American English_英文版.docVIP

American English The growth of American English. Earlier in the seventeenth century, English was brought by the immigration from the United Kingdom to the Americas. By 1732 the original thirteen English colonies had been set up. The language the early immigrants brought with them was Elizabethan English, the language spoken by Shakespeare, Milton and Bunyan, which belonged to the early stage of Modern English. Following American independence, famous persons like John Adams, Benjamin Franklin consider that the country should have a language of its own. The independence led to the emergence a sense of nationality. In the field of language, this patriotic feeling was manifested y the argument for the recognition of the American variety or standard of English. During the 19th century and the 20th century, British English was in a dominant position all over the world After two world wars, the impact of the United States greatly exceeded the United Kingdom in the political, economic, and cultural aspects, so a large number of American words were melt into British English, and some even replaced the traditional British English words. Characteristics of American English. Conservativeness and creativeness in usage American English contains archaic features of the language which have disappeared in English itself. Some words now obsolete in England are familiar and in common use in America. The word loan, for example, when used as a transitive verb, is labeled an Americanism in most dictionaries. British usage prefers land. American English is characterized by “Yankee Ingenuity and the Frontier Spirit.” Functional change may serve as the first illustration of the creativeness in usage in American English. Some words went through conversion of one part of speech in American English but not in British English. Moreover, function change is sometimes accompanied by the addition of a new meaning to a word after its conversion. Verbosity and brevity of expression In present day