History of American English

1. History of American English

2. Periods of American English • Colonial (1607-1776) • National (1776-1898) • International (1898-present)

3. Colonial • 17th century English settlements along Atlantic Coast provided foundation for English as permanent language in the New World • English of colonies became distinct from England • Atlantic Ocean served as barrier to oral communication between colonists and England

4. Colonial • Colonists came into contact with Native Americans, French and Dutch speakers • settlers came from various districts and social groups in England, creating homogenizing effect; in other words those in a given colony came to talk more like one another

5. National • After Revolution American English was no longer a colonial variety of the English of London but had entered its national period • Cultural independence soon followed political independence • Noah Webster was a notable figure with his dictionary, reader, grammar, and blue-backed speller, institutionalizing what he called Federal English

6. National • Webster helped Americans realize two things: • they should no longer look to England for standard of usage • they should foster reasonable degree of uniformity in American English

7. Changes in American English • small ways in pronunciation and grammar • extensively in vocabulary and in attitude of speakers