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Silent Differences Between American And British English Essay

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Silent Differences in English that Divide American and British Spelling (Rough Draft)

Guiding Question: What is the origin of and reasoning for different word endings that have no effect on pronunciation between American and British English?

Does one go to the theater or does one go to the theatre? Are one’s eyes the color blue or the colour blue? The answer to both of these questions will differ depending on where they are asked. In England, the answers will most likely appear as theatre and colour respectively. However, in America, the opposite answers would be given, but only if the questions were in written format. If these questions were posed verbally, the answers would appear the same and no difference would be discerned. Therefore, why is one considered correct and one considered incorrect if they are phonetically equivalent and why do such differences exist? The answer to these questions is rooted in the history of the language itself. Whether it is the French influence or the American Revolution, British and American English are products of their history and culture. The evolution of phonetically equivalent word endings in British and American English reflect political situations, language shifts, and foreign influences while evoking historical pride on both sides that carry the differences into present day. The move towards standardization of spelling for word endings can be seen in the seventeenth century. The fluidity of spelling was still prevalent as shown

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