US/British English stylistic differences

Question

What would you say are the stylistic differences of US English and British English (aside from punctuation and other trivial matters)? It is true that it depends as much on the individual's preferences as where they come from and generalization is impossible, but could you tell me what impressions you tend to get from reading materials from the other side of the Atlantic?
Being a nonnative speaker of English, I know I don't have to be concerned with minor differences. Still, I'm very curious. I haven't done extensive research or anything (I'm learning English just for the fun of it!), but I'd say, as a general trend, many American authors stick to simple language for powerful clarity whereas British counterparts don't mind long sentences with relative clauses for logical preciseness. Would you agree with this view?

I know these variants of English differ in many ways, most obvious of these being differences in pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary. I'm also aware that their grammars have distinguishing features. I am asking this because I couldn't find any discussion on the archives that focused on the stylistic differences of US and British English.

(I'd also appreciate corrections to my English.)
skatty

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]What would you say are the stylistic differences of US English and British English (aside from punctuation and other trivial ... archives that focused on the stylistic differences of US and British English. (I'd also appreciate corrections to my English.) skatty[/nq]
Just to start the ball rolling, I think it's possible that non-native speakers might be surprised about some of the differences. For example, as a Brit, I find American speakers often use more formal language than my compatriots - Americans seem to call each other Mr/Mrs/Ms Smith in speech far more than we tend to do these days - or maybe that's just me listening to the Met Opera Quiz broadcasts...
Cheers
DC

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]What would you say are the stylistic differences of US English and British English (aside from punctuation and other trivial matters)?[/nq]
As an American who has now lived in Britain for 14 years, I'd say, Yes, there are some major differences. The primary difference, I think, is in the way that British people are taught to construct an essay. In the States, we were taught a linear method - that is, one states one's hypothesis, then starts from the beginning and builds one's argument step by step until one has proved one's opening hypothesis.
The British approach, on the other hand, seems to be different. I have to admit that I've never quite got my head round it. It seems that one has to approach the answer in a "circular" fashion. There's an awful lot of "on the one hand, on the other hand" in a British essay. As one who was trained in the American method, I find it all really rather tedious.

Hope this helps.
Robert Englund

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Just to start the ball rolling, I think it's possible that non-native speakers might be surprised about some of the ... than we tend to do these days - or maybe that's just me listening to the Met Opera Quiz broadcasts...[/nq]
Plus some of them use the subjunctive a lot more.

Rob Bannister

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]What would you say are the stylistic differences of US ... from reading materials from the other side of the Atlantic?[/nq]
(snip)
Misplacement of the adverb, which already has come up in the threads '"already" and "put the claim"' (June, July 1998) and Canadians really are nice (September 1999).
Gerald Smyth

Usenet · Answer

I'm reading the actual transcript of Oscar Wilde's trial. It is very different than you'd hear from American lawyers. Very long sentences, good grammar throughout, and complex ideas argued to a jury. It's hard to believe it was not rewritten and improved by the court reporters. Watch the BBC and you'll find almost no differences compared to American broadcasters. Go to a British pub and you'll need subtitles.

Usenet · Answer

skatty infrared:
[nq:1]What would you say are the stylistic differences of US English and British English (aside from punctuation and other trivial ... could you tell me what impressions you tend to get from reading materials from the other side of the Atlantic?[/nq]
US English has rules. British English doesn't.
OK, that's an oversimplification. But I do have the impression that US schoolchildren are taught that there is One Correct Way to do things. This sort of thing turns up all the time in this newsgroup. Example question: should I use "which" or "that" in a restrictive clause? The American respondents will give a precise and unbreakable rule. The English respondents will say that it all depends on the context and euphony and the personal style of the author.
You included punctuation in the category of "trivial matters", but in fact it's an area where you see a major stylistic difference. An American writer knows exactly which punctuation mark belongs in which position. A British writer is more like a practitioner of Feng Shui or a Chinese calligrapher: punctuation is an artistic decision, not a logical one.
Have you heard of sentence diagramming? It is taught, or at least used to be taught, in American schools. British writers have never heard of it. To pin down the precise role of a phrase in a sentence is, to a British writer, an unreasonable constraint on artistic freedom.
Should you use short simple sentences or long complex ones? The American answer: estimate the target age and educational level of your audience, and then use a standard complexity measure. The British answer: use elegant variation.

How do you tell whether a word is correctly spelt? I, as an Australian - and therefore closer to the British school of writing style - write the word and then ask myself whether it looks right. An American would check a dictionary.

Others will talk to you about differences in vocabulary, differences in spelling, use or non-use of the subjunctive, and so on. Those things are, to my mind, mere differences in dialect, and are not matters of style. In style, the key difference is the philosophical question: do we demand artistic freedom, or do we demand rules?
[nq:1](I'd also appreciate corrections to my English.)[/nq]
No corrections needed. Your English is as good as that of many native speakers. I wish I could do as well in other languages.

Peter Moylan (Email Removed) http://eepjm.newcastle.edu.au (OS/2 and eCS information and software)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]you tell me what impressions you tend to get from reading materials from the other side of the Atlantic?[/nq]
[nq:1]US English has rules. British English doesn't. OK, that's an oversimplification. But I do have the impression that US schoolchildren ... style. In style, the key difference is the philosophical question: do we demand artistic freedom, or do we demand rules?[/nq]
Yes. I've think you've got it in one. That is precisely my experience - the rules I was taught in the States versus the (to my mind) general sloppiness I see about me in Britain.
Well done.
RobertE

Usenet · Answer

Peter Moylan expostulated:
[nq:1]Have you heard of sentence diagramming? It is taught, or at least used to be taught, in American schools. British ... the precise role of a phrase in a sentence is, to a British writer, an unreasonable constraint on artistic freedom.[/nq]
I was taught something which sounds similar, in my UK Midlands Grammar school in the late 1960s - we called it Box Analysis. Each word was written in a box which was placed in a specific position according to its grammatical categorisation in this sentence. The boxes were connected by lines indicating (e.g.) which adjective related to which noun.

David
==

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]You included punctuation in the category of "trivial matters", but in fact it's an area where you see a major ... more like a practitioner of Feng Shui or a Chinese calligrapher: punctuation is an artistic decision, not a logical one.[/nq]
As far as quotations are concerned, the British seem logical, the Americans artisitic.
Matt

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]What would you say are the stylistic differences of US English and British English (aside from punctuation and other trivial ... could you tell me what impressions you tend to get from reading materials from the other side of the Atlantic?[/nq]
Thank you for all the pointers! They are very interesting.
[nq:1]Being a nonnative speaker of English, I know I don't have to be concerned with minor differences. Still, I'm very ... clarity whereas British counterparts don't mind long sentences with relative clauses for logical preciseness. Would you agree with this view?[/nq]
So no one agrees with the view above?
skatty

US/British English stylistic differences

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