Exchanging English Over the Pond: U.S. and U.K. Part II
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Part I of our discussion of U.S. and Commonwealth English focused on word spellings between the dialects. In Part II, we’ll review variances in vocabulary.
Understanding how the U.S. and the U.K. approach the naming of words is a great opportunity to embrace the richness of our shared language. Stateside, we enjoy and appreciate how Commonwealth writers and speakers refer to some of the thoughts that are common to us all.
Soccer vs. Football
Many conversations about U.S. and U.K. vocabulary might often start here. In America, watching local, college, and professional football teams is immensely popular. Playing tackle with pads and a pigskin is also the pursuit of millions of fans nationwide.
That being said, the word football has its colossal cultural use in the U.S. However, particularly in America, one may still wonder why we use soccer for a game called football in many parts of the world.
Some might be enlightened to learn that soccer has its origin in the U.K. During the 1800s, British universities started playing variants of a medieval game known as “football.” One such version was referred to as “association football,” which the English called “soccer” for short.
When the modern game reached America in the mid-1800s, the name “soccer” followed from the U.K. Back in Britain, soccer and football remained interchangeable for a time. Although steadily decreasing, references to soccer might still be heard until the 1980s, when football became more fortified as the singular term.
Dual Ways with Words
The following partial list offers a look at how U.S. and Commonwealth writers and speakers express several of the same things differently.
| U.S. |
U.K. |
|
U.S. |
U.K. |
| apartment |
flat |
|
cookie |
biscuit |
| adhesive bandage |
plaster |
|
diaper |
nappy |
| bathroom |
toilet, WC, loo |
|
drugstore |
chemist’s |
| bike |
cycle |
|
drunk |
pissed |
| candy |
sweets |
|
elementary school |
primary school |
| cart |
trolly |
|
elevator |
lift |
| cash register |
till |
|
eraser |
rubber |
| cell (phone) |
mobile |
|
flashlight |
torch |
| chips |
crisps |
|
fries |
chips |
| college |
university |
|
garbage can |
dustbin |
| U.S. |
U.K. |
|
U.S. |
U.K. |
| gas |
petrol |
|
stroller |
pram |
| high school |
secondary school |
|
(to) study |
revise |
| (car) hood |
bonnet |
|
subway |
tube |
| mail |
post |
|
sweater |
jumper |
| (the) movies |
cinema |
|
trash |
rubbish |
| pants |
trousers |
|
truck |
lorry |
| parking lot |
car park |
|
(car) trunk |
boot |
| period (.) |
full stop |
|
vacation |
holiday |
| purse |
handbag |
|
vacuum |
Hoover |
| sidewalk |
pavement |
|
wallet |
purse |
| sneakers (tennis shoes) |
trainers |
|
zit/pimple |
spot |
What are some of your favorite words over the pond? Stay tuned when our series continues by exploring variations in grammar between the U.S. and the U.K.
(Special thanks to Anglophiles Megan C., Emma C., and Rachel M. of Illinois, USA, for their contributions to this discussion.)
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