1. Introduction
Even to non-native speakers of the English language it is in most cases an easy task to differentiate between British and American native speakers by listening to their pronunciation. In this term paper the most characteristic phonological features of American English will be named and explained and an overview of the variety of dialects within the United States will be provided. This can be done best by using British Standard English – also known as Received Pronunciation (RP) – as reference accent and pointing out the differences to American English.
2. General American
However, it is hard to work with the term American English when doing a phonological analysis of American speech since it covers a broad spectrum of different dialects. For this reason the term General American (GA), which is widely used and preferred by most linguists today, will be introduced and worked with.
General American can be seen as the Standard English of North America, but in contrast to Received Pronunciation, it is not defined by social reputation or a specific geographical origin. Throughout the United States one can not really find a socially preferred accent that is commonly recognized as the standard pronunciation. There have been several different approaches to defining a Standard English for the USA and in this paper General American will be used in means of a range of accents that do not exhibit any of the North-Eastern or Southern features which “are perceived as regional by the majority of American speakers.” One has to keep in mind that GA is not “a single and totally homogeneous accent. But since its internal variation is mainly a matter of differences in the phonetic realizations of a system of phonemes that is by and large shared by all GA speakers, the generalization expressed in the notion ‘General American’ is useful in phonological terms.”
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. Introduction
- 2. General American
- 2.1 The Vowels and Diphthongs
- 2.2 The Consonants
- 3. Dialects
- 3.1 The New England or North Eastern Dialect
- 3.2 The New York City Dialect
- 3.3 The Southern Dialect
- 3.4 African-American Vernacular English
- 4. Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This term paper focuses on the phonological features of American English, providing a comprehensive overview of the most distinctive characteristics and exploring the variety of dialects across the United States. Using British Standard English, also known as Received Pronunciation (RP), as a reference point, the paper highlights key differences between American and British pronunciation.
- Distinctive Phonological Features of American English
- Differences in Vowel and Diphthong Realizations
- Consonant Distribution and Pronunciation
- Regional Variations and Dialects of American English
- Comparison with British Standard English (Received Pronunciation)
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter introduces the topic of American English pronunciation and explains the importance of distinguishing it from British English pronunciation. It also introduces the concept of General American (GA) as a standard reference point for the analysis of American speech.
- Chapter 2: General American This chapter provides a detailed analysis of the phonological features of General American, focusing on vowels, diphthongs, and consonants. It explores the differences in pronunciation between GA and RP, highlighting key aspects such as the lack of certain vowel sounds and the distribution of the /r/ sound.
- Chapter 3: Dialects This chapter delves into the regional variations of American English, showcasing a selection of dialects prevalent across the United States. It explores the distinctive features of each dialect, including the New England, New York City, Southern, and African-American Vernacular English dialects.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper explores the phonological characteristics of American English, focusing on the differences between General American (GA) and Received Pronunciation (RP). Key themes include vowel and diphthong realizations, consonant distribution, and the impact of regional variation and dialects, including the New England, New York City, Southern, and African-American Vernacular English dialects.
- Quote paper
- Dominik Borner (Author), Eva Neubert (Author), 2004, Phonological Characteristics of American English, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/37734
