The History and Development of American English

Although linguists admit that the change in the British English language comes, nowadays, from the American continent, there are some questions that constantly trouble the minds of those interested: how great this influence is, what areas of vocabulary it affects, whether this influence is perceived as a kind of corruption or it is a normal change, and what predictions could be made for the future of the English language in the given circumstances. The first chapter begins with a short history of the English language expansion, followed by a description of the geographical, social, and functional varieties of the English language. In the geographical varieties section, varieties of English worldwide are described, beginning in the United Kingdom and continuing on the American continent, then in Australia and New Zealand, Asia and the Pacific, ending on the African Continent. The last varieties on focus are hybrid languages, the pidgins and creoles based on the English language. In the United Kingdom, British English is described first, with careful attention paid to Received Pronunciation (RP), the basis for comparison between varieties of English spoken worldwide. Then Irish, Scottish and Welsh English are analysed from both phonetic and lexical points of view. On the American Continent, I point out the features of English in the United States with its standard variety General American, through its relationships to British Received Pronunciation. It is impossible today to provide an accurate history of American dialects, but I tried to make an analysis of America’s four major regional dialects to the best of my possibilities. Canadian English comes next, followed by Caribbean English, especially Hawaiian and Jamaican English. English in Australia and New Zealand is described in next sub-chapter. English as it is spoken in South Asia is described with its major features with particular attention to the Indian sub-continent. The development of English as a second language in the Pacific Rim, represented by Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, is described with some specific features. On the African continent, English in South Africa and English in West and East Africa are described with their characteristic phonological and lexical patterns respectively. Social varieties of the English language are on focus next: first, Standard English, namely cultivated speech, common speech, and uneducated speech, followed by slang. The last section deals with ethnic varieties of English: Hispanic Americans, namely Cubans, Puerto Ricans and Chicanos (or Mexican Americans), Black English, African-American English, or Jewish English. Functional varieties of the English language close chapter one of the thesis. The headings are formal versus informal and written versus spoken language. The main sections of the second chapter are a short history of the making of American English (divided into three periods whose dates correspond to political and social events with important consequences for the language); and the features of American English (pronunciation, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary) in relation to British English. The study of the pronunciation of American English focuses on the main aspects of phonetics and phonology: patterns of pronunciation, different pronunciations for individual words, stress, intonation, and rhythm. The specific features of spelling are based on a summary of the early attempts made over the years in order to simplify orthography. The principles involved in the reformation of spelling – simplification, derivational uniformity, regularization, reflection of pronunciation – together with specific features of spelling, are next listed and exemplified. The vocabulary section begins some ways of vocabulary enrichment in American English trough centuries. Then, some examples are brought forward by selected vocabulary differences between British and American English: same words, different or additional meanings in one variety; same concept, different terms or expressions (and here the differences belong to the most common fields of everyday vocabulary); and idiom differences and usage. The last section of the chapter deals with American English grammar. The differences between British and American English Grammar are not significant and belong to the following categories: verb, negative concord, tag questions, noun, pronoun, article, preposition, adverb, adjective, and collocations. Chapter three focuses on the lexical influence of American English on British English. The information is gathered under the headings: American English versus British English; lexical influence of American English on British English; and extent of the influence of American English on British English. The sub-chapter ‘Lexical Influence of American English on British English’ is of most importance and begins by revealing the factors that favoured the influence of American English on ‘world English’:  Magnitude of publishing industry in the U.S.  Magnitude of mass media influence on a worldwide scale  Appeal of American popular culture on language and habits worldwide  International political and economic position of the U.S. It expresses the influence of American English on British English: on one hand, on the everyday vocabulary, conversational words, phrases and expressions. On the other hand, in the case of the functional varieties, the American influence is present in the fields of computing, journalism, broadcasting (cinema, television and theatre; wireless and music), advertising and sales, politics and economics, travelling and transport. The findings of the sub-chapter ‘Extent of Influence of American English on British English’ have been grouped under several headings. The first one (Influence of American English on British English – fact or fiction?) definitely proves, with some examples, that there is a twofold influence of American English on British English: on the everyday vocabulary and on the vocabulary of functional varieties. The result was a political, educational, economic, or artistic international gathering during which American words or phrases passed into the traditional standard of British English. After establishing that the influence of American English on British English is a real fact, my concern was to show how significant this influence really is in the sub-chapter Debt of British English to American English. Finally, in the ‘Influence of American English on British English – Corruption or Normal Change?!’ section, I was interested in finding out if this influence of American English on British English threatens in any way the future of the English language in the United Kingdom. The distribution of American words and phrases according to everyday and functional varieties vocabularies shows that the greatest number belongs to the latter one. This shouldn’t worry anyone as chances that words and phrases specific to this domain to pass to and remain in the basic word stock are very little. Furthermore, vocabulary of functional varieties is the norm for certain categories of people, whose number is relatively small in comparison to the mass of common people having nothing or very little in common with them. The concern, if any, should come from the words and phrases of everyday vocabulary. And again the concern is useless as this is a small number compared to the total number of words and phrases in the British vocabulary basic stock. Most of the American influence on British English is a matter of fashion which springs out of people’s desire to admire something or somebody that seems better, more powerful, and even more attractive. And one must not forget that fashions come and go and rarely leave behind something that is not of good quality and thus is bound to be adopted by everybody. Another interesting fact is that words and phrases that have long existed in British English acquired new meanings under the American influence. Terms that belongs to everyday vocabulary, computing, journalism, broadcasting, advertising and sales, politics and economics, and travelling and transport. Many are revivals of old words and phrases due to American influence. This leads to the conclusion that in this last case the American influence on British English cannot be regarded as a matter of fashion anymore, but as a matter of necessity. The problem of the lack of appropriate terms for different fields of activity was solved by extension of meaning or revival of terms already at hand in British English vocabulary. So it is obvious to say that the influence of American English on British English is not a matter of corruption, but of normal change, whether it is or not dictated by fashion or necessity.