters or more, such as:
Dowe Egberts Koninklijke Tabaksfabriek-Koffiebranderijn-Theehandal Naamloze Vennootschap (literally: Dowe Egberts Royal Tobacco Factory-Coffee Roasters-Tea Traders incorporated).

The World of the English Language
English by contrast has pretty short expressions:
IBM, laser, NATO
But: English is a complex language and can sometime surprise you, especially in the academic and political circles, by using unnecessary jargon.
At a conference of sociologists in America, love was defined as "the cognitive-affective state characterised by intrusive and obsessive fantasizing concerning reciprocity of amorant feelings by the object of the amorance"

The World of the English Language
English is the most studied and emulated (imitated) language in the world. It has such an enormous influence it has affected other languages.
When the BBC English-teaching series Follow Me was first broadcast in China it had audiences of up to 100 million people

Influence of English - English words are everywhere:
Germans speak of die Teenagers and das Walkout
German politicians tell German journalists "No comment"
Italian women put col cream on their faces
Romanians ride on trolleybus
Spaniards, when they are cold, put a sueter on
Czechs order hemenex in restaurants (= ham and eggs)
Almost everyone in the world speaks on the telephone,
the telefoon or telefon, and – somebody claimed that even in China they speak on the te le fung

The World of the English Language
In 1986 The Economist compiled a list of English terms
that have become universal:
airport
passport
hotel
telephone
bar
soda
cigarette
sport
golf
tennis
stop
O.K.
weekend
jeans
know-how
sex appeal
no problem

ENGLISH AS A WORLD LANGUAGE
English words are usually taken as they are, but sometime they are changed:
In Ukrainia you get a herkot at the barber
(yes, it is a haircut)
In Poland you get ajskrym
In Lithuania you go to see muving pikceris
(moving pictures)
In Serbia they have peda (payday)
In France a self service restaurant is just a le self

The World of the English Language
The Japanese are the most intensive users of English words. It is estimated they have adopted at least 20 000 English words so far.
The Japanese cannot pronounce certain sounds, especially the letter "L", and they have to change foreign words so that they can pronounce them.
Productivity in Japanese has become purodakuchibichi
Examples of other English words in Japanese are:
erebeta - elevator
nekutai - necktie
bata - butter
beikon - bacon
sarada - salad
remon - lemon
chiizu - cheese
bifuteki - beefsteak
hamu - ham
shyantu setto - shampoo and set

English as a world language
Influence of English - English words are everywhere:
The French government has tried to fight against the usage of English words for many years.
So, the hamburger has become a steak haché
and the jet airplane has become avion á réaction
However, many English words have been present in French for hundreds of years:
le snob (100 years)
le biftek (100 years)
le self-made man (100 years)
ouest (vest) (700 years)
rosbif (roast beef) (350 years)
French has also adopted many modern words such as
gadget
holdup
weekend
blue jeans
self-service
manager
marketing

English as a world language
Problems with English
The main problem with English is its confusing pronunciation, i.e. the lack of standard pronunciation. The only certain thing about English pronunciation is that it is that there is almost nothing certain about it:
A) the same word can have more than one pronunciation and meanings:
minute – [minit] = unit of time
minute – [my-newt] = very small, tiny
bow - [bou] = a weapon shooting arrows
bow - [bau] = to bend down as a form of greeting
B) different words can have the same pronunciation but different meanings
to [tu:] = direction, 3rd case (dative) …go to school…
too [tu:] = …too much…, also: … we went there, too.
two [tu:] = a number
You cannot guess pronunciation in English. You must learn it by heart.

English as a world language
C) words with similar spelling having different pronunciation: heard – beard
road – broad
five – give
early – dearly
beau – beauty
steak – streak
ache – moustache
low – how
doll – droll
scour – four
grieve – sieve
paid – said
break – speak

English as a world language
D) varying pronunciation:
"c" in race, rack and rich or: cat, cot, candy
"b" in debt or doubt is silent
"a" in bread is silent
second "t" in thistle is silent
The most famous variation is that for OUGH
which has 8 different pronunciations:
through
though
thought
tough
plough
thorough
hiccough
lough (Irish-English word for lake = loch)

English as a world language
E) lack of clear vowels A, E, I, O, U
the most frequent ‘’vowel’’ in English is actually not a vowel but the sound of the schwa: ə
as in: here [hiə]
bear [beə]
world [wə:ld]
Sir [sə:]
F) some difficult sounds such as:
"th" as in the Greek theta: θ, and words such as thanks, think, thistle, theory, …
æ as in jazz, jam, that, ….

The World of the English Language
Yes, the English language is like that ...
I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough,
Others may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, laugh and through,
Well done! And you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps.

The World of the English Language
Beware of heard, a dreadful word,
That looks like beard and sounds like bird;
And dead: it’s said like bed and not like bead.
For goodness sake don’t call it deed.
Watch out for meat and great and threat;
They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.

The World of the English Language
A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, broth in brother;
And here is not a match for there,
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear.
And then there’s dose and rose and lose –
Just look them up – and goose and choose,
And cork and work and cord and ward,
And font and front and word and sword,
And do and go and thwart and cart.

The World of the English Language
Come, come, I’ve hardly made a start!
A dreadful language? Man alive;
I’d mastered it when I was five.

The World of the English Language
And how do you pronounce this word ?
GHOTI
ENOUGH
ENOUGH = F
WOMEN
WOMEN = I
CAUTION
CAUTION = SH

The World of the English Language
Another problem is understanding
the many varieties
of the English language.
There are many dialects in Britain and many accents
and different types of pronunciation around the world
ranging from British to American or Australian, New
Zealand, or Indian and South African, Hong Kong and
many others.

The World of the English Language
In Great Britain there are more dialects than in any other English speaking country.
English houses
English Dialects

The World of the English Language
The actual number of dialects varies depending on the person studying them.

The World of the English Language
Robert Claiborne claims there are "no less than thirteen" quite distinct dialects in Britain
English houses
English dialects

The World of the English Language
Mario Pei counted 49 dialects in UK (9 in Scotland, 3 in Ireland and 37 in England and Wales).
English houses
English dialects

The World of the English Language
There are many …
English houses
English dialects

The World of the English Language
Some authors who claim there is one dialect for each hill and valley in England might be right

The World of the English Language
PRIVATE SCHOOLS
To complicate the situation, in addition to the dialects there are many, often exagerated, accents developed by independent public schools
These schools are, in fact, private educational institutes, such as Eton, Harrow, and universities such as Oxford, and Cambridge.

The World of the English Language
Eton College
The most famous “Public School“
in the world. In fact, it is an elitist private high school
Founded in 1440 by the English king Henry VI as a charity school to provide free education to seventy poor boys who would then go on to the University of Cambridge
Now it charges £ 26 000 tuition fee per year (= €30 000 or 715 000 Kc)
And it enrols 1300 boys
It has produced 19 British prime ministers

Cambridge
Cambridge University
Clare College and Kings Chapel
at the river Cam
University founded in 1209
Academically, Cambridge is one of the top universities in the world: first in the world in both 2010 and 2011 by QS World University Rankings.
It has overtaken Harvard
19 000 students
31 independent colleges
Graduates have won 61 Nobel Prizes – the most of any university in the world
Francis Crick and James Watson, at Cambridge, discovered in 1953 the double helix structure of DNA

The World of the English Language
SCOTISH DIALECT
The Scotish dialects are distinct by their rolling "r", as shown by sentences such as "Thirrrty thrrree birrrds flew overrr the mountains".
The Scotish use many of their own expressions in English, such as:
aye for yes
nay for no
lass for girl
lad for boy
glen for valley
loch for lake (as in Loch Ness monster)
It is interesting that the Scotish words aye and nay are used in the British navy, instead of English yes and no.

The World of the English Language
THE BRUMS AND WORCESTERSHIRE
One of the most distinct dialects is the one spoken in Birmingham, the second largest city in England, located in the Midlands.
The locals pronounce the name of the city, Birmingham, as Brummie-jum and are therefore sometime called "the Brums".
The Worcestershire county south of Birmingham has a similar dialect, which, eg, uses "oi" in words where standard English uses "ai„.
An example of the Worcestershire dialect:
Every Froidee noight we hav a gluss of woiin and then we go for a boik roiid.

The World of the English Language
And the meaning of the sentence?
Every Friday night we have a glass of wine and then we go for a bike ride.

The World of the English Language
YORKSHIRE
In Yorkshire, in the north of England, there is a tendency to pronounce some vowels as “oo“ :
the boos station - the bus stop
the boook - the book
bloodee rope - bloody rope

The World of the English Language
Because there are some many different dialects and accents in Britain, when their children go to school, they learn how to standardise their pronounce of English by saying :
HOW NOW BROWN COW

The World of the English Language
OTHER ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES
In Great Britain the accents and dialects change over very short distances.
In America and Australia there is a conspicuous uniformity of speech compared with Britain.
Although in USA there are many different accents and different pronunciations, almost two thirds of the American population, living on 80% of the land speak with the same accent !
Great Britain has influenced the way how they speak in America and Australia, but both countries have developed their own words and terminology.

The World of the English Language
The London dialect, called cockney, influenced the Australian English, while the Irish accent affected the way they speak in the USA, especially the pronunciation of the letter "r", or "o"
(in some areas).
Robert - rah-bƏt
Bob - barb
newspaper - noose-paper
duty - dooty
.com (dot com) - dart calm

The World of the English Language
English spoken in Australia is the same right across the continent but there are 3 layers of social accent:
cultivated spoken by about 10% of people and sounding very much like British accent (spoken especially on the TV, radio, theatre, as well as at schools and universities
broad, working-class accent spoken also by about 10% of people (eg Paul Hogan who became famous in his film role of the Crocodile Dundee)
general – an accent falling between these two and used by most people

The World of the English Language
In Australia many people used to speak the broad version of English which was called strine.
There is an old joke about a European migrant who just started working in a factory. An Australian fellow-worker came to him and asked him:
"Did you come here to-die (= today) ?"
The shocked migrant replied: 'No, I came here to live!:

The World of the English Language
Some examples of the Australian strine
Holly-die - holiday
Mun-die - Monday
Operition - operation
Edu-kie-tion - education
Snike - snake
Scona - as in "scona rine" (It's gonna to rain).
Baked necks – bacon and eggs
Egg-nishner - airconditioner
Gloria Soame - Gloria's home
Emma chisit - How much is it?
Air fridge – average
I waited fairairs and fairairs – I waited for hours and hours

The World of the English Language
Australians devised many words and also
borrowed some from the Aborigines
didgeridoo - trumpet like musical instrument
boomerang - a weapon used by the Aborigines
koala - Australian native animal
kangaroo - Australian native animal
billabong - a water hole, often brakish body of water
outback - remote country in Australia
tucker - food
bonzer - excellent
cobber - a pal, a buddy
mate - a partner, buddy, pal
sheila - a girl, or young woman

The World of the English Language
The Australians are fond of abbreviations such as
roo - kangaroo
reffo - refugee
ethnics - people of ethnic background
postie - postman
footy - football
arvo - afternoon
compo - compensation
ambos - ambulance personnel
grog - alcoholic drinks of any kind

G´day mate …

Australian Aboriginal didgeridoo

The World of the English Language
Indian accent
Although different regions of India have variations in their accents the "Indian" accent is quite distinct.
Example:
Wezmissarakuk?
Where's Miss Sarah Cook?
The Indians who live in Bengal, cannot pronounce the
letter “s“. Therefore, instead of “God Save the Queen“.
they sing “God Shave the Queen“

The World of the English Language
ACCENTS
We all have accents, even in our own language, and that's why we can recognize our friends, it's not just their voices, it is also how they pronounce the words they say.
We should be proud of our accents, because they identify where we come from.
But we should use standard pronunciation so the people from other countrie can understand us.

SOME COMMENTS ON THE INFLUENCE OF
AMERICAN SPELLING ON BRITISH ENGLISH
The British use PROGRAMME, but for computers they use PROGRAM.
The same with DISC – for computers they use DISK.
For AEROPLANE the British now use the US word: AIRPLANE
And TRUCK has replaced LORRY
In Britain upstairs is the first floor, in USA it is the second
Presently means 'now' in USA, but in Britain it means 'in a little while'
A tramp in Britain is a bum in USA, but a bum in Britain is a fanny in America

SOME COMMENTS ON THE INFLUENCE OF
AMERICAN SPELLING ON BRITISH ENGLISH
Royal Mail delivers the post, not the mail, while in America the Postal Service delivers the mail not the post !
The British say 'ill' when the Americans would say 'injured'
VCR in USA is a video recorder in Britain
American FALL is AUTUMN in Britain
British PIG is HOG in USA
Assignment in USA is a job or task in Britain
The American billion (1,000,000,000) ie one thousand million has replaced the British sense (1,000,000,000,000) ie one million million

America has introduced many words and expressions that never existed in Britain. Examples:
commuter
striptease
gimmick
baby-sitter
lengthy
teenager
telephone
radio
typewriter
hangover
to make good (to be successful
joyride
publicity
blizzard
stunt
department store
currency (for money; in Britain it used to mean validity)
graveyard
know-how
hindsight
raincoat

The British gave the Americans words such as:
smog
weekend
gadget
miniskirt
radar
brain drain
gay (in the sense of homosexual)

And the Japanese have adopted quite a few words from English as well:
Productivity - purodakuchibichi
sumato - smart
nyuu ritchi - newly rich
appudeito - up to date
gurama foto - glamour photo
haikuraso - high class
kyapitaru gein - capital gain
rushawa - rush hour

Many English words were miniaturised by the Japanese:
modern girl - moga
word processor - wa-pro
mass communications - masu-komi
touch and game - tachi geimu

British vs American English
autumn – fall
chips – french fries
the cinema – the movies
film – movie
ground floor – first floor
lift - elevator
potato crisps – potato chips
biscuit - cookie
tram – streetcar
pavement – sidewalk
pub – bar
bank note – bill

British vs American English
saloon (car) - sedan
taxi - cab
Lorry - truck
Petrol - gasoline
puncture - blow-out
silencer - muffler
windscreen - windshield
spanner - wrench
motorway - freeway
dual carriageway - divided highway

British vs American English
toll motorway - turnpike
roundabout – traffic circle
crossroads - intersection
public toilet – rest room
queue – line
tap – faucet
railway – railroad
underground railway - subway
railway carriage – railway car
single ticket – one-way ticket
round (ticket) – round trip
timetable - schedule

British vs American English
post – mail
postbox – mailbox
postman – mailman
tights – pantihose
trousers – pants
waistcoat – vest
wardrobe – closet
angry - mad
crazy – mad
torch – flashlight
pram – baby carriage
tea towel – dish towel
tin – can
sweets – candy

British vs American English
reverse charges - call collect
nowhere - noplace
somewhere - someplace
off licence - liquor store
curtains - drapes
aerial - antenna
lift - elevator
shop - store
chemist's - drug store
Condom - rubber
nappy - diaper
Dummy - pacifier

British vs American English
rubbish bin, dustbin - trash can
rubber - eraser
rise (in salary) - raise
rubbish - garbage, trash
sellotape - Scotch tape
staff (of a university) - faculty
term - semester

- o – 0 – o -
o – 0 – o -

…
WHAT IS PUNCTUATION ?
…
ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES
Punctuation:
The use of standard marks and signs in
writing and printing to separate words
into :
sentences
clauses
and phrases in order to clarify (= make more clear) their meaning.

English for Academic Purposes
Examples of punctuation:
,
´
. /
#
:
;
) (
]