North American English encompasses the English language as spoken in both the United States and Canada. Because of their related histories and cultures, plus the similarities between the pronunciations (accents), vocabulary, and grammar of U.S. English and Canadian English, linguists often group the two together. Canadians are generally tolerant of both British and U.S. spellings, although certain words always take British spellings (e.g., cheque) and others U.S. spellings (e.g., tire rather than tyre).
| North American English | |
|---|---|
| North American English | |
| English | |
| Native to | United States, Canada |
| Region | Northern America |
| Ethnicity | Northern Americans (Americans, Canadians) |
Early forms | |
| Dialects | American English, Canadian English and their subdivisions |
| Latin (English alphabet) Unified English Braille | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | nort3314 |
| IETF | en-021 |
Dialects of English spoken by United Empire Loyalists who fled the American Revolution (1775–1783) have had a large influence on Canadian English from its early roots. Some terms in North American English are used almost exclusively in Canada and the United States (for example, the terms diaper and gasoline are widely used instead of nappy and petrol). Although many English speakers from outside North America regard those terms as distinct Americanisms, they are just as common in Canada, mainly due to the effects of heavy cross-border trade and cultural penetration by the American mass media.[better source needed] The list of divergent words becomes longer if considering regional Canadian dialects, especially as spoken in the Atlantic provinces and parts of Vancouver Island where significant pockets of British culture still remain.[further explanation needed]
There are a considerable number of different accents within the regions of both the United States and Canada. In North America, different English dialects of immigrants from England, Scotland, Ireland, and other regions of the British Isles mixed together in the 17th and 18th centuries. These were developed, built upon, and blended together as new waves of immigration, and migration across the North American continent, developed new dialects in new areas, and as these ways of speaking merged with and assimilated to the greater American dialect mixture that solidified by the mid-18th century.
Dialects
Northwest
American English
- General American
Ethnic American English
- African-American English
- African-American Vernacular English
- American Indian English
- Cajun English
- Chicano English
- Miami Latino English
- New York Latino English
- Pennsylvania Dutch English
- Yeshiva English
Regional American English
- Midland American English
- New York City English
- Northern American English
- Inland Northern American ("Great Lakes") English
- New England English
- Eastern New England English
- Boston English
- Maine English
- Western New England English
- Eastern New England English
- North-Central American ("Upper Midwest") English
- Philadelphia English
- Baltimore English
- Southern American English
- Appalachian English
- High Tider English
- New Orleans English
- Older Southern American English
- Texan English
- Western American English
- California English
- Pacific Northwest English
- Western Pennsylvania ("Pittsburgh") English
Canadian English
- Aboriginal Canadian English
- Atlantic Canadian English
- Lunenburg English
- Newfoundland English
- Ottawa Valley English
- Pacific Northwest English
- Quebec English
- Standard Canadian English
Table of accents
Below, several major North American English accents are defined by particular characteristics:
| Accent name | Most populous city | Strong /aʊ/ fronting | Strong /oʊ/ fronting | Strong /u/ fronting | Strong /ɑr/ fronting | Cot–caught merger | Pin–pen merger | /æ/ raising system | Other defining criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African-American | Mixed | No | No | No | Mixed | Yes | pre-nasal | African-American Vowel Shift / Variable non-rhoticity / L-vocalization / Th-fronting | |
| Atlantic Canadian | Halifax | Mixed | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | various | Canadian raising |
| General American | No | No | No | No | Mixed | No | pre-nasal | ||
| Inland Northern U.S. | Chicago | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | general | Northern Cities Vowel Shift |
| Midland U.S. | Indianapolis | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Mixed | Mixed | pre-nasal | |
| New Orleans | New Orleans | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | split | Mid-Atlantic Back Vowel Shift / Non-rhoticity / Th-stopping / Southern Vowel Shift / Variable horse-hoarse distinction / Canadian Raising / L-vocalization |
| New York City | New York City | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | split | Mid-Atlantic Back Vowel Shift / Variable non-rhoticity / L-vocalization / Th-stopping / Variable Father-bother distinction / Northeastern /-ɒr-/ |
| North-Central (Upper Midwestern) U.S. | Minneapolis | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | pre-nasal & pre-velar | |
| Northeastern New England | Boston | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | pre-nasal | Variable non-rhoticity / Canadian raising / Father-bother distinction / Northeastern /-ɒr-/ |
| Philadelphia | Philadelphia | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | split | Mid-Atlantic Back Vowel Shift / L-vocalization / Northeastern /-ɒr-/ / Merry–Murray merger |
| Rhode Island | Providence | No | No | No | No | No | No | pre-nasal | Mid-Atlantic Back Vowel Shift / Variable non-rhoticity / Canadian raising / Northeastern /-ɒr-/ |
| Southern U.S. | San Antonio | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Mixed | Yes | pre-nasal | Southern drawl / Southern Vowel Shift / Variable wine-whine distinction |
| Standard Canadian | Toronto | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | pre-nasal & pre-velar | Canadian raising / Low Back Merger Shift |
| Western U.S. | Los Angeles | No | Mixed | Yes | No | Yes | No | pre-nasal | Low Back Merger Shift |
| Western Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Mixed | pre-nasal | /aʊ/ glide weakening / L-vocalization |
| Accent name | Most populous city | Strong /aʊ/ fronting | Strong /oʊ/ fronting | Strong /u/ fronting | Strong /ɑr/ fronting | Cot–caught merger | Pin–pen merger | /æ/ raising system | Other defining criteria |
Phonology
A majority of North American English (for example, in contrast to British English) includes phonological features that concern consonants, such as rhoticity (full pronunciation of all /r/ sounds), conditioned T-glottalization (with satin pronounced [ˈsæʔn̩], not [ˈsætn̩]), T- and D-flapping (with metal and medal pronounced the same, as [ˈmɛɾɫ̩]), L-velarization (with filling pronounced [ˈfɪɫɪŋ], not [ˈfɪlɪŋ]), as well as features that concern vowel sounds, such as various vowel mergers before /r/ (so that, Mary, marry, and merry are all commonly pronounced the same), raising of pre-voiceless /aɪ/ (with price and bright using a higher vowel sound than prize and bride), the weak vowel merger (with affected and effected often pronounced the same), at least one of the LOT vowel mergers (the LOT–PALM merger is completed among virtually all Americans and the LOT–THOUGHT merger among nearly half, while both are completed among virtually all Canadians), and yod-dropping (with tuesday pronounced /ˈtuzdeɪ/, not /ˈtjuzdeɪ/). The last item is more advanced in American English than Canadian English.
See also
- Belizean English
- Caribbean English
- Commonwealth English
- Comparison of American and British English
- List of American words not widely used in the United Kingdom
- List of words having different meanings in British and American English
- North American French
- North American Spanish
- Regional accents of English
References
- "Unified English Braille (UEB)". Braille Authority of North America (BANA). 2 November 2016. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- Chambers, J.K. (1998). "Canadian English: 250 Years in the Making". The Canadian Oxford Dictionary (2nd ed.). p. xi.
- Labov, Ash & Boberg (2006)
- Trudgill, Peter & Jean Hannah. (2002). International English: A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English, 4th. London: Arnold. ISBN 0-340-80834-9.
- Patti Tasko. (2004). The Canadian Press Stylebook: A Guide for Writers and Editors, 13th. Toronto: The Canadian Press. ISBN 0-920009-32-8, p. 308.
- Patti Tasko. (2006). The Canadian Press Stylebook: A Guide for Writers and Editors, 14th. Toronto: The Canadian Press. ISBN 0-920009-38-7, p. 312.
- M.H. Scargill. (1957). "Sources of Canadian English", The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 56.4, pp. 610–614.
- John Woitkowitz (2012). "Arctic Sovereignty and the Cold War: Asymmetry, Interdependence, and Ambiguity". Archived from the original on 2011-07-02. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- Longmore, Paul K. (2007). "'Good English without Idiom or Tone': The Colonial Origins of American Speech". The Journal of Interdisciplinary History. MIT. 37 (4): 513–542.
- Labov, Ash & Boberg (2006:148)
- Labov, Ash & Boberg (2006:146)
- Labov (1972), p. 19.
- Labov, Ash & Boberg (2006:101, 103)
Bibliography
- Chambers, J.K. (1998). "Canadian English: 250 Years in the Making," in The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 2nd ed., p. xi.
- Clark, Joe (2008). Organizing Our Marvellous Neighbours: How to Feel Good About Canadian English (e-book). ISBN 978-0-9809525-0-6.
- Labov, William (1972), Language in the Inner City: Studies in Black English Vernacular, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press
- Labov, William; Ash, Sharon; Boberg, Charles (2006), The Atlas of North American English, Berlin: Mouton-de Gruyter, ISBN 3-11-016746-8
North American English encompasses the English language as spoken in both the United States and Canada Because of their related histories and cultures plus the similarities between the pronunciations accents vocabulary and grammar of U S English and Canadian English linguists often group the two together Canadians are generally tolerant of both British and U S spellings although certain words always take British spellings e g cheque and others U S spellings e g tire rather than tyre North American EnglishNorth American EnglishEnglishNative toUnited States CanadaRegionNorthern AmericaEthnicityNorthern Americans Americans Canadians Language familyIndo European GermanicWest GermanicNorth Sea GermanicAnglo FrisianAnglicEnglishNorth American EnglishEarly formsProto Indo European Proto Germanic Proto West Germanic Proto English Old English Middle English Early Modern English Modern EnglishDialectsAmerican English Canadian English and their subdivisionsWriting systemLatin English alphabet Unified English BrailleLanguage codesISO 639 3 Glottolognort3314IETFen 021 Dialects of English spoken by United Empire Loyalists who fled the American Revolution 1775 1783 have had a large influence on Canadian English from its early roots Some terms in North American English are used almost exclusively in Canada and the United States for example the terms diaper and gasoline are widely used instead of nappy and petrol Although many English speakers from outside North America regard those terms as distinct Americanisms they are just as common in Canada mainly due to the effects of heavy cross border trade and cultural penetration by the American mass media better source needed The list of divergent words becomes longer if considering regional Canadian dialects especially as spoken in the Atlantic provinces and parts of Vancouver Island where significant pockets of British culture still remain further explanation needed There are a considerable number of different accents within the regions of both the United States and Canada In North America different English dialects of immigrants from England Scotland Ireland and other regions of the British Isles mixed together in the 17th and 18th centuries These were developed built upon and blended together as new waves of immigration and migration across the North American continent developed new dialects in new areas and as these ways of speaking merged with and assimilated to the greater American dialect mixture that solidified by the mid 18th century DialectsENE WNE NYC PHILA INLAND NORTH WPA NORTH CENTRAL WEST MIDLAND SOUTH Texas California Appalachia Boston Pacific Northwest Chesapeake amp Outer Banks Maine New Orleans BaltimoreThe American English major regional dialects in all caps plus smaller and more local dialects as demarcated primarily by William Labov et al s The Atlas of North American English as well as the related Telsur Project s regional maps Many regions also contain speakers of a General American accent that resists the marked features of their region This map does not account for speakers of ethnic or racial dialects STANDARD CANADIAN Pacific Northwest Aboriginal Canadian Quebec Ottawa MTE ATLANTIC CANADIAN Lunenburg NewfoundlandThe Canadian English s major regional dialects in all caps plus smaller and more local dialects as demarcated primarily by William Labov et al s The Atlas of North American English as well as the related Telsur Project s regional maps Many regions also contain speakers of a General American accent that resists the marked features of their region This map does not account for speakers of ethnic or racial dialects American English General AmericanEthnic American English African American English African American Vernacular English American Indian English Cajun English Chicano English Miami Latino English New York Latino English Pennsylvania Dutch English Yeshiva EnglishRegional American English Midland American English New York City English Northern American English Inland Northern American Great Lakes English New England English Eastern New England English Boston English Maine English Western New England English North Central American Upper Midwest English Philadelphia English Baltimore English Southern American English Appalachian English High Tider English New Orleans English Older Southern American English Texan English Western American English California English Pacific Northwest English Western Pennsylvania Pittsburgh EnglishCanadian English Aboriginal Canadian English Atlantic Canadian English Lunenburg English Newfoundland English Ottawa Valley English Pacific Northwest English Quebec English Standard Canadian EnglishTable of accents Below several major North American English accents are defined by particular characteristics Accent name Most populous city Strong aʊ fronting Strong oʊ fronting Strong u fronting Strong ɑr fronting Cot caught merger Pin pen merger ae raising system Other defining criteriaAfrican American Mixed No No No Mixed Yes pre nasal African American Vowel Shift Variable non rhoticity L vocalization Th frontingAtlantic Canadian Halifax Mixed No Yes Yes Yes No various Canadian raisingGeneral American No No No No Mixed No pre nasalInland Northern U S Chicago No No No Yes No No general Northern Cities Vowel ShiftMidland U S Indianapolis Yes Yes Yes No Mixed Mixed pre nasalNew Orleans New Orleans Yes Yes Yes No No No split Mid Atlantic Back Vowel Shift Non rhoticity Th stopping Southern Vowel Shift Variable horse hoarse distinction Canadian Raising L vocalizationNew York City New York City Yes No No No No No split Mid Atlantic Back Vowel Shift Variable non rhoticity L vocalization Th stopping Variable Father bother distinction Northeastern ɒr North Central Upper Midwestern U S Minneapolis No No No Yes Yes No pre nasal amp pre velarNortheastern New England Boston No No No Yes Yes No pre nasal Variable non rhoticity Canadian raising Father bother distinction Northeastern ɒr Philadelphia Philadelphia Yes Yes Yes No No No split Mid Atlantic Back Vowel Shift L vocalization Northeastern ɒr Merry Murray mergerRhode Island Providence No No No No No No pre nasal Mid Atlantic Back Vowel Shift Variable non rhoticity Canadian raising Northeastern ɒr Southern U S San Antonio Yes Yes Yes No Mixed Yes pre nasal Southern drawl Southern Vowel Shift Variable wine whine distinctionStandard Canadian Toronto No No Yes No Yes No pre nasal amp pre velar Canadian raising Low Back Merger ShiftWestern U S Los Angeles No Mixed Yes No Yes No pre nasal Low Back Merger ShiftWestern Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Yes Yes Yes No Yes Mixed pre nasal aʊ glide weakening L vocalizationAccent name Most populous city Strong aʊ fronting Strong oʊ fronting Strong u fronting Strong ɑr fronting Cot caught merger Pin pen merger ae raising system Other defining criteriaPhonologyA majority of North American English for example in contrast to British English includes phonological features that concern consonants such as rhoticity full pronunciation of all r sounds conditioned T glottalization with satin pronounced ˈsaeʔn not ˈsaetn T and D flapping with metal and medal pronounced the same as ˈmɛɾɫ L velarization with filling pronounced ˈfɪɫɪŋ not ˈfɪlɪŋ as well as features that concern vowel sounds such as various vowel mergers before r so that Mary marry and merry are all commonly pronounced the same raising of pre voiceless aɪ with price and bright using a higher vowel sound than prize and bride the weak vowel merger with affected and effected often pronounced the same at least one of the LOT vowel mergers the LOT PALM merger is completed among virtually all Americans and the LOT THOUGHT merger among nearly half while both are completed among virtually all Canadians and yod dropping with tuesday pronounced ˈtuzdeɪ not ˈtjuzdeɪ The last item is more advanced in American English than Canadian English See alsoBelizean English Caribbean English Commonwealth English Comparison of American and British English List of American words not widely used in the United Kingdom List of words having different meanings in British and American English North American French North American Spanish Regional accents of EnglishReferences Unified English Braille UEB Braille Authority of North America BANA 2 November 2016 Archived from the original on 23 November 2016 Retrieved 2 January 2017 Chambers J K 1998 Canadian English 250 Years in the Making The Canadian Oxford Dictionary 2nd ed p xi Labov Ash amp Boberg 2006 Trudgill Peter amp Jean Hannah 2002 International English A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English 4th London Arnold ISBN 0 340 80834 9 Patti Tasko 2004 The Canadian Press Stylebook A Guide for Writers and Editors 13th Toronto The Canadian Press ISBN 0 920009 32 8 p 308 Patti Tasko 2006 The Canadian Press Stylebook A Guide for Writers and Editors 14th Toronto The Canadian Press ISBN 0 920009 38 7 p 312 M H Scargill 1957 Sources of Canadian English The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 56 4 pp 610 614 John Woitkowitz 2012 Arctic Sovereignty and the Cold War Asymmetry Interdependence and Ambiguity Archived from the original on 2011 07 02 Retrieved 2012 03 13 Longmore Paul K 2007 Good English without Idiom or Tone The Colonial Origins of American Speech The Journal of Interdisciplinary History MIT 37 4 513 542 Labov Ash amp Boberg 2006 148 Labov Ash amp Boberg 2006 146 Labov 1972 p 19 Labov Ash amp Boberg 2006 101 103 BibliographyChambers J K 1998 Canadian English 250 Years in the Making in The Canadian Oxford Dictionary 2nd ed p xi Clark Joe 2008 Organizing Our Marvellous Neighbours How to Feel Good About Canadian English e book ISBN 978 0 9809525 0 6 Labov William 1972 Language in the Inner City Studies in Black English Vernacular Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Press Labov William Ash Sharon Boberg Charles 2006 The Atlas of North American English Berlin Mouton de Gruyter ISBN 3 11 016746 8
