The American Language

[mrpharr]

I thought the membership would be interested in this after reading a breif tangent on a thread in the main kilt forum. Since there is considerable representation from both the United States and United Kingdom, as well as representation from other English speaking areas and even from non-English speaking countries, I think we can get a wide array of viewpoints.

The question is simple. Is the English that Americans speak on a day to day basis "English"? Or is it another language, different and distinct from what is spoken in the UK?

In the early 20th century, HL Mencken wrote "The American Language," in which he made the case that yes, American English had indeed become a seperate language. He later softened his stance to say that American English was on its way towards becoming a seperate language.

In the other thread someone mentioned Noah Webster. Yes, he did make a very concious effort to distance American English from British English. This was done mainly through spelling (it was a Dictionary, after all), hence colour=color, theatre=theater, mediaeval=medieval, etc. But do spelling differences make another language?

There are many examples of differences from either side of the Pond. But my opinion is that the two are not different, and to say I speak "American" is to say I speak a different dialect of English.

Any other thoughts on this?

I just got done with a History of the English Language course, so this is something I've been thinking about quite a bit lately.

Is it a difference in Vernacular English? very few words are all that different until you start using "slang." And if it is a different language, how do i as an America understand people in many other English speaking countries, heavy accents aside.

BTW, the book i studied from was A History of the English Language by Albert C. Baugh and Thomas Cable. A very informative class to say the least.