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English in the US

English in the United States emerged from colonial settlements in the 17th century, influenced by various indigenous and European languages. American English developed through interactions with diverse cultures, leading to unique vocabulary and dialects shaped by immigration and social changes. Key figures like Noah Webster played a significant role in standardizing American English, which continues to evolve while maintaining distinct differences from British English.

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7 views11 pages

English in the US

English in the United States emerged from colonial settlements in the 17th century, influenced by various indigenous and European languages. American English developed through interactions with diverse cultures, leading to unique vocabulary and dialects shaped by immigration and social changes. Key figures like Noah Webster played a significant role in standardizing American English, which continues to evolve while maintaining distinct differences from British English.

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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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English in the

US
Week eleven
Discuss the following questions

1. How did English emerge in the US?


2. Who were the first settlers?
3. How did American English (AE) develop?
4. What words came into AE from other languages?
5. Why did AE only borrow a few words from other spoken
languages by the 19th c.?
6. When did Americans begin to be separate from BE?
7. Who was Webster? What was his role?
8. How is American English different from the British
English?
The Settlers in the US:
 In 1607, a group of English people sailed across the Atlantic and reached the
coast of America.
 They called their settlement Jamestown and they called part of the country
Virginia.
 In 1585 and 1587 people tried to settle on th island of Roanoke- North Carolina
now.
 The Spanish had lived in Florida since 1565.
 In 1620, more english people landed in the north of Virginia (became
Massachusetts, New England)
 By 1640, about 25,000 english people were living in New England.
 Sailors from England and other European countries were taking Africans
to America and selling them as slaves.
 By the end of the American Civil War in 1865, more than 4 million
Africans were living in America.
 During the 17th and 18th centuries more and more people arrived
in America.
 The British government sent prisoners to America as a
punishment.
 Other settlers arrived from France, Germany, the Caribbean and
the north of Ireland (who were called Scots-Irish). By the year of
American Independence (1776), about 1 in 7 settlers in America
was Scots-Irish.
 In the 19th century, large numbers of people left Ireland, Germany,
Italy and other European countries for America. Many were Jews
from central and eastern Europe.
 By 1900, there were 75 million people living in America.
 In the later part of 20th c. people from Asia, and Spanish-speaking
countries also arrived.
 By 2000, there were more than 280 million people in America.
American English developed from the
languages used by those different people

 English Settlers discovered animals, birds and plants that were new to them
which needed names in english.
- Sometimes the settlers used english words.
For example, blackbird for a bird that looked similar to the english blackbird.
- Sometimes they made words from other english words.
For example: backwoods (a forest with new people)
bluegrass ( a kind of grass with blue-green leaves)
 Native American languages influenced place and river names. For example:
Massachussetts, Mississippi, Potomac
 French and Spanish nfluence is evident in some place names. Detroit, St Louis
and Illinois are French. Los Angeles, San Francisco and Santa Fe are Spanish
 Dutch settlers also left influence on place names.
New York (was first New Amsterdam, until the English took in 1664), Brooklyn
(Breukelyn), Harlem (Haarlem), Bronx (Bronck’s)
 English settlers borrowed words from other European languages.
For example:
Cookie from Dutch
Cent and dime from French
Plaza from Spanish
 English settlers began to give old words new meanings.
For example: bill began to mean a piece of paper/ money, and it replaced note.
 Some words from english of the 17th c. survive in American english but are
not used now in British English.
For example: fall meaning autumn, mad meaning angry, gotten as the past
participle of get.
 In the 19th century, new expressions were added to both American and
British English.
to face the music (to accept the unpleasantresults of your actions)
To kick the bucket (to die)
Hot under the collar (angry)
 Expressions from the railroad era
To go off the rails (to behave strangely)
To reach the end of the line ( to be unable to do any more with something)

AE only borrowed a few words from other spoken languages by the


19th c. immigrants.
- The reason is social because people who had recently arrived in the US
wanted to become American, and they and their children learned English to
do so.
 Nevertheless, some words came into American English.
- Check and Kindergarten have come from German.
- Pasta, spaghetti and other words for food have come from Italian.
- Schmuck (a stupid person) and shlep (to pull, or a long tiring journey)
are Yiddish.
African-Americans developed their own varieties of English which are
known as African- American English or Black English. They had impact
on AE. Some words that brought to AE are: jazz, cool and dude.

 When and why did Americans begin to be separate from the


British English?
- At the time of independence in 1776, Americans began to take an
interest in their language. They also wanted to be separate from Britain
in every way, and to feel proud of their country and their way of life.
- Someone who felt very proud of American English was Noah Webster.
Noah Webster
 He was a teacher, lived between (1758-1843).
 Between 1783-1785, he wrote a speller, a grammar, and a reader for American
schools.
 "Blue-Backed Speller” 1783, included a variety of exercises and activities designed to
help students learn to read, write, and spell.
 His speller was later sold as "The American Spelling Book," which sold over 80 million
copies.
 Webster also wrote dictionaries to show that American English was as good as British
English, and that Americans did not have to copy the British.
 His first dictionary appeared in 1806 under the title “A Compendious Dictionary of the
English Language”,
 In 1828, Webster published his famous dictionary “An American Dictionary
of the English Language”.
 It contained more than 70,000 words.
 His influence included proposing new spellings (are now accepted American
spellings)and promoting clear pronunciation.
- Center, color and traveled (musick →music, publick → public). But some of his
suggestions were not followed: soop (soup), bred (bread), medicin (medicine), giv
(give), determin (determine)….
- Webster influenced pronunciation by pronouncing each part of a word clearly: e.g.
Differences between American and
British English
 Today, differences between American and British English include spelling, grammar, pronunciation,
and greatly vocabulary.
1. In American and British English, different words are used to talk about the same thing. For example:
- the street-level floor of a building is called the first floor in AE, but the ground floor in BE.
- You drive on the freeway in the US, but on the motorway in Britain.

2. Different expressions in AE and BE. For example. American expressions to drop the ball (to make a
mistake), to be in the chips (to suddenly have a lot of money), to go south (to become less valuable) are
not used in BR. Similarly many British expressions are not part of AE.
3. Americans pronounce the "r" sound at the end of words (e.g. car) and before consonants, such as in
“hard” or “bird.”
4. There are also some differences in spelling: color AE. vs colour BE., favor AE. Vs. favour BE.

 Despite differences, both varieties borrow words from each other. Many AE words entered BE and are
completely accpeted: Ok, supermarket, teenager and fast food.
 Media like television, music, films, and the internet facilitate mutual understanding and exchange of
Summary
 English in the United States began with colonial settlements in the 17th
century, evolving through interactions with indigenous people and European
settlers.
 Influenced by diverse English dialects, Native American languages, and
later, African languages, American English continued to develop through
expansion, industrialization, and immigration.
 The 19th and 20th centuries brought rapid changes, including urbanization
and technological advancements, shaping vocabulary and dialects.
 Media played a key role in spreading linguistic trends.
 Despite regional variations, efforts towards standardization persist through
dictionaries and educational institutions.
 American English's history is marked by adaptation, innovation, and
diversity, reflecting the nation's complex cultural landscape.

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