Influence of American English on British

PDF #55 – Katerina Pauliuc – Influence of American English on British

Influence of American English on British

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. Consequently, I state that this thesis is an attempt to find answers to all the above questions, given my interest in the two main varieties of the English language, British English and American English.

In 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 analyzed 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.

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