What is the language "British"?

[Timothy Murphy]

David Fletcher wrote:

>> They are not the same in the context of language.  "English" is a
>> language while (whilst) "British-English" is regional.  In
>> "British-English" defense is written "defence".
> 
> I think you've got it the wrong way around. "Defence" is the correct
> spelling. In the American regional variation "defence" is written
> "defense".

I think the difference between British-English and US-English
is exaggerated to an absurd degree.
Ask someone whether the novel they just read
was published in the UK or the US, and 90% will not have noticed.
Even the words that are supposed to mark the distinction,
like lift vs elevator, are used interchangeably in the UK
(I don't know about the US.)



-- 
Timothy Murphy  
e-mail (<80k only): tim /at/ birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland