Unit 2 English around the worldAmerican and British people both speak English of course. But sometimes it does not seem like the same language. In fact, there are some important differences between British English and American English.First of all, they sound very different. Often, Americans don't say each word separately. They say several words together. Americans may say “I dunno” instead of “I don't know”. However, the British are more careful on their speech. They usually say all the words and keep them separate.Also, some letters have different sounds. For example, the Americans say the “a” in half like the “a” in cat. But the British say the “a” in half like the “o” in soft.Sound is not the only difference between British English and American English. Words sometimes have different meanings too. Some American words are never used in England. The same thing is true of some British words in America. For example, the vocabulary for cars and driving is very different. Americans drive trucks, but in England they drive lorries.Many expressions are also different in the two countries. In England, if you are going to telephone friends, you “ring them up”. In America you “give them a call”．There are also sometimes differences in grammar. For example, Americans usually use the helping verb “do” when they ask a question. They say “Do you have class today？” But the British often leave out the helping verb. They say “Have you class today？”All these differences can be confusing if you are learning English. But most languages are like this. Languages change over time. When people live in separate places, the languages change in different ways. This is what happened to Engli...
