This is one of a series of articles about the differences between American English and British English,which,for the purposes of these articles,are defined as follows:
American English (AmE) is the form of English used in the United States.
British English (BrE) is the form of English used in the United Kingdom.It includes all English dialects used within the United Kingdom.
American English written forms are fairly well standardized across the U.S.An unofficial standard for spoken American English has developed as a result of mass media and of geographic and social mobility.This standard is generally called a General American or Standard Midwestern accent and dialect,and it can typically be heard from network newscasters,although local newscasters tend toward more colourful forms of speech.Despite this unofficial standard,regional variations of American English have not only persisted,but have actually intensified,according to William Labov.Regional dialects in the U.S.typically reflect the elements of the language of the main immigrant groups in any particular region of the country,especially in terms of pronunciation and vernacular vocabulary.Scholars have mapped at least four major regional variations of spoken American English:Northern (really north-eastern),Southern,Midland,and Western (Labov,Ash,& Boberg,2006).[1] After the American Civil War,the settlement of the western territories by migrants from the east led to dialect mixing and levelling,so that regional dialects are most strongly differentiated in the eastern part of the country that were settled earlier.Localized dialects also exist with quite distinct variations,such as in the Southern Mountains and New York City.
British English also has a reasonable degree of uniformity in its formal written form.The spoken forms though vary considerably,reflecting a long history of dialect development amid isolated populations.Dialects and accents vary not only between the countries in the United Kingdom,England,Northern Ireland,Scotland and Wales,but also within these individual countries.There are also differences in the English spoken by different socio-economic groups in any particular region.Received Pronunciation (RP),which is 'the educated spoken English of south-east England' has traditionally been regarded as 'proper English'; this is also referred to as BBC English or the Queen's English.The BBC and other broadcasters now intentionally use a mix of presenters with a variety of British accents and dialects,and the concept of 'proper English' is now far less prevalent.[2]
British and American English are the reference norms for English as spoken,written,and taught in the rest of the world.For instance,the English-speaking members of the Commonwealth often closely follow British English forms while many new American English forms quickly become familiar outside of the United States.Although the dialects of English used in the former British Empire are often,to various extents,based on standard British English,most of the countries concerned have developed their own unique dialects,particularly with respect to pronunciation,idioms,and vocabulary; chief among them are Canadian English and Australian English,which rank third and fourth in number of native speakers.[3][4]
