Do You Concider American to be a Sub-Language of English?

The way Americans speak and the way British people speak English are very different. America has added a lot of words and slang to the language that was broken as it was. So I ask you- do you consider American to be a sub-language of English?

 

In a sense, there both english. Both sides come from different cultures and have there own slang terms depending on there general populace actions. I'd say It the way American's speak really isn't a sub-language as much as a slightly varried language compared to England's way of speaking.

 

I dialect at most, but barely.

 

No, I consider them to be the same language. There are plenty of words in English spoken in various areas of the U.S. that mean things, but also you can see different words used in England to Scotland. Added words are just the way cultures work as language develops. I know even though I'm American, I use quite a few British local slang too and my British friends learned things from me as well. The accents and local dialects can be different but we still all comprehend each other when we don't depend too heavily on 'slang'.

 

I wouldn't say it's a sub-language as such (lol even though I chose yes in the poll xD) but it is not equal to English. As White_Rook said it is almost certainly a dialect. I technically speak Mid-Ulster English which is also a dialect. I remember my uncle and his english wife were on holiday with us and we sat and explained lots of words we took for granted as being English to her as she had no idea what they meant.

But what I absolutely HATE is when people start trying to separate American completely from English. Just because you fail to accept u as a letter and lots of words were changed so as to differentiate the language of the victorious rebels from their defeated (with help from the French =_=) captors.

ColoUr

*cough*

<_>

*runs*

 

Well, I don't think most Americans really care. The spelling is different with some words with the letter 'u' in them but it's not like many of us do not recognize the words or sometimes use 'u' in them too. I really don't separate American English and British English that much in the end. I see no reason to. As I said, many words that aren't local 'slang' terms are the same and if we use them instead of the local terminology we can all comprehend each other. It's to me the same as when French and French-Canadian dialects differ but it's still the same language core, which is French. Or Spain Spanish speakers and Hispanic Spanish speakers have different slang etc and accents too. English isn't the only language to go through these changes and people feel that each is different in a way, but as long as we can understand the actual words that aren't local slang (and many of us do pick up on local slangs of other territories any way by chatting with each other) then it's still English, French and Spanish.

 

Good points x]

I just get really peeved when I hear someone say they are speaking American. It is not a separate language. It is a dialect/offshoot of the original language english.

Lol sorry for concentrating on the u thing, I have a bit of a pet peeve for that xD

 

I totally understand. I'm American and tell people they are speaking English when they say that. I usually hear most people say 'English' since that is also what we take in school. It's not called 'American'. Some people though do try to separate it, both on the British side and American side and I think it's pretty lame. Most of the time, sadly, it's 'scholars' that say there's a division and as I said above, it's rubbish because there are several languages that are spoken and modified to regions and yet they are still called what they are. I'm totally with you on that pet peeve. =:)

 

with myself being british I feel americans speak a varied version of english (due to many different slangs terms, swears and finger gestures).

 

No matter how you look at it, they're both the same language. They have the same grammar rules and they use the same words. The only differences are slang and phrases, but that can't make them any different from one another.

 

no they are both English its just people pronounce words diffrently depending on where they are raised...

 

They're both the same language, it's just different dialects. They all have thier own different slang words and so on...

 

American AND Australia IS English no matter how many words have been changed.
I live in Australia and you get people calling girls sheilas and i have no idea how the hell that happened and then people say they speak Australian when theyre actually speaking English still.

 

I think it is, in a strange way. Not wanting to repeat anything but still, English is well, english. It originated in england and was taken over to Australia, America and where ever else it's spoken by british people. But everywhere as a slight variation of it, I've had moments where I've said "Are you having me on?" meaning "Are you joking?" and no one knew what I ment... >_>

But, and I can't believe I'm going to say this word, "American" *Shudders* is not a original lanugue and so cannot not be a sub-language. I'm not saying it's in any way inferior to "English", it's just a different take on it that could not exist with the base of "English".

If you havn't guessed I also hate the term "American". It makes me think of Frank Burns from M*A*S*H LOL

 

Lol I'm pretty sure both countries have their own slang. Just ask Mish. :3

But in all seriousness, neither could replace one another ever, in my opinion.

 

It's a dialect, much like how people in the U.K. and Australia speak English, yet the dialects are different. Other than how it sounds, the language is the same as far as words and meanings.

 

I completely agree 100% with OrganizationXIII.

 

American English is more of a different version of English, with different spelling and pronunciation, (Ello vs Hello).

 

"Ello" comes from a period of time in England where the poor had developed their own dialect of the same language. There may be vestiges of this Cockney remaining, but the majority of English speakers from England speak just the same as any American. In some cases, due to a larger investment into the education system, the British can be found to speak much more properly than Americans.

Other than that, it's pretty much all the same.

 

at this point I must say that english and "British" would be the same thing. Also British also has its slang and "extra words" no respectable American would say something like "rubbish" unless trying to act British. (sorry I like quotations) :D