NAMA JABATAN / UNIT: JABATAN BAHASA INGGERIS

INSTITUT PENDIDIKAN GURU KAMPUS BAHASA ANTARABANGSA

TUGASAN KERJA KURSUS 2

Nama : NG KOK HONG

Nombor Kad Pengenalan : 030331-01-1407

Nombor Angka Giliran : 2021212350167

Kumpulan/Unit : PISMP TESL B AMBILAN JUN 2022

Kod dan Nama Kursus : TSLB3273 LANGUAGE AWARENESS

Nama Pensyarah : DR SHARMINI A/P GNAGURU

Tarikh Hantar : 17 OKTOBER 2022

Tarikh Diterima :
(Diisi Oleh Pensyarah)

Pengakuan Pelajar

Saya mengaku bahawa kerja kursus ini adalah hasil kerja saya sendiri kecuali nukilan dan
ringkasan yang setiap satunya saya jelaskan sumbernya.

Pengesahan Pelajar

Saya mengesahkan bahawa maklum balas yang diberikan oleh pensyarah telah saya
fahami.

Tandatangan Pelajar : NG Jumlah markah :

Tarikh : 17 OKTOBER 2022

Catatan : Pastikan pensyarah telah memberi maklum balas di dalam tugasan kerja kursus
pelajar.

Introduction
 Language has become one of the most convenient and formidable tools in the context
where meaningful communication occurs. Nowadays, the usage of language can occur in any
situation and events, including interaction with anyone whom you met, either face to face, online, or
texting with them. Languages allow people to communicate with one another, establish
relationships, and create a sense belonging to the community. Greenheart Club. (2015) According
to a story in the bible, Tower of Babel, people around the world spoke the same language in the
past. They decided to build a tower that would reach up to heaven. God observed what a powerful
force the people's unity of purpose created, which is their language. As a result, God disrupted the
work by confusing the language of the workers so they could no longer understand each other, and
the tower was never completed. Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2022) Despite the fact
that we cannot really tell the authenticity of the story, the acknowledgement towards the
importance of language is undeniable. Culture is defined as a “historically transmitted system of
symbols, meanings, and norms.” Greenheart Club. (2015) Culture is often to be told that it is
indivisible from language, as they are interchangeable and intertwined with one another. In this
essay, we are going to discuss the relationship between the varieties of English language and
culture in English language learning. We will also be looking at the importance of cultural or
intercultural competence in communication, and the impact of culture on English language
learning.

American and British English

According to researchers, there are over 160 English variants throughout the world. From
all of the English variants that are available, we will focus on the most commonly used standard
English variants, which are American English and British English. Thus, two Youtube videos
comparing these two English variants are taken as reference. Now, you might ask why American
and British English are so similar and interconnected with each other. In the past, early incursions
on the Britain islands from a tribe of Germanic invaders called the Angles about 1500 years ago
occurred, and later invasions from the Saxons and the Jutes, two tribes out of Germany and
modern day Denmark. As a result of the Anglo-Saxon invasions, Latin, which was spoken in Britain
until that time, was eventually replaced by Old English, which is the direct ancestor of modern
British English. ICLS. (2021) On the other hand, the United States was a colony which was under
control by Britain. The British introduced the English language to the Americas when they first
reached Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. At that time, English spelling had not been standardized. In
1783, the American War of Independence occurred and the thirteen colonies became the United
States of America, and gained independence. In America, Noah Webster published his first
dictionary in 1806. Scholars alleged that Webster changed the spelling of many words to make
American English different from British English as a way of demonstrating its independence and
freedom. ICLS. (2021) Years pass and the two English variants evolve in different ways, causing
one to be different from another. This is why American and British English share lots of similarities,
while it is also easy to tell their differences, as it is quite obvious.

British vs American English

In the first video, Marina Mogilko, who is the producer of the video who has lived over 6
years in America and Lucy Bella Simkins, who is a teacher from Great Britain mainly discusses the
differences between British and American English. Firstly, they discuss the differences and
similarities of those variants through pronunciations, in which they try to speak out certain words
using a British and American accent and spot their traits. For instance, it is obvious when it comes
to pronunciation. In standard British English, speakers tend to not pronounce the /r/ sound when it
comes after a vowel in the same syllable. The examples given are bored, morning, water and
report. They also introduce the linking /r/ concept in British English, such as if a word is spelled
ending with an /r/ sound, while the next word begins with a vowel sound, the /r/ will be pronounced.
This can be seen from the comparison between pronunciation of ‘for me’ and ‘for us’, and the
sentence ‘Where are you going?’, as well as the phrases ‘a bar of chocolate’ and ‘once and for all’.
American English often shares this similarity when it comes to the linking /r/ concept as it makes it
easier for them to pronounce certain words. Besides, British English may also include the /r/ sound
when a syllable or word ends with a vowel sound, then the following syllable or word too begins
with a vowel sound. The examples are ‘I saw /r/ a good film’ and ‘draw /r/ ing’. Moreover, when a
word ends in /ə/, which is the schwa sound pronounced as a relaxed ‘uh’, and spelled with the
letter ‘a, then the following word begins with a vowel sound, /r/ sound will often act as a connector.
For example, ‘India /r/ is’. The /r/ is the intrusive /r/ introduced as a connector. /r/ is also added
when a word is written with an 'aw sound' /ɔ:/ at the end, and the next word begins with a vowel
sound, such as the word ‘law-/r/-abiding’. The word r is not included in writing but included in
pronunciation in British English. Further into this, we have four ways to pronounce /t/ sound in
American English, such as /t/, /r/, /d/ and a glottal stop. For British English, they pronounce /t/ in
two ways such as the /t/ itself and as a glottal stop, so these two variants share common traits
among each other. On the other hand, when there is a /t/, /y/, /u:/ sound, Both British and American
English speakers often squish those sounds together to make a /ch/, which is a ‘cha’ sound, such
as pronouncing the word ‘tuna’ as ‘tchuna’. The other examples of words are ‘tube’, ‘Tuesday’,
‘during’, ‘reduce’, ‘eventual’, ‘mutual’, ‘adventure’ and ‘picture’. The stress where American and
British speakers put in words are also different. Apart from the points they throw out, there are also
more to be discuss in depth in the second video such as difference in spelling of the ending of
certain words with -re for British and -er for American, as well as -nce for British and -nse for
American, such as ‘centre and center’, ‘licence’ and ‘license’, reduction of the letter ‘u’ in American
English such as ‘colour’ and ‘color’. There are also spelling changes such as words ending with -
ise to -ize, and double ‘l’ spelling, ‘-ll’ to single ‘l’, for instance, ‘organise’ and ‘organize’, ‘travelled’
and ‘traveled’. Usage of different vocabulary or words that share the same meaning also occurs in
both variants, such as the word ‘garbage’ for American English, and ‘rubbish’ for British English.
The same goes to ‘vacation’ and ‘holiday’, ‘apartment’ and ‘flat’, ‘elevator’ and ‘lift’, ‘sidewalk’ and
‘pavement’. There minor differences in grammar that differentiates American and British English
are auxiliary verbs, usage of preposition, and the most apparent trait, their past tense and past
participle form.

Importance of Cultural Competence and Influences

Lucy makes a claim that children in Britain were somehow inspired by American English, as
they were used to watching American movies and TV shows. Mogilco also states that her British
friends who are highly educated have stereotype against American English as they thought that
American English are loud and not elegant, and they avoid certain grammatical rules, then
discrimination rises from certain British English users towards American English adapters. It is also
easy to pick up one of the variants but when it comes to both, the person tends to drop off one of
them due to the environment they stay in. Besides, learners who focus on one of the two variants
may encounter little trouble in understanding the other variant unless they gain more exposure
towards it.
Culture allows learners to understand the evolution of the English language, which may
improve their vocabulary and enjoyment of the learning process. Matkasimovs, F. (2016) On the
other hand, achieving cultural competency is a lifelong process which takes lots of time,
inquisitivity, and a true desire to enhance one’s scope of experiences. Cultural competence refers
to the “ability to communicate efficiently and meaningfully with people from different cultural
backgrounds”, and it comprises four components which are awareness, attitude, knowledge and
cross-cultural skills. TANDEM. (2018) Worldly awareness is a must to eliminate one's own cultural
bias, and raise consciousness among people’s reactions to others who are different from them in
terms of ethnicity, culture and social background. A positive attitude towards another culture must
be established in a person’s beliefs and values about cultural differences. Moreover, people should
grasp knowledge of different cultural practices, as well as observing them from different
perspectives and worldviews to provide suitable mindsets and approaches, in order for them to
have an easier time in learning both American and British English. Lastly, practicing cross-cultural
skills is also exigent in developing one’s capability in comprehending, communicating, and
interacting effectively with people across cultures, which will surely enhance their English language
learning process. TANDEM. (2018)

Conclusion

In short words, as English language learners and adapters, it is expeditious for people to
adapt modesty and let go of their prejudice and egoism to allow wider visions, opinions, as well as
reformations to take place and improve our education systems, furthermore emerges more
qualified English language learners in the future.
References

Mogilko, M. (2022, May 11). British vs American English | Pronunciation comparison! [Video].
YouTube. https://youtu.be/4T1NkAf7rG0

Paul. (2018, September 15). How are British English and American English Different? [Video].
YouTube. https://youtu.be/NdJQdt3xkFQ

Greenheart Club. (2015). Language: The Essence of Culture. Greenheart International.

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2022, August 17). Tower of Babel. Encyclopedia

ICLS. (2021, July 17). How the English language evolved and differences between American
English and British English. International Center for Language Studies. https://www.icls.edu/how-
the-english-language-evolved-and-differences-between-american-english-and-british-english

Matkasimovs, F. (2016). Techniques to Teach American Culture in English Lessons in Grade 11,
Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/340234

TANDEM. (2018, January 5). Cultural competence and language learning I. TANDEM
International. https://tandem-schools.com/en/blog/french-schools/cultural-cometence-and-
language-learning-i/