British English

British English is a variety of English spoken and written in the United Kingdom. It is the original form of the language and has influenced all other varieties of English worldwide.

Vocabulary: The British vocabulary includes many words and phrases that may be unfamiliar to speakers of other English varieties. For example, "lorry" instead of "truck", "lift" instead of "elevator", and "holiday" instead of "vacation".

Pronunciation: A distinctive feature of many British accents is that they are non-rhotic, meaning that the "r" is not pronounced unless followed by a vowel. As linguist David Crystal explains, "The loss of postvocalic r is one of the most significant sound changes to have taken place in the history of British English" (Crystal, 2003, p. 265).

Spelling: British English maintains many traditional spellings that American English has simplified. For example, it retains the "u" in words like "colour" and "favour", and uses "-re" instead of "-er" at the end of words like "centre" and "theatre".

Grammar: British English has some peculiarities in terms of grammar. For instance, with collective nouns, it's common to use plural verbs: "The team are playing well" instead of "The team is playing well".