Miscellaneous Spelling Differences between American English and British English

American English	Commonwealth English
Aluminum	Aluminium
Ax	Axe
Check	Cheque
Disk	Disc
Forever	For ever
Jail	Gaol
Gray	Grey
Jewelry	Jewellry
Curb	Kerb
Tire	Tyre
Percent	Per cent
Program	Programme

Class Exercises

Exercise A: What do you think the following British English words mean? Match them with what you think to be their correct American English definitions.

1) Blimey	A) Small or to be small
2) Cheerio	B) To steal
3) Cheers	C) To be surprised or taken aback
4) Crikey	D) Checkmark or a second in time
5) Gobsmaked	E) “Wow” or “My goodness”
6) Kip	F) To rent
7) Hire	G) A way of saying “goodbye”
8) Wee	H) “Thank you” in informal conversation
9) Tick	I) An expression of surprise
10) Pinch	J) A short nap, or to sleep

Exercise B: What do you think the following British English Expressions mean in American English?

1) There was a queue of people waiting to pay their phone bills.

2) The car was phut, there was no way to repair it or fix it any longer.

3) He is just totally brill! I have never met anyone so smart in my life!

4) A bill for electricity just arrived in the post today.

5) People just don’t seem to care about the city. There is rubbish everywhere on the streets.

6) It’s positively smashing that you could join us tonight!

7) Whoops-a-daisy! It appears that I’ve lost my car keys.

8) He was not feeling well so he havered on about nothing and we were not able to understand what he was talking about.

Exercise C: Is it British English or American English?Place an “A” next to those sentences with an American spelling of the word and a “B” next to sentences with a British spelling of the word.

1) This disc doesn’t work on my computer.

2) The sky is really gray today.

3) I need to buy new tyres for my car.

4) I am 100 per cent sure that I can find a new job.

5) This television program is not very good.

6) I think that I have a high level of organizational skills.

7) The company placed an advert in the newspaper last week.

*Please read on to Lesson 8 and read the introduction to the lesson and complete the homework assignment before Lesson 8 so that you are prepared to participate in class discussions.

Lesson 8

Country Studies, How Culture Affects Business Communications

Lesson Introduction

Country Studies

It is important to be aware of not only your own country and culture but also the world around you, especially in terms of business communications. In order for a business to survive in such a global marketplace it must have a good understanding of how its own country and other countries as well. It is important to note that every country has its own form of culture, history, habits, ideas, style, language, manners of speech and so on. Even countries that border one another and speak the same language contain their own culture. It is also possible that even within the borders of one country, communication can be hindered by different subcultures. A good example of this is the US where subcultures have developed throughout the country. These various subcultures sometimes make it difficult for people of the same country from different regions of the country to communicate with one another even though they speak the same language. This proves the fact that language is not the only key to successful communication. In order to be successful in business communications you must be knowledgable and mindful of the cultural climate in which you are operating. The differences between different cultures can make for horrible problems in business communications and the complete failure of a business. This is why it is good to learn more of the world around us and how it operates.

Homework to prepare for Lesson 8 before the class

Please bring with you to Lesson 8 some information on any country that you find interesting. You will need to learn about some of the cultural differences between that culture and your own and you will need to find out some of the following information about the country:

• Population

• Geograhpich location

• Literacy rate

• GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per household/family

• Currency

• Main language(s)

• Type of government

• Main religion(s)

• Main export

• Main import

• Percentage of population below the poverty line

• One interesting fact about the country’s culture

*You are welcome to look up any additional information about the country that you would like. You will need to discuss the information that you find out about your country during the next lesson.

*There are many sources on the Internet that will help you to find the information above. One of the best sources that will help you to find this information is www.ciaworldfactbook.gov This site has all of the information listed above for every country in the world and the information is up to date. It should take you approximately 15 minutes to complete this assignment.

Below are some ideas of countries that you may be interested in researching. Please feel free to look up information on any country aside from your own country.

Saudi Arabia China Chad Canada

Germany Japan Zimbabwe Venezuela

France Singapore South Africa Cuba

Spain Taiwan Egypt Argentina

Britain Malaysia Austrailia Brazil