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Though Anglo-Saxon speakers share the same language, there are
differences in the way they use it. Thus, American and British speakers of
English show distinctions in their lexis, pronunciation and morphology when
they speak their mother tongue.
A good instance of this is found in how they use different terms to
refer to the same concept: lift (British English) and elevator (American English). The same happens
with the pronunciation of certain words such as Lieutenant, pronounced /luːˈtenənt/ in British
English and /lefˈtenənt/ in American English. Finally, the
ending of some words vary from one variety to another. That’s the case, for
example, of colour in British English and color in American English.
It’s clear that the message is perceived with, at least, no difference
for both speakers of English. However, for any other non-native speaker the
existence of these varieties makes them feel confused and, used them incorrectly, results in a wrong use of the language.
Moreover, many speakers of English firmly believe that the standard and accepted variety of English is the British one. Take a look at the following postcard from the incredible How to Be British Collection by Martyn Ford and Peter Legon published by LGP. Why is it that after several pints of beer you start speaking American English? Is that a real criticism of the way Americans use the language or just a wink at the reader, following so the satirical line of the book regarding the British culture, too?
Among all my preferences in life, there we have retro or vintage style.
As its etymology points out, retro implies a movement toward the past,
especially in a period of around 20 years. This word is applied to different
fields or areas such as music, fashion, home accessories... It is also a way of
living. The next article makes reference to retro style and its multiple
representations. This is a real pleasure for the eyes... Get a kick out of it!
