American English

Abstract or Introduction

Before it became what it is today American English has gone through a long process of change which was the consequence of historical, geographical, linguistic and socio-political factors. Indeed it was due to these factors that English came into existence in the American continent, yet this language which had its roots in the old continent changed in so many ways that it caused the birth of what came to be known as American English. Despite of the fact that colonists in America came from different countries, the British presence was so huge that English became the lingua franca of the new continent. However, the fact that America was a zone of contact definitely had an impact and a great influence on the way the English language is spoken there. In addition to that, after a few years, a clear consciousness started rising amongst the American people to make the English language peculiar to them and different from how it was used in Britain. Yet, with the vast lands and the huge number of people, any talk about American English can only include language variation.