Varieties

While American English has 225 million speakers, British English has 60 million, making it the second most-used language. The other essential varieties of English are Australian English, New Zealand English, Canadian English, South African English, Irish English, and Indian English.

English has a wide diversity of accents that sound distinct and exquisite from place to place. Aside from the accents, there is a tendency for people to mix English with their local dialect to form a hybrid variety of the language that is as colourful as the culture in that country.

## Varieties of English

### British English

As seen on this Wiki, British English is one of the wide varieties people use in speech or writing across the United Kingdom, or more specifically, throughout Britain. However, slight regional variations exist in formal, written English in the country.

Received pronunciation, varyingly known as "Queen's English (now "King's English")", "Oxford English", or "BBC English", is the accent usually denominated as British English. Received pronunciation is commonly abbreviated to "RP". The above terms are misleading because Queen Elizabeth II spoke an almost unique form of English, while the English heard at Oxford University or on the BBC is no longer restricted to one type of accent. In the UK, accents and dialects spread far and wide, each evidence of the society's continuity and change, the local history and everyday lives.

Go to the "British English" page for more on this subject.

### American English

American English, commonly known as "United States English" or abbreviated as "U.S. English", is a popular language in the United States. It is one of the two most common varieties of English, along with British English - they contrast in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. However, people who speak them can easily understand one another.

The constitution of American English is of many regional kinds - for example, speakers from Southern US, New York and New England sound different. When teaching or learning American English, one might use General American English, the kind of English that educated Americans use on television and in the media. American English is described as "the English language as spoken in the U.S. used especially with the implication that it is distinguishable from British English yet not so divergent as to be a separate language" in the Mirrium-Webster dictionary.

Go to the "American English" page for more on this subject.

### Australian British

Australian English is considered to be a significant variation of English. Following the establishment of the Colony of New South Wales in the 18th century, Australian English initially deviated and has been conceded as distinctly different from British English for nearly 200 years. It emerged as settlers from Britain, Ireland and Germany gathered together.

Linguistically, Australian English takes features from British and American English, so it is sometimes considered a combination of the two variations. However, it is crucial to understand that there are many unique features, including exclusive vocabulary. Learning the specific features can be beneficial to anyone planning on travelling to the country or hoping to find work in the future. So, with that in mind, here is our quick guide to Australian English.

Go to the "American English" page for more on this subject.

### New Zealand English

New Zealand English is a variety of English that some native speakers find difficult to understand.  The 1880s was a new beginning for how New Zealanders spoke; before this, they spoke similarly to their parents - who were possibly Scottish or Irish.

Following the 1790s, the British visited the country while the French and Americans started whaling, stealing, and trading ships. Their crews traded European goods with the indigenous Māori, who arrived in the country on a canoe over a thousand years ago. In 1840, The British government and the Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, marking the beginning of European settlement in New Zealand. Many former and escaped convicts, sailors, explorers, and traders from Australia were the first to settle in the country.

In addition to the Māori language and New Zealand Sign Language. English is the official language in New Zealand, but how it sounds in New Zealand may be different from how it says in the United Kingdom or the United States. Occasionally referred to as a "colonial twang", the New Zealand accent is unique, and some people mistake it for the Australian accent. Still, there is a difference - it is somewhat softer. It is said to be based on the pronunciation of southeast England, where many of the first European settlers came from. There are also many English words that even Australians need to recognise.