It would seem obvious to me that Australian English is closer to British English due to the historical events that led to English people living here. But it seems when differences occur that US English aligns more. Is this due to content from the US vs. Great Britain?
Learn English – Is Australian English closer to US English or British English
american-englishaustralian-englishbritish-english
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The country of which I am a citizen is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain is the largest of the British Isles and is home to England, Scotland and Wales. I was born in England and, apart from several extended periods abroad, have lived my life in England. That makes me ethnically English and politically British. Although Great Britain is a geographical term, British describes nationals of the whole of the United Kingdom and Britain is sometimes used to mean the United Kingdom. Things are often perceived differently abroad, and even by some of the British themselves. The whole political entity is frequently referred to as England, even though England is only a part of it. That doesn’t usually bother the English, but it might bother the Welsh, the Scots and the Northern Irish. The best policy is to call the country the United Kingdom or, less formally, Britain. Call the people British, unless you know them to be English, Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish or something else.
EDIT:
The title ‘The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’ raises an interesting linguistic, as well as political, point. Syntactically, it’s ambiguous. Is it ‘(The United Kingdom) of (Great Britain and Northern Ireland’) or is it ‘(The United Kingdom of Great Britain) and (Northern Ireland)’?
In ‘The Isles: A History’, Norman Davies traces the various titles by which the isles have been known. From 1660 to 1707 it was ‘The Kingdom of England and Wales’. The union with Scotland in 1707 gave us ‘The united Kingdom of Great Britain’. Meanwhile, there was a Kingdom of Ireland from 1660 to 1800. In 1801, Ireland was included in ‘The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland’. That state of affairs lasted until 1922 when Ireland divided, allowing the six northern Irish counties to become part of ‘The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’.
The original ‘united kingdom’ of 1707 was so called because it united England (with Wales) and Scotland. The addition of ‘Ireland’ in 1801 and of ‘Northern Ireland’ in 1922 can therefore be seen as mere accretions to an already united kingdom. However, the grammatical ambiguity allows the alternative interpretation of all components of the State being united under a single crown. A good example, perhaps, of Engli-, sorry, British, compromise.
Anyway, when talking to British people do I really have to expect that they don't know what I'm talking about when using the word rubber instead of condom?
Yes. That definition of rubber is not really used in the UK. Some people would know it from personal experiences of Americans. Like me. I know it because I have met some Americans in the UK and this word came up in the context of meeting one of them: in primary school, there was an American pupil in the last year. This definition would not generally, be reliable in the UK.
And when talking to American people, should I avoid rubber and use eraser instead whenever I expect it might sound ambiguous? To be more concrete: the OALD designates rubber (as eraser) as British English, thus do I have to suspect that an American may not be aware of that meaning?
That would be the most reliable approach. As you can see from this discussion, there are some Americans who are aware of the British meaning of rubber but it is not used in the USA. Because of this, it is unreliable in the USA and many Americans might not know this meaning. When talking to Americans, it would be best to use the American word, eraser.
Finally, when talking to both an American and a British at the same time, which words do I use for condom and eraser so that both will understand me correctly?
For a condom, just use the word condom. This is the proper word used in the UK and the USA. As the following links show, using the word rubber to mean a condom, is American slang:
US slang for a condom (Cambridge Dictionaries Online)
[countable] American English informal a condom (Longman Dictionary)
And the USA has this slang for the word, as well as the word itself.
For the word eraser, there will have to be a different kind of answer. This is an example of, one of the many differences in American English. Because the word eraser is not generally, reliable in the UK, it is not certain that any, particular British person, will know its American meaning. Whether or not it will be understood, will depend on which, particular British people you talk to.
If you talk to an American person and a British person at the same time, just use the word condom. It is understood in both countries.
Regarding eraser, you have a few possibilities. If you find out first, that one of the two knows the word used in the other's country; you can use a sentence that has just that word. For example, if you knew that the American person knows the British meaning of rubber, you can use just that. It could be that you are writing with a pencil and want to change some of the writing. You could ask, "have you got a rubber?". If you don't know in advance whether one of the two knows the word used in the other's country; you would need to use a sentence that covers both words. For example, you could ask "have you got a rubber/eraser?". You could also find out by asking, when you talk to them.
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Best Answer
Australian English is quite like British-English. Around WW2, it was very similar, including terms like "pounds, shillings, tea(as in dinner), etc." still in common use. However, during the late 20th century, there is a rise of American English, being now used predominantly in movies, tv shows, etc.
Due to this influence of American English, Australian English is becoming increasingly like American English, as well as several other countries, like New Zealand, Canada, etc. (Not including British-English).