language

[dogfrank]

Who said 'the Americans and the British are two nations separated by language' or something like that?

[andy hughes]

American writer Mark Twain first observed that America and England are "Two nations separated by a common language." Mr Twain was fond of such pithy observations, he referred to a game of golf as "A nice walk in the country, ruined."

[janelh]

It was George Bernard Shaw.

[larabell]

I second that, it was GB Shaw.

[incitatus]

I thought the Shaw one was "divided by a common tongue"? Never mind. Twain would have said it if he'd thought of it....I always thought that he was quite right about the principle difference between men and dogs.

[LindaM]

It was Oscar Wilde the one who said that Britain and America are two nations divided by a common language

[Kit]

"England and America are two countries divided by a common language." - this was indeed by GB Shaw. However, this quote was made later than the publication date of Oscar Wilde's "The Canterville Ghost" (1882): "We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language."