Publisher's Synopsis
Among English-speaking nations, the United States of America is as insular and unique as the Earth is compared to Mars. Within its borders it has a unique fusion of cultures; it has its own complex legal system; a sometimes frustrating political system based on constitutional checks and balances; its own traditions; its own food and ... its own variation of the English language. Which brings us to the purpose of this book: To show (hopefully in an accessible way) how the English language and culture of America diverged from the English language and culture of the English. And how, no matter how hard any country tries to resist, Planet Earth will eventually end up with one world language - a form of English uniquely fashioned by its most active guardians and developers: the Americans. Welcome to Amglish: Two nations divided by a common language (but united in their ability to tease each other about their respective versions of it)! This is the ultimate cultural and linguistic survival guide for tourists and business travelers alike; the essential reference book to avoid making simple but shocking mistakes on either side of the Atlantic; the place where you can learn why Americans play a game called soccer, while most of the rest of the world plays a game called football (but not the American variety); the place where we reveal how the influence for the American national anthem was a mixture of bombs bursting in air and bawdy beer-soaked ale-houses. And we also examine the contradiction whereby many Americans revere God's work with oceans and sunsets, but think he did a lousy job on various human body parts. The book also contains a comprehensive reference section that includes: The differences in pronunciation between American-English and British-English; Words that sound the same but are spelled differently; Words that look and sound the same, but which have different meanings from one side of the Atlantic to the other; and the biggest section of all, the "Amglish to Britglish" translator.
