In an introduction to the song "Typically English", Dame Shirley Bassey made the following remark:

"When i first arrived in America from England, I made a startling discovery: I noticed that the Americans and the British have very much in common. For one thing they have a native language that is somewhat similar. I'm sure there are times when an American believes that he can actually understand every word an Englishman says."

(source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojqIlJ0rfi4)