The Story of American English

 

Influences That Shaped the Character of American Dialects

 

• It is important to remember that no variety of British or Irish English was exactly replicated in North America

 

• No American dialect derives largely from the British Isles

 

• In all types of American English the indigenous character is dominant

 

• This character has been shaped by mutual influences between American dialects...

 

• And also by the interaction between English and other languages

 

• There have been spontaneous processes of change affecting the pronunciation of individual sounds, words, and grammatical constructions

 

The US dialect mix becomes more complex when we add the speech of settlers from non-English backgrounds (“Dutch English”, “German English”, “French English”', and other speech varieties)   The English spoken by an increasingly bilingual indigenous Indian population has also contributed to the unique character of American English   As has the English spoken by the growing black population     Copyrighted material     WE ARE PARTNERS

THE STORY OF AMERICAN ENGLISH

  History of Colonization

  Southern and Northern Settlements

  “Colonial Lag” Theory

  Unique Character of American Dialects

  Origins of Linguistic Diversity

  The Concept of the “Melting Pot”

MODERN ENGLISH

  The "Ink-horn" Controversy 

  Humour & Pathos in Shakespeare

  Biblical Phrases Test

  British vs. American English

  More

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