The English Language and Its Varieties

1. The English Language and Its Varieties

2. Notes and explanations • English belongs to the family of Germanic languages. • Other major language families in Europe: Slavonic and Romance languages. • variety – kind, type (Polish: odmiania) • Abbreviations: • BrE – British English • AmE – American English

3. Two important aspects of English • Important language – an official language in many countries on all continents with large number of „native speakers”. • Important language in international communication – modern lingua franca. Also called international English.

5. Countires with English as a first language • USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand. • English is spoken on all continents. • It is natural that there should be differences between kinds of English spoken in different parts of the world.

6. How do we call the differences within a language? • They are called varieties or dialects. • In Polish we also have a number of dialects and local accents (Silesian dialect, Kaszubski etc.)

7. Most famous varieties • British English • American English • Australian English • There are differences in vocabulary (words), pronunciation (way of speaking) and grammar.

8. Common language? • George Bernard Shaw: “two countries divided by a common language“. • Oscar Wilde: “We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, the language“.

9. Dialects of English • Dialect a regional variation • In British English: • Received Pronunciation (Queen’s English, BBC English – only about 2% of the population are speakers), • Estuary English (London area), • Liverpool and Manchester, • Scottish English. • In American English: difference between the Northern accent and Southern accent (Boston vs. Huston).

11. English in India • About 4% of the Indian population use English regularly • That is around 30 million people!

13. Language or dialect? • AmE is not a separate language. • There are many differences between BrE and AmE but they are not enough to call the two varieties of English separate languages. • Usually a person from America has no problems with communicating with a person from Britain.

14. English in Northern America • 1607 – the first group of colonists from Britain settle in Northern America. • The first group had 120 people. • The pace where they settled was called Virginia • 1620 the Mayflower voyage – the Puritans from England establish their settlements around the modern area of Boston.

15. US History: early settlement • The first permanent English colony in America at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607 • In 1620 a ship named Mayflower brings 102 Englishmen. They call themselves “Pilgrim Fathers”. They settle in Massachusetts. They are puritans. • In October 1621 they celebrate good harvest: Thanksgiving.

17. War of Independence: or Revolutionary War 1775-83 • 1773 - Boston Tea Party, American patriots dressed as Indians throw tea to the sea. • 1775 – the war begins. • 1776 – Declaration of Independence • 1783 – USA is recognized by Britain. They sign a peace treaty in Paris. • 1787 – the American Constitution.

18. Differences between British and American varieties of English • distance and separation • influences of local, native culture (Indians). • influences of the immigrants. • specific local conditions (plants and animals)

19. Football vs. soccer

20. Pronunciation differences 1 • box • stop • spot • God • top • a lot • shot

21. Pronunciation 2 • city • better • new • sue

22. Pronunciation: r • car • star • hard

23. Spelling • Americans simplified some of the spelling conventions of English.

24. Spelling – or / our

25. spelling – ise / ize

26. -station / -zation

27. -re / -er

28. double consonant

29. -ce / -se

30. Some other differences in spelling

31. Vocabulary

32. vocabulary 2

33. vocabulary 3

34. some other differences