graeme_p - 12:57 pm on Aug 13, 2011 (gmt 0)

I think we are in danger of forgetting the most important thing: write good English. I have read of a lot of American English, including a lot that was complex (academic journals, for example), and as long as it was GOOD American English I never had a problem.

Have you ever noticed that the more educated the writer, the smaller the divergence between different dialects of English?

Of course you need to avoid words that have different meanings, and certain idioms that may be misunderstood.