Page 193 - English Vocabulary In Use upper intermediet and advance

Other Englishes

US or American English (see Unit 93) is not the only special variety of English. Each area of
the English-speaking world has developed its own special characteristics. This is usually
mainly a matter of vocabulary and pronunciation. This unit just gives you a small taste of
some of the different varieties of English by drawing your attention to vocabulary used in
various English-speaking regions. All the words covered in this unit would be understood by
educated native speakers of British English although they might not choose to use them
themselves. They are all words which you may come across in your own reading, listening or
viewing.

Australian English is particularly interesting for its rich store of highly colloquial words and
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expressions. Australian colloquialisms often involve shortening a word. Sometimes the
ending '-ie' or '-0' is then added, e.g. a smoko (from smoking), is a 'tea or coffee break' and
a milko delivers the milk; beaut, short for 'beautiful' means 'great'. Because of the current
popularity of Australian TV programmes and films, some of these words are now being used
by British people too.

Indian English, on the other hand, is characterised by sounding more formal than British
English. It has retained in everyday usage words that are found more in the classics of
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nineteenth century literature than in contemporary TV programmes from London, e.g. The
bereaved are condoled and the Prime Minister is felicitated on his or her birthday. An Indian
might complain of a pain in his bosom (rather than his chest) and an Indian bandit is
referred to as a miscreant.
Scottish English uses a number of special dialect words. Some of the more common of these
are worth learning.
aye: yes loch: lake dreich: dull
ben: mountain to mind: to remember janitor: caretaker
brae: bank (of river) bairn: child lassie: girl
dram: drink (usually whisky) bonny: beautiful outwith: outside
glen: valley burn: stream wee: small
kirk: church stay: live ken: know

Black English is the term used to refer to the English which originated in the Caribbean
islands and has now spread to many parts of the UK, Canada and the USA. Listed below are
some words which are characteristic of Black English but are also now used in other varieties
of English. Many are particularly associated with the music world.
dreadlocks: Rastafarian hairstyle beat: exhausted
chick: girl dig: understand
jam: improvise pad: bed
rap: street-talk square: dull

English Vocabulary in Use