48
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 42:
Line 42: − + − + − − Some people regard the development and subsequent use of American English as a testament to the silliness of American society. −
you're silly
==Today==
==Today==
Today, many people (both Americans and non-Americans) consider American English to be simpler and more phonetic than British English. However, many others (especially native English speakers outside North America regard British English as exclusively proper English. Nevertheless, both the British and American standards are widely used today.
Today American English is simpler and more phonetic than British English. Sometimes as an expression of [[anti-American]] sentiment, however, non-Americans will insist that use of British English is exclusively proper English, the implication being that American English is somehow "non-standard". Linguists reject that nonsense. Both the British and American variants are standard.
Americans have a more open, less formal society that has enabled them to coin and invent tens of thousands of new words and phrases, especially those that are viewed with disgust by many non-Americans; linguists and lexicographers have a herculean job to keep up, as demonstrated by the great compilations of Mathews (1951) and Cassidy (1985- ongoing).
Americans have a more open, less formal society that has enabled them to coin and invent tens of thousands of new words and phrases; linguists and lexicographers have a herculean job to keep up, as shown the great compilations by Mathews (1951) and Cassidy (1985- ongoing) demonstrate.
The North American Regional Vocabulary Survey collected lexical data from the 1990s to 2004 from regions throughout the U.S. and Canada.<ref> Charles Boberg, "The North American Regional Vocabulary Survey: New Variables and Methods in the Study of North American English," ''American Speech'' 2005 80(1): 22-60 in [[EBSCO]]</ref>
The North American Regional Vocabulary Survey collected lexical data from the 1990s to 2004 from regions throughout the U.S. and Canada.<ref> Charles Boberg, "The North American Regional Vocabulary Survey: New Variables and Methods in the Study of North American English," ''American Speech'' 2005 80(1): 22-60 in [[EBSCO]]</ref>
==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* American English and British English" in ''Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language'' ed. by Tom McArthur. (1998) [http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/entry.html?subview=main&entry=t29.e61 online at many libraries]
* American English and British English" in ''Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language'' ed. by Tom McArthur. (1998) [http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/entry.html?subview=main&entry=t29.e61 online at many libraries]