English in America

Luminița GUBÎI, the 3rd year student,Faculty of Letters,

Balti State University Alecu Russo

Abstract: English is a language that penetrated a lot of countries and became one of the most popular spoken language in the World. During its broadening a great part of America has been affected. Now, we know that Americans speak english but its historical backgournd, its varieties in America are known by very few people. Key-words: americanisms, jamesown, Plymouth colony, Mayflower

I. The History of the English Language in America: Periods in the History of American English.

Language is so basic to human activity that there is nothing human beings do that does not influence and in turn is not influenced by the language they speak. As George Bernard Shaw sustained “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” America and England have the same language but at the same time they are so different. Today, I would like to tell you how English appeared in America. English settlement in America began with Jamestown in the Virginia Colony in 1607. Than the second successful colony was Plymouth Colony, founded in 1620 by people who later became known as the Pilgrims.

They, unlike the Puritans, had left the Anglican Church and sought to establish their own separatist theocracy in America1. The Pilgrims were a closely organized minority in the colony, who controlled it during its early decades. Plymouth Colony was not chartered, but became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. Fearing their children were losing their English heritage and religious beliefs, the resumption of war and their inability as non-citizens to find decent jobs, a small group from the Leiden church made plans to settle in Northern Virginia - as New England was known at the time. They planned to make the crossing to America in two ships, the Speedwell and Mayflower. However, after many problems the Speedwell was forced to return to England where the group was reorganized. In their second attempt to cross the Atlantic, they boarded the Mayflower in September 1620 bound for the New World. They arrived as winter was settling in and endured significant hardships as they struggled to establish a successful colony at Plymouth.

In general, the history of the American English can be subdevided into three big events:2

1. The Colonial period, initiated by the establishment of the first permanent English-speaking colony at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607.3 Though ,English speakers had

1 https://www.themayflowersociety.org/about-the-pilgrims20/pilgrim-history

2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_American

3 http://www.wearetheenglish.com/english-in-america

established contact with the New World, both directly or indirectly, before this time, the Jamestown colony began the creation of a new variety of the language. Three factors brought this new variety into existence: a. The exposure of English speakers to new experiences on the American continent

that required new ways of talking about them; b. The begetting of a native population to whom those experiences and the new ways

of talking were normal;c. The obstacle that distance made for communication with their fellow English

speakers in the motherland. As a result began the period of American English.

2. The National period, beginning with the American Declaration of Independence from England in 1776. Many American colonists had from the beginning displayed independence and self-assertion. During this period, English- speaking Americans spread over the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific, in the process absorbing and being influenced by the cultures of other settlers. This period is called the ”adolescence” of American English.

3. The International period, beginning with the Spanish-American War of 1898.

The Colonial period of American history was the foundational one for American English. It began with the isolation of groups of English speakers in Britain.4 The ocean separating the colonies from the motherland was a grave impediment to frequent and free intercommunication. The language of the colonies and that of the mother country began to drift apart.The drift between American and British usage was widened by the fact that in the new land the colonials had to cope with a new environment — new topography, new flora and fauna, new economic and social conditions. Their response to that challenge was inevitably reflected in their language, most apparently in the vocabulary. New words were borrowed and coined. Old words changed their meanings and uses under the pressure of the new environment.In addition, on the North American continent the English colonists encountered speakers of other languages — French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Amerindian, African. Although other languages have heavily influenced English throughout its history, the foreign influences on it in America were unique.

The American vocabulary had expanded significantly, drawing on both foreign and native resources. As a result, the colonies grew closer together in culture, opinion, and language, just as they were collectively growing farther apart from and less dependent on the motherland. British visitors to the colonies in the eighteenth century remarked on the uniformity and propriety of American English.

II. Characteristics of American English

Despite the comparative uniformity of standard English throughout the world, there clearly are variations within the language, even within a single national variety, such as American English. All speakers of English share a common linguistic system and a basic set of words. But American English differs from British English, Australian English, and other national varieties in many of its pronunciations, words, spellings, and grammatical constructions.

4http://autocww.colorado.edu/~flc/E64ContentFiles/LinguisticsAndLanguages/AmericanEnglish.html

Words or phrases of American origin, and those used in America but not so much elsewhere, are called Americanisms.

1. Different Pronuciation

Americans tend to sound different from a large group of English speakers who sound more British, such as those in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. For example5, most Americans pronounce an r sound after the vowel in words like barn, car, and  farther, while speakers from the British English group do not. Also, some British English speakers drop h sounds at the beginning of words, so that he and his are pronounced as if they were spelled ee and is.

In some cases there are differences between American English and British English in the rhythm of words. British speakers seem to leave out a syllable in words like secretary, as if it were spelled secretry, while Americans keep all the syllables. The opposite is true of other words, such asspecialty, which Americans pronounce with three syllables (spe-cial-ty) while British speakers pronounce it with five syllables (spe-ci-al-i-ty). Vowels and consonants may also have different pronunciations. British speakers pronounce zebra to rhyme with Debra, while American speakers make zebra rhyme with Libra. Canadian and British speakers pronounce the word schedule as if it began with an sh sound, while Americans pronounce it as if it began with an sk sound.

2. Words Differentiation

The most frequently used words are shared by speakers of different varieties of English. These words include the most common nouns, the most common verbs, and most function words (such as pronouns, articles, and prepositions). The different varieties of English do, however, use different words for many words that are slightly less common.(for example)6.

3. Spelling

American English spelling differs from British English spelling largely because of one man, American lexicographer Noah Webster. In addition to his well-known An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828), Webster published The American Spelling Book (1783, with many subsequent editions), which became one of the most widely used schoolbooks in American history.7

4. Grammar

The grammar of educated speakers of English differs little among national varieties. In the speech of people with less access to education, grammatical variations in regional and social varieties of American English are very common8. One major difference between British and American English is that the two attach different verb forms to nouns that are grammatically singular but plural in sense. In American English, the team is..., or the government is... (because they are viewed as single entities), but in British English,the team are..., or the

5 http://image.slidesharecdn.com/britishvsamerican-140102112108-phpapp02/95/british-vs-american-8-638.jpg?cb=1388661726 6 http://allenglish.blox.pl/resource/Be_Ae.jpg 7 https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/9f/e8/87/9fe8878af71670305e4b42c49441f697.jpg 8 http://images.myshared.ru/17/1085524/slide_10.jpg

government are... (because teams and government are understood to consist of more than one person).910

Most of learn English as a foreign language and this is British English. This happens because Britain has had a longstanding interest in teaching English and has publishers and institutions in place to promote it. American English is taught more and more, however, because of the worldwide success of American business and technology. English has truly become a world language in science and business, and over time it will come to have more of an American English sound.

III. Conclusion

From my point of view being able to speak English allows us to communicate effectively in numerous countries, and this opens up lots of possibilities. We won’t have to worry about getting lost when we travel to an English-speaking country, as we ’ll easily be able to ask for directions, and taking guided tours. There is a proverb "A new language — a new world". Step by step, the globe is getting smaller with the development of communication means and increase in transportation velocities. People of different countries and nations have to get along well with the progress in world trade and technology as well as with each other. English is not only the main language of business, but also the main language of social interaction. Although most countries have their own language, English is the one language that unites the entire world. No matter, if American English is different from British English, the most important is if we want to study and to get ready for the social life. English is commonly spoken throughout much of the world due to Great Britian’s expansion during the colonial age. People in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, parts of Africa, India, and many smaller island nations speak English. English is the commonly adopted second language in Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands.11 Speaking English opens these countries and cultures up to us. I think it is high time to realize that the desire of changes begins from us and the best thing we can do is to learn and to know the importance of the english language.

9 http://image.slidesharecdn.com/brevsame-110610112629-phpapp02/95/british-english-vs-american-english-14-728.jpg?cb=1307705638 10 http://blog.esl-languages.com/blog/learn-languages/english/british-american-english-differences-varieties/

11 http://www.5minuteenglish.com/why-learn-english.html

Bibliography:

1. https://www.themayflowersociety.org/about-the-pilgrims20/pilgrim-history

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_American

3. http://www.wearetheenglish.com/english-in-america

4.http://autocww.colorado.edu/~flc/E64ContentFiles/LinguisticsAndLanguages/AmericanEnglish.html

5. http://image.slidesharecdn.com/britishvsamerican-140102112108-phpapp02/95/british-vs-american-8-638.jpg?cb=1388661726

6. http://allenglish.blox.pl/resource/Be_Ae.jpg

7.https://smediacacheak0.pinimg.com/736x/9f/e8/87/9fe8878af71670305e4b42c49441f697.jg

8.http://images.myshared.ru/17/1085524/slide_10.jpg

9. http://image.slidesharecdn.com/brevsame-110610112629-phpapp02/95/british-english-vs-american-english-14-728.jpg?cb=1307705638 10. http://blog.esl-languages.com/blog/learn-languages/english/british-american-english-differences-varieties/

11. http://www.5minuteenglish.com/why-learn-english.html