Throughout the 20th century, Standard British English (hereafter BrE) and Standard American English (hereafter AmE) made up the two ‘reference varieties’ of the English language. Even today - in the 21st century – BrE and AmE represent “a large proportion of all native speakers of English (83 per cent)” [Svartvik & Leech 2006: 150] in the world. The reason why these two varieties have aquired such a prestigious position among many other varieties of English is that in Great Britain and in the United States - two of the most influential nations of the 20th century in terms of political power and economical strength – “English has been institutionalised longer than anywhere else” [Cheshire 1991: 13]. Consequently, BrE and AmE “provided the chief native-speaker models which non-native speaking teachers of English” [Svartvik & Leech 2006: 150] aim to instil.
Although both ‘reference varieties’ of English seem to be very much the same at first sight, “British and American English undoubtedly are different, and Englishmen and Americans undoubtedly know it.” [Partridge & Clark 1951: 308]. Closer investigations reveal that AmE is different from BrE at levels of phonetics, phonology, grammar, lexis and spelling. Whereas the fields of pronunciation and lexis definitely share the most prominent and numerous differences between AmE and BrE, the field of spelling shows only a couple of minor differences. Today, the vast majority of English lexis is spelled the same in AmE and BrE. However - to a certain extent - there are some characteristic spelling differences between AmE and BrE which many learners of English are not well familiar with.
In the following, this paper concentrates on pointing out the major differences in spelling between contemporary AmE and BrE since this linguistic field of interest is very strongly related to the different historical and political developments America and Great Britain went through. Therefore, this paper will first work out some historical reasons for the development of spelling differences between the two ‘reference varieties’ and highlight America’s most influential attempts to standardise American spelling. Afterwards, it will give a detailed overview about the most prominent and common spelling differences between AmE and BrE by categorising them into three major groups and providing a couple of examples for each group, and finally, this paper will briefly reflect on the situation of AmE and BrE in the world today.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Historical stages and reasons for the development of spelling differences between AmE and BrE
- A brief survey of the first settlements, the establishment of printing, and the beginning of American writing
- Early efforts of spelling reform and their influence on American spelling
- The linguistic patriotism and the standardisation of American spelling
- Further reform efforts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
- Overview about differences between contemporary AmE and BrE in spelling and punctuation
- Standard spelling
- Simplification
- Regularisation
- Derivational uniformity
- Reflection of pronunciation
- Individual words differing in spelling
- Punctuation
- Standard spelling
- Situation of AmE and BrE in the world today
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper investigates the historical development and present-day differences in spelling between American English (AmE) and British English (BrE). The paper examines the factors that led to the divergence of these two varieties, including the influence of early settlements, printing, and the emergence of American authorship. It then provides a detailed overview of the most common spelling differences between AmE and BrE, categorized by standard spelling, individual word differences, and punctuation. Finally, the paper reflects on the current global status of these two influential English varieties.
- Historical factors contributing to spelling differences between AmE and BrE
- Influence of early settlements, printing, and American authorship on spelling
- Standardization of American spelling through reforms and linguistic patriotism
- Categorization of spelling differences between AmE and BrE
- Present-day status of AmE and BrE in the world
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction lays out the historical context for the development of AmE and BrE, highlighting their significance as "reference varieties" of English. It emphasizes the influence of political and economic power, particularly in Great Britain and the United States, on the language's standardization. The chapter also points out the importance of these varieties as models for non-native English speakers.
Chapter 2 dives into the historical stages and reasons for the development of spelling differences between AmE and BrE. It begins with a brief survey of the first settlements in North America, the establishment of printing, and the early stages of American writing. This section emphasizes the influence of British settlers and the development of a unique American linguistic culture. The chapter then explores early efforts of spelling reform in America, focusing on attempts to simplify and regularize English spelling. Finally, it delves into the rise of linguistic patriotism in the newly founded United States and the contributions of Noah Webster in standardizing American spelling.
Chapter 3 offers an overview of the differences between contemporary AmE and BrE in spelling and punctuation. It categorizes these differences into three groups: standard spelling, individual word differences, and punctuation. The chapter explores how standard spelling in AmE reflects principles of simplification, regularization, derivational uniformity, and pronunciation. It also examines the specific words that differ in spelling between the two varieties and the contrasting punctuation styles.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper focuses on Standard American English (AmE), Standard British English (BrE), spelling differences, historical development, linguistic patriotism, spelling reforms, Noah Webster, simplification, regularization, derivational uniformity, pronunciation, individual word differences, and punctuation.
- Quote paper
- Master of Education Thomas Schachtebeck (Author), 2007, Spotlight on Standard American English and Standard British English, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/165055
