Reasons

Hello everyone and especially professor Saint-Yves,

I just wanted to say that the reason why there are no posts from last week is because I was really sick and I could not really get up from my bed without feeling dizzy, therefore I am a little late behind and this is why none of the work that was asked for is posted. I will post it later on this week. I am doing my best to catch up and I will, do not worry.

Thank you all for your understanding,

Carole

American vs. British

a) American and British English are different in many ways, first of all in Grammar. Most of the time, as cited from the book, one form is possible for one kind of English, while the two forms are possible for the other kind.

e.g. American; He just went home, or He’s just gone home.
British; He’s just gone home.

The second difference is in Vocabulary, most of the time the meaning for the same word differs from American English to British English.

e.g. Same meaning different word
America English British English
Apartment flat

The third difference is in spelling. The most difference in spelling is when a word ends in –or in American English, ends in –our in British English, or a word that ends in –er in American English, ends in –re in British English. Some of the verbs ending in –ize in American English, end in –ize or –ise in British English, and many words are different in the way their written.

e.g. American English British English
color colour
center centre
computerize computerise
aluminum aluminium

And the last difference is in pronunciation. There are many ways the pronunciation differs when comparing American English and British English, but the most noticeable one is the final ‘r’ pronunciation. In American English, the final ‘r’ is always pronounced, when in British English, the final ‘r’ is dropped, because the ‘r’ sound is pronounced only before vowels.

e.g. car, offer, turn

British English as one more pronounce vowel than American English.

e.g. dog, got, gone

b) Standard English is the kind of English spoken in London and the East Midlands after the King’s Alfred victory over the Vikings. It was the proper English to be used in the government, the law, business, education and literature.

c) Dialect English is the kind of English that is spoken by people in the streets that make mistakes because they did not learn the correct grammar.

d) The main differences are in pronunciation, the grammar mistakes, structure, use of appropriate vocabulary.

e) Languages do change over time because many factors influence it. The main reasons are the communicative needs of the language, the influence from other dialects, languages simplify themselves, non important distinctions disappear, new forms are uses, less well see forms become respectable, mistakes become part of the language, and phonetic forms changes.