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Syllabus
1 General introduction about the importance of the Engl. Language
2 Varieties of English (Am. English Brit. English)
differences in: vocabulary
pronunciation, accent
spelling
grammar
3 Standard English (RP) vs. Regional dialects
4 Historical development of
a) British English
b) American English
5 Differences between OE ME ModE
1 Introduction
English is one of the most widespread languages in the world. As for the number of people
speaking English it is the most used language. It is the mother tongue for inhabitants of the
following countries: the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
Then there is a great number of countries where English is spoken as second language.
Among these there are some African countries like the Republic of South Africa and also
some Asian countries, e.g. India.
English is not only the native language for many people in the world but also it is used for
practical purposes in various branches of human activity e.g. in business, technology or
sports.
2 Varieties
The term British English is used by linguists to contrast the form of English used in Britain
with American English and also Australian English. The American variety of English has
become quite popular with many non-native speakers and its influence can be seen- to a
certain extent even on British English.
In comparison with British English, American English is simpler in spelling (harborharbour, traveling-travelling), and grammar (do you have? have you got?). Some words
have different pronunciation in American English, e.g. farm /fa:rm/, doctor /daktr/. In
vocabulary, some American words are used instead of British ones, e.g. apartment-flat,
sidewalk-pavement, line-queue,
3 Standard English (RP) vs. Regional dialects
Standard English
From the 15th century onwards standards of pronunciation and vocabulary gradually became
established. In the 18th century there was a lot of discussion about correct English, and
Samuel Johnsons dictionary, published in 1755, came to be considered an authority on the
correct use of words. Dialects (= forms of a language used in a particular region) were
considered inferior to standard English, also called the Queens/Kings English or BBC
English. Today, standard English is used by educated speakers and is taught in schools and to
foreign students. Standard English used to be associated with the accent (=way of speaking)
known as Received Pronunciation (RP). Phonetic transcription of British English in
dictionaries is usually based on RP.