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Do an american speak english?
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"They do but with this I mean in sweden we say they speak american and not english, how do say it here?"
I'd say they use the English language, adjusted to cater for their own colloquial and cultural needs.
Never understand why people get hung up by Americanisms. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"They do but with this I mean in sweden we say they speak american and not english, how do say it here?
I'd say they use the English language, adjusted to cater for their own colloquial and cultural needs.
Never understand why people get hung up by Americanisms."
Yes. I found it to be quite interesting and yes they have made it to their version of it. |
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Surely in Sweden they speak Swedish? I know they are amazingly good at speaking English but Swedish is their language.
I've never though of anybody speaking "American". I do think of people speaking American English. |
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They actually use a lot of older English words still that we don’t. It’s obviously a branch or the same language.
It’s actually really interesting to think about what words the American English dictionary includes/lacks compares to British English.
Hmmmm |
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"They actually use a lot of older English words still that we don’t. It’s obviously a branch or the same language.
It’s actually really interesting to think about what words the American English dictionary includes/lacks compares to British English.
Hmmmm "
Given that a lot of words, and pronunciations have been watered down over the years, would it be better if we all spoke Chaucerian?  |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Surely in Sweden they speak Swedish? I know they are amazingly good at speaking English but Swedish is their language.
I've never though of anybody speaking "American". I do think of people speaking American English. "
I know but in sweden you learn it that way with some nationalities and their languages, it kind of is a trick question too, but a fun one. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"They speak dialects of English."
That's a good way of putting it, but isn't that applicable to England itself also? I've visited parts of England where I've no idea what they were saying! |
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"They speak dialects of English.
That's a good way of putting it, but isn't that applicable to England itself also? I've visited parts of England where I've no idea what they were saying!"
Sure. There are multiple dialects of English in England. Why not? |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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My daughter is 1/4 Swedish, so we've spent a fair bit of time there. The Swedes we've met generally use an American style of English, but it's still English, isn't it?
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"My daughter is 1/4 Swedish, so we've spent a fair bit of time there. The Swedes we've met generally use an American style of English, but it's still English, isn't it?
"
Well tbf it's a Swedish style of English, it just sounds a bit similar to American due to culture and media.....  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"They speak dialects of English.
That's a good way of putting it, but isn't that applicable to England itself also? I've visited parts of England where I've no idea what they were saying!
Sure. There are multiple dialects of English in England. Why not?"
It was a rhetorical question. |
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"They actually use a lot of older English words still that we don’t. It’s obviously a branch or the same language.
It’s actually really interesting to think about what words the American English dictionary includes/lacks compares to British English.
Hmmmm
Given that a lot of words, and pronunciations have been watered down over the years, would it be better if we all spoke Chaucerian? "
Not at all. British English will always be the correct English  I’m not saying they speak a purer form. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"My daughter is 1/4 Swedish, so we've spent a fair bit of time there. The Swedes we've met generally use an American style of English, but it's still English, isn't it?
Well tbf it's a Swedish style of English, it just sounds a bit similar to American due to culture and media..... "
Ooops, I totally misread the OP....   |
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"They speak dialects of English.
That's a good way of putting it, but isn't that applicable to England itself also? I've visited parts of England where I've no idea what they were saying!"
Its called dumbing down, a prime example is the american word burglarize, a house that is broken in has been burgled by a burglar but the sloppy americans just add ize on the end because they think it makes them sound intelligent. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"They speak dialects of English.
That's a good way of putting it, but isn't that applicable to England itself also? I've visited parts of England where I've no idea what they were saying!
Its called dumbing down, a prime example is the american word burglarize, a house that is broken in has been burgled by a burglar but the sloppy americans just add ize on the end because they think it makes them sound intelligent."
Woahhhh, irrational American hating....?  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Her Majesty the Queen said that there's no such thing like American English. There's English and there are mistakes
I find it really funny even though I'm not English native speaker and yes I do many mistakes and misspellings |
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So firstly, Americans speak English but NOT the Queen's as they call it, or more commonly known as British English "like what we do ere" lol
Interesting/useless fact, the official language in America was very nearly German since there was a big German community at the time of formation.
An American friend of mine used to say they do speak English "it's just bastardised M" lol |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"So firstly, Americans speak English but NOT the Queen's as they call it, or more commonly known as British English "like what we do ere" lol
Interesting/useless fact, the official language in America was very nearly German since there was a big German community at the time of formation.
An American friend of mine used to say they do speak English "it's just bastardised M" lol"
Great interesting fact. Imaging Trump speaking German. |
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"They speak dialects of English.
I think its much more than a regional variation. It differs in grammar, spelling, vocabulary, pronunciation and even meaning. "
... Which is exactly what a dialect is. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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It always makes me giggle when I'm choosing the installation language for a computer program, and the options are either the British flag with "English" next to it, or the American flag with "English (Simplified)"  |
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"So firstly, Americans speak English but NOT the Queen's as they call it, or more commonly known as British English "like what we do ere" lol
Interesting/useless fact, the official language in America was very nearly German since there was a big German community at the time of formation.
An American friend of mine used to say they do speak English "it's just bastardised M" lol"
They certainly debated having German as the official language, until someone pointed out that they were having the discussion in English.
American English was stuck in a stagnant backwater of language for centuries, whilst the British empire went out, painted the globe pink and borrowed words from around the globe.
'Trash' is often derided as a dreadful Americanism, but it was used by Shakespeare (in Othello). The queen's English moved on but American didn't. |
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By *aitonelMan
over a year ago
Away for Christmas |
"They speak dialects of English.
I think its much more than a regional variation. It differs in grammar, spelling, vocabulary, pronunciation and even meaning.
... Which is exactly what a dialect is."
This is all there is too it really. Just like with Mexican Spanish, French Canadian. Australian English is no different from American English, in that they are both dialects of English.
You have the base language, then the national dialect (same language but variations based on the country) and then within national dialect you would have regional dialect.
Its a bit more technical than that but essentially that is how it works.
Eventually if enough words are changed to the point that a native English speaker no longer understands the majority of American English, then it would be a different language. That would be an extremely long way off from happening. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"My daughter is 1/4 Swedish, so we've spent a fair bit of time there. The Swedes we've met generally use an American style of English, but it's still English, isn't it?
Well tbf it's a Swedish style of English, it just sounds a bit similar to American due to culture and media.....
Ooops, I totally misread the OP.... "
That is fine pal, do you visit sweden as she is some of it too?  |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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Another example would be of how we say what they speak in australia and canada, it would be australiensiska and kanadensiska, the only country we say who speak english is to england. |
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"Another example would be of how we say what they speak in australia and canada, it would be australiensiska and kanadensiska, the only country we say who speak english is to england."
Australian English, Canadian English |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Another example would be of how we say what they speak in australia and canada, it would be australiensiska and kanadensiska, the only country we say who speak english is to england.
Australian English, Canadian English"
Yes that is how they would say they speak in the english system. |
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"Another example would be of how we say what they speak in australia and canada, it would be australiensiska and kanadensiska, the only country we say who speak english is to england.
Australian English, Canadian EnglishYes that is how they would say they speak in the english system."
And the Australian and Canadian indigenous languages? |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"In my experience Americans generally speak better English than the English do.  "
I guess that depends on how you were dragged up
Having worked with them a lot in my past life, some do but a lot don't, due to the history I think. So many different languages coming together and mingling right from the start is bound to form a "New language"... |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Another example would be of how we say what they speak in australia and canada, it would be australiensiska and kanadensiska, the only country we say who speak english is to england.
Australian English, Canadian EnglishYes that is how they would say they speak in the english system.
And the Australian and Canadian indigenous languages?"
Yes and we call those languages the "ursprungliga språken" |
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"Another example would be of how we say what they speak in australia and canada, it would be australiensiska and kanadensiska, the only country we say who speak english is to england.
Australian English, Canadian EnglishYes that is how they would say they speak in the english system.
And the Australian and Canadian indigenous languages?Yes and we call those languages the "ursprungliga språken" "
Ah. Yes, that makes sense.
I'd personally not want to attach English to Australia due to the colonial history. (Talking to what I know) That's problematic. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Another example would be of how we say what they speak in australia and canada, it would be australiensiska and kanadensiska, the only country we say who speak english is to england.
Australian English, Canadian EnglishYes that is how they would say they speak in the english system.
And the Australian and Canadian indigenous languages?Yes and we call those languages the "ursprungliga språken"
Ah. Yes, that makes sense.
I'd personally not want to attach English to Australia due to the colonial history. (Talking to what I know) That's problematic."
Yes sometimes there are no direct translations from the swedish words and same here each country should have their own language name like they speak, american, austrailian, canadian and so on would be better I reckon too. |
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By *abioMan
over a year ago
Newcastle and Gateshead |
"They do but with this I mean in sweden we say they speak american and not english, how do say it here?"
I think its the difference between the written language and the spoken language..
written... almost the same (except for that pesky "u" thing)
spoken.. it is a lot further apart.... |
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"Another example would be of how we say what they speak in australia and canada, it would be australiensiska and kanadensiska, the only country we say who speak english is to england.
Australian English, Canadian EnglishYes that is how they would say they speak in the english system.
And the Australian and Canadian indigenous languages?Yes and we call those languages the "ursprungliga språken"
Ah. Yes, that makes sense.
I'd personally not want to attach English to Australia due to the colonial history. (Talking to what I know) That's problematic.Yes sometimes there are no direct translations from the swedish words and same here each country should have their own language name like they speak, american, austrailian, canadian and so on would be better I reckon too."
Yes, of course different languages denote things in different ways.
But I think Australian English should be denoted as English, never "Australian", which should be reserved for the indigenous languages. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"They actually use a lot of older English words still that we don’t. It’s obviously a branch or the same language.
It’s actually really interesting to think about what words the American English dictionary includes/lacks compares to British English.
Hmmmm
Given that a lot of words, and pronunciations have been watered down over the years, would it be better if we all spoke Chaucerian? "
Forsook, thou speakst good sense, good my lord. |
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"They do but with this I mean in sweden we say they speak american and not english, how do say it here?"
American is from old English, it is us in England who has changed it, especially in the last 2 decades, it is changing all the time, 1940's 1950's alone seems like a different language to today's standard English on pronunciation and vocabularies
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"They do but with this I mean in sweden we say they speak american and not english, how do say it here? American is from old English, it is us in England who has changed it, especially in the last 2 decades, it is changing all the time, 1940's 1950's alone seems like a different language to today's standard English on pronunciation and vocabularies"
Some of the variation tells you about when dialects diverge.
So when US English diverged the word "attorney" was in wide use in England. They retain it. By the time Australian English began to diverge, "solicitor" was in use in England, so that's the term in Australia. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Another example would be of how we say what they speak in australia and canada, it would be australiensiska and kanadensiska, the only country we say who speak english is to england.
Australian English, Canadian EnglishYes that is how they would say they speak in the english system.
And the Australian and Canadian indigenous languages?Yes and we call those languages the "ursprungliga språken"
Ah. Yes, that makes sense.
I'd personally not want to attach English to Australia due to the colonial history. (Talking to what I know) That's problematic.Yes sometimes there are no direct translations from the swedish words and same here each country should have their own language name like they speak, american, austrailian, canadian and so on would be better I reckon too.
Yes, of course different languages denote things in different ways.
But I think Australian English should be denoted as English, never "Australian", which should be reserved for the indigenous languages."
Yes I think so to it should be that |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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From my understanding of the differences in pronunciation between American and British English is from the way Americans are taught to pronounce words phonetically as they appear in the written form (this was an attempt at bringing English in line with other languages where words phonetically spelt are more common).
Which is why Americans can pronounce Leicester as Lycester and the British pronounce it as Lester (I tend to think the spoken British version has changed while the written word hasn't).
In British and American English though there were no standard spellings or pronunciations until an actual dictionary had been published (in Britain 1755 and in America 1828) - thus you get a divergence in spelling (Shakespeare used both color and colour for example).
In Britain those who preferred the Norman or Anglo-French spellings had more influence (interestingly for USA 'el color' is Spanish for colour). |
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"They speak dialects of English.
I think its much more than a regional variation. It differs in grammar, spelling, vocabulary, pronunciation and even meaning.
... Which is exactly what a dialect is."
Alreeeeet Lass, as I said earlier up the thread, sadly many dialects have been watered down over the years. When I grew up, I could tell the difference between an Ilkeston, Heanor, Ripley and a Belper dialect. Sadly that's not true anymore  |
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"They speak dialects of English.
I think its much more than a regional variation. It differs in grammar, spelling, vocabulary, pronunciation and even meaning.
... Which is exactly what a dialect is.
Alreeeeet Lass, as I said earlier up the thread, sadly many dialects have been watered down over the years. When I grew up, I could tell the difference between an Ilkeston, Heanor, Ripley and a Belper dialect. Sadly that's not true anymore "
Definitely. Travel and globalisation. |
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"They speak dialects of English.
I think its much more than a regional variation. It differs in grammar, spelling, vocabulary, pronunciation and even meaning.
... Which is exactly what a dialect is.
Alreeeeet Lass, as I said earlier up the thread, sadly many dialects have been watered down over the years. When I grew up, I could tell the difference between an Ilkeston, Heanor, Ripley and a Belper dialect. Sadly that's not true anymore
Definitely. Travel and globalisation."
Well let me tell you Sheila, after you've slung another prawn on the barbie,(this is ma best Aussie accent ), I think a lot of it has got to do with people watching global TV innit Sis |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"In my experience Americans generally speak better English than the English do."
I am not so sure about that, posh english is the best accent like in jane eyre.
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"In my experience Americans generally speak better English than the English do.I am not so sure about that, posh english is the best accent like in jane eyre."
Well they certainly speak louder English, you can usually hear them a few tables away |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"In my experience Americans generally speak better English than the English do.I am not so sure about that, posh english is the best accent like in jane eyre.
Well they certainly speak louder English, you can usually hear them a few tables away "
That is right, they do that too. |
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