American English
The spelling used in American English is different to standard British English. American English is different due to being more simplified, helping practicality, as they often omit letters from words which have no phonological effect on how they pronounce the word, such as spelling 'colour' as 'color'.
One difference between American English grammar and British English grammar is that British English speakers use the present perfect tense, compared to American English speakers using the simple past tense. For Example:
American English - "I ate them"
British English - "I have eaten them".
American English also use frequent contractions, such as using the non-standard 'gonna', instead of the standard 'going to' frequently used by British English when speaking formally.
In 1776 Americans and the British had similar accents. The British accent has since changed substantially, compared to the American accent changing very slightly. The similar accent was very rhotic, similar to American pronunciation now. The use of the non rhotic R started to be used in upper class English around the time of the American revolution.
English as a Lingua Franca -
A language adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different.
English is the current Lingua Franca for areas such as international business, education and entertainment.
