American English

Introduction
The English language is one of 5,000 languages in the world. It is used in many countries, and there are many different kinds of English in different parts of the world. Some scientists consider standard English to be divided into American English and British English.

English is spoken in many countries of Asia: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. In Africa it is spoken in Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, and many other countries. People in these countries speak English as their second language with the exception of South Africa, which uses it as its first. English is an official language in many of them and is taught in schools and colleges. In most countries where English is taught as a foreign language, the teaching is oriented towards American English or British English. But we should emphasize that educated American English is neither better nor worse than its British equivalent.

English in America
When visitors first come to the USA, they become acquainted with the American way of life, American culture, and, of course, with American language. The development of American English is closely connected with the history of the country. At the turn of the present century, the term "melting pot" was first applied to America, which was fast becoming a complex mixture of many Old World cultures. American culture is by no means homogeneous, and American English is not entirely uniform. Everyone is aware that certain features of speech are peculiar to New England, and others are characteristic of the coastal South. Besides the various Native American cultures, American English reflects the other non-English cultures which the colonists and frontiersmen met in their conquest of the continent. The English of the first colonists was greatly influenced by the British variant. New trends were brought by sailors and passengers of English ships and also young Americans who went to the metropolis to receive their education.

In the westward expansion of their territory, the English-speaking colonists soon came into contact with the French. The French borrowings generally fall into two groups. The first are words which are connected with exploration and travel. The second are different food terms. The most prolific of the borrowed words was the word "prairie."

It is obvious that the largest group of adaptations from the Spanish reflects the hacienda culture: ranch, rodeo, lasso, cafeteria, pueblo, poncho, and others. Among them also are the names of some states like Montana and Colorado, and many cities.

Long before their drive westwards, the aggressive English colonists dispossessed another European nation of its North American territory. The country was Holland. Among the widely used words of Dutch origin are Yankee, boss, sleigh. cookie, Santa Claus, and cole-slaw.

The German element in the vocabulary of American English stems from an immigrant people. Among the words of German origin or showing some aspects of German influence are delicatessen, frankfurter, sauerkraut, semester and seminar.

We can also find borrowings from Italian, Greek, Latin, Polish, Russian, and other languages, especially in place-names.

Native American Influences
The Native Americans also contributed greatly to American English. More than half of the total agricultural production of the USA consists of plants grown by Native Americans. Later they were adopted by the whites. The Europeans were very often at a loss to explain the new plants and animals of the New World, or to give names to their new tools, so they borrowed the words from Native Americans. The raccoon, the opossum, the caribou, the skunk, squash, moccasins, tomahawks, and toboggans are some examples.

From Native Americans through Spanish came new terms for exotic foods: tomatoes, avocado, barbecue, chile. Other Indian terms soon became part of the vernacular: to go on the war path, bury the hatchet, pipe of peace, snake dance, fire water. At least half of the states have Native American names, as do countless cities, counties, rivers, lakes, and other place-names:

All these words sounded very exotic. That is why they were widely used by colonists. There was another reason, also. Settlers from different countries lived there, and they didn't want to use names brought by others. Native American words, to them, sounded more neutral.

The Differences between American and British English
Americans have suspected since the time of Benjamin Franklin that the British speak another language. Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, said years ago, "We and the Americans have much in common, but there is always the language barrier." It is also interesting that, until the end of the 40's, Hollywood films were translated into British English, because the British people had difficulty in understanding American English.

New words and phrases from American books and films have found their way into British English. The second edition of Fowlers Modern English Usage gives a long list of 108 "Americanisms." There are certain differences in the pronunciation of vowels and consonants.

As for spelling, British English and American English have much in common, but there are differences:

There are, of course, some differences in the meaning of words and expressions:

American English contains some features which have disappeared in British English, but some of them can be traced in dialects.

The language barrier is getting more attention lately, perhaps because the language problem is in fashion everywhere. Belgium has one, and so does Canada. Ireland cannot decide what tongue to use, so America and Britain are simply joining the crowd.

Lilo Zsolnay - USA Country Studies