Tnase Doris Romn-Englez, Gr.

L131, Anul III

The influence of American English on British English

British English and American English belong to the same language, but when the first European immigrants came to the New World 300 years ago, these two languages began to slowly split. American English has de eloped a new way of con ersation, partly because of the different li ing conditions, partly due to the substantial absorption of other immigrant languages. The main differences between American English and British English are the tone and rhythm. !n the same root meaning of words, the subtle differences are also high. A number of new words and new metaphors usage originally produced in the "nited #tates was gradually ta$en root in the "nited %ingdom only now. To name a few, politician has a bad meaning in American English, but it is only a politician in British English. #olicitor in American English can be used as a &lobby&, &salesman& or &beggar&, howe er, it simply means the lawyer the British English. 'espite there are some differences in ocabulary, one thing is certain, that is, American English in slowly ha e an impact on British English, and the impact is continuing to increase. !n particular, in recent decades, the "nited #tates is widening the gap with Europe constantly in trade, military, science and technology industries, it ma$es America(s position in the international arena become particularly prominent. )ilms from the "nited #tates sweep the globe. *any of slangs in the "nited #tates ha e already penetrated into the spo$en language. +n the other hand, with Britain(s political and economic statuses decline in the global, the ".#. slangs are slowly used in #tandard English. Now, the most ob ious is Britain(s young generation is conditioned by the impact of American English, and this trend is continually e,panding. There are many typical e,amples in this respect, as -A. music in the "nited #tates is ery popular, the lyrics of which ha e many words of American English, of course, in these languages also integrated into a large number of blac$ culture. And American English absorbed a large number of different ethnic languages, so the language is i id, direct, and it gi es a strong feeling, these are the characteristics of American English. !n the i id metaphor, American English also has influences on British English. #uch an acti e metaphor is easier accepted by modern people. Written forms of British and American English as found in newspapers and te,tboo$s ary little in their essential features, with only occasional noticeable differences in comparable media /comparing American newspapers with British newspapers, for e,ample0. This $ind of formal English, particularly written English, is often called &standard English&. The spo$en forms of British English ary considerably, reflecting a long history of dialect de elopment amid isolated populations. !n the "nited %ingdom, dialects, word use and accents ary not only between England, Northern !reland, #cotland and Wales, but also within them. Received Pronunciation /-.0 refers to a way of pronouncing #tandard English that is actually used by about two percent of the "% population. !t remains the accent upon which dictionary pronunciation guides are based, and for teaching English as a foreign language. !t is referred to collo1uially as 1

&the 2ueen(s English&, &+,ford English& and &BB3 English&, although by no means all who li e in +,ford spea$ with such accent and the BB3 does not re1uire or use it e,clusi ely. An unofficial standard for spoken American English has also de eloped, as a result of mass media and geographic and social mobility, and broadly describes the English typically heard from networ$ newscasters, commonly referred to as non4regional diction, although local newscasters tend toward more parochial forms of speech.'espite this unofficial standard, regional ariations of American English ha e not only persisted but ha e actually intensified, according to linguist William 5abo . -egional dialects in the "nited #tates typically reflect some elements of the language of the main immigrant groups in any particular region of the country, especially in terms of pronunciation and ernacular ocabulary. #cholars ha e mapped at least four ma6or regional ariations of spo$en American English7 Northern, #outhern, *idland, and Western. After the American 3i il War, the settlement of the western territories by migrants from the east led to dialect mi,ing and le elling, so that regional dialects are most strongly differentiated in the eastern parts of the country that were settled earlier. 5ocali8ed dialects also e,ist with 1uite distinct ariations, such as in #outhern Appalachia and New 9or$. British and American English are the reference norms for English as spo$en, written, and taught in the rest of the world. )or instance member nations of the 3ommonwealth where English is not spo$en nati ely, such as !ndia, often closely follow British English forms, while many American English usages are followed in other countries which ha e been historically influenced by the "nited #tates, such as the .hilippines. Although most dialects of English used in the former British Empire outside of North America and Australia are, to arious e,tents, based on British English, most of the countries concerned ha e de eloped their own uni1ue dialects, particularly with respect to pronunciation, idioms and ocabulary. 3hief among other English dialects are 3anadian English /based on the English of "nited Empire 5oyalists who left the :3 3olonies0,and Australian English, which ran$ third and fourth in number of native spea$ers. )or the most part American ocabulary, phonology and synta, are used, to arious e,tents, in 3anada; therefore many prefer to refer to North American English rather than American English.Nonetheless 3anadian English also features many British English items and is often described as a uni1ue blend of the two larger arieties alongside se eral distincti e 3anadianisms. Australian English li$ewise blends American and British alongside nati e usages, but retains a significantly higher degree of distincti eness from both of the larger arieties than does 3anadian English, particularly in terms of pronunciation and ocabulary. American vs British accent .rior to the -e olutionary War and American independence from the British in :<<=, American and British accents were similar. Both were rhotic i.e. spea$ers pronounced the letter R in hard. #ince :<<=, the accents 2

Tnase Doris Romn-Englez, Gr. L131, Anul III di erged but English accent in America has changed less drastically than accents in Britain. Towards the end of the :>th century, non4rhotic speech too$ off in southern England, especially among the upper class; this &prestige& non4rhotic speech was standardi8ed, and has been spreading in Britain e er since. *ost American accents, howe er, remained rhotic. There are a few fascinating e,ceptions7 New 9or$ and New England accents became non4rhotic, perhaps because of the region(s British connections. !rish and #cottish accents, howe er, remained rhotic. To be fair, both American and British English ha e se eral types of accents and there is no one true American or British accent.