American English - Wikipedia American English `` U.S. English '' redirects here. For the political organization, see U.S. English ( organization ). Not to be confused with North American English. For other uses, see American English ( disambiguation ). American English Region The United States of America Native speakers 225 million, all varieties of English in the United States ( 2010 census ) 25.6 million L2 speakers of English in the United States ( 2003 ) Language family Indo - European Germanic West Germanic Ingvaeonic Anglo -- Frisian English American English Early forms Old English Middle English 17th century British English Writing system Latin ( English alphabet ) Unified English Braille Official status Official language in United States of America ( de facto ) Language codes ISO 639 - 3 -- Glottolog None IETF en - US This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help : IPA. English language prevalence in the United States. Darker shades of blue indicate higher concentrations of native English speakers in the corresponding states Comparison of American and British English American English British English Computing Keyboards Grammar Orthography Spelling Speech Accent Pronunciation Vocabulary Glossary of American terms not widely used in the United Kingdom Glossary of British terms not widely used in the United States Lists of words having different meanings in American and British English : ( A -- L M -- Z ) Works Works with different titles in the UK and US American English ( AmE, AE, AmEng, USEng, en - US ), sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and is the common language used by the federal government, to the extent that all laws and compulsory education are practiced in English. Although not an officially established language of the whole country, English is considered the de facto language and is given official status by 32 of the 50 state governments. As an example, while both Spanish and English have equivalent status in the local courts of Puerto Rico, under federal law, English is the official language for any matters being referred to the United States district court for the territory. The use of English in the United States is a result of English and British colonization of the Americas. The first wave of English - speaking settlers arrived in North America during the 17th century, followed by further migrations in the 18th and 19th centuries. Since then, American English has developed into new dialects, in some cases under the influence of West African and Native American languages, German, Dutch, Irish, Spanish, and other languages of successive waves of immigrants to the United States. American English varieties form a linguistic continuum of dialects more similar to each other than to English dialects of other countries, including some common pronunciations and other features found nationwide. Any North American English accent perceived as free of noticeably local, ethnic, or cultural markers is popularly called `` General '' or `` Standard '' American, a fairly uniform standard of broadcast mass media and the highly educated. Otherwise, according to Labov, with the major exception of Southern American English, regional accents throughout the country are not yielding to this standard, and historical and present linguistic evidence does not support the notion of there being one single `` mainstream '' American accent. On the contrary, the sound of American English continues to evolve, with some local accents disappearing, but several larger regional accents emerging. Contents 1 Varieties 1.1 Eastern New England 1.2 New York City 1.3 South 1.4 North 1.5 Midland 1.6 West 1.7 Other varieties 2 Phonology 3 Vocabulary 4 Differences between British and American English 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 Further reading 10 External links Varieties Main articles : Regional vocabularies of American English and North American English regional phonology While written American English is largely standardized across the country, there are several recognizable variations in the spoken language, both in pronunciation and in vernacular vocabulary. The regional sounds of present - day American English are reportedly engaged in a complex phenomenon of `` both convergence and divergence '' : some accents are homogenizing and levelling, while others are diversifying and deviating further away from one another. In 2010, William Labov summarized the current state of regional American accents as follows : Some regional American English has undergone `` vigorous new sound changes '' since the mid-nineteenth century onwards, spawning relatively recent Mid-Atlantic ( centered on Philadelphia and Baltimore ), Western Pennsylvania ( centered on Pittsburgh ), Inland Northern ( centered on Chicago, Detroit, and the Great Lakes region ), Midland ( centered on Indianapolis, Columbus, and Kansas City ) and Western regional accents, all of which `` are now more different from each other than they were fifty or a hundred years ago ''. Meanwhile, distinguishing features of the Eastern New England ( centered on Boston ) and New York City accents appear to be stable. `` On the other hand, dialects of many smaller cities have receded in favor of the new regional patterns '' ; for example, the traditional accents of Charleston and of Cincinnati have given way to the Midland regional accent, and of St. Louis now approaches the sounds of an Inland Northern or Midland accent. At the same time, the Southern regional accent, despite the huge population it covers, `` is on the whole slowly receding due to cultural stigma : younger speakers everywhere in the South are shifting away from the marked features of Southern speech ''. Finally, the `` Hoi Toider '' dialect shows the paradox of receding among younger speakers in the islands of North Carolina 's Outer Banks, yet strengthening in the islands of the Chesapeake Bay. Major regional dialects of American English ENE WNE NYC MID-ATLANTIC INLAND NORTHERN WPA NORTH CENTRAL WESTERN MIDLAND SOUTHERN Texas New Mexico California Appalachia Boston Rhode Island Pacific Northwest Chesapeake & Outer Banks Maine New Orleans Upper Peninsula Philadelphia & Baltimore The map above shows the major regional dialects of American English ( in all caps ) plus smaller and more local dialects, as demarcated primarily by Labov et al. 's The Atlas of North American English, as well as the related Telsur Project 's regional maps. Any region may also contain speakers of a `` General American '' accent that resists the marked features of their region. Furthermore, this map does not account for speakers of ethnic or cultural varieties ( such as African - American English, Chicano English, Cajun English, etc. ). All regional American English, unless specifically stated otherwise, can be assumed to be rhotic, with the father -- bother merger, Mary -- marry -- merry merger, and pre-nasal `` short a '' tensing. Western The Western dialect, including Californian and New Mexican sub-types ( with Pacific Northwest English also, arguably, a sub-type ), is defined by : Cot -- caught merger to ( ɑ ) ( listen ) / oʊ / is ( oʊ ) / uː / is ( ü ~ ʉ ) North Central The North Central ( `` Upper Midwest '' ) dialect, including an Upper Michigan sub-type, is defined by : Cot -- caught merger to ( ä ) ( listen ) / oʊ / is ( oʊ ) ( and may even monophthongize to ( o ) ) / uː / is ( u ) Inland Northern The Inland Northern ( `` Great Lakes '' ) dialect, including its less advanced Western New England ( WNE ) sub-types, is defined by : No cot -- caught merger : the cot vowel is ( ä ~ a ) and caught vowel is ( ɒ ) / æ / is universally ( ɛə ), the triggering event for the Northern Cities Vowel Shift in more advanced sub-types ( ( ɛə ) ← / æ / ← / ɑː / ~ / ɒ / ← / ɔː / ← / ʌ / ← / ɛ / ) / oʊ / is ( oʊ ~ ʌo ) Midland The Midland dialect is defined by : Cot -- caught merger is in transition / aɪ / may be ( aː ), often only before / l /, / m /, / n /, or / ɹ / / aʊ / is ( æɵ ~ æo ) / oʊ / is ( ɜʊ ~ ɵʊ ) WPA The Western Pennsylvania dialect, including its advanced Pittsburgh sub-type, is defined by : Cot -- caught merger to ( ɒ ~ ɔ ), the triggering event for the Pittsburgh Chain Shift in the city itself ( ( ɒ ~ ɔ ) ← / ɑː / ← / ʌ / ) but no trace of the Canadian Shift / oʊ / is ( ɜʊ ~ ɞʊ ) Full -- fool -- foal merger to ( ʊɫ ~ ʊw ) Specifically in Greater Pittsburgh, / aʊ / is ( aʊ ~ aː ), particularly before / l / and / r /, and in unstressed function words Southern The Southern dialects, including several sub-types, are defined by : No ( or transitional ) cot -- caught merger : the cot vowel is ( ɑ ) and caught vowel is ( ɑɒ ) / aɪ / is ( aː ) at least before / b /, / d /, / g /, / v /, or / z /, or word - finally, and potentially elsewhere, the triggering event for the Southern Shift ( ( aː ) ← / aɪ / ← / eɪ / ← / iː / ) `` Southern drawl '' may break short front vowels into gliding vowels : / æ / → ( ɛ ( j ) ə ) ; / ɛ / → ( ɪ ( j ) ə ) ; / ɪ / → ( i ( j ) ə ) / aʊ / is ( æo ), the triggering event for the Back Upglide Shift in more advanced sub-types ( ( æo ) ← / aʊ / ← / ɔː / ← / ɔɪ / ) / oʊ / is ( ɜʉ ~ ɜʊ ) Mid-Atlantic The Mid-Atlantic ( `` Delaware Valley '' ) dialect, including Philadelphia and Baltimore sub-types, is defined by : No cot -- caught merger : the cot vowel is ( ä ~ ɑ ) and caught vowel is ( ɔə ~ ʊə ) ; this severe distinction is the triggering event for the Back Vowel Shift before / r / ( / ʊər / ← / ɔːr / ← / ɑːr / ) Unique Mid-Atlantic / æ / split system : the bad vowel is ( eə ) and sad vowel is ( æ ) / oʊ / is ( ɜʊ ~ əʊ ) / aʊ / is ( ɛɔ ) No Mary -- marry -- merry merger NYC The New York City dialect ( with New Orleans English an intermediate sub-type between NYC and Southern ) is defined by : No cot -- caught merger : the cot vowel is ( ä ~ ɑ ) and caught vowel is ( ɔə ~ ʊə ) ; this severe distinction is the triggering event for the Back Vowel Shift before / r / ( / ʊər / ← / ɔːr / ← / ɑːr / ) Non-rhoticity or variable rhoticity Unique New York City / æ / split system : the bad vowel is ( eə ) and bat vowel is ( æ ) / oʊ / is ( oʊ ~ ʌʊ ) No Mary -- marry -- merry merger ENE Eastern New England dialect, including Maine and Boston sub-types ( with Rhode Island English an intermediate sub-type between ENE and NYC ), is defined by : Cot -- caught merger to ( ɒ ~ ɑ ) ( lacking only in Rhode Island ) Non-rhoticity or variable rhoticity / aʊ / is ( ɑʊ ~ äʊ ) / oʊ / is ( oʊ ~ ɔʊ ) / uː / is ( u ) Commonly, beginnings of / aɪ / and / aʊ / in a raised position when before voiceless consonants : ( əɪ ~ ʌɪ ) and ( əʊ ~ ʌʊ ), respectively Possibly no Mary -- marry -- merry merger No father -- bother merger ( except in Rhode Island ) : the father vowel is ( a ~ ä ) and bother vowel is ( ɒ ~ ɑ ) Below, eleven major American English accents are defined by their particular combinations of certain characteristics : Accent name Most populous urban center Strong / aʊ / fronting Strong / oʊ / fronting Strong / uː / fronting Strong / ɑːr / fronting Cot -- caught merger Pin -- pen merger / æ / raising system African American Mixed No No No Mixed Yes Southern Chicano No No Mixed No Yes No none Inland Northern Chicago No No No Yes No No general Mid-Atlantic States Philadelphia Yes Yes Yes No No No split Midland Indianapolis Yes Yes Yes No Mixed Mixed pre-nasal New York City New York City Yes No No No No No split North - Central ( Upper Midwestern ) Minneapolis No No No Yes Yes No pre-nasal ( pre-velar ) Northern New England Boston No No No Yes Yes No pre-nasal Southern Houston Yes Yes Yes No Mixed Yes Southern Western Los Angeles No No Yes No Yes No pre-nasal Western Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Yes Yes Yes No Yes Mixed pre-nasal Eastern New England Main article : Eastern New England English Marked New England speech is mostly associated with eastern New England, centering on Boston and Providence, and traditionally includes some notable degree of r - dropping ( or non-rhoticity ), as well as the back tongue positioning of the / uː / vowel ( to ( u ) ) and the / aʊ / vowel ( to ( ɑʊ ~ äʊ ) ). In and north of Boston, the / ɑːr / sound is famously centralized or even fronted. Boston shows a cot -- caught merger, while Providence keeps the same two vowels sharply distinct. New York City Main article : New York City English New York City English prevails in a relatively small but nationally recognizable dialect region in and around New York City, including Long Island and northeastern New Jersey. The New York accent includes some notable degree of non-rhoticity and a locally unique short - a vowel pronunciation split. New York City English otherwise broadly follows Northern patterns, except that the / aʊ / vowel is fronted. The cot -- caught merger is markedly resisted in the New York metropolitan area, as depicted in popular stereotypes like tawwk and cawwfee, with this THOUGHT vowel being typically tensed and diphthongal. South Main article : Southern American English Most older Southern speech along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts was non-rhotic, though, today, almost all Southern dialects are rhotic, and even `` hyper - rhotic '', with a very strongly enunciated, `` bunched - tongue '' r sound. The modern accent is defined most recognizably by the / aɪ / vowel losing its gliding quality to approach ( aː ~ äː ), the initiation event for the Southern Vowel Shift. This vowel shift involves the `` Southern drawl '' that makes short front vowels into distinct - sounding gliding vowels. The most advanced sub-varieties exist in the southern Appalachian cities and certain areas of Texas. Non-Southern Americans tend to stereotype Southern accents negatively, associating them with slowness, lack of education, bigotry, and religious or political conservatism, with labels for the accent such as `` hick '' or `` hillbilly ''. Meanwhile, Southerners themselves tend to have mixed judgments of their own accents, some negative but some positively associated with a laid - back, plain, or humble attitude. North Main article : Northern American English Since the mid-twentieth century, a distinctive new Northern speech pattern has developed near the Canadian border of the United States, centered on the central and eastern Great Lakes region ( but only on the American side ). Linguists call this region the `` Inland North '', as defined by its Northern Cities Vowel Shift ( / æ / raising, / ɑː / fronting, and other vowel changes ), occurring in the same region whose `` standard Midwestern '' speech was the basis for General American in the mid-twentieth century, though prior to the full Northern Cities Vowel Shift. The Inland Northern accent was lampooned on the television show Saturday Night Live 's `` Bill Swerski 's Superfans '' segments, though the accent 's shift may be reversing in certain communities. Many people view the `` North Central '' or `` Upper Midwestern '' accent, another Northern accent, from the stereotypical lens of the movie Fargo. The North Central accent is characterized by a more common cot - caught merger and influences from the German and Scandinavian settlers of the region. Midland Main article : Midland American English Between the traditional American dialect areas of the `` North '' and `` South '' is what linguists have long called the `` Midland '' encompassing states situated in the lower Midwest, beginning west of the Appalachian Mountains. The vocabulary of its older speakers was divided into two discrete subdivisions, the `` North Midland '' that begins north of the Ohio River valley area, and the `` South Midland '' speech, which to the average American ear has a slight trace of the `` Southern accent '' ( especially due to some degree of / aɪ / glide weakening ). Modern Midland speech is transitional between a presence and absence of the cot -- caught merger. Historically, Pennsylvania was a home of the Midland dialect ; however, this state of early English - speaking settlers has now largely split off into new dialect regions, with distinct Philadelphia and Pittsburgh dialects documented since the middle of the twentieth century. West Main article : Western American English A generalized Midland speech continues westward until becoming a somewhat internally diverse Western American English that unites the entire western half of the country, mostly unified by a firm cot -- caught merger and a conservatively backed pronunciation of the long oh sound in goat, toe, show, etc., but a fronted pronunciation of the long oo sound in goose, lose, tune, etc. Western speech itself contains such advanced sub-types as Pacific Northwest English and California English, with the native - speaker English of Mexican Americans also being a sub-type primarily of the Western dialect. The island state of Hawaii, though primarily English - speaking, is also home to a creole language known commonly as Hawaiian Pidgin, and some Hawaii residents speak English with a Pidgin - influenced accent. Other varieties Although no longer region - specific, African - American Vernacular English, which remains the native variety of most working - and middle - class African Americans, has a close relationship to Southern dialects and has greatly influenced everyday speech of many Americans, including hip hop culture. Hispanic and Latino Americans have also developed native - speaker varieties of English. The best - studied Latino Englishes are Chicano English, spoken in the West and Midwest, and New York Latino English, spoken in the New York metropolitan area. Additionally, ethnic varieties such as Yeshiva English and `` Yinglish '' are spoken by some American Jews, Cajun Vernacular English by some Cajuns in southern Louisiana, Pennsylvania Dutch English by some Pennsylvania Dutch in Pennsylvania and the Midwest, and American Indian Englishes have been documented among diverse Indian tribes. Phonology See also : General American and North American English regional phonology Compared with English as spoken in England, North American English is more homogeneous, and any North American accent that exhibits a majority of the most common phonological features is known as `` General American ''. This section mostly refers to such widespread or mainstream pronunciation features that characterize American English. Studies on historical usage of English in both the United States and the United Kingdom suggest that spoken American English did not simply deviate away from period British English, but retained certain now - archaic features contemporary British English has since lost. One of these is the rhoticity common in most American accents, because in the 17th century, when English was brought to the Americas, most English in England was also rhotic. The preservation of rhoticity has been further supported by the influences of Hiberno - English, West Country English and Scottish English. In most varieties of North American English, the sound corresponding to the letter ⟨ r ⟩ is a postalveolar approximant ( ɹ̠ ) or retroflex approximant ( ɻ ) rather than a trill or tap ( as often heard, for example, in the English accents of Scotland or India ). A unique `` bunched tongue '' variant of the approximant r sound is also associated with the United States, and seems particularly noticeable in the Midwest and South. The red dots show every U.S. metropolitan area where over 50 % non-rhotic speech has been documented among some of that area 's local white speakers. Non-rhotic speech may be heard from black speakers throughout the whole country. Traditionally, the `` East Coast '' comprises three or four major linguistically distinct regions, each of which possesses English varieties both distinct from each other as well as quite internally diverse : New England, the New York metropolitan area, the Mid-Atlantic states ( centering on Philadelphia and Baltimore ), and the Southern United States. The only traditionally r - dropping ( or non-rhotic ) regional accents of American English are all spoken along the Atlantic Coast and parts of the Gulf Coast ( particularly still in Louisiana ), because these areas were in close historical contact with England and imitated prestigious varieties of r - dropping London ( a feature now widespread throughout most of England ) at a time when they were undergoing changes. Today, non-rhoticity is confined in the United States to the accents of eastern New England, New York City, older speakers of the former plantation South, and African - American Vernacular English ( though the vowel - consonant cluster found in `` bird '', `` work '', `` hurt '', `` learn '', etc. usually retains its r pronunciation, even in these non-rhotic accents ). Other than these few varieties, American accents are rhotic, pronouncing every instance of the ⟨ r ⟩ sound. Many British accents have evolved in other ways compared to which General American English has remained relatively more conservative, for example, regarding the typical southern British features of a trap -- bath split, fronting of / oʊ /, and H - dropping, none of which typical American accents show. The innovation of / t / glottaling, which does occur before a consonant ( including a syllabic coronal nasal consonant, like in the words button or satin ) and word - finally in General American, additionally occurs variably between vowels in British English. On the other hand, General American is more innovative than the dialects of England, or English elsewhere in the world, in a number of its own ways : The merger of / ɑ / and / ɒ /, making father and bother rhyme. This change, known as the father -- bother merger is in a transitional or completed stage nearly universally in North American English. Exceptions are in northeastern New England English, such as the Boston accent, New York accent, and Mid-Atlantic States accents, and many Southern accents, prominently including New Orleans accents. About half of all Americans merge of the vowels / ɑ / and / ɔ /. This is the so - called cot -- caught merger, where words like cot and caught are homophones. This change has occurred most firmly in eastern New England ( Boston area ), Greater Pittsburgh, and the whole western half of the country. For speakers who do not merge caught and cot, the lot -- cloth split has taken hold. This change took place prior to the unrounding of the cot. It is the result of the lengthening and raising of the cot vowel, merging with the caught vowel in many cases before voiceless fricatives ( as in cloth, off ), which is also found in some varieties of British English, as well as before / ŋ / ( as in strong, long ), usually in gone, often in on, and irregularly before / ɡ / ( log, hog, dog, fog ). The strut vowel, rather than the lot or thought vowel, is used in the function words was, of, from, what, everybody, nobody, somebody, anybody, and, for some speakers, because and want, when stressed. Vowel mergers before intervocalic / ɹ / : The Mary -- marry -- merry, serious -- Sirius, and hurry -- furry mergers are found in most American English dialects. However, exceptions exist primarily along the east coast. Americans vary slightly in their pronunciations of R - colored vowels -- such as those in / ɛəɹ / and / ɪəɹ / -- sometimes monophthongizing towards ( ɛɹ ) and ( ɪɹ ) or tensing towards ( eɪɹ ) and ( i ( ə ) ɹ ) respectively, causing pronunciations like ( peɪɹ ) for pair / pear and ( piəɹ ) for peer / pier. Also, / jʊər / is often reduced to ( jɚ ), so that cure, pure, and mature may all end with the sound ( ɚ ), thus rhyming with blur and sir. The word sure is also part of this rhyming set as it is commonly pronounced ( ʃɚ ). Dropping of / j / is much more extensive than in most of England. In most North American accents, / j / is dropped after all alveolar and interdental consonants ( i.e. everywhere except after / p /, / b /, / f /, / h /, / k /, and / m / ) so that new, duke, Tuesday, presume are pronounced ( nu ), ( duk ), ( ˈtuzdeɪ ), ( pɹɪˈzum ). / æ / tensing in environments that vary widely from accent to accent. With most American speakers, for whom the phoneme / æ / operates under a somewhat continuous system, / æ / has both a tense and a lax allophone ( with a kind of `` continuum '' of possible sounds between those two extremes, rather than a definitive split ). In these accents, / æ / is overall realized before nasal stops as more tense ( approximately ( eə̯ ) ), while other environments are more lax ( approximately the standard ( æ ) ) ; for example, note the vowel sound in ( mæs ) for mass, but ( meə̯n ) for man ). In some American accents, though, specifically those from Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City, ( æ ) and ( eə̯ ) are entirely separate ( or `` split '' ) phonemes, for example, in planet ( pɫænɪ̈t̚ ) vs. plan it ( pɫeənɪ̈t̚ ). This is often called the Mid-Atlantic split - a system. Note that these vowels move in the opposite direction in the mouth compared to the backed British `` broad A '' ; this phenomenon has been noted as related to the increasingly rare phenomenon of older speakers of the eastern New England ( Boston ) area for whom / æ / changes to / ɑ / before / f /, / s /, / θ /, / ð /, / z /, / v / alone or when preceded by a homorganic nasal. / æ / raising in North American English Environment Dialect Consonant after / æ / Syllable type Example words New York City & New Orleans Baltimore & Philadelphia Eastern New England General American, Midland U.S., & Western U.S. Canadian, Northwestern U.S., & Upper Midwestern U.S. Southern U.S. & African American Vernacular Great Lakes / r / Open arable, arid, baron, barrel, barren, carry, carrot, chariot, charity, clarity, Gary, Harry, Larry, marionette, maritime, marry, marriage, paragon, parent, parish, parody, parrot, etc. ; this feature is determined by the presence or absence of the Mary - marry - merry merger ( æ ) ( æ ~ ɛ ( ə ) ) ( ɛ ( ə ) ) / m /, / n / Closed Alexander, answer, ant, band, can ( the noun ), ca n't, clam, dance, ham, hamburger, hand, handy, man, manly, pants, plan, planning, ranch, sand, slant, tan, understand, etc. ; in Philadelphia, began, ran, and swam alone remain lax ( eə ) ( æ ~ eə ) ( æ ~ ɛə ) ( ɛ ( j ) ə ~ eə ) ( eə ) Open amity, animal, can ( the verb ), Canada, ceramic, family ( varies by speaker ),, gamut, hammer, janitor, manager, manner, Montana, panel, planet, profanity, salmon, Spanish, etc. ( æ ) / ɡ / Closed agriculture, bag, crag, drag, flag, magnet, rag, sag, tag, tagging, etc. ( eə ) ( æ ) ( æ ) ( æ ~ e ) ( æ ~ ɛ ( j ) ə ) ( eə ~ æ ) Open agate, agony, dragon, magazine, ragamuffin, etc. ( æ ) / b /, / d /, / dʒ /, / ʃ /, / v /, / z /, / ʒ / Closed absolve, abstain, add, ash, as, bad, badge, bash, cab, cash, clad, crag, dad, drab, fad, flash, glad, grab, had, halve ( varies by speaker ), jazz ( varies by speaker ), kashmir, mad, magnet, pad, plaid, rag, raspberry, rash, sad, sag, smash, splash, tab, tadpole, trash, etc. In NYC, this environment, particularly, / v / and / z /, has a lot of variance and many exceptions to the rules. In Philadelphia, bad, mad, and glad alone in this set become tense. Similarly, in New York City, the / dʒ / set is often tense even in open syllables ( magic, imagine, etc. ) ( eə ) ( æ ~ ɛə ) ( æ ) / f /, / s /, / θ / Closed ask, bask, basket, bath, brass, casket, cast, class, craft, crass, daft, drastic, glass, grass, flask, half, last, laugh, laughter, mask, mast, math, pass, past, path, plastic, task, wrath, etc. ( eə ) All other consonants act, agony, allergy, apple, aspirin, athlete, avid, back, bat, brat, café, cafeteria, cap, cashew, cat, Catholic, chap, clap, classy, diagonal, fashion, fat, flap, flat, gap, gnat, latch, magazine, mallet, map, mastiff, match, maverick, Max, pack, pal, passive, passion, pat, patch, pattern, rabid, racket, rally, rap, rat, sack, sat, Saturn, savvy, scratch, shack, slack, slap, tackle, talent, trap, travel, wrap, etc. ( æ ) Footnotes Nearly all American English speakers pronounce / æŋ / somewhere between ( æŋ ) and ( eɪŋ ), though Western speakers specifically favor ( eɪŋ ). The Great Lakes dialect traditionally tenses / æ / in all cases, but reversals of that tensing before non-nasal consonants ( while often maintaining some of the other vowel shifts of the region ) has been observed recently where it has been studied, in Lansing and Syracuse. The NYC, Philadelphia, and Baltimore dialects ' rule of tensing / æ / in certain closed - syllable environments also applies to words inflectionally derived from those closed - syllable / æ / environments that now have an open - syllable / æ /. For example, in addition to pass being tense ( according to the general rule ), so are its open - syllable derivatives passing and passer - by, but not passive. Flapping of intervocalic / t / and / d / to alveolar tap ( ɾ ) before unstressed vowels ( as in `` butter '' ( ˈbʌɾəɹ ), `` party '' ( ˈpɑɹɾi ) ) and syllabic / l / ( `` bottle '' ( ˈbɑɾəɫ ) ), as well as at the end of a word or morpheme before any vowel ( `` what else '' ( wʌˈɾɛɫs ), `` whatever '' ( wʌˈɾɛvəɹ ) ). Thus, for most speakers, pairs such as ladder / latter, metal / medal, and coating / coding are pronounced the same, except with the stressed / aɪ / ( see below ). Canadian raising of / aɪ / : many speakers split the sound / aɪ / based on its presence before either a voiceless or voiced consonant, so that in writer it is pronounced ( ʌɪ ) but in rider it is pronounced ( äɪ ) ( because ( t ) is a voiceless consonant while ( d ) is voiced ). This is a form of Canadian raising but, unlike more extreme forms of that process, does not affect / aʊ /. In many areas and idiolects, a distinction between what elsewhere become homophones through this process is maintained by vowel lengthening in the vowel preceding the formerly voiced consonant, e.g., ( ˈɹʌɪɾɚ ) for `` writer '' as opposed to ( ˈɹäɪɾɚ ) for `` rider ''. Many speakers in the Inland North, North Central American English, and Philadelphia dialect areas raise / aɪ / before voiced consonants in certain words as well, particularly ( d ), ( g ) and ( n ). Hence, words like tiny, spider, cider, tiger, dinosaur, cyber -, beside, idle ( but sometimes not idol ), and fire may contain a raised nucleus. The use of ( ʌɪ ) rather than ( aɪ ) in such words is unpredictable from phonetic environment alone, though it may have to do with their acoustic similarity to other words that do contain ( ʌɪ ) before a voiceless consonant, per the traditional Canadian - raising system. Hence, some researchers have argued that there has been a phonemic split in these dialects ; the distribution of the two sounds is becoming more unpredictable among younger speakers. L - velarization : England 's typical distinction between a `` clear L '' ( i.e. ( l ) ) and a `` dark L '' ( i.e. ( ɫ ) or sometimes even ( ʟ ) ) is much less noticeable in nearly all dialects of American English ; it is often altogether absent. Instead, most U.S. speakers pronounce all `` L '' sounds with a tendency to be `` dark '', meaning with some degree of velarization. The only notable exceptions to this are in some Spanish - influenced U.S. English varieties ( such as East Coast Latino English, which typically shows a clear `` L '' in syllable onsets ) ; in New York City English, where the / l / is clear in prevocalic positions ; and in older, moribund Southern speech of the U.S., where `` L '' is clear in an intervocalic environment between front vowels. Both intervocalic / nt / and / n / may commonly be realized as ( ɾ̃ ) or simply ( n ), making winter and winner homophones in fast or non-careful speech. The vowel / ɪ / in unstressed syllables generally merges with / ə / ( weak - vowel merger ), so effect is pronounced like affect. Some mergers found in most varieties of both American and British English include : Horse -- hoarse merger, making the vowels / ɔ / and / o / before ' r ' homophones, with homophonous pairs like horse / hoarse, corps / core, for / four, morning / mourning, war / wore, etc. homophones. Wine -- whine merger, making pairs like wine / whine, wet / whet, Wales / whales, wear / where, etc. homophones, in most cases eliminating / ʍ /, the voiceless labiovelar fricative. Many older varieties of southern and western American English still keep these distinct, but the merger appears to be spreading. Vocabulary Main article : American English vocabulary The process of coining new lexical items started as soon as English - speaking British - American colonists began borrowing names for unfamiliar flora, fauna, and topography from the Native American languages. Examples of such names are opossum, raccoon, squash, moose ( from Algonquian ), wigwam, and moccasin. The languages of the other colonizing nations also added to the American vocabulary ; for instance, cookie, from Dutch ; kindergarten from German, levee from French ; and rodeo from Spanish. Landscape features are often loanwords from French or Spanish, and the word corn, used in England to refer to wheat ( or any cereal ), came to denote the maize plant, the most important crop in the U.S. Most Mexican Spanish contributions came after the War of 1812, with the opening of the West, like ranch ( now a common house style ). New forms of dwelling created new terms ( lot, waterfront ) and types of homes like log cabin, adobe in the 18th century ; apartment, shanty in the 19th century ; project, condominium, townhouse, mobile home in the 20th century ; and parts thereof ( driveway, breezeway, backyard ). Industry and material innovations from the 19th century onwards provide distinctive new words, phrases, and idioms through railroading ( see further at rail terminology ) and transportation terminology, ranging from types of roads ( dirt roads, freeways ) to infrastructure ( parking lot, overpass, rest area ), to automotive terminology often now standard in English internationally. Already existing English words -- such as store, shop, lumber -- underwent shifts in meaning ; others remained in the U.S. while changing in Britain. From the world of business and finance came new terms ( merger, downsize, bottom line ), from sports and gambling terminology came, specific jargon aside, common everyday American idioms, including many idioms related to baseball. The names of some American inventions remained largely confined to North America ( elevator, gasoline ) as did certain automotive terms ( truck, trunk ). New foreign loanwords came with 19th and early 20th century European immigration to the U.S. ; notably, from Yiddish ( chutzpah, schmooze ) and German ( hamburger, wiener ). A large number of English colloquialisms from various periods are American in origin ; some have lost their American flavor ( from OK and cool to nerd and 24 / 7 ), while others have not ( have a nice day, for sure ) ; many are now distinctly old - fashioned ( swell, groovy ). Some English words now in general use, such as hijacking, disc jockey, boost, bulldoze and jazz, originated as American slang. American English has always shown a marked tendency to use nouns as verbs. Examples of nouns that are now also verbs are interview, advocate, vacuum, lobby, pressure, rear - end, transition, feature, profile, spearhead, skyrocket, showcase, bad - mouth, vacation, major, and many others. Compounds coined in the U.S. are for instance foothill, landslide ( in all senses ), backdrop, teenager, brainstorm, bandwagon, hitchhike, smalltime, and a huge number of others. Some are euphemistic ( human resources, affirmative action, correctional facility ). Many compound nouns have the verb - and - preposition combination : stopover, lineup, tryout, spin - off, shootout, holdup, hideout, comeback, makeover, and many more. Some prepositional and phrasal verbs are in fact of American origin ( win out, hold up, back up / off / down / out, face up to and many others ). Noun endings such as - ee ( retiree ), - ery ( bakery ), - ster ( gangster ) and - cian ( beautician ) are also particularly productive in the U.S. Several verbs ending in - ize are of U.S. origin ; for example, fetishize, prioritize, burglarize, accessorize, weatherize, etc ; and so are some back - formations ( locate, fine - tune, curate, donate, emote, upholster and enthuse ). Among syntactical constructions that arose are outside of, headed for, meet up with, back of, etc. Americanisms formed by alteration of some existing words include notably pesky, phony, rambunctious, buddy, sundae, skeeter, sashay and kitty - corner. Adjectives that arose in the U.S. are, for example, lengthy, bossy, cute and cutesy, punk ( in all senses ), sticky ( of the weather ), through ( as in `` finished '' ), and many colloquial forms such as peppy or wacky. A number of words and meanings that originated in Middle English or Early Modern English and that have been in everyday use in the United States have since disappeared in most varieties of British English ; some of these have cognates in Lowland Scots. Terms such as fall ( `` autumn '' ), faucet ( `` tap '' ), diaper ( `` nappy '' ), candy ( `` sweets '' ), skillet, eyeglasses, and obligate are often regarded as Americanisms. Fall for example came to denote the season in 16th century England, a contraction of Middle English expressions like `` fall of the leaf '' and `` fall of the year ''. Gotten ( past participle of get ) is often considered to be largely an Americanism. Other words and meanings were brought back to Britain from the U.S., especially in the second half of the 20th century ; these include hire ( `` to employ '' ), I guess ( famously criticized by H.W. Fowler ), baggage, hit ( a place ), and the adverbs overly and presently ( `` currently '' ). Some of these, for example, monkey wrench and wastebasket, originated in 19th century Britain. The adjectives mad meaning `` angry '', smart meaning `` intelligent '', and sick meaning `` ill '' are also more frequent in American ( and Irish ) English than British English. Linguist Bert Vaux created a survey, completed in 2003, polling English speakers across the United States about their specific everyday word choices, hoping to identify regionalisms. The study found that most Americans prefer the term sub for a long sandwich, soda ( but pop in the Great Lakes region and generic coke in the South ) for a sweet and bubbly soft drink, you or you guys for the plural of you ( but y'all in the South ), sneakers for athletic shoes ( but often tennis shoes outside the Northeast ), and shopping cart for a cart used for carrying supermarket goods. Differences between British and American English Main article : Comparison of American and British English American English and British English ( BrE ) often differ at the levels of phonology, phonetics, vocabulary, and, to a much lesser extent, grammar and orthography. The first large American dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language, known as Webster 's Dictionary, was written by Noah Webster in 1828, codifying several of these spellings. Differences in grammar are relatively minor, and do not normally affect mutual intelligibility ; these include : different use of some auxiliary verbs ; formal ( rather than notional ) agreement with collective nouns ; different preferences for the past forms of a few verbs ( for example, AmE / BrE : learned / learnt, burned / burnt, snuck / sneaked, dove / dived ) although the purportedly `` British '' forms can occasionally be seen in American English writing as well ; different prepositions and adverbs in certain contexts ( for example, AmE in school, BrE at school ) ; and whether or not a definite article is used, in very few cases ( AmE to the hospital, BrE to hospital ; contrast, however, AmE actress Elizabeth Taylor, BrE the actress Elizabeth Taylor ). Often, these differences are a matter of relative preferences rather than absolute rules ; and most are not stable, since the two varieties are constantly influencing each other, and American English is not a standardized set of dialects. Differences in orthography are also minor. The main differences are that American English usually uses spellings such as flavor for British flavour, fiber for fibre, defense for defence, analyze for analyse, license for licence, catalog for catalogue and traveling for travelling. Noah Webster popularized such spellings in America, but he did not invent most of them. Rather, `` he chose already existing options (... ) on such grounds as simplicity, analogy or etymology ''. Other differences are due to the francophile tastes of the 19th century Victorian era Britain ( for example they preferred programme for program, manoeuvre for maneuver, cheque for check, etc. ). AmE almost always uses - ize in words like realize. BrE prefers - ise, but also uses - ize on occasion ( see Oxford spelling ). There are a few differences in punctuation rules. British English is more tolerant of run - on sentences, called `` comma splices '' in American English, and American English requires that periods and commas be placed inside closing quotation marks even in cases in which British rules would place them outside. American English also favors the double quotation mark over single. AmE sometimes favors words that are morphologically more complex, whereas BrE uses clipped forms, such as AmE transportation and BrE transport or where the British form is a back - formation, such as AmE burglarize and BrE burgle ( from burglar ). However, while individuals usually use one or the other, both forms will be widely understood and mostly used alongside each other within the two systems. British English also differs from American English in that `` schedule '' can be pronounced with either ( sk ) or ( ʃ ). See also United States portal Language portal Dictionary of American Regional English List of English words from indigenous languages of the Americas IPA chart for English Regional accents of English speakers Canadian English North American English International English Received Pronunciation Transatlantic accent American and British English spelling differences Notes Jump up ^ Dialects are considered `` rhotic '' if they pronounce the r sound in all historical environments, without ever `` dropping '' this sound. The father -- bother merger is the pronunciation of the unrounded / ɒ / vowel variant ( as in cot, lot, bother, etc. ) the same as the / ɑː / vowel ( as in spa, haha, Ma ), causing words like con and Kahn and like sob and Saab to sound identical, with the vowel usually realized in the back or middle of the mouth as ( ɑ ~ ä ). Finally, most of the U.S. participates in a continuous nasal system of the `` short a '' vowel ( in cat, trap, bath, etc. ), causing / æ / to be pronounced with the tongue raised and with a glide quality ( typically sounding like ( ɛə ) ) particularly when before a nasal consonant ; thus, mad is ( mæd ), but man is more like ( mɛən ). References Jump up ^ English ( United States ) at Ethnologue ( 18th ed., 2015 ) Jump up ^ `` Unified English Braille ( UEB ) ''. Braille Authority of North America ( BANA ). 2 November 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2017. Jump up ^ en - US is the language code for U.S. English, as defined by ISO standards ( see ISO 639 - 1 and ISO 3166 - 1 alpha - 2 ) and Internet standards ( see IETF language tag ). Jump up ^ Plichta, Bartlomiej, and Dennis R. Preston ( 2005 ). `` The / ay / s Have It : The Perception of / ay / as a North - South Stereotype in the United States English. '' Acta Linguistica Hafniensia 37.1 : 107 - 130. Jump up ^ Zentella, A.C. ( 1982 ). Spanish and English in contact in the United States : The Puerto Rican experience. Word, 33 ( 1 - 2 ), 41. Jump up ^ Crystal, David ( 1997 ). English as a Global Language. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 - 521 - 53032 - 6. Jump up ^ Crawford, James ( 1 February 2012 ). `` Language Legislation in the U.S.A. '' languagepolicy.net. Retrieved 29 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` U.S. English Efforts Lead West Virginia to Become 32nd State to Recognize English as Official Language ''. us-english.org. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016. Jump up ^ `` 48 U.S. Code § 864 - Appeals, certiorari, removal of causes, etc. ; use of English language LII / Legal Information Institute ''. Law.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2015 - 06 - 01. Jump up ^ Kretzchmar, William A. ( 2004 ), Kortmann, Bernd ; Schneider, Edgar W., eds., A Handbook of Varieties of English, Berlin / New York : Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 262 -- 263, ISBN 9783110175325 Jump up ^ Labov, William ( 2010 ). `` Chapter 1 ''. The Politics of Language Change : Dialect Divergence in America. The University of Virginia Press. Pre-publication draft. p. 55. Jump up ^ Labov, William ( 2012 ). Dialect diversity in America : The politics of language change. University of Virginia Press. pp. 1 - 2. Jump up ^ Kretzchmar, William A. ( 2004 ), Kortmann, Bernd ; Schneider, Edgar W., eds., A Handbook of Varieties of English, Berlin / New York : Mouton de Gruyter, p. 262, ISBN 9783110175325 ^ Jump up to : `` Do You Speak American : What Lies Ahead ''. PBS. Retrieved 2007 - 08 - 15. Jump up ^ Labov, William. 2012. Dialect diversity in America : the politics of language change. Charlottesville : University of Virginia Press. ^ Jump up to : Labov, William ( 2010 ). The Politics of Language Change : Dialect Divergence in America. The University of Virginia Press. Pre-publication draft. p. 53 - 4. Jump up ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 148 ) ^ Jump up to : Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 141 ) Jump up ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 123 -- 4 ) Jump up ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 135 ) ^ Jump up to : Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 237 ) Jump up ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 271 -- 2 ) Jump up ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 130 ) Jump up ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 133 ) ^ Jump up to : Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 125 ) Jump up ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 127, 254 ) Jump up ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 124, 229 ) Jump up ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 124 ) ^ Jump up to : Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 137, 141 ) ^ Jump up to : Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 230 ) Jump up ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 231 ) Jump up ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 107 ) Jump up ^ Hayes, Dean ( 2013 ). `` The Southern Accent and ' Bad English ' : A Comparative Perceptual Study of the Conceptual Network between Southern Linguistic Features and Identity ''. UNM Digital Repository : Electronic Theses and Dissertations. p. 63. Jump up ^ Hayes, 2013, p. vi. Jump up ^ Hayes, 2013, p. 51. Jump up ^ Hayes, 2013, p. 39. Jump up ^ Wagner, S.E. ; Mason, A. ; Nesbitt, M. ; Pevan, E. ; Savage, M. ( 2016 ). `` Reversal and re-organization of the Northern Cities Shift in Michigan '' ( PDF ). University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics 22.2 : Selected Papers from NWAV 44. Jump up ^ Driscoll, Anna ; Lape, Emma ( 2015 ). `` Reversal of the Northern Cities Shift in Syracuse, New York ''. University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics. 21 ( 2 ). Jump up ^ Mumford, Tracy. `` A crash course in the Minnesota accent ''. Jump up ^ Cf. Trudgill, p. 42. Jump up ^ North American English ( Trudgill, p. 2 ) is a collective term used for the varieties of the English language that are spoken in both the United States and Canada. Jump up ^ `` What Is the Difference between Theater and Theatre ? ''. Wisegeek.org. 2015 - 05 - 15. Retrieved 2015 - 06 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Early Mainland Residues in Southern Hiberno - English ''. 20. doi : 10.2307 / 25484343. JSTOR 25484343. Retrieved 29 May 2013. Jump up ^ A Handbook of Varieties of English, Bernd Kortmann & Edgar W. Schneider, Walter de Gruyter, 2004, p. 317. Jump up ^ Labov, p. 48. Jump up ^ Trudgill, pp. 46 -- 47. Jump up ^ Wells, John C. ( 1982 ). Accents of English. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. pp. 136 -- 37, 203 -- 6, 234, 245 -- 47, 339 -- 40, 400, 419, 443, 576. ISBN 0 - 521 - 22919 - 7. 0 - 521 - 22919 - 7 ( vol. 1 ), ISBN 0 - 521 - 24224 - X ( vol. 2 ), ISBN 0 - 521 - 24225 - 8 ( vol. 3 ) Jump up ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 171 ) Jump up ^ Labov, Ash & Boberg ( 2006 : 61 ) Jump up ^ According to Merriam - Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. Jump up ^ `` Want : meaning and definitions ''. Dictionary.infoplease.com. Retrieved 29 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` want. The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language : Fourth Edition. 2000 ''. Bartleby.com. Archived from the original on 2008 - 01 - 09. Retrieved 29 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` Want -- Definition and More from the Free Merriam - Webster Dictionary ''. M-w.com. Retrieved 29 May 2013. Jump up ^ J.C. Wells. Accents of English. 3. Cambridge University Press. pp. 481 -- 482. Jump up ^ Labov, William ; Ash, Sharon ; Boberg, Charles ( 2006 ). The Atlas of North American English. Berlin : Mouton de Gruyter. p. 182. ISBN 3 - 11 - 016746 - 8. Jump up ^ Trager, George L. ( 1940 ) One Phonemic Entity Becomes Two : The Case of ' Short A ' in American Speech : 3rd ed. Vol. 15 : Duke UP. 256. Print. Jump up ^ Freuhwald, Josef T. ( November 11, 2007 ). `` The Spread of Raising : Opacity, lexicalization, and diffusion ''. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved September 21, 2016. Jump up ^ Grzegorz Dogil, Susanne Maria Reiterer, and Walter de Gruyter, eds. ( 2009 ). `` general + american '' + `` velarized '' Language Talent and Brain Activity : Trends in Applied Linguistics. Walter de Gruyter GmbH. p. 299. CS1 maint : Uses editors parameter ( link ) Jump up ^ Wells ( 1982 : 490 ) Jump up ^ Wells, John C. ( April 8, 1982 ). Accents of English : Vowel 3 : Beyond the British Isles. Cambridge University Press. p. 515. Jump up ^ A Handbook of Varieties of English, Bernd Kortmann & Edgar W. Schneider, Walter de Gruyter, 2004, p. 319. ^ Jump up to : Principles of English etymology : The native element - Walter William Skeat. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2015 - 06 - 01. Jump up ^ `` You Already Know Some German Words ! ''. Retrieved 9 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` '' The history of Mexican folk foodways of South Texas : Street vendors, o '' by Mario Montano ``. Repository.upenn.edu. 1992 - 01 - 01. Retrieved 2015 - 06 - 01. Jump up ^ What 's in a Word ? : Etymological Gossip about Some Interesting English Words - Robert M. Gorrell. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2015 - 06 - 01. Jump up ^ The Pocket Gophers of the United States - Vernon Bailey. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2015 - 06 - 01. Jump up ^ The American Language : A Preliminary Inquiry Into the Development of English... - H.L. Mencken. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2015 - 06 - 01. Jump up ^ A few of these are now chiefly found, or have been more productive, outside the U.S. ; for example, jump, `` to drive past a traffic signal '' ; block meaning `` building '', and center, `` central point in a town '' or `` main area for a particular activity '' ( cf. Oxford English Dictionary ). Jump up ^ `` The Maven 's Word of the Day : gesundheit ''. Random House. Retrieved 29 May 2013. Jump up ^ Trudgill, Peter ( 2004 ). New - Dialect Formation : The Inevitability of Colonial Englishes. Jump up ^ `` Definition of day noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner 's Dictionary ''. Oup.com. Retrieved 29 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` Definition of sure adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner 's Dictionary ''. Oup.com. Retrieved 29 May 2013. ^ Jump up to : Trudgill, p. 69. Jump up ^ British author George Orwell ( in English People, 1947, cited in OED s.v. lose ) criticized an alleged `` American tendency '' to `` burden every verb with a preposition that adds nothing to its meaning ( win out, lose out, face up to, etc. ) ''. Jump up ^ Harper, Douglas. `` fall ''. Online Etymology Dictionary. Jump up ^ A Handbook of Varieties of English, Bernd Kortmann & Edgar W. Schneider, Walter de Gruyter, 2004, p. 115. Jump up ^ `` angry ''. Oxford Advanced Learner 's Dictionary. Archived from the original on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` intelligent ''. Oxford Advanced Learner 's Dictionary. Archived from the original on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` Definition of ill adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner 's Dictionary ''. Oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com. Archived from the original on 2013 - 05 - 27. Retrieved 29 May 2013. Jump up ^ Vaux, Bert and Scott Golder. 2003. The Harvard Dialect Survey Archived 2016 - 04 - 30 at the Wayback Machine... Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Linguistics Department. Jump up ^ Katz, Joshua ( 2013 ). `` Beyond ' Soda, Pop, or Coke. ' North Carolina State University. Jump up ^ Algeo, John ( 2006 ). British or American English ?. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 - 521 - 37993 - 8. Jump up ^ Algeo, John. `` The Effects of the Revolution on Language '', in A Companion to the American Revolution. John Wiley & Sons, 2008. p. 599 Jump up ^ Peters, Pam ( 2004 ). The Cambridge Guide to English Usage. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 - 521 - 62181 - X, pp. 34 and 511. Jump up ^ `` Punctuating Around Quotation Marks '' ( blog ). Style Guide of the American Psychological Association. 2011. Retrieved 2015 - 03 - 21. Jump up ^ Jones, Daniel ( 1991 ). English Pronouncing Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521425865. Bibliography Labov, William ; Ash, Sharon ; Boberg, Charles ( 2006 ). The Atlas of North American English. Berlin : Mouton de Gruyter. ISBN 3 - 11 - 016746 - 8. Further reading Bailey, Richard W. ( 2012 ). Speaking American : A History of English in the United States 20th - 21st century usage in different cities Bartlett, John R. ( 1848 ). Dictionary of Americanisms : A Glossary of Words and Phrases Usually Regarded As Peculiar to the United States. New York : Bartlett and Welford. Garner, Bryan A. ( 2003 ). Garner 's Modern American Usage. New York : Oxford University Press. Mencken, H.L. ( 1977 ) ( 1921 ). The American Language : An Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States ( 4th ed. ). New York : Knopf. History of American English Bailey, Richard W. ( 2004 ). `` American English : Its origins and history ''. In E. Finegan & J.R. Rickford ( Eds. ), Language in the USA : Themes for the twenty - first century ( pp. 3 -- 17 ). Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. Finegan, Edward. ( 2006 ). `` English in North America ''. In R. Hogg & D. Denison ( Eds. ), A history of the English language ( pp. 384 -- 419 ). Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. External links Look up American English in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article Americanisms. Wikiversity has learning resources about American English Do You Speak American : PBS special Dialect Survey of the United States, by Bert Vaux et al., Harvard University. 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speaking world Click on a coloured area to see an article about English in that country or region Further links Articles English - speaking world History of the English language British Empire English in the Commonwealth of Nations Anglosphere Lists List of countries by English - speaking population List of countries where English is an official language Countries and territories where English is the national language or the native language of the majority Africa Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Americas Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda The Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda British Virgin Islands Canada Cayman Islands Dominica Falkland Islands Grenada Guyana Jamaica Montserrat Saba Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands United States United States Virgin Islands Europe Guernsey Ireland Isle of Man Jersey United Kingdom Oceania Australia New Zealand Norfolk Island Pitcairn Islands Countries and territories where English is an official language, but not the majority first language Africa Botswana Cameroon eSwatini The Gambia Ghana Kenya Lesotho Liberia Malawi Mauritius Namibia Nigeria Rwanda Sierra Leone Somaliland South Africa South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Americas Puerto Rico Asia Christmas Island Cocos ( Keeling ) Islands Hong Kong India Pakistan Philippines Singapore Europe Gibraltar Akrotiri and Dhekelia Malta Oceania American Samoa Cook Islands Fiji Guam Kiribati Marshall Islands Micronesia Nauru Niue Northern Mariana Islands Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tokelau Tuvalu Vanuatu Dependencies shown in italics. Languages of the United States Languages in italics are extinct. English Dialects of American English African - American English Appalachian English Baltimore English Boston English Cajun English California English Chicano English Eastern New England English General American English High Tider English Inland Northern American English Miami English Mid-Atlantic American / Delaware Valley English Maine English Midland American English New England Englishes New Mexican Englishes New Orleans English New York City English New York Latino English Northern American English North - Central American English Ozark English Pacific Northwest English Pennsylvania Dutch English Philadelphia English Puerto Rican English Southern American English Texan English Tidewater English Transatlantic English Upper Michigan English Western American English Western New England English Western Pennsylvania English Yeshiva English Oral Indigenous Languages Families Algic Abenaki Anishinnabemowin Arapaho Blackfoot Cheyenne Cree Fox Gros Ventre Mahican Massachusett Menominee Mi'kmaq Mohegan - Pequot Munsee Myaamia Nanticoke Narragansett Pamlico Potawatomi Powhatan Quiripi Shawnee Unami Etchemin Loup Nawathinehena Austronesian Chamorro Hawaiian Refaluwasch Samoan Tokelauan Caddoan Arikara Caddo Wichita Kitsai Chinookan Kathlamet Tsinúk Upper Chinook Chumashan Barbareño Cruzeño Obispeño Purisimeño Ventureño Dené -- Yeniseian Ahtna Deg Xinag Dena'ina Gwich'in Hän Hupa Jicarilla Koyukon Lower Tanana Mescalero - Chiricahua Navajo Tanacross Tolowa Upper Kuskokwim Upper Tanana Western Apache Cahto Eyak Holikachuk Kwalhioqua - Clatskanie Lipan Mattole Plains Apache Tsetsaut Tututni Upper Umpqua Wailaki Eskaleut Inuit Inupiat Aleut Alutiiq Central Alaskan Yup'ik Central Siberian Yupik Chevak Cup'ik Iroquoian Cayuga Cherokee Mohawk Oneida Onondaga Osage Seneca Tuscarora Wyandot Erie Neutral Huron Nottoway Susquehannock Wenrohronon Kalapuyan Central Kalapuya Northern Kalapuya Yoncalla Keresan Cochiti Pueblo San Felipe -- Santo Domingo Zia -- Santa Ana Pueblos Western Keres Acoma Pueblo Laguna Pueblo Maiduan Konkow Maidu Nisenan Chico Muskogean Alabama Chickasaw Choctaw Koasati Mikasuki Muscogee Apalachee Palaihnihan Achumawi Atsugewi Plateau Penutian Nez Perce Sahaptin Klamath Molala Pomoan Central Pomo Eastern Pomo Kashaya Southeastern Pomo Southern Pomo Northeastern Pomo Northern Pomo Salishan Coeur d'Alene Columbia - Moses Halkomelem Klallam Lushootseed Nooksack North Straits Salish Okanagan Salish Thompson Twana Cowlitz Lower Chehalis Quinault Tillamook Upper Chehalis Siouan Assiniboine Crow Dakota Hidatsa Kansa Lakota Mandan Omaha -- Ponca Quapaw Stoney Winnebago Biloxi Catawba Chiwere Mitchigamea Moneton Ofo Tutelo - Saponi Woccon Tanoan Jemez Kiowa Picuris Southern Tiwa Taos Tewa Piro Pueblo Tsimshianic Coast Tsimshian Uto - Aztecan Comanche Hopi Ivilyuat Kawaiisu Kitanemuk Luiseño Mono Northern Paiute O'odham Serrano Shoshoni Timbisha Tübatulabal Ute - Chemehuevi Yaqui Cupeño Tongva Wakashan Makah Wintuan Nomlaki Patwin Wintu Yuk - Utian Central Sierra Miwok Southern Sierra Miwok Tule - Kaweah Yokuts Valley Yokuts Bay Miwok Buena Vista Yokuts Coast Miwok Gashowu Yokuts Kings River Yokuts Lake Miwok Northern Sierra Miwok Palewyami Plains Miwok Yuman -- Cochimí Cocopah Havasupai -- Hualapai Ipai Kumeyaay Maricopa Mojave Quechan Tiipai Yavapai Others Isolates Haida Karuk Kutenai Siuslaw Washo Yuchi Zuni Chitimacha Tonkawa Mixed or Trade Languages Chinook Jargon Michif Mohawk Dutch Manual Indigenous languages Hand Talk Anishinaabe Sign Language Blackfoot Sign Language Cheyenne Sign Language Cree Sign Language Navajo Sign Language Plateau Sign Language Isolates Hawai'i Sign Language Inuk Sign Language Keresan Pueblo Navajo Family Sign Language Oral settler languages French Louisiana Cajun Colonial Métis Missouri Muskrat New England German Pennsylvania Dutch Hutterite Plautdietsch Bernese Alsatian Texas Spanish Caló ( Chicano ) New Mexican Puerto Rican Isleño Manual settler languages Francosign American Sign Language Black American Sign Language Pro-Tactile American Sign Language Puerto Rican Sign Language BANZSL Samoan Sign Language Kentish Martha 's Vineyard Sign Language Isolates Sandy River Valley Sign Language Henniker Sign Language Immigrant languages ( number of speakers in 2010 in millions ) Spanish ( 37 ) Varieties of Chinese ( 3 ) French ( 2 ) Tagalog ( 1.6 ) Vietnamese ( 1.4 ) German ( 1.1 ) Korean ( 1.1 ) Arabic ( 0.9 ) Russian ( 0.9 ) Italian ( 0.7 ) Portuguese ( 0.7 ) Polish ( 0.6 ) Hindi ( 0.6 ) Persian ( 0.4 ) Urdu ( 0.4 ) Gujarati ( 0.4 ) Japanese ( 0.4 ) Greek ( 0.3 ) Bosnian / Croatian / Serbian language in the United States ( 0.3 ) Armenian ( 0.2 ) Khmer ( 0.2 ) Hmong ( 0.2 ) Hebrew ( 0.2 ) Laotian ( 0.2 ) Yiddish ( 0.2 ) BNF : cb126474421 ( data ) GND : 4094804 - 3 NDL : 00560167 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_English&oldid=866376946 '' Categories : American English English dialects English language Languages of the United States North American English Languages attested from the 17th century 17th - century establishments in North America Hidden categories : Language articles citing Ethnologue 18 CS1 maint : Uses editors parameter Webarchive template wayback links Use American English from March 2017 All Wikipedia articles written in American English Languages without Glottolog code Language articles with IETF language tag Dialects of languages with ISO 639 - 3 code Articles with hAudio microformats Wikipedia articles needing clarification from May 2017 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2010 Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with NDL identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Aragonés Azərbaycanca Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Български Brezhoneg Català Čeština Corsu Deutsch Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Frysk 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua Italiano עברית ქართული Latina Magyar Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Română Русский Саха тыла Sardu සිංහල Simple English کوردی Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 粵語 中文 42 more Edit links This page was last edited on 29 October 2018, at 23 : 55 ( UTC ). 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Question: how did the english language spread to america
Answer: English and British colonization of the Americas