British vs. American English

1. British vs. American English The ColonialLag

2. What is coloniallag ? • Atermusedasadefinitionfortheprocess of languagealteration, afterthecolonisationoftheoverseas • The main factors of thischangewere: - National and racialcontacts • -Geographicdifferencesinthenewworld • -Generationalchanges • Forthesereasons, manywouldthink, thatthe American English had major alterationscomparedtothecurrentlanguageuse of thattime. • However, settlers of thenewworldcouldnotkeepupwiththechangesoccuredinthemotherland, therforeremainedarchaicincomparisonwiththeoriginal, whereinsomeexpressonsdied out, orwerechangedfor being consideredold-fashioned • Thiswasthereasonwhythe „Dictionary of American English” waswritten

3. Archaicfeatures of American English Despite the fact, that Am.eng. retained several archaic forms of english, it didn’t preserve the form of the 14th or 15th centuries. Some of these features are not only present in American Eng., but other overseas colonies as well. These aspects of language, called Americanisms, appear in many different areas of the American dialect, like in grammar, using of words and expressions, structure etc.

4. Examples: Retainedwords Words, whichbecameobsoleteinBr.E., butremainedcommonin Am. Eng. Loanwasusedas a transativeverb, and wasconsideredamericanism, becausebritishprefertouselendinstead. However, thewordloanoriginatesfromengland, perhapsfromasearlyas 1200, and alsoappearsinsome of thestatepapersof Henry VIII. Greenhorn, as an expressionusedforclumsyorunexperiencedperson is notunknownforEnglishmen, butit is still more commonlyusedin American english. The „toProgress” verbwasquitecommoninBritain, untilthelate 17th century, whenit had dissapeared, and wasn’tinusefor almost 200 years. Alhoughitreappearedlater, itwascharacterisedasAmericanismformanydecades.

5. Sometimes not the intentional alteration of a certain word, but the simple dissapearance of it results in a change of use • Fall: Still used in A.E. as a synonym of autumn (or as an expression for the later half of the year or semester), but in B.E, it is only used in some dialects • Raise: In A.E. raise is used as a replacement word for 3 different expression. These are refering to the same process, but in different contexts (in B.E.: grow farm, breed animal, rear children)

6. Examples: Synonymouswords • Words, which were the synonym of another word currently used in British Eng., but dissapeared over the course of time. • Bug: The word bug was originally used as the synonym of Chinche, which means„bedbug” in spanish. It used to refer to little anoying insects which were found mostly around beds and bedsteads. This kind of meaning later dissapeared from common language, but it is still used in Jamaica, and in some areas of America. • Andiron: A word reffering to an iron bar, on which the logs were laid in hearths. Until around the 18th century, it was synonymous to the word „firedog”, but only the latter remained in use in England. The former word is still commonly used all around America. • Deck: Although this word -reffering to a pack of cards- only remained in use in some of the northern dialects of english, it is still a common word in Am. Eng. This one can be explained by the fact, that the regional differences of english in the motherland used to be much stronger.

7. Examples: Altered meaning • Words, whose meaning had been altered in B.E, but retained its original form in A.E • Sick: Originally this word had an attributive (e.g: sick children) and a predicative (e.g.: I feel sick, I think Im gonna throw up here) usage, however, the predicative form is quite uncommon in B.E. • Apartment: This word used to refer to a block of flats both in B.E and A.E, but from 1715 on, this expression either refers to a single room in B.E, or used in prular form. • Baggage: It had the same meaning both in B.E as in A.E, but that expression died out from B.E., replaced by the word luggage.

8. Examples: Pejoration and Amelioration • Words, which had developed an unfavorable meaning (pejoration), or became less objectionable (amelioration) • Bloody: In B.E. it is used as a swearing word („bloody hell”, „Where did I left my bloody keys”), but remained neutral in A.E. • Nasty: In its original meaning it indicates something filthy or dirty. Now it is nothing more, than a word reffering to something mildly unpleasant or dissagreeable

9. Differencesinpronounciation: The „flat [a]” • According to several researches, the „borad [a]” wasn’t used in Shakespeareian english, and did not appear, until the 18th century • Before this change had occured, words -which are now pronounced with „flat [a]” (e.g.: flat, cat, calf etc.)- were pronounced in the American way (with the [ae] vowel) • Ironically, the using of „flat [a]” originates from Cockney speech (a dialect used in London’s southernmost parts, mainly by the labour class), while later it became an indication of refined and educated people.

10. Leaving of [r] consonant • In A.E. consonant [r] is more likely to be pronounced than in B.E. (as in firm, turn, word) • Until the late 16th century (the Shakespearian reform), words were probably pronounced similarly to its written form (like in german language). • Walker’s Dictionary series show (1775-1791) , that words like aunt and haunch were pronounced like arnt and harnch([r] was not pronounced), and that bar, bard,card, etc. words were pronounced like baa, baad,caad similar to the flat [a].

11. The „how I write is how I pronounce” principle • This principle appears in many languages with German of Latin origin (german, italian, spanish etc.) • English language followed the same rule originnaly. Thus, firm had the wovel of bit, earth had the wovel of get, turn had the wovel of good etc. • American way of pronouncing is standig much closer to this than the British way (but still far from it, of course).

12. Structuraldifferences • Gotten: The gottenpastparticipleformonlyoccursin A.E. and inArchaic English. Americansgivecleardistinctionbetweentheregular and thegottenform (e.g.: „We’vegottenthousanddollars”means, thatthesetendollarsareintheirpossession, whilein„We’vegottentendollars” means, thattheyhavereciveditfromsomewhereorsomeone) • Prularisation: In A.E., wordslikecabinet, company, and othergenerictermswouldgoverntheprularratherthanthesingularnumber (e.g.: „The government is actinglikeitself”) • Inthisexceptionalcase, the British English retainedtheoriginalform.

13. Thankyouforyourattention! • Referencesused: • Marckwardt, Albert H. American English. Oxford University Press Inc.; Oxford, London. 1958 reprint: New York. 1971