AMERICANANDBRITISHENGLISH

TheDevelopmentofAmericanEnglish
Threeperiods:
16071790(ratificationofConstitution):Colonialperiod:NewEngland(EastMidlands
andNorth)andVirginia(WestCountry):Englishofsoutherncounties(c17th).
Pennsylvania:ImmigrantsfromUlsterandGermans,from1683.
Thisperiodaccountsforarchaisms:gotten(inthesenseofacquire,cause,become...
Ivegottenold);althoughgotisusedasppinothersense.Variationsinpastparticiples
notedinQuirkandGreenbaum(3.1416).
Iguessso(=Isupposeso).Butsucharchaismsarecoveredoverbymassivelinguistic
innovation.(ItisnottruethatElizabethanEnglishsurvivesintheAppalachians.)
Borrowings from Indian language and other European languages: canoe, hickory,
moccasin,opossum,pecan,raccoon,skunk,tapioca,toboggan.
FromDutch:boss,cookie(biscuit),coleslaw
FromFrench:chowder,bureau.
Corn = maize (originally Indian corn), at the same time as maize entered British
EnglishfromSpanish.
17901860 (Civil War): Expansion southwards and westwards from 13 Atlantic
colonies,acrosstheAppalachianMountains.
ImmigrationfromIrelandafterGreatFamineof1845,fromGermanyafter1848.
MovementofLoyaliststoCanada:
CanadianEnglishis
amixtureofspellingconventions(TireCentre)
rhotic
flaps(Ottawa)
noyoddropping
/a/and/a/beforevoicelessconsonants:outsoundslikeoat,islelikeoil.In
thesediphthongsthefirstvowelishigher:Canadianraising.
eh?(Crystal).
SEEVIDEOONCANADIAN

Threelargespeechareas:
Northern(NewEnglandandNewYorkstate)
Midland(Pennsylvania,NewJersey,southtoGeorgia)
Southern:southernDelaware,Virginia,westtotheCarolinas).
18varietieswithintheseareas.
1860topresent:ImmigrationfromSouthernEurope(Italians)andSlavoniccountries
(Poland, Russia). Effects only on eastern seaboard (Marx: like fluvial remains):
vocabularyandaccentsinandaroundNewYork.
Retention of postvocalisc /r/ in Midland, but not in Eastern New England or all
Southernvarieties(fromc.17thEnglish).
Vowel//asinfast,laugh,grass,althoughabroad/a/isfoundinEasternNewEngland
andVirginia,asinBritishEnglish.
Unroundedo,asin/a/,inrob,stop,hop(fromc.17thEnglish).
Useof/i:/ineitherandneither(fromc.17thEnglish).
Tendencytopronouncewordslikeduke,new,Tuesdaywith/u:/insteadof/ju:/.
FOR SPELLING, PRONUNCIATION AND LEXICAL DIFFERENCES, SEE
CRYSTAL 307, 309. ON SYNTACTIC DIFFERENCES, P. 311. (SEE ALSO
PUNCTUATIONDIFFERENCESONTHESAMEPAGE.)
tomato,notpotato.
Wordsendinginory,aryanderypreservethesecondaryaccent.ordinary,dictionary,
secretary,temporary.
Differentpronunciationof:
aluminium,ancillary,ate,clerk,comrade,corollary,laboratory,lieutenant,medicine,
missile,patriot,privacy,schedule,vitamin.
ReductionofdifferencesbetweenBritishandAmericanvarietiesinc.20th,thanksto
films, radio, television and international youth culture, usually in favour of the
Americanvariant.

Radio:valvesinBrE,tubesinAmE.Buttelevisionshavetransistorsinboth.
US
apartment
babycarriage
broiled
candy
cookie
absorbentcotton
daylightsavingtime
druggist
elevator
installmentplan
oatmeal
secondfloor
sidewalk
spigot,faucet
suspenders
undershirt
waterheater
checkers
fall
deckofcards
gasoline,gas
hoodofcar
intermission(theatre)
legalholiday
railroad
vacation
windshield

UK
flat
pram
grilled
sweets
biscuit
cottonwool
summertime
chemist
lift
hirepurchase
porridge
firstfloor
pavement
tap
braces
vest,singlet
geyser
draughts
autumn
packofcards
petrol
bonnet
interval
bankholiday
railway
holiday
windscreen

Dangerousdifferences:
Impissed.
Imdone.
Chips/crisps.
Spellingdifferences(sinceWebstersAmericanDictionary,1828):

center,fiber,theater
honor,color,humor
defense,offense
jeweler,marvelous,traveling
curb(Br.Kerb)
pajamas
tire
Syntax:
Apartfromdifferentpps:
OnecannotsucceedatthisunlessONEtrieshard.(BrE)
OnecannotsucceedatthisunlessHEtrieshard.(BrE)
Practicesession:Algeo1.2,1.3.(photocopyforwholeclass).

1607-1790 (ratification of Constitution): Colonial

period: New England and Virginia: English of
southern counties (c17-18th).
gotten / got
I guess so (=I suppose so).
canoe, hickory, moccasin, opossum,
raccoon, skunk, tapioca, toboggan.

pecan,

From Dutch: boss, cookie (biscuit), coleslaw

From French: chowder (Fr. chaudire), bureau
Corn = maize (originally Indian corn)
1790-1860 (Civil War): Expansion southwards and
westwards from 13 Atlantic colonies, across the
Appalachian Mountains.
Immigration from Ireland after Great Famine of 1845,
from Germany after 1848.
Three large speech areas:
Northern (New England and New York state)
Midland (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, south to
Georgia)
Southern (southern Delaware, Virginia, west to the
Carolinas).
1

Retention of postvocalic /r/ in Midland, but not in

Eastern New England or all Southern varieties.
Vowel // as in fast, laugh, grass
Unrounded o, as in /a/, in rob, stop, hop.
Use of /i:/ in either and neither (from c.17th English).
duke, new, Tuesday with /u:/ instead of /ju:/
tomato, not potato.
ordinary, dictionary, secretary, temporary
aluminum, ancillary, ate, clerk, comrade, corollary,
laboratory, lieutenant, medicine, missile, patriot,
privacy, schedule, vitamin.
US
apartment
baby carriage
broiled
candy
cookie
absorbent cotton

UK
flat
pram
grilled
sweets
biscuit
cotton wool
2

daylight-saving time
druggist
elevator
installment plan
oatmeal
second floor
sidewalk
spigot, faucet
suspenders
undershirt
water heater
checkers
fall
deck of cards
gasoline, gas
hood of car
intermission (theatre)
legal holiday
railroad
vacation
windshield

summer time
chemist
lift
hire-purchase
porridge
first floor
pavement
tap
braces
vest, singlet
geyser
draughts
autumn
pack of cards
petrol
bonnet
interval
bank holiday
railway
holiday
windscreen

center, fiber, theater

honor, color, humor
defense, offense
jeweler, marvelous, traveling
pajamas
3

tire
One cannot succeed at this unless ONE tries hard.(BrE)
One cannot succeed at this unless HE tries hard.(AmE)
The book which/that you gave me. (BrE)
The book that you gave me. (AmE)
Everybody / everyone
It is good that you have come.
Im pleased you have come.