Quote:
Originally Posted by YuriTokoro
 English is the language of England, and you live in England, don't you?
How different is your British English from Canadian English? |
Well, English started in England, but over the last few hundred years, it has spread to North America, Australia, India, and lots of other places. Being so widespread for so long, it has had time to evolve into a whole bunch of different variants and dialects.
The most important difference is between British and American English; that has led to an old joke that Britain and America are two countries separated by a common language. Canadian English has some elements of both forms; I'm not sure whether it's closer to American English or to British English.
Not counting pronunciation differences, which don't show up in writing, there are also some big differences in vocabulary and spelling and even some grammar differences. Two simple examples of vocabulary differences:
elevator (American) vs.
lift (British), or
flashlight (American) vs.
torch (British). Usually it's easy for Americans and British to understand each other, but sometimes differences cause confusion.
To get a sense of just how many differences there are, take a look at the English Wikipedia article
American and British English differences. It's a huge article, and it gets very technical in places, but just skimming through it will give you a feeling for how much variation there is.