People who learn or improve their English as second or foreign language by using web resources will find that most of “the good stuff” is in AE.
Most of the flicks and TV shows are made in the US and even most of the books are written in AE.

So, nobody should wonder why most of the people learning English(outside English speaking countries) tend to prefer AE rather then “posh BE” with its strange pronunciation and weird rules .

So what did I do ?

I eventually cancelled my CAE (Cambridge Advanced Certificate) course, although I´d paid it in advance and lost a lot of money. The differences on advanced level between AE and BE are so many – it was really bewildering and there was really no point in continuing my efforts.

So I stick with AE, I´ll do the TOEFL instead of the British examinations and I will never specifically learn British English again.

Well, as a matter of fact the smartest thing to do is focus in american english as a first step and so on. I’ve realized that the difference between both english way go so far beyond pronunciation.

thanks a lot for provide us a chance to get know more about the english’s world.

That’s the “k” point, both english whether american or british when they’re spoken…. what really matters is how those speakers pronounce it. I as well have ever experienced it before and yes, there really are some british hosts that in fact speak a friendly english for those to whom are used to listen in american english as well as a lot of american speakers that even they are speaking in a low rate of speech, I simply can not understand a merely single word,…. would that be because I got a low level of english? Maybe, but why for example am I able to understand the special serie (” HOW IPODS WILL CHANGE LANGUAGE TEACHING”) on second language acquisiton podcast at 2007 by Jeff? He doesn`t even explain those words which ones he run in his speech…., that`s because he`s speaking a little slow and of course, his proonounciation is wonderfully clear besides a easier vocabulary.

That`s my complement on emiliano`s comment.

ELS Team, what a nice blog this is turning into, isn`t it?

my best regards
to all you members and leaders.

That time I loved British dialect whichever moment I listened to it, and of course it is quite different from american´s. But american dialect is also very different if you listen
to some one coming from the south, from the west, or from the old states at the side of the Atlantic ocean. I love the lenguage from Massachuset, or New England, or Rhode Island, in general the way that old people speak in general from that first states of USA.
Sometimes when I look for a radio station to listen to I choose one from that side of the United States, but now I include also Minesotta and I understand this official radio of Saint Paul very good, may be I am accustomed to listen to Jeff and is easier to me understanding them.

As a matter of fact Itunes radio is a very good way to listen to the radio stations, and Minesotta has one of classic musics that is genial, and very easy of follows.
And talking about this matter I have to say Lucy, that at the begining I understand Jeff better than you, and it was because you are so from the South and your accent
is so american that it cost me an extra effort. Now I love you accent and your voice, that’s true, and it has been a good thing when you and Jeff speak fast, to follow you
has been an extra lure, thanks Lucy for your Arizona’s accent that is so charming now for me.
Just Fatima, my daughter, told me the same may be she was accustomed to listen the British one.

Finally I think that some people from the states of Atlantic Ocean, Boston, Philadelphia, and so on…they do speak the best English of the world, at least to me. But may be I am wrong again.
With my lenguage Spanish occurs the same, now some countries from Latino America speak better Spanish than here. For instance Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, and so on…..they speak better than us. And frecuently I am amazed the way they use my own lenguage, too long much better than we use it here, what a pity to us who transmitted the Spanish to them.