Chief characteristic features of American English.

Fowler in Modern English Usage (1926) did not include an entry on American English and said little on the subject, although he cast occasional aspersions on so-called 'undesirable aliens' (such as belittle). Since then attitudes to American English have hardened, and the prevailing view among some who seek (or claim) to preserve standards in English is often hostile. However, it is linguistically misconceived and historically unjustified to regard the American influence on English as necessarily harmful; both varieties have been enriched by contact with each other and with other varieties, including Australian English and South African English. It should also be remembered that Canadian English (influenced by French) is a valid variety, and the boundaries between the Englishes of Canada and the USA are becoming much harder to draw precisely.

American English differs from British English in several important ways, in matters of vocabulary, spelling and inflection, idiom, grammar, pronunciation, and punctuation. Some of the more significant differences are due to uses that disappeared in British English but survived in American English (such as the use of gotten as a past participle of get, and the use of theater and other spellings in -er), and others are due to developments in American English after it went its own way.

30. Types of dictionaries. History of English and American Lexicography.

TYPES OF DICTIONARY:

• Bilingual Dictionary
• Monolingual Dictionary
• Etymological Dictionary
• Crossword Dictionary
• Rhyming Dictionary
• Mini-Dictionary
• Pocket Dictionary
• Thesaurus
• Glossary

Lexicography is an important branch of linguistics which covers the theory and prac­tice of compiling dictionaries.

Date: 2015-01-29; view: 1578