Th12/6/12

Distribution of English Language Speakers

(Ch. 5.1 – pp. 133-143) © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

I. Origin and Diffusion of English • English as 1 st language – 328M ppl.

• Primary language in 57 countries A. English colonies – North America – VA, NE – initial competition w/ Fr., Sp.

– Canada, USA, Ireland, India/South Asia, South Africa, Australia, etc.

– US diffusion - Philippines © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

English-Speaking Countries

Figure 5-2 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

I. Origin and Diffusion of English

(cont.) B. Origins of English – Many influences in Britain – Gaelic, Latin, German, French – German invasions (5 th Cent. A.D.) • post-Roman invasions – Angles, Jutes, Saxons • Germanic languages • England = Land of Angles – Norman invasions (1066 A.D.) • French influence – official language (~300 yrs) © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Invasions of England

Figure 5-3 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

II. Dialects of English • Dialect = a regional variation of a language – Isogloss = a word-usage boundary – Standard language = a well-established dialect – British Received Pronunciation (BRP) = “proper English” © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

II. Dialects of English

(cont.) A. Dialects In England – Dialects of Old English (“Beowulf”) • Depended on distribution of German Invasions • Northumbrian – Northern England (Angles) • Kentish – SE England (Jutes) • West Saxon – N & W England (Saxons) • Mercian – central England • • • • • Old English → Middle English → Modern English Beowulf → Canterbury Tales → Shakespeare Beowulf Spoken ; Canterbury Spoken ; Shakespeare Spoken Brief History of Shakespeare History of English Language © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

English Dialects

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II. Dialects of English

(cont.) B. Major Regional Dialects In England

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5 main regions

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strong influence of London & universities

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impact of printing press, grammar books

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persistence of regional dialects

•

Northern, Midland & Southern

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II. Dialects of English

(cont.) C. Differences b/w British & American English

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impact of Atlantic Ocean – isolation

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vocabulary

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new items, encounters, inventions = new words

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spelling

•

Noah Webster’s dictionary & agenda

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pronunciation

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less change in America than in England

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II. Dialects of English (cont.) D. Dialects in the United States

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Settlement in the eastern United States

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NE, SE, Mid-Atlantic

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Current differences in the eastern United States

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Northern, Midlands, Southern

• •

isolation of rural areas Ex: soft drinks

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Pronunciation differences

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Southern, New England, “standard American”, New York

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Dialects in the Eastern United States

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Soft Drink Differences

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.