American English

How to sound American when speaking English...




Like most native English speakers, I can understand English regardless of whether it's Australian, British, South African, Indian, Canadian, American ... whatever English it is. Sometimes a specific vocabulary word will throw me off at first but for the most part it's mutually intelligible.
No English is more correct than any other and I like them all the same.

That said. There have been some folks who have asked me about sounding more American when speaking English. Certain words or phrases are just not used in the United States and if you are trying to blend in, you may blow your cover by using words common in the UK or Europe (among other places).
So, with that in mind, I've created a mini guide for words to avoid if you want people to think you are American or to think that you learned English in America.

I'm focusing on words from British English mainly because I know more about it and it seems to be more common in Europe. Also, I've noticed other words that are used in British English are used in Australian and other non-European countries.

Note: Of course, not everyone in the United States uses the same words or talks the same way (just like anywhere else). It's possible that some areas of the United States may use words I've listed as Brit speak but in my experience it's not common.
Americans who disagree or have had another experience, please feel free to comment :)



"Uni"

I love this word! :D
It seems like such a simple and effective way of referring to universities/colleges.

Sadly, we don't really say it in the United States. Most of the time people just say "college". Also, it doesn't really matter whether it is technically a "university" or a "college" because we generally still call it college regardless.

Examples:
1. I thought high school was easy but college is so much more stressful.
2. My boyfriend is going to college in New York but he visits me at UC [University of Cincinnati*] sometimes.

*If people are from the same area or if it's already known what college they go to, they generally abbreviate it. Otherwise, you have to be careful with abbreviations because they can stand for multiple colleges (OSU is Ohio State University or Oklahoma State University or Oregon State University xD)



"Maths"

I noticed that many Europeans say this as well so it's interesting to me. I can see where the 's' would come from (MathematicS). Still, in the United States we pronounce it and spell it without the 's' unless we say or write the full word (mathematics).

Examples:
1. I need to finish my math homework before I can go out with my friends.
2. I really like math and science but I hate writing.
3. How much math did you have to take in high school?


"(On) holiday"

This seems to be a common term in much of the rest of the world. Still, I feel like it is rarely used in the United States in the same context.
For example, I often hear people from other countries say that they are "on holiday" when they are off from school or work or whatever.
For whatever reason, we don't really say this in the United States. We use the word 'holiday' but generally only when describing an actual national holiday. In other words, we use it to describe a day and not a state of being.

Examples:
1. I don't have school next week because it's a holiday
2. Maybe the restaurant is closed because of the holiday.
3. How are you spending the holiday(s)? [In my experience, "holidays" is only used when talking about Christmas time and New Years. Otherwise, it's a specific holiday, such as Easter.]

More often, instead of saying they are "on holiday",  I hear people say that they are a) "on vacation" b) "on break" [especially if it's from school] or just c) "off".

Examples:
1. I will be on vacation from the 14th through the 18th of December.
2. Do you have any plans for the break?
3. I've requested off from work next week so I can attend the hearing.


Anyway, this is a start. I might add more in the future :)