In the Singapore school system, British English reigns supreme over its American counterpart; students are taught the British spelling and mostly British-style vocabulary (with a few exceptions, including certain Singapore-specific terms).
Why is this the case? Other than the fact of colonial history, there is the simple reason that two of our biggest national examinations -- the O- and A-levels -- are marked in Cambridge, England.
Americanism is becoming common among Singaporeans, who overwhelmingly consume American media (as opposed to British media). However, our schools retain a preference for British English.
What exactly are the differences between British and American English? Let's find out.
Spelling
Colour or color? Recognise or recognize? Learnt or learned? Centre or center? British and American English differ consistently in their spelling of words.
Students sometimes forget about these differences or worse, use the spellings inconsistently in their writing.
Remember, British spelling uses:
- a 'u' in words like 'colour' and 'honour';
- 's', not 'z', in words like 'recognise' and 'minimise';
- -t, not -ed, in the past tense forms of words like 'learnt', 'burnt' and 'dreamt';
- -re, not -er in words like 'centre' and 'theatre'
Grammar
Though there are differences in spelling and vocabulary, the grammatical differences between British and American English are less jarring.
For instance, it is perfectly acceptable in America to say a sentence like "go take a shower", where there is no linking word between the verbs "go" and "take". However, in British English, the sentence would likely be recast as "go and take a shower".
A slightly more obvious example lies in prepositions: an American might say "she looks different than I remember". This might seem strange to the British or even Singaporeans, who would say "different from".
Vocabulary
Last but not least, we come to vocabulary. British and American English famously use different words to describe the same things. Common examples are "crisps/chips", "flat/apartment", and "taxi/cab".
You might notice that many American vocabulary items also appear frequently in Singapore English. This is most certainly a result of our greater exposure to American media (vocabulary is more easily borrowed as compared to grammar or spelling).
