Question:
I have noticed in my dealings with non-native speakers of English that they
were obviously taught British English. I have questioned them on this, and the
majority of them have never been to the U.K. That's just how they were taught
in their country of birth. It seems that when English is taught in
non-English-speaking countries, British English is almost invariably taught
over American English. (Obviously, I am not referring to those who learned
English in the U.S.)
Now, it seems to me that since the majority of native speakers of English
reside in the U.S., it would behoove the educators in non-English speaking
countries to teach American English, rather than British English. I have
discovered that there are many who do not even know that there are differences
between British and American English. A few of the more ignorant ones (usually
from the Middle East and Eastern Europe) don't even know that the U.S. and the
U.K. are separate nations.
I have heard, however, that since a Japanese exchange student in the U.S. was
shot when he didn't understand a homeowner's command to "FREEZE!", there has
been a greater emphasis placed on the study American English, particularly
American slang, in Japan. Is this true?
This may seem a little off the subject, but I remember an old Soviet film (I
can't remember what it was called) about naval combat. They had a scene in
which Russian actors were playing American sailors on a submarine. Their
English was quite good, as I recall, but they were all speaking with British
accents. One sailor even used the phrase, "Bugger off!", a phrase definitely
NOT used in the U.S. A bunch of us had a good laugh over that one.
The main reason why I am asking this, other than idle curiosity, is that most
overseas ESL programs seem to prefer British English teachers rather than
American English teachers. Am I wrong about this?
Answer:
depends on what countries probably. Europeans, I would imagine, tend
to learn British English because the UK is a part of Europe and UK EFL
teachers can get work in Europe much more easily than US EFL teachers.
In Japan and Taiwan, there seems to be a general preference for American
English these days, but British English is certainly not considered
undesirable. There are also many places in both countries that prefer
British EFL teachers.
I would suppose it would depend upon which country one did most business
with. Countries that trade heavily with Europe, the UK, Australia, and
NZ would probably be better off learning British English, while
countries that traded primarily with the US and had lots of dealings
with US business people would probably be better off learning American
English for bovious cultural (culture of business) reasons. OTOH, either
brand of English will serve EFL students well, IMHOYes, when that shooting occurred, "Freeze!" was heard everywhere in
Tokyo, and people wanted to learn those kinds of words so they wouldn't
get shot
It depends upon the program and probably the country. Some stipulate
North American accent and some British.
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