A national variety is a variety of a language (as native language or second language) which is characteristic for a specific country.1 This term is necessary to keep in mind for the description of linguistic situations in anglophone countries. English has spread over many countries as no other language had done before. The English language is spoken at present as a native language by approximately 270 million speakers spread over four continents. The number of speakers of English as a second language is estimated to be around 135 million.2 The number of English speakers is consistently increasing. Nearly all of the English speakers have regional features in the way they speak English. The majority of the population speak in a manner which identifies them as coming from a particular place.The English language consists of the sum of all its dialects, not of one correct version and a number of substandard varieties.3 But even if Standard English is defined as one dialect among many, it is no longer a regional dialect. It has spread throughout the world as the educated variety of English. It is natural that people may regard dialects as imperfect versions of English. This term paper tries to examine several linguistic varieties in England in comparison to Standard English. The present discussion will be limited to Standard British English. The discussion about the linguistic varieties, which includes their grammar in general, will consistently be contrasted with the standard syntactic pattern in Standard British English. Before that a short overview about some of the peculiarities of Standard British and Standard American English in the fields of spelling, vocabulary and grammar will be given in detail.
Table of Contents
Introduction
I. Language Areas of Present Day English
I. 1 British English versus American English
I. 2 Selected Peculiarities of British English and American English
II. Standard Syntactic Patterns in Present Day English
III. Selected Syntactic deviations from Standard British English
Conclusion
Bibliography
Objectives and Topics
This paper explores the syntactic diversity within Present Day English by comparing Standard British English with various regional dialects and American English. The primary goal is to analyze how grammatical patterns, verb usage, and sentence structures deviate from standard norms in different anglophone regions.
- Comparison of British English and American English linguistic features
- Analysis of standard syntactic patterns in Present Day British English
- Examination of grammatical deviations in nonstandard English dialects (Cockney, Welsh, Scottish, Irish)
- Study of morphological and syntactic peculiarities such as aspect, tense, and pronoun usage
- Identification of commonalities between regional nonstandard dialects and American English
Excerpt from the Book
I. 2 Selected Peculiarities of British English and American English
Only a few of the most significant spelling differences in present-day BE and AE are presented below and are classified under the following headings:
1. American -or versus British –our
Examples: AE: honor, BE: honour; AE: favor, BE: favour; AE: color, BE: colour
2. American -er versus British –re
Examples: AE: theater, BE: theatre; AE: center, BE: centre; AE: meager, BE: meagre
3. American -se versus British –ce
Examples: AE: defense, BE: defence; AE: license, BE: licence; AE: offense, BE: offence
II. Vocabulary
The vocabulary differences between BE and AE are in part presented below. AE: track(railroad), BE: line, platform; AE: truck, BE: lorry; AE: tube (radio), BE: wireless valve; AE: tuxedo, BE: dinner jacket; AE: undershirt, BE: vest, singlet; AE: water heater, BE: geyser; AE: zipper, BE: zip; AE: zucchini, BE: courgette.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This section defines the concept of national linguistic varieties and outlines the paper's scope, which focuses on comparing nonstandard varieties in England against the norm of Standard British English.
I. Language Areas of Present Day English: This chapter discusses the historical expansion of the English language and provides a detailed comparison of British and American English, highlighting spelling, vocabulary, and grammatical differences.
II. Standard Syntactic Patterns in Present Day English: This chapter provides an overview of the grammatical rules governing Standard British English, covering tense, aspect, modal auxiliaries, and pronoun systems.
III. Selected Syntactic deviations from Standard British English: This chapter analyzes specific nonstandard varieties, including Cockney, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish English, identifying unique grammatical features that diverge from the standard.
Conclusion: This final section synthesizes the findings, noting that while no linguistic unity exists among the studied varieties, many share common deviations that occasionally align with American English patterns.
Keywords
British English, American English, Standard English, Syntactic patterns, Linguistic varieties, Nonstandard dialects, Grammar, Morphology, Tense, Aspect, Cockney, Welsh English, Scottish English, Irish English, Pronouns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the syntactic distinctions within Present Day English, focusing specifically on comparing Standard British English with various regional nonstandard dialects and, to some extent, American English.
Which regional dialects are analyzed?
The study covers the urban dialect of London (Cockney), as well as Welsh English, Scottish English, and Irish English.
What is the primary goal of this analysis?
The goal is to identify and contrast grammatical and syntactic deviations from the established Standard British English norm across these specific linguistic areas.
What scientific methods were employed for this study?
The author employs a comparative linguistic analysis, contrasting specific syntactic patterns, verb conjugations, and morphological features found in texts and dialects against the rules of Standard British English.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body is divided into a review of Standard British English syntax, followed by a comparative analysis of nonstandard varieties, highlighting differences in verb aspect, tense usage, and pronoun functions.
What are the characterizing keywords for this paper?
The paper is characterized by terms such as linguistic varieties, syntactic patterns, nonstandard dialects, morphology, verb aspect, and grammatical deviations.
How does the author explain the use of the progressive aspect in nonstandard Irish English?
The author notes that Irish English unusually employs the progressive aspect with stative verbs, such as in the example "What is it you’ll be wanting?", which deviates from standard grammatical rules.
What correlation does the author identify between nonstandard British dialects and American English?
The author observes that certain nonstandard dialects share features with American English, such as a preference for simple tenses over compound perfect tenses and the use of adjectives in place of adverbs.
- Quote paper
- Emel Deyneli (Author), 2002, Syntactic distinctions within present day English, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/10866
