© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Th12/6/12 Distribution of English Language Speakers (Ch. 5.1 – pp )

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. I. Origin and Diffusion of English English as 1 st language – 328M ppl. Primary language in 57 countries A.English colonies –North America – VA, NE –initial competition w/ Fr., Sp. –Canada, USA, Ireland, India/South Asia, South Africa, Australia, etc. –US diffusion - Philippines

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. English-Speaking Countries Figure 5-2

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. I. Origin and Diffusion of English (cont.) B. Origins of English –Many influences in Britain – Gaelic, Latin, German, French –German invasions (5 th Cent. A.D.) post-Roman invasions – Angles, Jutes, Saxons Germanic languages England = Land of Angles –Norman invasions (1066 A.D.) French influence – official language (~300 yrs)

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Invasions of England Figure 5-3

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. II. Dialects of English Dialect = a regional variation of a language –Isogloss = a word-usage boundary –Standard language = a well-established dialect –British Received Pronunciation (BRP) = “proper English”

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. II. Dialects of English (cont.) A. Dialects In England –Dialects of Old English (“Beowulf”) Depended on distribution of German Invasions Northumbrian – Northern England (Angles) Kentish – SE England (Jutes) West Saxon – N & W England (Saxons) Mercian – central England Old English → Middle English → Modern English Beowulf → Canterbury Tales → ShakespeareBeowulfCanterbury TalesShakespeare Beowulf Spoken; Canterbury Spoken; Shakespeare SpokenBeowulf SpokenCanterbury SpokenShakespeare Spoken Brief History of Shakespeare History of English Language

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. English Dialects

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. II. Dialects of English (cont.) B. Major Regional Dialects In England –5 main regions –strong influence of London & universities –impact of printing press, grammar books –persistence of regional dialects Northern, Midland & Southern

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. II. Dialects of English (cont.) C. Differences b/w British & American English –impact of Atlantic Ocean – isolation –vocabulary new items, encounters, inventions = new words –spelling Noah Webster’s dictionary & agenda –pronunciation less change in America than in England

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. II. Dialects of English (cont.) D. Dialects in the United States –Settlement in the eastern United States NE, SE, Mid-Atlantic –Current differences in the eastern United States Northern, Midlands, Southern isolation of rural areas Ex: soft drinks –Pronunciation differences Southern, New England, “standard American”, New York

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Dialects in the Eastern United States

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Soft Drink Differences