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Chapter 2: Standard American English

  • Richard W. Bailey
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Volume 5 Varieties of English
Ein Kapitel aus dem Buch Volume 5 Varieties of English

Abstract

Historically considered, American English begins to emerge in the 16th century, even before any English speakers reached the shores of the North American continent. General recognition of American English as a distinct English like that of Scotland or Ireland did not appear until the very end of the 18th century, and when it did, it was judged by both Britons and Americans to have an unusual “purity” and freedom from dialect differences. Before long, however, British speakers began to fear the effect of American English on their own usage, treating it as an “invasion” or “contagion”. In the United States, people began to fear competition from first German and then Spanish and the likelihood that these languages would displace English speakers. Just what constitutes a “standard” of American speech remains a vexed question, but there is certain to be an influence on world English from America in the future.

Abstract

Historically considered, American English begins to emerge in the 16th century, even before any English speakers reached the shores of the North American continent. General recognition of American English as a distinct English like that of Scotland or Ireland did not appear until the very end of the 18th century, and when it did, it was judged by both Britons and Americans to have an unusual “purity” and freedom from dialect differences. Before long, however, British speakers began to fear the effect of American English on their own usage, treating it as an “invasion” or “contagion”. In the United States, people began to fear competition from first German and then Spanish and the likelihood that these languages would displace English speakers. Just what constitutes a “standard” of American speech remains a vexed question, but there is certain to be an influence on world English from America in the future.

Heruntergeladen am 4.12.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110525045-002/html
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