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{{Redirect|US English|the political organization|U.S. English (organization)}}
[[Image:English USC2000 PHS.svg|thumb|English language prevalence in the United States. The deeper the shade of blue, the higher the percentage of native English speakers in the state.]]
{{American and British English differences}}

'''American English''' ('''AmE''', '''AE''', '''AmEng''', '''USEng''', '''en-US'''), also known as '''United States English''' or '''U.S. English''', is a set of [[dialect]]s of the [[English language]] used mostly in the [[United States]]. Approximately two thirds of [[first language|native speakers]] of English live in the [[United States]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Crystal|first=David|authorlink=David Crystal|year=1997|title=English as a Global Language|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|id=ISBN 0-521-53032-6}}</ref>

The use of English in the United States was inherited from [[British colonization of the Americas|British colonization]]. The first wave of English-speaking settlers arrived in North America in the 17th century. During that time, there were also speakers in North America of [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Swedish language|Swedish]], [[Scots language|Scots]], [[Welsh language|Welsh]], [[Irish language|Irish]], [[Scottish Gaelic language|Scottish Gaelic]], [[Finnish language|Finnish]], as well as numerous [[Native American languages]].

==Phonology==
{{IPA notice|lang=en}}
{{seealso|North American regional phonology}}
In many ways, compared to [[English English]], North American English<ref>''[[North American English]]'' (Trudgill, p. 2) is a collective term used for the varieties of the English language that are spoken in the United States and Canada.</ref> is conservative in its [[phonology]]. Some distinctive accents can be found on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] (for example, in Eastern New England and New York City), partly because these areas were in contact with England, and imitated prestigious varieties of English English at a time when those varieties were undergoing changes<ref>Trudgill, pp. 46-47.</ref>. In addition, many speech communities on the East Coast have existed in their present locations longer than others. The interior of the United States, however, was settled by people from all regions of the existing U.S. and, as such, developed a far more generic linguistic pattern.

Most North American speech is [[Rhotic and non-rhotic accents|rhotic]], as English was in most places in the 17th century. Rhoticity was further supported by [[Hiberno-English]], [[Scottish English]], and [[West Country dialects|West Country]] English. In most varieties of North American English, the sound corresponding to the letter ''r'' is a [[retroflex approximant|retroflex]] {{IPA|[ɻ]}} or [[alveolar approximant]] {{IPA|[ɹ]}} rather than a trill or a tap. The loss of syllable-final ''r'' in North America is confined mostly to the accents of [[Boston accent|eastern New England]], [[New York-New Jersey English|New York City]] and surrounding areas, [[South Philadelphia]], and the coastal portions of the [[Southern American English|South]]. Dropping of syllable-final ''r'' sometimes happens in natively rhotic dialects if ''r'' is located in unaccented syllables or words and the next syllable or word begins in a consonant. In England, the lost ''r'' was often changed into {{IPA|[ə]}} ([[schwa]]), giving rise to a new class of falling [[diphthong]]s. Furthermore, the ''er'' sound of ''f'''ur''''' or ''butt'''er''''', is realized in AmE as a [[monophthong]]al [[r-colored vowel]] (stressed {{IPA|[ɝ]}} or unstressed {{IPA|[ɚ]}} as represented in the [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]). This does not happen in the non-rhotic varieties of North American speech.

Some other British English changes in which most North American dialects do not participate:
* The shift of {{IPA|/æ/}} to {{IPA|/ɑ/}} (the so-called "[[broad A]]") before {{IPA|/f/, /s/, /θ/, /ð/, /z/, /v/}} alone or preceded by a [[homorganic]] nasal. This is the difference between the British [[Received Pronunciation]] and American pronunciation of ''bath'' and ''dance''. In the United States, only eastern New England speakers took up this modification, although even there it is becoming increasingly rare.
* The realization of intervocalic {{IPA|/t/}} as a glottal stop {{IPA|[ʔ]}} (as in {{IPA|[bɒʔəl]}} for ''bottle''). This change is not universal for British English and is not considered a feature of [[Received Pronunciation]]. This is not a property of most North American dialects. [[Newfoundland English]] is a notable exception.
[[Image:Non rhotic-whites-usa.png|thumb|right|The red areas are those where non-rhotic pronunciations are found among some white people in the [[United States]]. [[African American Vernacular English|AAVE]]-influenced non-rhotic pronunciations may be found among [[African American|black people]] throughout the country.<ref>Labov, p. 48.</ref>]]

On the other hand, North American English has undergone some sound changes not found in Britain, especially not in its standard varieties. Many of these are instances of [[phonemic differentiation]] and include:
* The [[Phonological history of the low back vowels#Father-bother merger|merger of {{IPA|/ɑ/}} and {{IPA|/ɒ/}}]], making ''father'' and ''bother'' rhyme. This change is nearly universal in North American English, occurring almost everywhere except for parts of eastern New England, hence the [[Boston accent]].
* The merger of {{IPA|/ɒ/}} and {{IPA|/ɔ/}}. This is the so-called [[Phonological history of the low back vowels#Cot-caught merger|cot-caught merger]], where ''cot'' and ''caught'' are [[homophone]]s. This change has occurred in eastern New England, in [[Pittsburgh English|Pittsburgh]] and surrounding areas, and from the [[Great Plains]] westward.
* For speakers who do not merge ''caught'' and ''cot'': The replacement of the ''cot'' vowel with the ''caught'' vowel before [[voiceless fricative]]s (as in ''cloth, off'' [which is found in some old-fashioned varieties of RP]), as well as before {{IPA|/ŋ/}} (as in ''strong, long),'' usually in ''gone,'' often in ''on,'' and irregularly before {{IPA|/g/}} ''(log, hog, dog, fog'' [which is not found in British English at all]).
* The replacement of the ''lot'' vowel with the ''strut'' vowel in most utterances of the words ''was, of, from, what'' and in many utterances of the words ''everybody, nobody, somebody, anybody;'' the word ''because'' has either {{IPA|/ʌ/}} or {{IPA|/ɔ/}};<ref>According to ''Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition''. For speakers who merge ''caught'' and ''cot'', {{IPA|/ɔ/}} is to be understood as the vowel they have in both ''caught'' and ''cot''.</ref> ''want'' has normally {{IPA|/ɔ/}} or {{IPA|/ɑ/}}, sometimes {{IPA|/ʌ/}}.<ref>[http://www.infoplease.com/ipd/A0731165.html], [http://www.bartleby.com/61/55/W0025500.html], [http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/want]</ref>

* [[English-language vowel changes before historic r|Vowel merger]] before intervocalic {{IPA|/ɹ/}}. Which vowels are affected varies between dialects. One such change is the laxing of {{IPA|/e/}}, {{IPA|/i/}} and {{IPA|/u/}} to {{IPA|/ɛ/}}, {{IPA|/ɪ/}} and {{IPA|/ʊ/}} before {{IPA|/ɹ/}}, causing pronunciations like {{IPA|[pɛɹ]}}, {{IPA|[pɪɹ]}} and {{IPA|[pjʊɹ]}} for ''pair, peer'' and ''pure''. The resulting sound {{IPA|[ʊɹ]}} is often further reduced to {{IPA|[ɝ]}}, especially after [[palatal consonant|palatals]], so that ''cure, pure, mature'' and ''sure'' rhyme with ''fir.''
* [[English consonant cluster reductions#Yod-dropping|Dropping of {{IPA|/j/}}]] after [[alveolar consonant]]s so that ''new, duke, Tuesday, suit, resume, lute'' are pronounced {{IPA|/nu/}}, {{IPA|/duk/}}, {{IPA|/tuzdeɪ/}}, {{IPA|/sut/}}, {{IPA|/ɹɪzum/}}, {{IPA|/lut/}}.
* [[Phonological history of English short A#æ-tensing|æ-tensing]] in environments that vary widely from accent to accent; for example, for many speakers, {{IPA|/æ/}} is approximately realized as {{IPA|[eə]}} before [[nasal consonant]]s. In some accents, particularly those from [[Philadelphia]] to [[New York City]], {{IPA|[æ]}} and {{IPA|[eə]}} can even contrast sometimes, as in ''Yes, I '''can''''' {{IPA|[kæn]}} vs. ''tin '''can''''' {{IPA|[keən]}}.
* The [[flapping]] of intervocalic {{IPA|/t/}} and {{IPA|/d/}} to [[alveolar tap]] {{IPA|[ɾ]}} before unstressed vowels (as in ''bu'''tt'''er'', ''par'''t'''y'') and syllabic {{IPA|/l/}} (''bo'''tt'''le''), as well as at the end of a word or morpheme before any vowel (''wha'''t''' else'', ''wha'''t'''ever''). Thus, for most speakers, pairs such as ''ladder/latter, metal/medal,'' and ''coating/coding'' are pronounced the same. For many speakers, this merger is incomplete and does not occur after {{IPA|/aɪ/}}; these speakers tend to pronounce ''writer'' with {{IPA|[əɪ]}} and ''rider'' with {{IPA|[aɪ]}}. This is a form of [[Canadian raising]] but, unlike more extreme forms of that process, does not affect {{IPA|/aʊ/}}.
* Both intervocalic {{IPA|/nt/}} and {{IPA|/n/}} may be realized as {{IPA|[n]}} or {{IPA|[ɾ̃]}}, making ''winter'' and ''winner'' homophones. This does not occur when the second syllable is stressed, as in ''entail''.
* The [[Phonological history of the high front vowels#Pin-pen merger|pin-pen merger]], by which {{IPA|[ɛ]}} is raised to {{IPA|[ɪ]}} before nasal consonants, making pairs like ''pen/pin'' homophonous. This merger originated in [[Southern American English]] but is now found in parts of the Midwest and West as well.

Some mergers found in most varieties of both American and British English include:
* The [[English-language vowel changes before historic r#Horse-hoarse merger|merger]] of the vowels {{IPA|/ɔ/}} and {{IPA|/o/}} before 'r', making pairs like ''horse/hoarse, corps/core, for/four, morning/mourning,'' etc. [[homophones]].
* The [[wine-whine merger]] making pairs like ''wine/whine, wet/whet, Wales/whales, wear/where,'' etc. [[homophone]]s, in most cases eliminating {{IPA|/ʍ/}}, the [[voiceless labiovelar fricative]]. Many older varieties of southern and western AmE still keep these distinct, but the merger appears to be spreading.

==Vocabulary==
North America has given the English [[lexicon]] many thousands of words, meanings, and phrases. Several thousand are now used in English as spoken internationally; others, however, died within a few years of their creation.

===Creation of an American lexicon===
The process of coining new lexical items started as soon as the colonists began borrowing names for unfamiliar flora, fauna, and topography from the [[Native American languages]]. Examples of such names are ''[[opossum]], [[raccoon]], [[squash (fruit)|squash]]'' and ''[[moose]]'' (from [[Algonquian]]). Other Native American loanwords, such as ''[[wigwam]]'' or ''[[moccasin]]'', describe artificial objects in common use among Native Americans. The languages of the other colonizing nations also added to the American vocabulary; for instance, ''[[cookie]], [[cruller]]'' and ''pit'' (of a fruit) from [[Dutch Language|Dutch]]; ''[[levee]], portage'' ("carrying of boats or goods") and (probably) ''[[gopher (animal)|gopher]]'' from [[French language|French]]; ''[[barbecue]], [[stevedore]]'' from [[Spanish language|Spanish]].

Among the earliest and most notable regular "English" additions to the American vocabulary, dating from the early days of colonization through the early 19th century, are terms describing the features of the North American landscape; for instance, ''run, branch, fork, [[snag]], [[bluff]], [[gulch]], neck'' (of the woods), ''barrens, [[bottomland]], notch, knob, riffle, [[rapid]]s, watergap, cutoff, [[trail]], [[tree line|timberline]]'' and ''[[water divide|divide]]''. Already existing words such as ''[[stream|creek]], [[slough (wetland)|slough]], [[sleet]]'' and (in later use) ''[[Drainage basin|watershed]]'' received new meanings that were unknown in England.

Other noteworthy American toponyms are found among loanwords; for example, ''[[prairie]], [[butte]]'' (French); ''[[bayou]]'' (Louisiana French); ''[[coulee]]'' (Canadian French, but used also in Louisiana with a different meaning); ''[[canyon]], [[mesa]], [[arroyo (creek)|arroyo]]'' (Spanish); ''vlei, [[kill (body of water)|kill]]'' (Dutch, [[Hudson Valley]]).

The word ''[[corn (disambiguation)|corn]]'', used in England to refer to wheat (or any cereal), came to denote the plant ''Zea mays'', the most important crop in the U.S., originally named ''[[Indian corn]]'' by the earliest settlers; wheat, rye, barley, oats, etc. came to be collectively referred to as ''[[grain]]'' (or ''breadstuffs''). Other notable farm related vocabulary additions were the new meanings assumed by ''[[barn]]'' (not only a building for hay and grain storage, but also for housing livestock) and ''team'' (not just the horses, but also the vehicle along with them), as well as, in various periods, the terms ''[[rangeland|range]], [[corn crib|(corn) crib]], [[truck farm|truck]], [[grain elevator|elevator]], [[sharecropping]]'' and ''[[feedlot]].''

''[[Ranch]],'' later applied to a [[ranch house|house style]], derives from [[Mexican Spanish]]; most Spanish contributions came indeed after the [[War of 1812]], with the opening of the West. Among these are, other than toponyms, ''[[chaps]]'' (from ''chaparreras), [[plaza]], [[lasso]], [[bronco]], [[buckaroo]];'' examples of "English" additions from the [[cowboy]] era are ''bad man, maverick, chuck'' ("food") and ''[[Boot Hill]];'' from the [[California Gold Rush]] came such idioms as ''hit pay dirt'' or ''strike it rich.'' The word ''blizzard'' probably originated in the West. A couple of notable late 18th century additions are the verb ''belittle'' and the noun ''bid,'' both first used in writing by [[Thomas Jefferson]].

With the new continent developed new forms of dwelling, and hence a large inventory of words designating real estate concepts ''(land office, [[lot]], outlands, [[waterfront]],'' the verbs ''locate'' and ''relocate, betterment, addition, subdivision),'' types of property ''([[log cabin]], [[adobe]]'' in the 18th century; ''[[frame house]], [[apartment]], tenement house, [[shack]], [[shanty]]'' in the 19th century; ''project, [[condominium]], [[townhouse]], [[split-level home|split-level]], [[mobile home]], multi-family'' in the 20th century), and parts thereof ''([[driveway]], breezeway, [[backyard]], dooryard; [[clapboard]], [[siding]], trim, [[baseboard]]; stoop'' (from Dutch), ''family room, den;'' and, in recent years, ''[[HVAC]], [[central air]], walkout basement).''

Ever since the [[American Revolution]], a great number of terms connected with the U.S. political institutions have entered the language; examples are ''run, gubernatorial, [[primary election]], [[carpetbagger]]'' (after the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]), ''repeater, [[lame duck (politics)|lame duck]]'' and ''[[pork barrel]].'' Some of these are internationally used (e.g. ''[[caucus]], [[gerrymander]], [[filibuster]], [[exit poll]]).''

The rise of capitalism, the development of industry and material innovations throughout the 19th and 20th centuries were the source of a massive stock of distinctive new words, phrases and idioms. Typical examples are the vocabulary of ''[[railroad]]ing'' (see further at [[rail terminology]]) and ''[[transport]]ation'' terminology, ranging from names of roads (from ''dirt roads'' and ''back roads'' to ''[[freeway]]s'' and ''[[parkway]]s)'' to road infrastructure ''([[parking lot]], [[overpass]], [[rest area]]),'' and from [[Car Terminology|automotive terminology]] to ''[[public transit]]'' (e.g. in the sentence "''riding'' the ''subway downtown''"); such American introductions as ''commuter'' (from ''commutation ticket), [[concourse]], to board'' (a vehicle), ''to park, double-park'' and ''parallel park'' (a car), ''[[double decker]]'' or the noun ''terminal'' have long been used in all dialects of English.<ref>A few of these are now chiefly found, or have been more productive, outside of 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).</ref> Trades of various kinds have endowed (American) English with household words describing jobs and occupations ''([[bartender]], longshoreman, patrolman, [[hobo]], [[bouncer]], bellhop, [[roustabout]], [[white collar]], [[blue collar]], [[employee]], boss'' [from Dutch], ''[[intern]], [[busboy]], [[mortician]], [[senior citizen]]),'' businesses and workplaces ''([[department store]], [[supermarket]], [[thrift store]], [[gift shop]], [[drugstore]], [[motel]], [[main street]], [[gas station]], [[hardware store]], [[savings and loan]], hock'' [also from Dutch]), as well as general concepts and innovations ''([[automated teller machine]], [[smart card]], [[cash register]], [[dishwasher]], reservation'' [as at hotels], ''pay envelope, [[movie]], mileage, [[shortage]], [[power outage|outage]], [[blood bank]]).''

Already existing English words —such as ''[[General store|store]], [[Retailing#Shops and stores|shop]], dry goods, [[haberdashery]], [[lumber]]''— underwent shifts in meaning; some —such as ''[[mason]], student, [[clerk]]'', the verbs ''can'' (as in "canned goods"), ''ship, fix, carry, enroll'' (as in school), ''run'' (as in "run a business"), ''release'' and ''haul''— were given new significations, while others (such as ''[[tradesman]])'' have retained meanings that disappeared in England. From the world of business and finance came ''[[breakeven]], [[merger]], [[delisting]], [[downsize]], [[disintermediation]], [[bottom line]];'' from sports terminology came, jargon aside, ''Monday-morning quarterback, cheap shot, game plan'' ([[American football|football]]); ''in the [[ballpark]], out of [[left field]], off base, hit and run,'' and [[English language idioms derived from baseball|many other idioms]] from [[baseball]]; gamblers coined ''[[bluff (poker)|bluff]], [[blue chip]], [[ante]], bottom dollar, raw deal, pass the buck, ace in the hole, freeze-out, showdown;'' miners coined ''[[bedrock]], bonanza, peter out, pan out'' and the verb ''prospect'' from the noun; and railroadmen are to be credited with ''make the [[grade (slope)|grade]], sidetrack, head-on,'' and the verb ''railroad.'' A number of Americanisms describing material innovations remained largely confined to North America: ''[[elevator]], [[ground (electricity)|ground]], [[gasoline]];'' many automotive terms fall in this category, although many do not ''([[hatchback]], [[SUV]], [[station wagon]], [[tailgate]], [[motorhome]], [[truck]], [[pickup truck]], to exhaust).''

In addition to the above-mentioned loans from French, Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Dutch, and Native American languages, other accretions from foreign languages came with 19th and early 20th century immigration; notably, from [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]] ''([[chutzpah]], schmooze'' and such idioms as ''need something like a hole in the head)'' and [[German language|German]] —''[[hamburger]]'' and culinary terms like ''frankfurter/franks, liverwurst, sauerkraut, [[wiener]], [[delicatessen|deli(catessen)]]; [[scram]], [[kindergarten]], [[gesundheit]];''<ref>[http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19970923 The Maven's Word of the Day], [[Random House]]. Retrieved February 8, 2007.</ref> musical terminology ''([[whole note]], [[half note]],'' etc.); and apparently ''[[cookbook]], fresh'' ("impudent") and ''what gives?'' Such constructions as ''Are you coming with?'' and ''I like to dance'' (for "I like dancing") may also be the result of German or Yiddish influence.<ref>[[Peter Trudgill|Trudgill, Peter]] (2004). ''New-Dialect Formation: The Inevitability of Colonial Englishes''.</ref>

Finally, a large number of English colloquialisms from various periods are American in origin; some have lost their American flavor (from ''[[Okay|OK]]'' and ''cool'' to ''[[nerd]]'' and ''[[24/7]]),'' while others have not ''([[have a nice day]], sure);''<ref>[http://www.oup.com/oald-bin/web_getald7index1a.pl?nav=on&which_entry=009421%23x1%23x1%23day&selected_word=day&search_word=day], [http://www.oup.com/oald-bin/web_getald7index1a.pl?nav=on&which_entry=036903%23x1%23x1%23sure&selected_word=sure&search_word=sure#sure_adv] Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved April 24, 2007.</ref> 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. Among the many English idioms of U.S. origin are ''get the hang of, take for a ride, bark up the wrong tree, keep tabs, run scared, take a backseat, have an edge over, stake a claim, take a shine to, in on the ground floor, bite off more than one can chew, off/on the wagon, stay put, inside track, [[stiff upper lip]], bad hair day, [[monkeywrenching|throw a monkey wrench]], under the weather, jump bail, come clean, come again?'' and ''will the real x please stand up?''<ref>[http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50102309?query_type=word&queryword=hang&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=3&search_id=o02i-Uyeh46-1957&hilite=50102309], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50206483?query_type=word&queryword=ride&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&search_id=o02i-yPlCdm-1960&hilite=50206483], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50017673?query_type=word&queryword=bark&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=4&search_id=o02i-zhGGt9-1966&hilite=50017673], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50245760?query_type=word&queryword=tab&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=3&search_id=o02i-YKl3za-1974&hilite=50245760], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50210607?query_type=word&queryword=run&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=5&search_id=o02i-k5JnNq-1988&hilite=50210607], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50016373?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=backseat&first=1&max_to_show=10], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50072115?query_type=word&queryword=edge&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&search_id=o02i-iPYfon-2005&hilite=50072115], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50235835?query_type=word&queryword=stake&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=3&search_id=o02i-0PqFFv-2008&hilite=50235835], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50222908?query_type=word&queryword=shine&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&search_id=o02i-u3OA8w-2013&result_place=4], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50099344?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=ground+floor&first=1&max_to_show=10], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50022741?query_type=word&queryword=bite&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=2&search_id=o02i-rkSSYK-2035&hilite=50022741], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50279834?query_type=word&queryword=wagon&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=3&search_id=o02i-VrbCfO-2045&hilite=50279834], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50236567?query_type=word&queryword=stay&first=1&max_to_show=10&single=1&sort_type=alpha], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50117998/50117998se12?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=inside+track&first=1&max_to_show=10&hilite=50117998se12], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/00314169?query_type=word&queryword=monkey+wrench&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&search_id=o02i-u1UEzC-2083&hilite=00314169], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50282078?query_type=word&queryword=weather&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&search_id=o02i-wfJU2N-2089&hilite=50282078], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50124674?query_type=advsearch&queryword=jump+bail&first=1&max_to_show=10&search_spec=simple%3Afulltext&order=ab&return_set=entries&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&control_no=50124674&search_id=o02i-mkFxVs-2094&side=M], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50041138?query_type=word&queryword=come&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=5], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50044630?query_type=word&queryword=come&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=5&search_id=o02i-XJNfzM-2111&hilite=50044630], [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50236064?query_type=advsearch&queryword=will+the+real+please+stand+up&first=1&max_to_show=10&search_spec=simple%3Afulltext&order=ab&return_set=entries&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&control_no=50236064&search_id=o02i-j2suW3-1930&side=M]</ref>

===Morphology===
American English has always shown a marked tendency [[functional shift|to use substantives as verbs]].<ref>Trudgill, p. 69.</ref> Examples of verbed nouns are ''interview, advocate, vacuum, lobby, expense, room, pressure, rear-end, transition, feature, profile, buffalo, weasel, express'' (mail), ''belly-ache, spearhead, skyrocket, showcase, merchandise, service'' (as a car), ''corner, torch, exit'' (as in "exit the lobby"), ''factor'' (in mathematics), ''gun'' ("shoot"), ''author'' (which disappeared in English around 1630 and was revived in the U.S. three centuries later) and, out of American material, ''proposition, graft'' (bribery), ''bad-mouth, [[vacation]], major, [[backpack]], [[backtracking|backtrack]], intern, ticket'' (traffic violations), ''hassle, [[blacktop]], peer-review, dope'' and ''[[Drug overdose|OD]].''

[[Compound (linguistics)|Compound]]s coined in the U.S. are for instance ''[[foothill]], [[flatlands]], [[badlands]], [[landslide]]'' (in all senses), ''[[overview]]'' (the noun), ''[[backdrop]], [[teenager]], [[brainstorm]], [[bandwagon]], [[hitchhike]], smalltime, [[deadbeat]], [[frontman]], lowbrow'' and ''highbrow, hell-bent, foolproof, nitpick, about-face'' (later verbed), ''upfront'' (in all senses), ''fixer-upper, no-show;'' many of these are phrases used as adverbs or (often) hyphenated attributive adjectives: ''[[non-profit]], [[for-profit]], free-for-all, ready-to-wear, catchall, low-down, down-and-out, down and dirty, in-your-face, nip and tuck;'' many compound nouns and adjectives are open: ''[[happy hour]], [[fall guy]], [[capital gain]], [[road trip]], wheat pit, head start, [[plea bargain]];'' some of these are colorful ''([[empty nester]], [[loan shark]], [[Wikt:ambulance chaser|ambulance chaser]], [[buzz saw]], [[ghetto blaster]], dust bunny),'' others are euphemistic ''([[differently abled]], [[human resources]], physically challenged, [[affirmative action]], [[correctional facility]]).''

Many compound nouns have the form verb plus preposition: ''[[add-on]], stopover, lineup, [[shakedown]], tryout, [[spinoff]], [[rundown]]'' ("summary"), ''[[shootout]], [[holdup]], hideout, comeback, cookout, [[kickback]], [[makeover]], [[takeover]], rollback'' ("decrease"), ''rip-off, come-on, shoo-in, fix-up, tie-in, tie-up'' ("stoppage"), ''stand-in.'' These essentially are nouned [[phrasal verb]]s; some prepositional and phrasal verbs are in fact of American origin ''(spell out, figure out, hold up, brace up, size up, rope in, back up/off/down/out, step down, miss out on, kick around, cash in, rain out, check in'' and ''check out'' (in all senses), ''fill in'' ("inform"), ''kick in'' ("contribute"), ''square off, sock in, sock away, factor in/out, come down with, give up on, lay off'' (from employment), ''run into'' and ''across'' ("meet"), ''stop by, pass up, put up'' (money), ''set up'' ("frame"), ''trade in, pick up on, pick up after, lose out.''<ref>[http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50232893?] [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50084582/50084582se12?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=figure+out&first=1&max_to_show=10&hilite=50084582se12] [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50107109/50107109se53?query_type=word&queryword=hold+up&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&search_id=f2Cb-qlNYMH-4067&hilite=50107109se53] [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50225951/50225951se1?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=size+up&first=1&max_to_show=10&hilite=50225951se1] [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50208750?] [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50016263/50016263se19?query_type=word&queryword=back+up&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&search_id=f2Cb-8eN1ib-4115&hilite=50016263se19] [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50237099/50237099se24?query_type=word&queryword=step+down&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=2&search_id=f2Cb-GnUl9A-4127&hilite=50237099se24] [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/00311905?query_type=word&queryword=miss&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=6&search_id=f2Cb-GT1q2L-4137&hilite=00311905] [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50126465?] [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50196574?query_type=word&queryword=rain+out&first=1&max_to_show=10&single=1&sort_type=alpha] [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50034059/50034059se1?query_type=word&queryword=cash+in&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&search_id=f2Cb-smXBXz-4166&hilite=50034059se1] [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50081535?query_type=word&queryword=factor&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=3&search_id=f2Cb-KGfO1T-4176&hilite=50081535] [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50084734/50084734se18?query_type=word&queryword=fill+in&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=2&search_id=f2Cb-USt2E6-4186&hilite=50084734se18]</ref><ref>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.)."</ref>

Noun endings such as ''-ee (retiree), -ery (bakery), -ster (gangster)'' and ''-cian (beautician)'' are also particularly productive.<ref>Trudgill, p. 69.</ref> Some verbs ending in ''-ize'' are of U.S. origin; for example, ''fetishize, prioritize, burglarize, accessorize, itemize, editorialize, customize, notarize, [[weatherization|weatherize]], winterize, [[Miranda v. Arizona|Mirandize]];'' and so are some [[back-formation]]s ''(locate, fine-tune, evolute, curate, donate, emote, upholster, peeve'' and ''enthuse).'' Among syntactical constructions that arose in the U.S. are ''as of'' (with dates and times), ''outside of, headed for, meet up with, back of, convince someone to…, not to be about to'' and ''lack for.''

Americanisms formed by alteration of existing words include notably ''pesky, phony, rambunctious, pry'' (as in "pry open," from ''prize), putter'' (verb), ''buddy, [[sundae]], skeeter, sashay'' and ''kitty-corner.'' Adjectives that arose in the U.S. are for example, ''lengthy, bossy, [[cute]]'' and ''cutesy, grounded'' (of a child), ''punk'' (in all senses), ''sticky'' (of the weather), ''through'' (as in "through train," or meaning "finished"), and many colloquial forms such as ''peppy'' or ''wacky''. American [[blend]]s include ''[[motel]], guesstimate, [[infomercial]]'' and ''[[televangelist]].''

===English words that survived in the United States===

A number of words and meanings that originated in [[Middle English]] or [[Early Modern English]] and that always have been in everyday use in the United States dropped out in most varieties of British English; some of these have cognates in [[Lowland Scots]]. Terms such as ''fall'' ("[[autumn]]"), ''[[pavement (material)|pavement]]'' (to mean "road surface", where in Britain, as in Philadelphia, it is the equivalent of "sidewalk"),<ref>[http://www.oup.com/oald-bin/web_getald7index1a.pl?nav=on&which_entry=027097%23x1%23x1%23pavement&selected_word=pavement&search_word=pavement]</ref> ''[[faucet]], [[diaper]], [[candy]], [[Frying pan|skillet]], [[eyeglasses]], [[infant bed|crib]]'' (for a baby), ''obligate,'' and ''raise a child'' are often regarded as Americanisms. ''Gotten'' ([[past participle]] of ''get'') is often considered to be an Americanism, although there are some areas of Britain, such as Lancashire and Yorkshire, that still continue to use it and sometimes also use ''putten'' as the past participle for ''put.''

Other words and meanings, to various extents, were brought back to Britain, especially in the second half of the 20th century; these include ''hire'' ("to employ"), ''quit'' ("to stop," which spawned ''quitter'' in the U.S.), ''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|19th-century]] Britain.

The mandative [[subjunctive mood|subjunctive]] (as in "the City Attorney suggested that the case ''not be closed''") is livelier in AmE than it is in British English; it appears in some areas as a spoken usage, and is considered obligatory in contexts that are more formal. The adjectives ''mad'' meaning "angry", ''smart'' meaning "intelligent", and ''sick'' meaning "ill" are also more frequent in American than British English.<ref>Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. [http://fds.oup.com/www.oup.com/images/elt/oald7/synald7_angry.gif] [http://fds.oup.com/www.oup.com/images/elt/oald7/synald7_intelligent.gif] [http://www.oup.com/oald-bin/web_getald7index1a.pl?nav=on&which_entry=018564%23x1%23x1%23ill&selected_word=ill&search_word=ill]. Retrieved March 23, 2007.</ref>

==Regional differences==<!-- This section is linked from [[Huckleberry Hound]] -->
{{main|American English regional differences}}
{{main|Regional vocabularies of American English}}

While written AmE is standardized across the country, there are several recognizable variations in the spoken language, both in pronunciation and in vernacular vocabulary. ''[[General American]]'' is the name given to any American accent that is relatively free of noticeable regional influences. It is not a standard accent in the way that [[Received Pronunciation]] is in England.

After the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], the settlement of the western territories by migrants from the Eastern U.S. led to dialect mixing and leveling, so that regional dialects are most strongly differentiated along the [[Eastern seaboard]]. The [[Connecticut River]] and [[Long Island Sound]] is usually regarded as the southern/western extent of New England speech, which has its roots in the speech of the Puritans from [[East Anglia]] who settled in the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]]. The [[Potomac River]] generally divides a group of Northern coastal dialects from the beginning of the Coastal Southern dialect area; in between these two rivers several local variations exist, chief among them the one that prevails in and around [[New York City]] and northern [[New Jersey]], which developed on a Dutch [[substratum]] after the British conquered New Amsterdam. The main features of Coastal Southern speech can be traced to the speech of the English from the [[West Country]] who settled in Virginia after leaving England at the time of the [[English Civil War]], and to the [[African American Vernacular English|African influences]] from the African Americans who were enslaved in the South.

Although no longer region-specific,<ref>Cf. Trudgill, p. 42.</ref> [[African American Vernacular English]], which remains prevalent among [[African American]]s, has a close relationship to Southern varieties of AmE and has greatly influenced everyday speech of many Americans.

A distinctive speech pattern was also generated by the separation of [[Canada]] from the United States, centered on the [[Great Lakes]] region. This is the [[Inland Northern American English|Inland North Dialect]]—the "standard Midwestern" speech that was the basis for General American in the mid-20th Century (although it has been recently modified by the [[northern cities vowel shift]]). Those not from this area frequently confuse it with the North Midland dialect treated below, referring to both collectively as "Midwestern."

In the interior, the situation is very different. West of the [[Appalachian Mountains]] begins the broad zone of what is generally called "Midland" speech. This is divided into two discrete subdivisions, the North Midland that begins north of the [[Ohio River]] valley area, and the South Midland speech; sometimes the former is designated simply "Midland" and the latter is reckoned as "Highland Southern." The North Midland speech continues to expand westward until it becomes the closely related Western dialect which contains [[Pacific Northwest English]] as well as the well-known [[California English]], although in the immediate [[San Francisco]] area some older speakers do not possess the [[cot-caught merger]] and thus retain the distinction between words such as cot and caught which reflects a historical Mid-Atlantic heritage. Mormon and Mexican settlers in the West influenced the development of [[Utah English]].

The South Midland or Highland Southern dialect follows the [[Ohio River]] in a generally southwesterly direction, moves across [[Arkansas]] and [[Oklahoma]] west of the [[Mississippi river|Mississippi]], and peters out in [[West Texas]]. It is a version of the Midland speech that has assimilated some coastal Southern forms (outsiders often mistakenly believe South Midland speech and coastal South speech to be the same). The island state of Hawaii has a distinctive [[Hawaiian Pidgin]].

Finally, dialect development in the United States has been notably influenced by the distinctive speech of such important cultural centers as [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], [[Chicago]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]], [[New Orleans]], and [[Detroit]], which imposed their marks on the surrounding areas.

==Differences between British English and American English==
{{main|American and British English differences}}
American English and [[British English]] (BrE) differ at the levels of phonology, phonetics, vocabulary, and, to a lesser extent, grammar and orthography.
The first large American dictionary, ''[[Webster's dictionary|An American Dictionary of the English Language]]'', was written by [[Noah Webster]] in 1828; Webster intended to show that the United States, which was a relatively new country at the time, spoke a different dialect from that of Britain.

Differences in grammar are relatively minor, and normally do not affect mutual intelligibility; these include, but are not limited to: different use of some [[verbal auxiliaries]]; formal (rather than notional) agreement with [[collective noun]]s; different preferences for the past forms of a few verbs (e.g. ''learn'', ''burn'', ''sneak'', ''dive'', ''get''); different prepositions and adverbs in certain contexts (e.g. AmE ''in school'', BrE ''at school''<!--when it means "to be a student"-->); and whether or not a definite article is used in a few cases (AmE ''to the hospital'', BrE ''to hospital''). 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.<ref>Algeo, John (2006). ''British or American English?''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-37993-8.</ref>

Differences in [[orthography]] are also trivial. Some of the forms that now serve to distinguish American from British spelling (''color'' for ''colour'', ''center'' for ''centre'', ''traveler'' for ''traveller'', etc.) were introduced by Noah Webster himself; others are due to spelling tendencies in Britain from the 17th century until the present day (e.g. ''-ise'' for ''-ize'', ''programme'' for ''program'', ''skilful'' for ''skillful'', ''chequered'' for ''checkered'', etc.), in some cases favored by the [[francophile]] tastes of 19th century [[Victorian England]], which had little effect on AmE.<ref>Peters, Pam (2004). ''The Cambridge Guide to English Usage''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62181-X, pp. 34 and 511.</ref>

The most noticeable differences between AmE and BrE are at the levels of pronunciation and vocabulary.<!--AmE sometimes favors words that are [[Morphology (linguistics)|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''). Commenting out for now pending expansion-->

==See also==
*[[Dictionary of American Regional English]]
*[[International Phonetic Alphabet for English]]
*[[IPA chart for English]]
*[[Regional accents of English speakers]]

==Bibliography==

===General===

* {{cite book|last=Bartlett|first=John R.|authorlink=John Russell Bartlett|year=1848|title=Dictionary of Americanisms: A Glossary of Words and Phrases Usually Regarded As Peculiar to the United States|location=New York|publisher=Bartlett and Welford}}
* Ferguson, Charles A.; & Heath, Shirley Brice (Eds.). (1981). ''Language in the USA''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Finegan, Edward. (2004). American English and its distinctiveness. In E. Finegan & J. R. Rickford (Eds.), ''Language in the USA: Themes for the twenty-first century'' (pp. 18-38). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Finegan, Edward; & Rickford, John R. (Eds.). (2004). ''Language in the USA: Themes for the twenty-first century''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Frazer, Timothy (Ed.). (1993). ''Heartland English''. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press.
* Glowka, Wayne; & Lance, Donald (Eds.). (1993). ''Language variation in North American English''. New York: Modern Language Association.
* [[Bryan_A._Garner|Garner, Bryan A.]] (2003). ''Garner's Modern American Usage''. New York: Oxford University Press.
* Kenyon, John S. (1950). ''American pronunciation'' (10th ed.). Ann Arbor: George Wahr.
* Kortmann, Bernd; Schneider, Edgar W.; Burridge, Kate; Mesthrie, Rajend; & Upton, Clive (Eds.). (2004). ''A handbook of varieties of English: Morphology and syntax'' (Vol. 2). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
* {{cite book|last=Labov|first=William|authorlink=William Labov|coauthors=Sharon Ash; Charles Boberg |year=2006|title=The Atlas of North American English|location=Berlin|publisher=Mouton de Gruyter|id=ISBN 3-11-016746-8}}
* Lippi-Green, Rosina. (1997). ''English with an accent: Language, ideology, and discrimination in the United States''. New York: Routedge.
* MacNeil, Robert; & Cran, William. (2005). ''Do you speak American?: A companion to the PBS television series.'' New York: Nan A. Talese, Doubleday.
* {{cite book|last=Mathews|first=Mitford M. (ed.)|year=1951|title=A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles|location=Chicago|publisher=University of Chicago Press}}
* {{cite book|last=Mencken|first=H. L.|authorlink=H. L. Mencken|year=1936, repr. 1977|title=The American Language: An Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States (4th edition)|location=New York|publisher=Knopf}} (1921 edition online: [http://www.bartleby.com/185/ www.bartleby.com/185/]).
* {{cite book|last=Simpson|first=John (ed.)|year=1989|title=Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press}}
* Schneider, Edgar (Ed.). (1996). ''Focus on the USA''. Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
* Schneider, Edgar W.; Kortmann, Bernd; Burridge, Kate; Mesthrie, Rajend; & Upton, Clive (Eds.). (2004). ''A handbook of varieties of English: Phonology'' (Vol. 1). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
* Thomas, Erik R. (2001). ''An acoustic analysis of vowel variation in New World English''. Publication of American Dialect Society (No. 85). Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
* Thompson, Charles K. (1958). ''An introduction to the phonetics of American English'' (2nd ed.). New York: The Ronald Press Co.
* Trudgill, Peter and Jean Hannah. (2002). International English: A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English, 4th ed. London: Arnold. ISBN 0-340-80834-9.
* Wolfram, Walt; & Schilling-Estes, Natalie. (1998). ''American English: Dialects and variation''. Malden, MA: Basil Blackwell.

===History of American English===

* Bailey, Richard W. (1991). ''Images of English: A cultural history of the language''. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
* 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.
* Bryson, Bill. (1994). ''Made in America: An informal history of the English language in the United States''. New York: William Morrow.
* 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.
* Kretzschmar, William A. (2002). American English: Melting pot or mixing bowl? In K. Lenz & R. Möhlig (Eds.), ''Of dyuersitie and change of language: Essays presented to Manfred Görlach on the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday'' (pp. 224-239). Heidelberg: C. Winter.
* Mathews, Mitford. (1931). ''The beginnings of American English''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
* Read, Allen Walker. (2002). ''Milestones in the history of English in America''. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

===Regional variation===

* Allen, Harold B. (1973-6). ''The linguistic atlas of the Upper Midwest'' (3 Vols). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
* Atwood, E. Bagby. (1953). ''A survey of verb forms in the eastern United States''. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
* Carver, Craig M. (1987). ''American regional dialects: A word geography''. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-10076-9
* [[Hans Kurath|Kurath, Hans]], ''et al.'' (1939-43). ''Linguistic atlas of New England'' (6 Vols). Providence: Brown University for the American Council of Learned Societies.
* Kurath, Hans. (1949). ''A word geography of the eastern United States''. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
* Kurath, Hans; & McDavid, Raven I., Jr. (1961). ''The pronunciation of English in the Atlantic states''. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
* McDavid, Raven I., Jr. (1979). ''Dialects in culture''. W. Kretzschmar (Ed.). Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press.
* McDavid, Raven I., Jr. (1980). ''Varieties of American English''. A. Dil (Ed.). Stanford: Stanford University Press.
* Metcalf, Allan. (2000). ''How we talk: American regional English today'' Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-618-04362-4
* Pederson, Lee; McDaniel, Susan L.; & Adams, Carol M. (eds.). (1986-92). ''Linguistic atlas of the gulf states'' (7 Vols). Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press.

===Social variation===

====African American====

* Bailey, Guy; Maynor, Natalie; & Cukor-Avila (Eds.). (1991). ''The emergence of Black English: Text and commentary''. Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
* Green, Lisa. (2002). ''African American English: A linguistic introduction''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Labov, William. (1972). ''Language in the inner city: Studies in Black English Vernacular''. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
* Lanehart, Sonja L. (Ed.). (2001). ''Sociocultural and historical contexts of African American English''. Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
* Mufwene, Salikoko; Rickford, John R.; Bailey, Guy; & Baugh, John (Eds.). (1998). ''African American Vernacular English''. London: Routledge.
* Rickford, John R. (1999). ''African American Vernacular English: Features, evolution, and educational implications''. Oxford: Blackwell.
* Wolfram, Walt. (1969). ''A sociolinguistic description of Detroit negro speech''. Urban linguistic series (No. 5). Washington, D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics.
* Wolfram, Walt; & Thomas, Erik. (2002). ''The development of African American English: Evidence from an isolated community''. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

====American Indian====

* Leap, William L. (1993). ''American Indian English''. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.

====Latino American====

* Bayley, Robert; & Santa Ana, Otto. (2004). Chicano English grammar. In B. Kortmann, E. W. Schneider, K. Burridge, R. Mesthrie, & C. Upton (Eds.), ''A handbook of varieties of English: Morphology and syntax'' (Vol. 2, pp. 167-183). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
* Fought, Carmen. (2003). ''Chicano English in context''. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
* Galindo, Letticia D. (1987). Linguistic influence and variation of the English of Chicano adolescents in Austin, Texas. (PhD dissertation, University of Texas at Austin).
* Santa Ana, Otto. (1993). Chicano English and the Chicano language setting. ''Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences'', ''15'' (1), 1-35.
* Santa Ana, Otto; & Bayley, Robert. (2004). Chicano English phonology. In E. W. Schneider, B. Kortmann, K. Burridge, R. Mesthrie, & C. Upton (Eds.), ''A handbook of varieties of English: Phonology'' (Vol. 1, pp. 407-424). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
* Wolfram, Walt. (1974). ''Sociolinguistic aspects of assimilation: Puerto Rican English in New York City''. Washington, D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics.

===Visual media===

* Cran, William (Producer, Director, Writer); Buchanan, Christopher (Producer); & MacNeil, Robert (Writer). (2005). ''Do you speak American?'' [Documentary]. New York: Center for New American Media.
* Kolker, Andrew; & Alvarez, Louis (Producers, Directors). (1987). ''American tongues: A documentary about the way people talk in the U.S.'' [Documentary]. Hohokus, NJ: Center for New American Media.

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
*[http://freeshells.ch/~xavier/accentmap/ American Regional Accent Map] based on results from online quizzes
*[http://www.pbs.org/speak/ Do You Speak American]: PBS special
*[http://cfprod01.imt.uwm.edu/Dept/FLL/linguistics/dialect/ Dialect Survey] of the United States, by Bert Vaux ''et al.'', [[Harvard University]]. The answers to various questions about pronunciation, word use etc. can be seen in relationship to the regions where they are predominant.
* [http://us.english.uga.edu/cgi-bin/lapsite.fcgi/ Linguistic Atlas Projects]
*[http://www.ling.upenn.edu/phono_atlas/home.html Phonological Atlas of North America] at the [[University of Pennsylvania]]
*[http://www.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionary/ The American•British British•American Dictionary]
*[http://classweb.gmu.edu/accent/ Speech Accent Archive]
*[http://www.world-english.org/ World English Organization]
*[http://www.esuus.org English Speaking Union of the United States]
* [http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/words_list/british_american.htm British, American, Australian English - Lists and Online Exercises]
* [http://www.globalenglishsalon.com/ Listen to spoken American English (midwest}]
* [http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/dare/dare.html Dictionary of American Regional English]
* [http://www.popvssoda.com/ The Great Pop Vs. Soda Controversy]

{{English dialects}}
[[Category:American English|*]]
[[Category:Languages of the United States|English]]
[[Category:North American English]]

[[cs:Americká angličtina]]
[[de:Amerikanisches Englisch]]
[[es:Inglés estadounidense]]
[[fr:Anglais américain]]
[[ko:미국 영어]]
[[ia:Anglese american]]
[[it:Inglese americano]]
[[he:אנגלית אמריקנית]]
[[hu:Amerikai angol nyelv]]
[[nl:Amerikaans-Engels]]
[[ja:アメリカ英語]]
[[pl:Amerykańska odmiana języka angielskiego]]
[[pt:Inglês americano]]
[[ru:Американский английский]]
[[simple:American English]]
[[fi:Amerikanenglanti]]
[[sv:Amerikansk engelska]]
[[th:อังกฤษอเมริกัน]]
[[zh:美国英语]]