English abroad: American or British?

Years ago, when the European Union was getting under way and the national currencies were being replaced by the euro, I asked any number of influential Europeans on my trips to Europe which would be the common language.

The consensus, of course, was English. After two world wars, German would not do. Spanish and Italian were too marginal in Europe, the Slavic languages were considered peripheral, and some Europeans still had old griefs against French, the main competitor of English. But which variety of English did Europeans prefer, American or British?

Decades earlier, while toying with the idea of teaching English in Spain, the Spanish let me know, politely to be sure, that they — and most Europeans — preferred the British variety. Now, however, I was told it didn’t matter. Either version was fine with them. English was English.

It took many years for American English to achieve parity, and in certain regions — Africa, for instance — it still has a long way to go. But in certain ways it appears to be on the way to becoming the favored version.

In my work as an editor, a number of writers — from Canada and India — have asked me to “Americanize” their British expressions and spelling in their book manuscripts. Unlike the English language schools in Spain that rejected my application decades ago, some now actively recruit Americans.

Many factors have shaped this trend. To begin with, there is the global political clout of America, which causes many countries to defer to the United States. But the more decisive influences can hardly be summed up in a few words.

In music, sports, movies, food, clothes and iconic personalities, American tastes, slogans and promotional techniques set the tone for our time. Recently, Amazon Kindle opened its first store in Great Britain, but except for British pounds rather than American dollars, the language hardly differs from its larger American counterpart.

Hundreds of expressions that began in America now are firmly planted in Great Britain. To a lesser degree, the reverse also is true. Americans might use fewer British idioms, but they hear them so often they understand them, and British accents are no more “foreign” than Boston English is to a Texan.

Harold Raley is a linguist, professor and writer who lives in Friendswood. He can be reached at haroldraley(at)sbcglobal.net.