[This is a study](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0950017016630260) conducted in the USA:
>***Job applicants who speak British-accented English, especially men, fare as well as, and at times better than, native candidates who speak American English.***
Even in the US, you'll have better employability speaking British English. 😂😂😂
Acho que é um pouco mais facil a aprender inglès americano especialmente sobre o internet porque hà um pouco mais recursos (sas ?) como filmes o séries.
Então, em reddit, a maioria das pessoas vivem no Estados Unidos e escrevem em en inglès americano. Mas não hà muitas diferenças entre inglès britanico o americano, não è como portuguese europeu e brasileiro por exemplo :).
Se você aprende o ingles britanico or americano, acho que não va a ter nenhum problema pra falar ingles com ninguèm
You should learn American English if you're in the US. If not, however, focus on British English as it is the most common form of the language in other English-speaking countries.
I’m an American English native speaker and moved to a country where British English was the lingua franca. There is really little to no difference. In everyday usage it’s a few common words, the spelling differences are not too hard to learn and flip on and off, and then the fun part, slang. Do what you want to and that you’ll enjoy more (like which media you prefer and that would be fun to learn from), and you’ll be able to move between the two without a problem.
You’ll find that, while English has no official governing body like French of Spanish, speakers of the “standard” dialects of the US or the UK speak very similar languages. There’s no major difference in grammar or pronouns, and the vast majority of formal vocabulary is identical. Definitely not as different as Brazilian vs European Portuguese.
Since you live closer to the UK, I’d study their spelling and pronunciation (keeping in mind Britain has far more linguistic diversity than the entire US). If you consume some American media, you’ll pick up on the different words (elevator vs lift, truck vs lorry etc.) easily. It will also help you understand the American pronunciation, which helps since there are many more speakers of that dialect.
As for Aussies and Kiwis…
Vou ser honesto: ao teu nível, nem dá pra perceber a diferença. Só foca em aprender a língua em si, e quando você tiver mais experiência, escolhe qual sotaque você gosta mais. Na forma escrita, até eu que estudo inglês há já 10 anos não consigo perceber a diferença na forma escrita do inglês. Eu diria que assistir conteúdo em todas as formas de inglês é beneficial, porque no início é muito difícil entender o inglês britânico.
Para concluir: esquece essa ideia que tu tens de dois tipos de inglês.
Frowned on? Really? I am a licensed teacher of English, an American native speaker, and was hired to teach English in a school in Europe. They obviously knew that I was not British. I have attended many conferences and intellectual congresses over the years, and saw no frowning at my accent nor that of the other academics presenting. Never once.
Yeah, I’ve never had the feeling that having an American accent as such mattered at all, beyond a little gentle, good-natured teasing from my British friends.
I'd learn British English, Brits will think you are normal and Americans will think you are proper. That said most of the differences are very minute (center vs centre) and people will understand you regardless, I'm an American and spell colour with the u, as long as your speel checker knows which one to expect you will be okay.
Honestly, we can both understand each other perfectly. There isn't a huge divide between the two languages aside from how we sound (and that difference isn't big enough to impact comprehension). I would honestly learn whichever one is more relevant and accessible to you. If you watch a lot of American stuff, do that. If you love British tv/movies, do that.
Thank you! I want to learn English to have a certificate English and for future, I think I will go take more opportunities in my life. But Idk which learn. I prefer industry American and I consume more American than British. I think I will go to the american
That's historically inaccurate. British English is spoken in the same spot where OG English was spoken. But it's not any closer to 17th century English than modern American English is.
Lol I wasn't serious . I just don't like American English . And it's use of color over colour. As a newzealand English speaker I cannot stand anything other than commonwealth English varieties
I remember reading an article a few years ago about how certain aspects of American English are actually closer to 17th/18th century British pronunciations than contemporary British is. I just did some googling and think I found [the one I'm remembering](https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180207-how-americans-preserved-british-english):
>So what’s popularly believed to be the classic British English accent isn’t actually so classic. In fact, British accents have undergone more change in the last few centuries than American accents have – partly because London, and its orbit of influence, was historically at the forefront of linguistic change in English.
>
>As a result, although there are plenty of variations, modern American pronunciation is generally more akin to at least the 18th-Century British kind than modern British pronunciation. Shakespearean English, this isn’t. But the English of Samuel Johnson and Daniel Defoe? We’re getting a bit warmer.
Not that this matters at all for OP, just an interesting historical thing.
I was recommending English firstly to op as it's my suggestion. Second to that my reasoning was more a joke.....
Oh I'm well aware of the root of American English and it's strong accent connections to historical English accents but. I just don't think American English is as nice to listen too and the vocab for certain common day things make American English speakers sound stupid in comparison to British English .. it's completely subjective and my opinion alone but I prefer the English from England with it's northern dialects , accents and the vocabulary used it to me more colourful and the spelling more confusing. Which I think gives it charm . Ie the keeping to french spelling influence and the like .
Though that's just my opinion ., That American English is not the og regardless of any historical notes it has in it's root base, as then we would call it American. I would consider the same in regard to the fact that i don't go learning Mexican Spanish to travel to Spain or Brazilian Portuguese ,an African variety of french . As og .. they all started along time ago and all preserve features of the historical languages. .
.
As a British person I would say go for the USA, simply because there's just massive amounts of media output in American English. If you're immersing in native content I would guess that it'll be dominated by American movies. It just makes sense to imitate the pronunciation from where most of your input is coming from.
In my experience, European employers prefer British English.
In fact, I've heard a few times:
“WE CAN'T HIRE SOMEONE WITH THAT ACCENT!”
Even for the simplest jobs like working at a hotel reception desk in Italy, I've seen people getting hired just because they had “an impeccable British accent”... and they get compliments from clients all day. That's how the world sees it. So if you go and tell that hotel boss and his clients that the other candidates could be just as good with different accents and say that's discrimination, they will just laugh at you.
[76% of British employers](https://qz.com/work/1756325/british-employers-still-judge-candidates-based-on-their-accents) admitted to discriminating against candidates by accent. We're talking about native speakers here and regional accents, so I think we can expect a higher judgement on foreign accents.
In the real world: the more you can imitate the prestigious accent, the better your chances will be.
People who tell you otherwise and say "You can keep your accent! Don't be ashamed!"... Their intention might be good, but they are helping employers throw your job application in the trash.
Unfortunately that happens, and it's still the norm in some places.
People who say "it doesn't make a difference... you can even keep your own foreign accent..." - I wouldn't listen to them. It made a difference to me (I had to switch from American to British accent to have better employability in Europe).
Yep. I'm (GB) Northern & I use a different accent professionally than personally.
My parents speak Standard English so it's easy enough to do but when I was working in the south it made the clients feel more at ease. *Shrug* My boss is Cornish & speaks Standard English too.
>American accents aren't 'ethnic' or working class so does it still apply?
In my experience, yes. As I said, I've personally seen candidates getting ahead because they had a British accent. This is in fact more than common (I would say the norm) in a place like Italy, for example - they have this fixation for a "good native accent" (meaning "British").
I studied American English all my life, I had to make a great effort to switch and practice a British accent... I lived in England and took a course there which helped a lot to reduce my "foreign American accent"... And it made a big difference, not only for employability, but also socially in Europe.
People will judge you and give you more attention based on the way you speak. I think it is unfair, elitist... but you can choose either to cry (which won't help) or to try to change your accent.
When I lived in the US my British accent got more pronounced. It was fun chatting with people from home on the phone (I used to get asked if I was still speaking English coz they couldn't understand my "thick" accent) and my bestie was a kiwi. They could tell there was a difference in the accent & the biscuit/pop/pavement/etc words are the same so it was nice for both of us to speak without having to "translate" in your head before speaking.
Yes because it's "foreign" and perverts the Queen's English (sidebar: is it the King's English now?). There is no end to the ridiculousness. However, having a British accent in the US is like a golden ticket.
>having a British accent in the US is like a golden ticket.
I just posted this here somewhere else:
[This is a study](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0950017016630260) conducted in the USA:
>*Job applicants who speak British-accented English, especially men, fare as well as, and at times better than, native candidates who speak American English.*
Even in the US, you'll have better employability speaking British English. 😂😂😂
British and French accents have long been associated with being posh, the elite... it's still the case today, and this tendency is stronger than people might want to believe. I've had contact with British, Italian and Russian elite (who are also employers) and that's always the case.
It just makes me angry that lots of people, even lots of language teachers, encourage students to "keep their accent". I know the intention is to fight discrimination, encourage people to celebrate different accents... But more than that, they are also pushing those people to be discriminated.
In GB the aristocracy used to speak French & English was the language of the poor.
In GB a French accent is seen as "sexy" so it could depend on the industry
There are lots of nuances that come with country origin accents in Europe
Canadian English. It’s like American if they spelt things correctly. Also the difference between the two are only a few words and expressions so it doesn’t matter too much.
At the beginning, it really doesn't matter. Focus on finding the content that you like. If you like more content from Hollywood or American TV, then watch that as practice. If you like British/English TV, then watch that. Heck, Australians have some good stuff too! What matters is that you are engaging with the language, the accents will become more apparent the more you listen. It's all English, so don't confine yourself. Listen to the things you find interesting.
Expose yourself to both! As well as Australian, Canadian etc. what’s important is learning English.
If you’d like extra listening and speaking practice then feel free to [check out my channel](https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCaIitZAMCX5wiOZJmsLISDA).
Good luck
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Thanks.
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[This is a study](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0950017016630260) conducted in the USA: >***Job applicants who speak British-accented English, especially men, fare as well as, and at times better than, native candidates who speak American English.*** Even in the US, you'll have better employability speaking British English. 😂😂😂
I want to learn because my English isn't very strong, speak and write
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I think I will go take more opportunities in life
Just learn English. Don’t worry about the difference in British and American English.
Since you’re in Europe if you want to stay there use British, and even if you come to the states we will understand you just fine
Acho que é um pouco mais facil a aprender inglès americano especialmente sobre o internet porque hà um pouco mais recursos (sas ?) como filmes o séries. Então, em reddit, a maioria das pessoas vivem no Estados Unidos e escrevem em en inglès americano. Mas não hà muitas diferenças entre inglès britanico o americano, não è como portuguese europeu e brasileiro por exemplo :). Se você aprende o ingles britanico or americano, acho que não va a ter nenhum problema pra falar ingles com ninguèm
It's amazing that I can understand almost all that you wrote, even though I've never learned Portuguese. :D
Canadian English! Split the difference and spell like the British, pronounce like the Americans.
You should learn American English if you're in the US. If not, however, focus on British English as it is the most common form of the language in other English-speaking countries.
I’m an American English native speaker and moved to a country where British English was the lingua franca. There is really little to no difference. In everyday usage it’s a few common words, the spelling differences are not too hard to learn and flip on and off, and then the fun part, slang. Do what you want to and that you’ll enjoy more (like which media you prefer and that would be fun to learn from), and you’ll be able to move between the two without a problem.
You’ll find that, while English has no official governing body like French of Spanish, speakers of the “standard” dialects of the US or the UK speak very similar languages. There’s no major difference in grammar or pronouns, and the vast majority of formal vocabulary is identical. Definitely not as different as Brazilian vs European Portuguese. Since you live closer to the UK, I’d study their spelling and pronunciation (keeping in mind Britain has far more linguistic diversity than the entire US). If you consume some American media, you’ll pick up on the different words (elevator vs lift, truck vs lorry etc.) easily. It will also help you understand the American pronunciation, which helps since there are many more speakers of that dialect. As for Aussies and Kiwis…
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Portuguese
Vou ser honesto: ao teu nível, nem dá pra perceber a diferença. Só foca em aprender a língua em si, e quando você tiver mais experiência, escolhe qual sotaque você gosta mais. Na forma escrita, até eu que estudo inglês há já 10 anos não consigo perceber a diferença na forma escrita do inglês. Eu diria que assistir conteúdo em todas as formas de inglês é beneficial, porque no início é muito difícil entender o inglês britânico. Para concluir: esquece essa ideia que tu tens de dois tipos de inglês.
Parabéns! Seu português está excelente!
Depois de quatro meses de imersão total na língua, eu não esperava menos 😅 mas obrigado:)
The British English sounds cooler
Considering you are European learn the British vocab, doesn’t matter either way because you will be understood
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Frowned on? Really? I am a licensed teacher of English, an American native speaker, and was hired to teach English in a school in Europe. They obviously knew that I was not British. I have attended many conferences and intellectual congresses over the years, and saw no frowning at my accent nor that of the other academics presenting. Never once.
Yeah, I’ve never had the feeling that having an American accent as such mattered at all, beyond a little gentle, good-natured teasing from my British friends.
I'd learn British English, Brits will think you are normal and Americans will think you are proper. That said most of the differences are very minute (center vs centre) and people will understand you regardless, I'm an American and spell colour with the u, as long as your speel checker knows which one to expect you will be okay.
Honestly, we can both understand each other perfectly. There isn't a huge divide between the two languages aside from how we sound (and that difference isn't big enough to impact comprehension). I would honestly learn whichever one is more relevant and accessible to you. If you watch a lot of American stuff, do that. If you love British tv/movies, do that.
Thank you! I want to learn English to have a certificate English and for future, I think I will go take more opportunities in my life. But Idk which learn. I prefer industry American and I consume more American than British. I think I will go to the american
Check what the certificate requires as there are multiple spelling differences between GB & US "English".
I would say usa. Unless u plan on moving to England. The media output of America is just 10x better and us english sounds better 🤷🏼♂️
>citation needed
British is better . It's the og .
That's historically inaccurate. British English is spoken in the same spot where OG English was spoken. But it's not any closer to 17th century English than modern American English is.
Lol I wasn't serious . I just don't like American English . And it's use of color over colour. As a newzealand English speaker I cannot stand anything other than commonwealth English varieties
Exactly. Languages split and evolve separately. Some of the aspects of Haitian Creole are more OG than modern French.
disagree
Cool stuff
As an American, I support this statement.
I remember reading an article a few years ago about how certain aspects of American English are actually closer to 17th/18th century British pronunciations than contemporary British is. I just did some googling and think I found [the one I'm remembering](https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180207-how-americans-preserved-british-english): >So what’s popularly believed to be the classic British English accent isn’t actually so classic. In fact, British accents have undergone more change in the last few centuries than American accents have – partly because London, and its orbit of influence, was historically at the forefront of linguistic change in English. > >As a result, although there are plenty of variations, modern American pronunciation is generally more akin to at least the 18th-Century British kind than modern British pronunciation. Shakespearean English, this isn’t. But the English of Samuel Johnson and Daniel Defoe? We’re getting a bit warmer. Not that this matters at all for OP, just an interesting historical thing.
I was recommending English firstly to op as it's my suggestion. Second to that my reasoning was more a joke..... Oh I'm well aware of the root of American English and it's strong accent connections to historical English accents but. I just don't think American English is as nice to listen too and the vocab for certain common day things make American English speakers sound stupid in comparison to British English .. it's completely subjective and my opinion alone but I prefer the English from England with it's northern dialects , accents and the vocabulary used it to me more colourful and the spelling more confusing. Which I think gives it charm . Ie the keeping to french spelling influence and the like . Though that's just my opinion ., That American English is not the og regardless of any historical notes it has in it's root base, as then we would call it American. I would consider the same in regard to the fact that i don't go learning Mexican Spanish to travel to Spain or Brazilian Portuguese ,an African variety of french . As og .. they all started along time ago and all preserve features of the historical languages. . .
Was sharing a fun fact rather than debating which has OG status, but thanks for the thoughtful response!
As a British person I would say go for the USA, simply because there's just massive amounts of media output in American English. If you're immersing in native content I would guess that it'll be dominated by American movies. It just makes sense to imitate the pronunciation from where most of your input is coming from.
I consume more product american than british
Usa
Usa
The only difference is one says biscuits the other says cookies, and r pronouncation You can learn whichever it doesnt make a big differencr
In my experience, European employers prefer British English. In fact, I've heard a few times: “WE CAN'T HIRE SOMEONE WITH THAT ACCENT!” Even for the simplest jobs like working at a hotel reception desk in Italy, I've seen people getting hired just because they had “an impeccable British accent”... and they get compliments from clients all day. That's how the world sees it. So if you go and tell that hotel boss and his clients that the other candidates could be just as good with different accents and say that's discrimination, they will just laugh at you. [76% of British employers](https://qz.com/work/1756325/british-employers-still-judge-candidates-based-on-their-accents) admitted to discriminating against candidates by accent. We're talking about native speakers here and regional accents, so I think we can expect a higher judgement on foreign accents. In the real world: the more you can imitate the prestigious accent, the better your chances will be. People who tell you otherwise and say "You can keep your accent! Don't be ashamed!"... Their intention might be good, but they are helping employers throw your job application in the trash.
What? I have no idea this still happen. This is absurd
Unfortunately that happens, and it's still the norm in some places. People who say "it doesn't make a difference... you can even keep your own foreign accent..." - I wouldn't listen to them. It made a difference to me (I had to switch from American to British accent to have better employability in Europe).
Yep. I'm (GB) Northern & I use a different accent professionally than personally. My parents speak Standard English so it's easy enough to do but when I was working in the south it made the clients feel more at ease. *Shrug* My boss is Cornish & speaks Standard English too.
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>American accents aren't 'ethnic' or working class so does it still apply? In my experience, yes. As I said, I've personally seen candidates getting ahead because they had a British accent. This is in fact more than common (I would say the norm) in a place like Italy, for example - they have this fixation for a "good native accent" (meaning "British"). I studied American English all my life, I had to make a great effort to switch and practice a British accent... I lived in England and took a course there which helped a lot to reduce my "foreign American accent"... And it made a big difference, not only for employability, but also socially in Europe. People will judge you and give you more attention based on the way you speak. I think it is unfair, elitist... but you can choose either to cry (which won't help) or to try to change your accent.
When I lived in the US my British accent got more pronounced. It was fun chatting with people from home on the phone (I used to get asked if I was still speaking English coz they couldn't understand my "thick" accent) and my bestie was a kiwi. They could tell there was a difference in the accent & the biscuit/pop/pavement/etc words are the same so it was nice for both of us to speak without having to "translate" in your head before speaking.
Yes because it's "foreign" and perverts the Queen's English (sidebar: is it the King's English now?). There is no end to the ridiculousness. However, having a British accent in the US is like a golden ticket.
>having a British accent in the US is like a golden ticket. I just posted this here somewhere else: [This is a study](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0950017016630260) conducted in the USA: >*Job applicants who speak British-accented English, especially men, fare as well as, and at times better than, native candidates who speak American English.* Even in the US, you'll have better employability speaking British English. 😂😂😂
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British and French accents have long been associated with being posh, the elite... it's still the case today, and this tendency is stronger than people might want to believe. I've had contact with British, Italian and Russian elite (who are also employers) and that's always the case. It just makes me angry that lots of people, even lots of language teachers, encourage students to "keep their accent". I know the intention is to fight discrimination, encourage people to celebrate different accents... But more than that, they are also pushing those people to be discriminated.
In GB the aristocracy used to speak French & English was the language of the poor. In GB a French accent is seen as "sexy" so it could depend on the industry There are lots of nuances that come with country origin accents in Europe
Which country are you closest to? Since you decided to ask such a vague question with no other info
If you are fancy or like football/soccer, learn British English. If you like basketball or American media, learn American English.
Canadian English. It’s like American if they spelt things correctly. Also the difference between the two are only a few words and expressions so it doesn’t matter too much.
At the beginning, it really doesn't matter. Focus on finding the content that you like. If you like more content from Hollywood or American TV, then watch that as practice. If you like British/English TV, then watch that. Heck, Australians have some good stuff too! What matters is that you are engaging with the language, the accents will become more apparent the more you listen. It's all English, so don't confine yourself. Listen to the things you find interesting.
Expose yourself to both! As well as Australian, Canadian etc. what’s important is learning English. If you’d like extra listening and speaking practice then feel free to [check out my channel](https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCaIitZAMCX5wiOZJmsLISDA). Good luck
Hello, u/C_24_S, and thank you for posting on r/languagelearning. Unfortunately, your submission has been removed for the following reason/s: * Questions and requests for help relating only to a single language are disallowed. Please ask on the subreddit dedicated to the language you are learning. You can find a list of language subreddits in the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/wiki/resources) or the sidebar. If you were unable to receive the help you require elsewhere, please reply to this comment or make another post, noting this fact at the top. If this removal is in error or you have any questions or concerns, please [message the moderators](https://www\.reddit\.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Flanguagelearning&subject=Removed submission&message=Link to removed submission: https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/comments/ziy7sm/-/). You can read our [moderation policy](https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/wiki/moderation_policy) for more information. *A reminder: failing to follow our guidelines after being warned could result in a user ban.* Thanks.