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Tema 66:
Dimensión cultural 
de la anglófona en 
el mundo actual. El 
inglés británico y el 
Inglés Americano. 
Presencia de la 
lengua inglesa en 
España: Los 
Anglicismos.  
 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultura
al del Ingles en el mundo actua
al. El inglés britá
ánico y el Ameriicano. Los Anglicismos en Espa
aña.
2

Topic 66::
Dimen
nsión cultural de
e la anglófona en
e el mundo actual. El inglés brritánico y el Ingllés Americano. P
Presencia de la lengua
inglesa en
n España: Los Anglicismos.

Table of contents.
1. En
nglish as a world langu
uage. ______________
______________________________
___ 3
1.11. British an
nd American
n English arround the wo
orld ____________________________
____ 5
1.22. Some fund
damental cooncepts _______________
________________________________
____ 8
1.2.1. Varietyy versus dialecct __________________________________________________________
_____ 8
1.2.2. Definittion of Britishh and Americaan English ___
____________________________________
_____ 8
2. Brritish (BrE)) & Americaan English (AmE) diff
fferences. ______________________
__ 10
2.11. Grammattical differen
nces. _________________
________________________________
___ 10
2.1.1. The veerb. ____________________________________________________________________
____ 10
2.1.2. Auxiliaaries. _______________________________
____________________________________
____ 10
2.1.3. VP. ___
____________________________________ ____________________________________
____ 11
2.1.4. The Nooun Phrase (N NP) _____________________
____________________________________
____ 12
2.1.5. Articlees. _________________________________
____________________________________
____ 12
2.1.6. Pronouuns. ____________________________________________________________________
____ 13
2.1.7. Prepositions. ______________________________
____________________________________
____ 13
2.22. Spelling and
a punctuaation differen
nces. ______
________________________________
___ 13
2.2.1. Standaard spellings ____________
_ ____________
____________________________________
____ 13
2.2.2. “Sensaational” spelliings ____________________
____________________________________
____ 14
2.33. Vocabulary differencces. __________________
________________________________
___ 14
3. En
nglish langu
uage in Spaain. ________________
______________________________
__ 16
3.11. Anglicism
ms. ______________________________
________________________________
___ 17
3.1.1. Anglicisms in the fieeld of econommy. _________
________________________________________ 17
3.1.2. Technoological field. _______________________ ________________________________________ 18
3.1.3. Sports vocabulary. ____________
_ ____________
________________________________________ 18
3.1.4. Anglicisms in the fieeld of TV, film
ms and music.. __________________________________
____ 19
3.1.5. Anglicisms from othher sources. ______________________________________________________ 19
3.22. Lexical Anglicisms ___________
_ ___________
________________________________
___ 19
3.2.1. Necesssary loans: Terrms with no Spanish
S equivaalent. ______________________________ ____ 19
3.2.2. Necesssary loans: Terrms in which the same spellling is retaineed. _____________________
____ 19
3.2.3. Unneceessary loans. ____________
_ ____________
____________________________________ ____ 20
3.2.4. Spellinng of lexical annglicisms _______________
____________________________________ ____ 21
3.2.5. Pronunnciation. ____________________________ ____________________________________ ____ 22
Bibliiography_____________
____________________
______________________________
__ 22
Summary _______________
____________________
______________________________
__ 23

Iván Matellaness’ notes

 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultural del Ingles en el mundo actual. El inglés británico y el Americano. Los Anglicismos en España.
3

1. English as a world language.

Speakers of English worldwide are commonly divided into 3 groups,
which together form the so-called THREE CIRCLES (devised by Prof. Kachru).
Thus, the INNER CIRCLE refers to
the countries where English is
a native language (ENL): the
USA, UK, IRELAND, CANADA,
AUSTRALIA, AND NEW ZEALAND; the
OUTER CIRCLE denotes English
as second language (ESL)
countries (e.g. former English
colonies), such as INDIA,
SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA, SOUTH AFRICA;
the EXPANDING CIRCLE involves
English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) countries like
CHINA, JAPAN, ISRAEL, GREECE,
POLAND. Professor DAVID CRYSTAL
estimates there are 320-380
million English speakers in the
INNER CIRCLE, 150-300 million in
the OUTER CIRCLE, and 100-1,000
million in the EXPANDING CIRCLE (!).
The reason for this discrepancy
concerning EFL countries seems
to be the vague criteria of what
it means to speak English as a
foreign language: if we count
only fluent speakers, we can
obtain 100 million speakers; if
we include all levels of competency, the number could amount to as
many as 1,000 million speakers.

Iván Matellanes’ notes

 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultural del Ingles en el mundo actual. El inglés británico y el Americano. Los Anglicismos en España.
4

The English spoken in the INNER CIRCLE is said to be NORM-PROVIDING,

that in the OUTER CIRCLE to be NORM-DEVELOPING and that in the EXPANDING

CIRCLE to be NORM-DEPENDENT. In other words, English-language standards
are determined by speakers of ENL, but while the ESL varieties of
English have become institutionalised and are developing their own
standards, the EFL varieties are regarded, in this model, as
‘performance’ varieties without any official status and therefore
dependent on the standards set by native speakers in the Inner Circle. However,
on the basis of the above evaluation, there are more non-natives than
native speakers of English, some would say that even in a 4-to-1 ratio!
Therefore, English is not only the language of American or British
natives only. It is also of many non-native speakers. Some theories even state
that the development of English is less and less determined by the
usage of its native speakers. The sphere of influence of English is now
the entire world. In the extent and diversity of its uses, English is matched by
no other present or past language of our species. It is unparalleled in the
history of the world. For the first time a natural language has attained the
status of an international (universal) language, essentially for cross-cultural
communication.
The BRITISH COUNCIL in its English 2000 project discovered some
impressive facts concerning the extent of English:
• English is used in over 70 countries as an official or semi-official
language and has important status in over 20 more.
• One out of five of the world’s population speak English to some
level of competence. Demand from the other four-fifths is increasing.
• In 2000 it was estimated that over one billion people were learning
English.
• English is the main language of books, newspapers, airports and
air-traffic control, international business and academic
conferences, science, technology, diplomacy, sport,
international competitions, pop music and advertising.
• Over 2/3 of the world’s scientists read in English.

Iván Matellanes’ notes

 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultural del Ingles en el mundo actual. El inglés británico y el Americano. Los Anglicismos en España.
5

• 3/4 of the world’s mail is written in English.

• 80% of the world’s electronically information is in English.
• In Central and Eastern Europe there are some 50 million people
learning English (9% of population).
English certainly seems to be establishing itself as the language
of Europe. It has been adopted in a large number of European
companies. Even official language of the EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK (ECB) is
English, despite the fact that the bank is located in Frankfurt, the UK has not
joined the monetary union, and only 10% of ECB’s staff are British.
The discussion of considering English as tomorrow‘s Single
European Language has recently arisen. There is a law stipulating that all
the national languages of the European Union member states must be treated
as official languages of the EU. With 15 states from 1995, there are 11 such
languages, which makes the cost of translation and interpreting for the
Union’s needs extremely high. When countries such as Poland join the
EU, it will become impossible to provide full translation services
between all languages. Thus the need of a single universal language
arises. English seems an obvious choice.
Generally speaking, the greater the geographical spread of a
language and the more people who speak it, the more probable its
diversification. Such differentiation in English has led to a concept of New
Englishes, varieties that have grown up in territories once controlled or greatly
influenced by the UK and the US, as for instance AFRIKAANS ENGLISH, CARIBBEAN
ENGLISH, INDIAN ENGLISH, NIGERIAN ENGLISH, PHILIPPINE ENGLISH … Some of them
may be actually regarded as English-based creoles or pidgins.

1.1. British and American English around the world

All countries in the world can be grouped into those which
follow British English (BrE), those which follow American English (AmE),
and those where there is a mixture of influence. KACHRU remarks that the
US and UK compete with other, trying to sell their varieties of English as
models for ESL/EFL teaching.

Iván Matellanes’ notes

 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultural del Ingles en el mundo actual. El inglés británico y el Americano. Los Anglicismos en España.
6

As far as the factors lying behind the position of English in the world
are concerned, it must be stressed that the language itself has not had a
major role in effecting such a high status. DAVID CRYSTAL explains that the
present-day status of English is chiefly the result of 3 factors:
1. The expansion of British colonial power, which peaked toward the
end of 19th C.
2. The emergence of the US as the leading economic power of 20th C,
which explains the position that English still has today.
It should be remembered that without America’s contribution English
today would enjoy a global importance similar to Portuguese.
As early as in 1780, JOHN ADAMS made a prophecy about the future
of AmE: American English is destined to be in the next and succeeding
centuries more generally the language of the world than Latin was in
the last, or French is in the present age. The reason is obvious: the
increasing population in America, and their universal connection and
correspondence with all nations force their language into general use.

Iván Matellanes’ notes

 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultural del Ingles en el mundo actual. El inglés británico y el Americano. Los Anglicismos en España.
7

AmE acquired international significance after WW2, when the

USA assumed a more global role and political, economic and
technological developments. While BrE has long enjoyed greater prestige,
its supremacy is now clearly gone. It is AmE that currently asserts a
dominant influence on worldwide English, mostly in consequence of the
following factors:
1. USA Population (the US contains nearly four times as many ENL
speakers as the UK; around 70% of native speakers use AmE).
2. The leading political and military position of the USA in the world.
3. The electronic revolution, in particular computer technology and
the Internet.
4. Magnitude of mass media on a worldwide scale.
5. Appeal of American popular culture.
The American influence can be seen in the incorporation of
American patterns by Britons. TRUDGILL discusses the issue of
accommodation by the British to AmE as a result of residence in the
USA. He points out that British pop singers as well as actors playing
American roles commonly use American pronunciation in words like
girl, body, dance, better. According to the British Council, young Britons
increasingly adopt American pronunciations. A survey of pronunciation
trends in the UK, based on 100 words, and carried out by Prof. Wells, has found
new evidence of Americanisms among the British youth.
Traditionally, the prevalent American influence was attributed to
CANADA, MEXICO, LATIN AMERICA and the PHILIPPINES, the major British
influence to the rest of the world. In recent times, however, a strong
American influence has been seen in a number of South American,
African, Asian, and European countries, e.g. BRAZIL, NIGERIA, EGYPT,
THAILAND, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA, RUSSIA (Campbell). AUSTRALIA, a former British
colony, is no exception here. Although historically tied to Britain, linguistically
AUSTRALIA has been as receptive to American influences as to British
ones: Some American words and spelling patterns which took on in Australia,
and the national currency is the dollar, not pound.

Iván Matellanes’ notes

 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultural del Ingles en el mundo actual. El inglés británico y el Americano. Los Anglicismos en España.
8

Let us move to Europe. Despite the influence of pro-British

teachers, Europeans are subjected to a massive amount of AmE, which
many pupils show greater interest in.

1.2. Some fundamental concepts

1.2.1. Variety versus dialect
Linguists treat British and American English as varieties, or
dialects, of English. What are varieties and dialects, though? One of the most
renowned English dialectologists, PETER TRUDGILL, characterizes a VARIETY as
any kind of language (a dialect, accent, sociolect, style or register)
that a linguist discusses as a separate entity for some particular
purpose. Such a variety can be very general, such as AmE.
As far as a DIALECT is concerned, it is a variety of a language,
spoken in one part of a country (REGIONAL DIALECT), or by people
belonging to a particular social class (SOCIAL DIALECT or SOCIOLECT), which is
different in some words, grammar, and/or pronunciation from other forms of
the same language.
Consequently, from a linguistic point of view, it is impossible to speak
a language without speaking a dialect of that language; all speakers are
speakers of at least one dialect. However, as DIALECT carries a negative
connotation in common usage (it is often associated with non-standard,
and thus, worse language), neither Americans nor Britons like being told
that they speak a dialect. It may be in order to avoid such pejorative
undertones that the majority of authors prefer to use the term variety rather
than dialect in relation to American and British English.

1.2.2. Definition of British and American English

The terms, unfortunately, are ambiguous and vague. MCARTHUR
presents a comprehensive, two-levels interpretation of BRE: broadly
understood, BrE is the English language as used in Great Britain or the
United Kingdom. Since such standpoint embraces IRELAND and SCOTLAND, a
narrower interpretation seems more appropriate for our purposes: narrowly
understood, BrE is the form of standard English used in Britain, more

Iván Matellanes’ notes

 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultural del Ingles en el mundo actual. El inglés británico y el Americano. Los Anglicismos en España.
9

specifically in south-eastern England. It is essentially the medium of the

middle and upper classes and it has been associated with the accent
known as RECEIVED PRONUNCIATION (RP).
As far as AME is concerned, it is usually thought of as the English
language as used in the United States of America and also known as US
English. However, it is not obvious if it includes Canadian English. As for
Standard American English, it is a combination of those linguistic forms
which are most general in the speech of educated native Americans
and a variety of English devoid of both general and local socially stigmatized
features, as well as regionally obtrusive phonological and grammatical features.
It is often equivalent to GENERAL AMERICAN, spoken by about 90 million
people in the central and western US and in most of Canada, which
excludes all local linguistic items and especially those that can be associated
with any specific region of the US, such as New England or South (Kachru). In
this place one additional point must be made: despite the existence of
Black English Vernacular, Gullah, Chicano English etc., most authors
emphasize the unique uniformity of AE.
Standard British English and Standard American English are
examples of international Standard English. The Standard English is a
minority variety (identified chiefly by its vocabulary, grammar, and
orthography) which carries most prestige and is most widely
understood. Standard English may be spoken with any accent, but it is
spoken by educated people and used by mass media (D. CRYSTAL). It
must be stressed that from a linguistic point of view it is no more correct
than any other form of English. Still, as it is most prestigious, it is a
desirable educational target, taught to native speakers and foreign learners.

Iván Matellanes’ notes

 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultura
al del Ingles en el mundo actua
al. El inglés britá
ánico y el Ameriicano. Los Anglicismos en Espa
aña.
10

2. British
B (BrE) & Am
merican
n Englis
sh (AmE) differen
d nces.
2.1.. Grammatical diffferences
s.
In this section, I will discu
uss the diffferences both in m
morphology
y and
syntax. We will
w also no
ote some difference
es in frequ
uency of use of ce
ertain
consstructions with
w occur in both va
arieties,

2.1.1. The ve
erb.
- INFLECTIONA
N AL OLOGY:
MORPHO In AmE, a number of irregu
ular Vs have
h
beco
ome regu
ularized, while
w rema
aining irre
egular in BrE:
VERB
B IN THE PRES
SENT BrE: Past & Past participle AmE: Past & Past particciple
burn burnt b
burned
learn learnt le
earned
smell smellt smmelled
spell spellt spelled
Irregular Form
F Regula arized form
dream dreamtt dreaamed [i˘]
kneel knelt kn
kneeled
Irre
egular Form
m w/[E] Regularize
ed form w/
/[i˘]

Som
metimes, though,
t Am
mE forms
s are more
e irregula
ar than BrrE ones:
VERB
B IN THE PRES
SENT BrE: Past & Past participle AmE: Pa
ast & Past participle
dive dived dove dived
fit fitted fit fitted
sneak sneaked d snuck S
Sneaked
get got got gotten
Regular Fo
orms Irrregular Form
ms

- DERIVATIONA
E AL MORPHO
OLOGY: So
ome affixe
es are us
sed in Am
mE on classes
of words
w or w/particu
w ular sense
es where they
t wou
uld not be
e used in BrE:
B
-ify: citify,
c humidi
dify, uglify …
-ize: decimalize, hospitalize,
h r
rubberize …

2.1.2
2. Auxilia
aries.
- MODAL AUX
XILIARIES: Several of the modals
m are used w
with diffe
erent
freq
quency orr meaning
g in AmE and
a BrE. The
T most im
mportant d
diffs are:
a) Shall
S is ra
arely used in AmE
E, except in legal doccuments a
and very fo
ormal
s
style ed by will
and itt is replace ll. The neg m shan’t iss even rarrer in
gative form
A
AmE.

Iván Matellaness’ notes

 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultura
al del Ingles en el mundo actua
al. El inglés britá
ánico y el Ameriicano. Los Anglicismos en Espa
aña.
11

b) The ust 1 is can

T negativve of episttemic mu n’t in BrE:
V is on ≠ He can’t
He must bee in bc his TV c be in bc
b his car has
as gone. (episstemic)
In AmE,
A the most
m mon negativve of episttemic mu
comm ust is must
st not:
He must not
n be in bc his car is go
one. (epistem
mic)
You mustt not be in when
w you arriv
ived. (allowed
d; permission)

c) AmE
A rarelyy used oug
ght to in Qs
Q or neg. forms. Insstead, sho
ould is used
d.
d) Dare
D and need are both rare
e in AmE and
a they usually
u occcur only in
n set
p
phrases, su
uch as:
a. Neeed I say morre? b. Persons
Pe underr 18 need no
ot apply. c. I dare sa
ay.
E treats dare
AmE da and need
n as lexxical verbss in negative and Qss. BrE also
o has
this option.
BrE
E (only): Need you bee so rude?
N (A
Auxiliary)
AmE & BrE: D you need
Do d to be so rud
de? (M
Main Verb)

- HAVE
A , DO HAV
AVE & HAVE
E GOT: A we
ell-known grammatic
g cal difference btw BrE
E and
AmE
E lies in th ng use off have, do
he differin d have & have go
ot to indiicate
poss
session.
VERB EXAMPLEE BRE OR AME
Havee: Lexical V functions as Have yo
ou any freshh fish?
form
mal BrE
an Au
ux. (posses at
a present) I haven
n’t any fresh fish.
f
Have
e got: Lexiccal V functions Have yo
ou got (any)) fresh fish? & usual in
as an
n Aux. (posse
es at presentt) I haven
n’t got (any) fresh
f fish. informal sttyles
Do have
h : Have needs
n and au
ux Do you have (any) fresh
f fish? usuaally used, but
b it is
Verb.. (posses at present)
p I don’t have
h (any) fresh
fr fish. now also u
used in Br.
Do have
h : Have needs
n and au
ux Do you have fresh fish?
f usedd to express habitual
Verb.. (usually posssess) I don’t have
h fresh fish.
fi possession
n

2.1.3
3. VP.
- In BrE, the copular Vss SEEM, AC
CT, LOOK & SOUND ca
an be follo
owed dire
ectly
by an
a infinittive NP. In AmE, th
hese Vs must be folllowed firrst by the
e Pp
like
e; seem ca
an also be
e followed nfinitive to
d by the in o be.
ONLY BRE BRE AN
ND AME
It see
emed a longg time It see
emed like a long time
He seeems an inttelligent ma
an He see
eems to be ana intelligentt man
John acted
a a rea
al fool John acted
a like a real fool
The house
h lookss a nice one
e The hoouse looks like
l a nice o
one
That sounds
s a bad
ba idea That sounds
s like a bad idea

1
the speaker judg ges the prep
position expre
essed by the
e clause to be
e necessarilyy true, or at least
to have a high likkelihood of be
eing true

Iván Matellaness’ notes

 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultura
al del Ingles en el mundo actua
al. El inglés britá
ánico y el Ameriicano. Los Anglicismos en Espa
aña.
12

- The
e verb WAN dvs in and
ANT can be followed directly by the ad d out in AmE.
A
B want must
In BrE m be followed
f f
first by an
n infinitiv
ve.
ONLY BRE ONLY
Y AME
I wan
nted to com
me in.
I wan
nted in.
I wan
nted to be let
l in.
The dog
d wants to go out the do
og wants ou
ut

- There are A FEW VS in

n BrE and AmE WHICH DIFFER
R IN THE PPS OR PPADVS
THEY
Y COLLATE WITH
W .
ONLY BRE ONLLY AME
to battle with/against
w (
(the enemy)) to batlle
protest ag gainst/over (aa decision) to protesst
To check up u on to checkk out
to fill in (aa form) to fill outt
to meet (aan official) to meet with
w
to visit to visit with
w

2.1.4
4. The Nooun Phras
se (NP)
- COLLECTIVE
O NOUNS succh as team
am, faculty
ty, family
y, governm
nment … often
o
take plural V agree
ement in BrE, bu
ut nearly always ttake sing
gular
eement in
agre n AmE.
E Your team
Usually BRE: m are doingg well this yeaar, aren’t the
hey?
mE: Your tea
Usually Am am is doing well
w this yeaar, isn’t it?
- ZERO PLURALLS: There are
a a few Ns which
h differ in
n taking z
zero pl in
n the
two
o varieties
s.
BRE AME
Shrimp
mp – Shrimps Shrimp – Shhrimp
Inning
gs – Innings Inning – inn
nings
Sin
ng Pl Sing Pl

2.1.5
5. Articles.
There are
a a num
mber of co
ount Ns in
i both varieties
v w
which do
o not
requ
uire an arrticle whe
en used in the abs
stract gen
neric sens
se. Howev
ver, a
few such Ns oc
ccur in on
ne variety
y but not in the oth
her.
BRE AME
To bee in hospital to be in the hospital
h
To [be at/g
/go to] univer
ersity To [be
b at/go to] a university
To [be in/go
i to] classs Too [be in/go to
o] a class

Iván Matellaness’ notes

 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultura
al del Ingles en el mundo actua
al. El inglés britá
ánico y el Ameriicano. Los Anglicismos en Espa
aña.
13

2.1.6
6. Pronou
uns.
- The INDEFINIITE PRON ONE
O occurss in BrE in informall and edu
ucated us
sage,
both
h spoken
n & writte
en, while in AmE itt is only fo
ound in fo
ormal wriitten
style
e.
- BrrE uses bo
oth RECIPR ONS EACH OTHER
ROCAL PRO O & ONE
O HER, while AmE
ANOTHE A
s mainly each
uses e othe
er.

2.1.7
7. Prepos
sitions.
There are few Pps
s which differ
d in fo
orm in the
e two varrieties.
BRE AME EXAMPLE
ES
Behi
hind in back
b of I put
p it [ behin nd / in back of
o ] the bookks
outt of o
out Hee threw it [ out
o of / out ] the window w
rounnd aro
round Shhe lives just [ round / aro
ound ] the co
orner

2.2.. Spelling
g and pu
unctuatio
on differe
ences.
2.2.1. Standa
ard spellings
There are
a sets off regular sp
pelling diffferences th
hat exist b
btw the En
nglish
and American varieties of
o English. Some are due to Am
merican in
nnovation
ns or
to ov
vert attem
mpts at spelling
s regulariza
ation (espe
ecially by NOAH WEB
BSTER

in his 1806 dicctionary).

B RE AME
Colour Co
olor
Favour Favvor
-our / -or:
Honour Hon
onor
Vapour Vap
apor B RE AME
Defence
e Defensse
-ce / -se:
Mould Mo
old Offence
e offensse
-ou- / -o- :
S
Smoulder Smo
older
Apologisee Apologiize
-ise / -ize:
Anaesthetic
A anest
sthetic Capitalise
e Capitaliize
Enc
ncyclopaedia encyclo
lopedia
-a
ae- or -oe- / -e- :
foetus fettus Connexionon Connecttion
amoeba ame eba -x
xion / -ction
Inflexion
n Inflectio
ion

Encase Inccase Counsello

or counsellor
en- / in- : Enclose Incclose Dbl cons / sngl cons
kidnappeer Kidnap
per
ensure inssure
Fulfilment
nt Fulfillme
ment
ackno
owledgement
nt acknowleedgment Single –l- / double -ll-
-dgement / dgm
ment instalmennt Installm
ment
Ju
udgement Judgm
gment
Amidst Amid
d
Centre Cennter -st / Ø
Amongstt among
ng
-re / -er: Litre Lit
iter
Metre meeter

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 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultura
al del Ingles en el mundo actua
al. El inglés britá
ánico y el Ameriicano. Los Anglicismos en Espa
aña.
14

2.2.2
2. “Sensa
ational” spellings
s
In the USA, and increasing
gly in Brita
ain, many sensatio
onal (and non-
standard) spe
ellings wh
hich usua
ally involve simpllification are used
d to
attract attention, espe
ecially in ad
dvertising
g and in ta
abloid new
wspapers
s.
SENSATIONA
AL STAND
DARD SENSATIONAL
E STANDARD
D
Bi Buuy Rite Right
Donut Dougghnut Sox Socks
Hi Hig
igh Thanx Thanks
Kool Coool Tho Though
Kwik Quuick Thruq Through
Lo Loow U You
Nite, tonitee Night, tonight
t Xing crossing
Pleez Plea
ease

2.3.. Vocabu
ulary diffe
ferences..
Perhapss, the mo
ost noticea
able differences btw
w BrE and
d AmE inv
volve
abulary. Th
voca here are thousands
t s of word
ds which either d
differ in total
t
mea
aning, or in
i one pa
articular sense
s or usage
u or are
a totally
y unknow
wn in
the other varriety.
Vocabu
ulary diffe
erences btw
b the tw
wo varietties are d
due to sev
veral
facttors. The F
FIRST and most obvio
ous is thatt new objjects and
d experiences
werre encoun
ntered in USA which neede
ed naming
g, either b
by adapting
g BrE
Voca
abulary or by creatin
ng new wo
ords. SECON
NDLY, technological and cult
tural
deve
elopmentts which have occ
curred sin
nce the divergenc
d ce of the two
varieties have also bee
en a cause
e of differe
ence in vocabulary (terms for cars,
term all: home run …-, institution
minology frrom differrent sports –baseba ns of
mE high school, BrE
educcation –Am B publicc shool …-). A THIIRD REASON
N for
voca
abulary diffferences is
i the inflluence off other Lgs.
L AmE has borro
owed
many words frrom a varie
ety of Lgs:: AMERRICA AN LGS (ho
AN INDIDA ooch, Mocccasin,
tobo
oggan …), AFRICAN LGS (jazz, banjo, Yid
iddish …) and
a many more. FIN
NALLY,

inde
ependent linguistic
c change within ea
ach varie
ety may alsso be the cause
c
of so
ome differrences. For instance,, one varie
ety may preserve
p arrchaisms which
w
the other has lost, or may
m introduce new meanings
m for old wo
ords which
h the
othe
er has not introduced
i d.
Vocabullary differe
ences can be divided into four
f main
n catego
ories,
ough there
altho e is some overlap:
o

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 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultura
al del Ingles en el mundo actua
al. El inglés britá
ánico y el Ameriicano. Los Anglicismos en Espa
aña.
15

1. SAME WORD, DIFFERE

ENT MEANIING: This is the cate
egory of w
words which is
p
potentially
y most problemattic for botth foreign
n and nattive speakers
o one varriety.
of
WORD BRE MEANING AME MEANING
G
Down to earth, domesticc
Ho
omely gly (of people
Ug e)
(=AmE E homey)
Nervy
Ne Nerrvous Bold
Pa
Pants Underpantss, underwearr Trousers
Pave
vement Footpath
h, sidewalk R
Road surface
e
Ticck off To scold (=reñir) To
o make angrry

2. SAME D, ADDITIO
WORD ONAL MEAN
NING IN ON Y:
NE VARIETY there a
are quite a few
w
words of th
his type, so
ome of wh
hich can ca
ause comm
municationss problemss btw
the speakers of the tw
wo varietie
es.
WORD
O COMMON MEANING ADDITION
NAL MEANING
G IN BRE
Room with a bath or
Bathrroom Room
m with toilet only
shower and sink
Cut
ute Causing
g love Attra
active, charm
ming
Dum
mb Mutte Stupid
Valid (ass for tickets, special
Goo
ood Fine, niice …
offers)
Regu
ular Consistent,, habitual Avverage, normmal
In
nstitution of education
e at All institutions of eduucation,
Scho
hool
elementary level including universsities
Transportt by ship, traain, plane
To ship
s Transport by ship
or truck

WORD
O COMMON MEANING ADDITION
NAL MEANING G IN AME
Fron
ntier A wild, ope
en space Border btw two cou
untries
One who co ommands,
Lead
ader An editorial
guides, directs.
d
To look after
a (as in m
mind your
To mind
m To ob
bey
head)
Sma
mart Intellig
gent Clean
A medical opperation or
Surg
gery An offfice of any doctor
operatingg room

3. SAME WORD
D, DIFFEREN
NCE IN STYLE, CONNOT NCY OF USE.
TATION AND FREQUEN

WORD BRE USAGE AME USAGE

Autumm Com
mmon; all styyles Uncommon: poetic or foormal (=fall)
C
Clever (smarrt) Com
mmon; positive Less commmon; usuallyy negative
F
Fancy (to like
e) Com
mmon; inform mal Uncommon
Fortnightt Com
mmon; all styyles Uncomm mon (archaic)); poetic
Perhaps All styles Som
mewhat formmal
Quite Neg
gative or neutral Positive
R
Row (quarre el) Common Uncommon

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 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultura
al del Ingles en el mundo actua
al. El inglés britá
ánico y el Ameriicano. Los Anglicismos en Espa
aña.
16

4. SAME CONC EM, DIFFER

CEPT OR ITE RENT WORD: The majo
ority of lexxical differe
ences
b the tw
btw wo varietiess are of th
his type. There
T are two
t sub-tyypes within
n this
c
category:
a. The word is no
ot widely known in
n the othe
er variety
y:
AME ONLY
O O BRE
CORRESPOND TO BRE ONLY CORRESP
PONDS TO
AME
Master off
Emce
cee Dynamo
D Geneerator
ceremoniees
Fauccet Tap Hire
re purchase
e Installmeent buying
Muffl
fler Silencer Naught Zeero
Rookkie Fi year mem
First mber Queue Liine
Sophommore Sec
econd year sttudent Treacle
T Molaasses
Washccloth Washing daay Spanner
S Monkeyy wrench

b. The word is kn
nown in the
t other variety:
AME BRE
T call (phon
To ne) To ring
A can A tin
To check To tick
Couch Sofa
Game Match
Gas Petrol
To make a
To
T book
reservation
n
Sidewalk path

3. English
E langua
age in Spain.
As with many othe
er countrie
es in the world,
w English is the
e first forreign
lang
guage in Spain.
S It has
h displa
aced Fren
nch from this
t posittion, and about
a
90%
% of stude
ents in Priimary and
d secondarry school decide to study En
nglish
nowadays. En
nglish is also
a very important in order to get a job, to train
profe
essionals in techniccal and co
ommercial fields and
d to train
n students fror
scien
ntific resea
arch.
English
h as a fo
oreign Lg
g (EFL) is introd
duced in the prim
mary
education cu
urriculum. Most of the studentts from 6 to
t 12 take English as their
1st foreign
f Lg. EFL is also parrt of sec
condary education
e n curriculum.
Stud
dents from 12 to 18 can
c take En heir 1st foreign Lg.
nglish as th
General requirem
ments to fiind a job in Spain at the m
moment incclude
wledge of modern Lg
know gs and com
mputer. Mo
ost of the jobs that are part of
o the

Iván Matellaness’ notes

 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultural del Ingles en el mundo actual. El inglés británico y el Americano. Los Anglicismos en España.
17

public offer a qualification in English. Agencies in charge of selection of

candidates include a test on written English and an interview in oral English.
The predominance of British and American music in popular top
lists is evident. This has also influenced the importance than young people
give to learning English. Competence in this Lg guarantees the understanding
of song lyrics, and the access to information about bands and singers.
The internet is another media where English is the lingua franca
used. Teenagers and internet are two concepts which, at the time of speaking,
are merging together. They can chat and download cracked programs from the
net before they can properly use their own Lg.
These, among many other characteristics, have made the English
language and important device for Spanish citizens. It has become so
important, that many new Spanish words are directly derived from
Anglo-Saxon sources (either BrE or AmE), helping in the creation of
ANGLICISMS.

3.1. Anglicisms.
ANGLICISM is the Spanish use of the English way of saying
something, that is, an English word that is used in Spanish with the same
meaning either because the Spanish word is not known or because the meaning
is so new that there is not a word in Spanish yet. Anglicism can happen at
various levels. Although the most important anglicisms are lexical, there are
also morphological and syntactic anglicisms.

3.1.1. Anglicisms in the field of economy.

Concerning the economy field, we find that words denoting articles
or products peculiar to the new country are so fully assimilated that
the Spanish speaker thinks of them as Spanish:
Alto standing Marketing Ticket Royalty
Ranking Holding Tandem

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 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultural del Ingles en el mundo actual. El inglés británico y el Americano. Los Anglicismos en España.
18

Together with those new products we receive advertisements. Mass

media is a very important factor determining the broadcasting of new
terms whose meaning is often not even known. This is best observed in
advertising “spots”:
Woolite Trident
Bubble gum Close-up

Spray (=pulverizador) Sandwich (=bocadillo)

Stock (=existencias) Cheeseburger (=hamburgesa con queso)
Ropa sport (=de estilo deportivo) Light (=dietético)

3.1.2. Technological field.

Even though computer programmes are being translated into Spanish
there are many which are still kept in English:
COMPUTER JARGON
Hardware Microchip Salvar Disquetera
Byte Switch Interface Editar
Chequear Software Transistor Reset
Flopi / Disquet Bit Listar Digital
Subrutina Formatear
Our modern homes are plagued with countless machines like HI-FI sets,
televisions, videos … The operating instructions on their front panel are
usually printed in English & we often refer to them using the UK terms.
HOME APPLIANCES
Feed-back Play-back On / off
Hi-fi Compact disc visionar

MILITARY FIELD
Jet Laser Misil
Operacional radar

3.1.3. Sports vocabulary.

Together with names of modern sports, Spanish has absorbed terms
concerning the rules of those sports. Some of them have been hispanicized,
and are even to be found in dictionaries:
Balompié Béisbol Volley-ball Basket
Fútbol Rugby Hockey Tennis
Cricket Ping-pong Boxeo Esquí
Waterpolo Bowling Penalty Jogging
Some have been re-shaped by means of derivation: gol, golear, goleada, goleador …

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 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultural del Ingles en el mundo actual. El inglés británico y el Americano. Los Anglicismos en España.
19

3.1.4. Anglicisms in the field of TV, films and music.

Another matrix of exposure are American films, mainly through
careless translations. The number of incorrect translation and calques is
appealing. Some years ago the film “the warlord” was translated as “el señor
de la Guerra”, when warlord can be perfectly translated as “el caudillo”. Some
other times, the titles of the films are left in the original either because it
is assumed that everyone will understand them or simply because they sound
‘foreign’ in that way, for instance “Star Trek”, “The mummy” or “Pulp Fiction”.
TV & FILM
Héroe (=galan) Embarazado (=avergonzado) Sketch (=actuación)
Film (=película) Conductor (=presentador) Gag (=chiste, gracia)
Suspense (=tensión)
Also derivatives: film, filmar, filmación …

MUSIC & SONGS

Long play Single Video club
Maxi-single Manager
Compact Disc Disk-jockey

3.1.5. Anglicisms from other sources.

DRUGS
Chutarse Tripa Enganchado
esnifar yonki

3.2. Lexical Anglicisms

3.2.1. Necessary loans: Terms with no Spanish equivalent.
Some borrowings are necessary and reflect gaps that need to be
filled. Many are confined to technical items for which there was no
corresponding Spanish word.
Boicotear Láser Factual Taxi
Mecanizar Palacial Cóctel Clip
Geopolítica Proyector Camping Radar
Mitin Transistor Suerte flash
Insatisfactorio Reactor

3.2.2. Necessary loans: Terms in which the same spelling is retained.

There are about 30 neologisms w/the same form & spelling in both Lgs:
Acme Cohesion Detector Digital
Aerosol Coma Nostalgia Similar
Analgesia Detective Reactor visual
Climax Factual panavisión

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 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultura
al del Ingles en el mundo actua
al. El inglés britá
ánico y el Ameriicano. Los Anglicismos en Espa
aña.
20

Other neologisms
n have und
dergone a derivational pro
ocess eithe
er by
prefiixation or suffixation
s :
PREEFIXATION SUFFIXATTION
Anticle
lerical Irrelevan
nte Electrizar IIndividualismmo
Copilo
oto Contraattacar Educacion nal DDigitalización
n
Minigoolf Microfilm
m Educativoo CColoquial
Antiso
ocial Prenatal Intensificaar lilistado

3.2.3
3. Unnecessary lo
oans.
Other terms
t wh
hich sweptt into the Lg were synon
nymous with
w
perffectly goo
od Spanis
sh words already long
l established in
n Spanish
h and
are used
u witho
out adding anything to
t the mea
aning of the
e existing Spanish te
erm:
Plantaa (=fabrica) mpatía (=com
Sim ompasión) Oriente M
Medio (=cerc
rcano oriente)
e)
Romaance (=amorí río) Ad
dministración
n (=gobierno)
o) Proponer
er (=declarars
rse)
Concrreto (=cemen nto) Reentar (=alquiilar) Reportarr (=informar)
r)
This may occcur becausse snobbe
ery, and these word
ds are un
nnecessary and
peda
antic:
Hall (=vestibulo)
(= FFilm (=pelícu
ula) Cake (=p
=pastel)
Living
g (=cuarto dee estar) S
Simming-poo ol (=piscina)

The ang
glicisms may cons
sist in th
he usage of Spaniish paron
nyms
from
m English
h, that is, words sharing th
heir pron
nunciation
n, but wh
hose
mea
aning difffer. In som
me instance
es, they co
onvey an op
pposite me
eaning.
ANGLICIS
SM PROCCEDENCE CORRECT SPA
ANISH FORM
Apologiia Ap
pology Discuulpa
Aplicació
ón Application Solici
citud
Asumirr Assume Supooner
Balancee Baalance Sald
ldo
Climax
x Climax Desen nlace
Colapsoo Collapse Derrumbabamiento
Corporaci
ción Corpporation Compañiaa anonima
Tópico
o T
Topic Temma
Poderr Poower Poten
encia
Actualmeente Actually En reaalidad

At timess, the Ang

glicism is detected
d in the exc
cessive frrequency with
whicch a word, phrase orr suffix exissting both in Spanish
h and English, takes
s the
plac
ce or func
ctions occ
cupied by other wo
ords, phra
ases, etc. since the
en
Gradu
uado (=licencciado) Privado (=pparticular)
Décad
da (=decenio o) Usualmentete (=normalm mente)
Versat
atil (=polifacéético) Realmentee (=ciertamen nte)

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 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultural del Ingles en el mundo actual. El inglés británico y el Americano. Los Anglicismos en España.
21

3.2.4. Spelling of lexical anglicisms

- UNACCEPTABLE SPELLING: Those spellings which are not found in Spanish
words whatever their distribution within the word may be:
a) Double vowels:
Boom Jeep Pedigree scooter
Footing Meeting Amateur

b) Double consonants:
Cassette Hobby Puzzle Stress
Jazz Peppermint Sheriff rimmel
Hippy Pudding

c) Consonant clusters:
Crack Apartheid Sketch
Playback Bestseller Rugby
Cocktail Fútbol Whisky
Shock Hotdog Show
Jockey Gánster Yoghurt

- ACCEPTABLE SPELLINGS:
a) Same spelling kept: other spellings are acceptable bc both Lgs
share the same clusters. Not many borrowings consist of
spellings corresponding to the same Spanish orthographic structure.
Manager Transistor radar
Jersey Detective

b) Modifications for commercial reasons: Sometimes, commercial

firms modify the spelling of their products to obtain a semi-
English pronunciation.
Nesquick (from quick) Kamfort (from comfort) Airon-fix (from iron fix)

c) Other have become acceptable by addition:

Bate Filmar Linchar Turismo
Boicotear Fimoteca Pivote Yate
Bloquear Flirtear Panfleto Wation
Boxear Ganga Reportero …

d) Or by elimination: Either eliminating the final or medial cons cluster.

Estándar Yogur Gol
Hachis Termo cóctel

Iván Matellanes’ notes

 Topic 66:
Dimensión cultura
al del Ingles en el mundo actua
al. El inglés britá
ánico y el Ameriicano. Los Anglicismos en Espa
aña.
22

3.2.5
5. Pronun
nciation.
We try to adaptt the soun
nds, but often
o not the spelling
g of loan words
w
taken from En
nglish, to suit our native speech ha
abits. The
e adaptatio
on of
pron
nunciation comes beffore the ad
daptation of
o spelling.

a) Pron
nunciation following Spaniish spellin
ng: Somettimes the word
is pronounced the way itt is written according to Spanish
h rules.
Rockeers [rokers] Spray [esprai]

b) Imittation of English pronuncia

p ation: Som
me other times, Spa
anish
imittates the
e English pronunc
ciation ass long ass it does not
inte
erfere with
h Spanish
h sounds:
Baconn [beicon] FFooting [futin
n] Sweaterr [sueter]
Byte [bait]
[ F
Film [film] Leader [lider]

c) Initiial s witth conson

nant: No old-estab
blished S
Spanish word
w
s called “impure s”, that is, s witth a
begins with what is
cons s an initial group.. Spanish usually
sonant as u add
d an “e-so
ound”
befo
ore the initiial cluster.
Smith
h S
Slip Slogan

Bib
bliograp
phy
Englissh around the world: http://kkfa.univ.szczecin.pl/histvar/aro ound.html;
http:///webdev.tandf.cco.uk/routledgew
web2/rcenters/llinguistics/pdf/w
we.pdf
AmE & BrE: Trudgill & Hannah, 1993, International
al English (chapte
er 4)
Anglic
cisms: CEDE no
otes; Editorial MAD
M

Iván Matellaness’ notes

 Topic 66: Brief Summary

Summary: Dimensión cultural del Inglés en el mundo. El Inglés Br y el USA. Presencia de la lengua inglesa en España: Anglicismos.
- English as a World Language:
- English Speakers’ worldwide are commonly divided into 3 groups, the so-called 3 CIRCLES (by Prof. KACHRU):
♦ The INNER CIRCLE refers to the countries where English is a native Lg (ENL): the USA, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, & New Zealand.
___ Professor DAVID CRYSTAL estimates there are 320-380 million English speakers in the inner circle.
___ The English spoken here is said to be NORM-PROVIDING Æ English-Lg standards are determined by speakers of ENL
♦ The OUTER CIRCLE denotes English as 2 Lg (ESL) countries (former English colonies), such as India, Singapore, Malaysia, S. Africa.
nd

___ Professor DAVID CRYSTAL estimates there are 150-300 million in the outer circle.
___ The English spoken here is said to be NORM-DEVELOPING Æ ESL varieties have institutionalised & are developing their own standards.
♦ The Expanding Circle involves English as a Foreign Lg (EFL) countries like China, Japan, Israel, Greece, Poland.
___ Professor DAVID CRYSTAL estimates there are 100-1,000 million in the expanding circle.
___ The English spoken here is said to be NORM-DEPENDENT Æ EFL varieties are regarded as ‘performance’ varieties w/out official status &
dependent on the standards set by native speakers in the Inner Circle.
♦ The reason for this discrepancy concerning EFL countries seems to be the vague criteria of what it means to speak English as a FL.
___ If we count only fluent speakers, we can obtain 100 million speakers
___ If we include all levels of competency, the number could amount to as many as 1,000 million speakers
♦ On this basis, there are more non-natives than native speakers of English:
___ Therefore, English is not only the language of American or British natives only. It is also of many non-native speakers
♦ English certainly seems to be establishing itself as the language of Europe:
___ It has been adopted in a large number of European companies (F.ex.: the EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK uses English).
___ The discussion of considering English as tomorrow‘s Single European Language has recently arisen. English seems an obvious choice
___ The law which stipulates all national EU Lgs as official makes the cost of translation & interpreting for the Union’s needs really high.
- British and American English around the world:
♦ The factor lying behind the position of English in the world is not the Lg itself, but the expansion of British colonial power & the
emergence of the US as the leading economic power.
___ It should be remembered that without America’s contribution English today would enjoy a global importance similar to Portuguese.
♦ While BrE has long enjoyed greater prestige, now it’s gone. AmE asserts a dominant influence on worldwide English, as consequenc of:
___ 1. USA Population (the US contains nearly four times as many ENL speakers as the UK; around 70% of native speakers use AmE);
___ 2. The leading political and military position of the USA in the world ___ 4. Magnitude of mass media on a worldwide scale
___ 3. The electronic revolution, particularly computer technology & Internet ___ 5. Appeal of American popular culture
___ The American influence can be seen in the incorporation of American patterns by Britons: (a) TRUDGILL discusses the issue of
accommodation by the British to AmE as a result of residence in the USA, (b) young Britons increasingly adopt American pronunciations.
___ Usually, American influence was attributed to America. However, a strong it has been seen in a nº of African, Asian, & European countries.
- Some fundamental concepts:
♦ PETER TRUDGILL, characterizes a VARIETY as any kind of Lg (dialect, accent, sociolect, style or register) that a linguist discusses as a
separate entity for some particular purpose. Such a variety can be very general, such as AmE.
♦ As far as a DIALECT is concerned, it is a variety of a Lg, (a) spoken in one part of a country (REGIONAL DIALECT), or (b) by people
belonging to a particular social class (SOCIOLECT), which is diff in sm words, gr, &/or pronunciation from other forms of the same Lg.
___ It is impossible to speak a language without speaking a dialect of that Lg; all speakers are speakers of at least one dialect.
___ as DIALECT carries a negative connotation in common usage (worse language), the majority of authors prefer to use the term VARIETY.
- Definition of British & American English:
♦ 2-levels interpretation of BrE:
___ Broadly understood, BrE is the English Lg as used in the United Kingdom (embracing IRELAND and SCOTLAND).
___ Narrowly understood, BrE is the form of standard English used in Br (specifically in SE England) by ½ & upper classes, also known as RP.
♦ As far as AmE is concerned, it is usually thought of as the English language as used in the United States of America (?including Canada?)
___ Despite the existence of Black English Vernacular, Chicano English etc., most authors emphasize the unique uniformity of AE.
♦ Standard British English & Standard American English are examples of international Standard English.
___ The Standard English is a minority variety (voc, gr & orthography) which carries most prestige & is most widely understood.
___ From a linguistic pº of view it’s no more correct than any other form of UK. Still, as it’s most prestigious, it’s a desirable educational target.
- Britsh (BrE) & American English (BrE) differences:
- Grammatical Differences: differences both in morphology & syntax.
♦ The Verb:
___ Inflectional morphology: In AmE, a number of irregular Vs have become regularized, while remaining irregular in BrE
Burn Æ BrE Burnt (Irreg) & AmE Burned (Reg) Learn Æ BrE Learnt (Irreg) & AmE learned (Reg)
Dream Æ BrE dreamt (Irreg Æ [E]) & AmE dreamed (Reg Æ [i˘]) Kneel Æ BrE Knelt (Irreg Æ [E]) & AmE Kneeled (Reg Æ [i˘])
Sometimes, though, AmE forms are more irregular than BrE ones: Get Æ BrE got (Reg) & AmE gotten (Irreg)
___ Derivational Morphology: Sm affixes are used in AmE on classes of words or w/particular senses where they would not be used in BrE:
-ify: citify, humidify, uglify … -ize: decimalize, hospitalize, rubberize …
♦ The Auxs:
___ Modal Auxiliaries: Several of the modals are used with different frequency or meaning in AmE & BrE. The most important diffs are:
a) Shall is rarely used in AmE, except in legal documents and very formal style and it is replaced by will.
b) The negative of epistemic must is can’t in BrE. In AmE, the most common negative of epistemic must is must not.
Æ He must not be in bc his car is gone.
c) AmE rarely used ought to in Qs or neg. forms. Instead, should is used.
d) Dare & need are both rare in AmE & they usually occur only in set phrases Æ I dare say.
___ Have, Do Have & Have got: Its different use to indicate possession.
VERB EXAMPLE BRE OR AME
Have: Lexical V functions as an Aux. (posses at present) I haven’t any fresh fish. Formal BrE
Have got: Lexical V functions as an Aux. (posses at present) I haven’t got (any) fresh fish. informal BrE & AmE
Do have: Have needs and aux Verb. (posses at present) I don’t have (any) fresh fish. AmE, but also BrE.
Do have: Have needs and aux Verb. (usually possess) I don’t have fresh fish. BrE (express habitual poss)
 Topic 66: Brief Summary
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♦ The VP:
___ The copular Vs seem, act, look & sound can be followed directly by an infinitive NP, in BrE. In AmE, these Vs must be followed
1st by the Pp like; seem can also be followed by the Inf to be.
a) Only BrE Æ He seems an intelligent man, The house looks a nice one.
b) BrE & AmE Æ He seems to be an intelligent man, The house looks like a nice one,
___ The verb want can be followed directly by the advs in and out in AmE. In BrE want must be followed first by an Inf.
a) Only BrE Æ The dog wants to go out b) Only AmE Æ the dog wants out,
___ There are a few Vs in BrE and AmE which differ in the Pps or PpAdvs they collate with.
Only BrE Only AmE Only BrE Only AmE
to fill in (a form) to fill out to battle with/against (the enemy) to battle
to visit to visit with To check up on to check out
♦ The NP:
___ Collective Nouns as team, faculty, family, government … often take pl.V agreement in BrE, but nearly always take sing in AmE.
Usually BrE: Your team are doing well this year, aren’t they? Usually AmE: Your team is doing well this year, isn’t it?
___ Zero plurals: There are a few Ns which differ in taking zero pl in the two varieties.
a) BrE Æ Shrimp – Shrimps; Innings – Innings. b) AmE Æ Shrimp – Shrimp; Inning – innings
♦ Articles: Nº of count Ns in both varieties don’t require an art when used as an abstract generic N. A few occur in 1 variety but not in t other.
a) BrE Æ To be in hospital; To [be at/go to] university. b) AmE Æ to be in the hospital; To [be at/go to] a university
♦ Prons:
___ The indefinite pron one occurs in BrE in informal and educated usage while in AmE it is only found in formal written style.
___ BrE uses both reciprocal prons each other & one another, while AmE uses mainly each other.
- Spelling & pronunciation Differences are due to American innovations & the overt attempts at spelling regularization.
BrE AmE BrE AmE
-our / -or: Colour Color -ce / -se: Defence Defense
-ou- / -o- : Mould Mold -ise / -ize: Apologise Apologize
-ae- or -oe- / -e- : Anaesthetic anesthetic -xion / -ction Connexion Connection
en- / in- : Enclose Inclose Dbl C/ sngl C kidnapper Kidnaper
-dgement / dgment Judgement Judgment 1 –l- / dbl -ll- Fulfilment Fulfillment
-re / -er: Centre Center -st / Ø Amongst among
♦ Sensational spellings (non-standard) which usually involve simplification are used to attract attention, especially in ads in tabloids.
Sensational: Nite U Thanx Thru Xing Rite Donut
Standard: Night you thanks through crossing Right Doughnut
- Voc Differences: There are 1000s of words which either differ in (a) total meaning, (B) in 1 particular sense or (c) are totally diff in the other.
♦ Vocabulary differences btw the two varieties are due to several factors:
st
___ The 1 is that new objects and experiences were encountered in USA which needed naming.
___ Technological & cultural developments which have occurred since the divergence of the 2 varieties have also been a cause of diff in voc.
___ The influence of other Lgs Æ Amerrican Indidan Lgs (hooch, Moccasin, toboggan …), African Lgs (jazz, banjo, Yiddish …)
___ Independent linguistic change w/in each variety may also be the cause of some diff Æ preserved archaisms which may be lost.
1. Same word, diff meaning 2. Same word, addtnl meaning. 3. Same word, diff in style 4. Same concept, diff word
st
Pants Æ BrE underware; Dumb Æ Additional meaning in Autumn Æ All styles in BrE, but AmE Rookie = BrE 1 year
AmE Trousers BrE is Stupid. poetic in AmE member
Pavement Æ BrE Footpath; Smart Æ Addtl meaning in AmE Perhaps Æ All styles in BrE, but BrE Dynamo = AmE Generator
AmE road suface is clean. smwhat formal in AmE BrE Sofa = AmE Couch

- English Lg in Spain:
st
- English is the 1 FL in Spain & It has displaced French from this position.
___ EFL is introduced in the primary education curriculum & it is also part of secondary education curriculum.
___ There are several factors which have made English such an important Lg in Spaniards teenagers:
a. The predominance of British & American music in popular top lists. b. The internet is a media where English is the lingua franca used.
- Anglicism is an English word that is used in Spanish w/the same meaning either bc the Spanish word is not known or the meaning is new.
FIELD OF ECONOMY TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD SPORTS VOCABULARY
___ Marketing ___ Ticket ♦ Home Appliaces: Playback, CD, Wi-Fi … ♦ Names of modern sports: Futbol, boxeo …
♦ Mass media is a very important factor ♦ Computer Jargon: ♦ Terms concerning the rules of those sports
determining the broadcasting of new terms ___ Byte ___ Software ___ Corner ___ Deuce
ANGLICISMS

whose meaning is often not even known: ___ Reset ___ Formatear ___ drive ___ gol
___ Trident ___ Close-up ♦ Military Field: Jet, Laser, Radar, Misil …
___ Sandwich ___ Cheeseburger
FIELD OF TV, FILMS & MUSIC OTHER
♦ Sm films titles’ are in the original bc it’s assumed that everyone understand them or ♦ Drogas:
simply bc they sound foreign. ___ Chutarse ___ Yonki
___ “Star Trek”, “The mummy”, “Pulp Fiction” … ___ esnifar ___ Enganchado
♦ TV & Films: Film, Sketch …
NECESSARY LOANS: NO SPANISH NECESSARY LOANS: SAME SPELLING UNNECESSARY LOANS
♦ Sm loans echo gaps that need to be filled ♦ Loans w/the same spelling in both Lgs: ♦ Loans have synonymous words in the
Lexical ANGLICISMS

___ Boicotear ___ Mitin ___ Digital ___ Climax TL & are used w/out adding anything:
___ Camping ___ Flash ___ Minigolf (prefix) ___ Coloquial (Suff) ___ Administración (=Gobierno)
SPELLING OF LEXICAL ANGLICISMS ♦ Words = pronunciation, but diff meaning.
♦ Unacceptable Spellings: ♦ Acceptable Spelling ___ Apología (=Defensa de) vs. Apology
___ Dbl Vow: Boom, Jeep, Footing … ___ Same Clustrs: Transistor, Detective … ♦ When Anglicisms are excessively used,
___ Dbl Cons: Stress, Jazz, rimmel … ___ Addition: Turismo, Filmar … they take the place of the other word.
___ Cons Clustrs: Crack, Hotdog, Whiskey.. ___ Elimination: Estándar(d), Cóc(k)tel, go(a)l .. ___ GraduadoIván Matellanes’ notes
(=Liceenciado)
- PRONUNCIATION: try to adapt the sounds, but often not the spelling of loan words taken from English, to suit our native speech habits.
♦ Follows Spanish Spelling: Spray [esprai] ♦ Imitates UK pronunciation: bacon [beikon] ♦ Initial s: Smith, Slogan