Lecture 4 American English and British English u2013 the Two

Introduction to the study of Varieties of Present-Day EnglishLecture 4: American English and British English The Two Major Endonormative Varieties of Present-day English

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

The Spread of English A four-phase model for the overseas development of English:(1) Transportation to overseas coasts by explorers, traders, settlers. The English language establishes its dominant position.(2) Spread inland through conquest, prepared by geographical surveys, supported by railroad building; treks and goldrush; romantic legends (the American Dream, the Australian Legend) of frontiersmen (Davy Crockett, Paul Bunyan), slaughter of the aboriginal population (except in South Africa).

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

(3) National Consciousness. Political independence from the Mother Country, democratic ideology; attempts to set up a 'national language' different from (British) 'English' (Noah Webster, Sidney J Baker); cult of regional slang (witness the reception of Salinger's novel Catcher in the Rye).(4) International Prestige The overseas varieties of English influence usage in Europe instead of inversely, e.g., Australian English black tea 'tea without milk', American English square 'old fashioned'. Technically, we say that the FOCAL AREA (i.e. the area whence innovations spread) shifts overseas from London.

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

DivergenceThe isolation of America from England will produce, in a course of time, a language in North America, as different from the future language of England as the modern Dutch, Danish and Swedish are from German or from one another.(Noah Webster, c. 1800)"England, America, and Australia will be speaking mutually unintelligible languages, owing to their independent changes of pronunciation." (Henry Sweet, 1877)

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

or convergence?Webster revised his outlook and wrote in 1828 that in all essentials, our two nations speak the same language and it is highly desirable to perpetuate that sameness.English may "be called justly the language of the world". (Jakob Grimm, lecture published in 1852 )

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Factors of relative homogeneity(1) the diffusion of English throughout the world is a recent phenomenon, and widely disparate dialects simply have not had time to develop; (2) nearly universal literacy in most English-speaking countries has retarded change, especially in written English; (3) modern developments in communications - telephone, radio, motion picture, tape recordings, satellite television - have united English speakers, retarding dialectal differences, familiarizing all speakers with the sound of other Englishes, and superimposing a kind of world standard over regional varieties. LISTEN! =>

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

What kind of English is your English?Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviour that profoundly affects our relationships, family units and social network. Abuse centers around the need for control and occurs when an individual is attacked by another person emotionally, psychologically, physically or sexually to gain or exert power and control. (Telecare Distress Centre Brampton)

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

SpellingChoose the spelling you prefer in each pair:1. pajamas pyjamas 2. analyze analyse 3. program programme 4. favor favour 5. tire tyre 6. center centre 7. aluminum aluminium 8. jewelry jewellery

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

PronunciationLook at the word in CAPITALS before reading each question and say it to yourself. Then youll usually find the question easy to answer.1. Does ATE rhyme with eight or with pet?2.Does SHONE, as in The sun shone brightly, rhyme with John or with Joan? 3.Is the EI of EITHER pronounced like the EI in pie or the EE in bee?4. Does the SCH in SCHEDULE sound like SCH in school or like SH in shed?5.Does LEISURE rhyme with measure or with seizure?6. Does the U in STUDENT sound like OO in too or the U in use?

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Vocabulary1.What do you call the knob you turn to get water in a sink? .....................2.Telling the time. It is 11:40. Please write in words what you would say.....................................................3. Please write in words what you would say when you read the number 107 (as in 107 envelopes) .................................. 4. Which do you say? Where is the (1) toilet? (2) rest room?(3) washroom? 5. Compare the following two dialogues. Which of the two is closer to your way of speaking English?

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Dialogue A

Dan: Hi, George. How are you?

George: Fine. How about you?

Dan: OK. Going downtown?

George: Yeah. How about coming along?

Dan: Fine. Let's go.

Dialogue B

Hello, George. How are you?

Fine. What about you?

All right. Going to town?

Yes. Like to come with me?

Fine. Let's go.

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Language sections:PronunciationSpellingVocabularyGrammar (and usage)Questions: (1) Do these change in time?(2) Which of the four above change(s) more slowly and which change(s) faster?

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Focus on VocabularyText 1:The psittiacosis group of organisms, including the agents of trachoma and lymphogranuloma venereum are obligate intercellular parasites. The infectious particles or elementary bodies measure about 0.3 diameter. They are commonly described as viruses though such classification is not easily reconciled with available evidence on their chemical composition and biological properties.

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Text 2 (Supplementary): The piston-type fountain penIn the piston-type fountain pen a screw spindle is connected to the filling cap and engages with a screw thread with which the hollow piston rod is internally provided. Attached to the front end of this rod is the piston which forms an air-tight and liquid-tight seal to the rear of the ink reservoir. When the filling cap is rotated, the screw spindle, rotating inside the piston rod, causes the latter to move longitudinally. []When the pen is in use, the ink flows from the reservoir through capilary grooves in the feed; it thus reaches the underside of the nib and eventually finds its way along the slit to the tip of the nib. []

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Text 3: Mother Tongueby Richard Armour (1906-1989)

Oh, to be in England If only arf a mo,Where, when they speak of wireless,They mean the radio,

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Where private schools are publicAnd public schools are snobbyAnd insurance is assuranceAnd a cop is called a bobby, Sir Robert Peel

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Where a cracker is a biscuit And a trifle is dessertAnd bloody is a curse wordAnd ad is an advert,

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Where gasoline is petrolAnd a stone is fourteen poundAnd motocars have bonnetsAnd you take the underground,

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Where holding up your trousersIts braces that you useAnd a truck is called a lorryAnd boots are really shoes,

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Where a druggist is a chemistAnd the movies are the flicksAnd you queue up on the pavementFor a stall at three and six

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

There is no language barrierThe tourist needs to dreadAs long as he knows EnglishFrom A to Z (no, zed). /zed/???/zi:/???

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Grammar and usageWhich do you say?1. (1) I burned my finger. (2) I burnt my finger. 2. (1) The submarine dove to the floor of the sea. (2) The submarine dived to the floor of the sea.3.(1) He is in the hospital for surgery. (2) He is in hospital for surgery.4. (1) two heads of lettuce (2) two lettuces5. (1) like I said (2) as I said

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

6. (1) Did you ever see an elephant? (2) Have you ever seen an elephant?7. (1) Shall I ask him? (2) Should I ask him? 8.(1) I live in Molde but my family lives in Bergen. (2) I live in Molde but my family live in Bergen.9. (1) the River Thames (2) the Thames River10.(1) the Mississippi River (2) the River Mississippi11. (1) the River Olt (2) the Olt River

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Exercise

Scotland Yard police are looking for a famous American bank robber called Dirty Dan. Dirty Dan robbed a bank in London last Friday night. They are interviewing three different people. All three have British accents, but the police know that Dirty Dan can imitate a British accent. Read parts of each of the transcript. Can you identify Dirty Dan from the language he uses?

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Suspect 1: I already said this. I didnt do anything special on the weekend. Friday night I took a shower in my apartment and then went out to see a movie. It was a movie I had already seen, Matrix Revolutions. I really like action movies. I went with my girlfriend Samantha.

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Suspect 2: I wasnt in town at the weekend, and I certainly wasnt anywhere near the bank on Friday night. I was at a hotel in Paris with a special friend of mine. Shall I give you the hotel phone number? You neednt bother asking me any more questions. Youve got the wrong man.

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Suspect 3: Ive already said this. On Friday night I went to see a film at the cinema. It was Matrix Revolutions. I dont really like action films, but my friends really wanted to see it. It was rather boring. After that I went home and had a nice hot bath. I went to bed around midnight.

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Non-standard varieties illustrated in literature:1. "I knowed you wasn't Oklahoma folks."(John Steinbeck, The Graphes of Wroth, 1940)2. "Womenfolks, mostly. All the grown women around my way look just the same. They all big stout. They got big bosoms and big hips and fat legs, and they always wearing runover house shoes and them shapeless, flowered numbers with the buttons down the front. 'Cept on Sunday. Sunday morning they all turn into glamour girls, in them big hats and long gloves, with they skinny high heels and they skinny selves in them tight girdles-wouldn't nobody ever know what they look like the rest of the time." (Becky Birtha, Johnnieruth, in Breaking Ice. An Anthology of Contemporary African-American Fiction, Penguin Books, 1990)

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

3. He beat me like he beat the children. Cept he don't never hardly beat them. He say, Celie, git the belt. The children be outside the room peeking through the cracks. It all I can do not to cry. I make myself wood. I say to myself, Celie, you a tree. That's how come I know trees fear man. (Alice Walker, The Color Purple, New York, 1982)

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Useful sites::American Vs. British English

British vs. American English vocabulary tool

English Around The World

United Kingdom English for the American Novice

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Lesley Milroy (University of Michigan) (2001). Britain and the United States: Two Nations Divided by the Same Language (and Different Language Ideologies). Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 10(1):56-89. American vs. British English. Basic Differences and Influences of Change (Introductory Outline for First Course Segment). FAST-US-1 Introduction to American English (Hopkins), Department of Translation Studies, University of Tampere

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

Thank you!

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

See you next week!

Rodica Albu Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi

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