A centuries-old rivalry that goes back all the way to American Independence from Britain, in 1776. Which English is better (/ˈbet.ər/)? Or should I say ‘better’ ( /ˈbet̬.ɚ/)? British or American?

To a certain extent, the British see themselves as “guardians” of the English language, King Charles III included. But American English has made an enormous contribution to a language that has become universal. If anything, it has made English perhaps more straightforward – and less French.

In this episode, we’ll talk about this love-hate relationship and about how “the King’s English” eventually became “the people’s English”.

The book mentioned in this episode is “The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between American and British English”, by Lynne Murphy.

Lynne also has a blog in which she explores the often subtle differences between American and British English. Check it out: https://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/

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