HISTORY OF ENGLISH

ORIGIN OF ENGLISH

ENGLISH IS A WEST GERMANIC

LANGUAGE.
ENGLISH WAS BROUGHT TO BRITAIN IN
FIFTH TO SEVENTH CENTURIES FROM
NORTH WEST GERMANY AND
NETHERLANDS.

OLD ENGLISH (450-1066)

THE DIALECT SPOKEN BY GERMANIC

SETTLERS DEVELOED INTO A LANGUAGE
CALLED OLD ENGLISH.

SPEAKERS OF TODAY FIND IT VERY

DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND OLD
ENGLISH.

MIDDLE ENGLISH (10661450)

MIDDLE ENGLISH WAS SPOKEN

BETWEEN NORMAN CONQUEST AND
THE LATE 15TH CENTURY
FOR CENTURIES AFTER THE CONQUEST
MIDDLE ENGLISH WAS SPOKEN BY
KINGS AND HIGH RANKING OFFICIALS .
ENGLISH LANGUAGE CHANGEDD
ENORMOUSLY IN THE MIDDLE ENGLISH
PERIOD.

EARLY MODERN ENGLISH

(1450-1690)

ENGLISH UNDERWENT SOUND

CHANGES IN THE 15TH CENTURY.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE LIVED DURING
THIS TIME.
THE FIRST ENGLISH DICTIONARY WAS
PUBLISHED CALLED TABLE
ALPHABETICALL.

MODERN ENGLISH (1690-PRESENT)

MODERN ENGLISH IS ALSO CALLED

NEW ENGLISH.
IT STARTED IN 18TH CENTURY.
THE DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH
LANGUAGE WAS INTRODUCED IN 1755
BY SAMUEL JOHNSON.

EXAMPLE OF OLD
ENGLISH

Fder ure u e eart on heofonum; Si

in nama gehalgod to becume in rice
gewure in willa on eoran swa swa on
heofonum.

EXAMPLE OF MIDDLE ENGLISH

Certaynly our langage now vsed

varyeth ferre from that which was
vsed and spoken whan I was borne.
William Caxton ,Prologue to Eneydos
(1490).
Oure fadir that art in heuenes, halewid
be thi name; thi kyndoom come to; be
thi wille don in erthe as in heuene.

EXAMPLE OF EARLY MODERN ENGLISH

Ye shall therfore take the vsual speach of

the Court, and that of London and the
shires lying about London within lx.
myles, and not much aboue. George
Puttenham,Arte of English
Poesie(1589).

Our father which art in heauen, hallowed

be thy name. Thy kingdome come. Thy
will be done, in earth, as it is in heauen.

MODERN ENGLISH

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed

be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy
will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

VARITIES OF ENGLISH

CANADIAN ENGLISH
CHICANO ENGLISH
AFRICAN AMERICAN VERNACULAR ENGLISH
AMERICAN INDIAN ENGLISH
CARIBBEAN ENGLISH
INDO PAKISTANI ENGLISH
SINGAPOREAN ENGLISH
PHILIPPINE ENGLISH
NEW ZEALAND ENGLISH
BRITISH ENGLISH

OVERVIEW
Varities

of English
What do we mean by American English and British
English?
Importance of knowing these diffferences.
Historical background.
Grammatical differences.
Differences of vocabulary.
Diffferences of spelling.
Differences of pronunciation.
Recap.
Listen to an audio clip on these differences.
Questions.

FORMALIZING THE DIFFERENCES

One particular contribution towards
formalizing these differences came from
Noah Webster, who wrote the first
American dictionary(published 1828)
With the intension of showing that
people in the united states spoke a
different dialect from Britian

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY AMERICAN

ENGLISH AND BRITISH ENGLISH?

AMERICAN ENGLISH
American

English is the form of English used in

the united states.

It

includes all English dialects used within the united

states of America.
Regional

dialects in the united states typically

reflect the any particular region of the country,

especially in terms of pronunciation and vernacular
vocabulary. Scholars have mapped at least four
major regional variations of spoken American
English: Northern, Southern, Midland, and Western.

BRITISH ENGLISH
British

English also has a reasonable degree of uniformity

in its formal written form. The spoken forms though vary

considerably, reflecting a long history of dialects development
amid isolated populations. Dialects and accents vary not only
between the countries in the united kingdom, England
Northern Ireland

scotland and wales, but also within these

individual countries.
There

are also differences in the english spoken by different

social-economic groups.

Bringing English to America

BRITISH ENGLISH : HISTORY

West-Germanic
A

borrowing language -enriched by

anglo-saxon, scandinavian, and norman
influences
Envolved over many centuries;
experienced many shifts.
Spread of British English is attributed
to trade and commerce throughout the
established British empire.

Which is correct?
American

and British English are taught

in English as a foreign language programs.

No

one version is correct

RULE:
The

be consistent in your usage.

largest difference is probably in the

choice of vocabulary and pronunciation

COMPARISON
BRITISH ENGLISH(BrE)

AMERICAN ENGLISH(AmE).

is the form of

Is the form of

english used in the

English used in the

united kingdom, and

united states and

includes all english

includes all English

dialects used within

dialects used within

the united kingdom.

the united states.

Why there
is a
split up

HISTOR
Y

 Early in 1600 the first wave of Englishspeaking settlers arrive in North America
as part of the British colonization
movement.

They English the brought became an

Emigrant language to native North
Americans

 The process of this Emigrant language

(American English) evolved as follows
It evolved from a specific homeland
language(British English).
It began to change course because of
lack of direct contact with the
homeland.
The Emigrant language continued to
evolve away from the homeland,
gradually creating a new dialect.

 The homeland dialect also continued to

evolve as well, diverging further away
from the emigrant dialect of the language.
Between 17th and 20th century , many
gradual changes to the form of the
English language have taken place under
this process.
The process caused the Americans and
the British to diverge so drastically in
terms of the forms of their languages that
they are now considered two separate
English language dialects.

OAH WEBSTER
Published the
first American
dictionary in 1828
Up until this time
English
dictionaries
included only
British spellings,
vocabulary and
pronunciations.

MERRIAM BROTHERS
PUBLISHED
Websters First
International
Dictionary
It is an allencompassing
look at the
English
language

Which is correct?
One cannot claim that only one
version is always correct.
It depends on the region to which
they belong.

RUL
E:

Be consistent in
your usage

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
AMERICAN ENGLISH AND
BRITISH ENGLISH
There are differences in them which
includes
Spelling
Pronunciation
Grammar
Usage of verbs and words
Phrases
Miscellaneous differences

GRAMMAR

USE OF THE PRESENT PERFECT

In British English
I've just had lunch
In American English the following is also
possible:
I just had lunch

POSSESSION
Preferred form in British English:
Do you have a car?
Have you got a car?
He hasn't got any friends

POSSESSION
Preferred form in American English:
He doesn't have any friends.
She has a beautiful new home.
She's got a beautiful new home.

THE VERB GET

The past participle of the verb get is gotten in
American English.
Example He's gotten much better at playing
tennis.
British English - He's got much better at playing
tennis

PREPOSITIONS:
American English - on the weekend
British English - at the weekend
American English - on a team
British English - in a team
American English - please write me soon British
English - please write to me

PREPOSITIONS:
British English

American English

a home from home

as best you can
at a pinch
at the double
be cooking on gas

a home away from home

as best as you can
in a pinch
on the double
be cooking with gas

OMITTING PREPOSITION
In British English, before day, week or
certain day, preposition on shall be used,
while it is not so in American English.
Ill see you on Monday. (BrE)
Ill see you Monday. (AmE)
The new series begins on February . (BrE)
The new series begins February . (AmE)

IRREGULAR VERBS
Burn
Burnt OR burned
Dream
dreamt OR dreamed
Learn
learnt OR learned
Spell
spelt OR spelled
Spill
spilt OR spilled
Spoil
spoilt OR spoiled

IN ARTICLES
No.

British English

American English

in the light of

in light of

a dark horse

dark horse

Go into hospital

Go into the hospital

IN PLURAL
No.

British English

American English

even stevens

even steven

on second thoughts

on second thought

kids' stuf

kid stuf

OTHER DIFFERENCES
No.

British English

American English

highly-strung

high-strung

a rough diamond

a diamond in the rough

Prevention is better
than cure

An ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure

You live and learn.

Live and learn.

DIFFERENCES IN PRONOUNS
British English and American English use
diferent pronouns to repeat the indefinite
pronoun one.
British English uses one, for example, One
cannot succeed unless one tries hard, while
American English uses he,

DIFFERENCES IN PRONOUNS
For example,

One cant be too careful, can one? (BrE)

One cant be too careful, can he? (AmE)

DIFFERENCES IN PRONOUNS
For example,

One cant be too careful, can one? (BrE)

One cant be too careful, can he? (AmE)

GRAMMAR(ACTIVITY-3)
1).I've lost my key. Can you help me look for it?

2).I suggest that meeting be postponed

3). Have you finished your homework yet?

4).John has got much better during the last week

5).Your daughters name stands first in the list

6).The new term begins on September 1.

GRAMMAR(ACTIVITY-3)

7).He went home after he had finished his work.

8). One should learn to take care of oneself

9). on second thoughts on second

GRAMMAR(ACTIVITY-3)
Answers :
1).I lost my key. Can you help me look for it?

2).I suggest that meeting should be postponed

3). Did you finished your homework yet?

4).John has gotten much better during the last week

GRAMMAR(ACTIVITY-3)
Answers :
5).Your daughters name stands first on the list
6).The new term begins September 1.
7).He went home after he finished his work.

8). One should learn to take care of himself

9). on second thought on second

What is a verb?
A verb is a word which describes the
action in a sentence (the doing word)
Examples
I play football.
She skip quickly.
We eat spaghetti.
Bob is seven today.

Types of verbs

Action verb
Transitive verb
Intransitive verb
Auxiliary verbs
Stative verb
Modal verb
Phrasal verb
Irregular verb

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses describe WHEN the action is

happening.

PRESENT (its happening NOW.)

PAST (its ALREADY happened.)
FUTURE (its ABOUT to happen.)

Present verbs

An action verb that describes an action that is

happening now is called present tense verb.
Eg: the bird flies through the sky.
Files is a present tense verb because it is happening
right now .

Past verbs
Verbs which tell about actions which
happened some time ago are past tense
verbs.
Eg: the dog wanted a bone .
Wanted is a past tense
verb because the action
has already happened.

Future tense
Verbs which tell about actions which are
going to happen are future tense verbs.
Eg: we will awaken at 6 a.m
Will awaken is a future tense
Verb because the action has
not yet happened.

Helping verbs
A helping verb works with a main verb to
help you understand what action is taking
place.
Eg: Teena was using
the computer

Usage of verbs

Verbs are words reveal what the subject

(noun, pronoun, or clause) does, or what
is done to it. It expresses action, or a state
of being, or condition and also indicates
the tense (past, present, future) of the
action.

Some verbs that can be both action and

non-action
ACTION
Please ,phone later.we
are having dinner.

NON-ACTION

Be quiet. Im thinking.

They have a nice boat

What are you looking at?

I think shes very

intelligent.

You look sad.

Usage of word

Word usage is how a word, phrase, or

concept is used in a language.
Lexicographers gather samples of written
or spoken instances where a word is used
and analyze them to determine patterns of
regional or social usage as well as
meaning.

Take care of
Vocabulary difference
some common examples (British =>
American):
1. film => movie
2. flat => apartment
3. ill => sick
4. chips => french fries
5. lorry => truck

Condt
Spelling difference
1. neighbour => neighbor
2. fibre => fiber
3. analyse => analyze
4. criticise => criticize
5. catalogue => catalog
6. traveller => traveler
7. Grey => gray

Condt
Grammar differences
An American speaker would usually use
the simple past with words such
as already, and just, whereas a British
English speaker would use the present
perfect.
For example:
1. American: "I'm not hungry, I just ate."
2. British: "I'm not hungry, I've just eaten.

Condt
HAVE vs HAVE GOT
To indicate possession,
1. American: "I have three brothers."
2. British: "I've got three brothers."
. when talking about obligation,
1. American: "I have to buy some milk."
2. British: "I've got to buy some milk."

Condt
Irregular verbs
Many verbs that are irregular in English
actually have two versions, irregular and
regular.
In British English you would usually find
the irregular version:
1. Leap => leapt
2. Spoil => spoilt
3. Smell => smelt

Condt
4.Spill

1.
2.
3.
4.

=> spilt
In American English the regular versions
are much more common:
Leap => leaped
Spoil => spoiled
Smell => smelled
Spill => spilled

VOCABULARY
Most noticeable difference
The meaning of the sentence can be
guessed through the context

American English

British English

Hood

bonnet

trunk

boot

Truck

Lorry

antenna

aerial

Apartment building

Block of flats

Area code

Dialing code

ATM

Cash Point

Attorney

Barrister

Baby carriage

Pram

American English

British English

cafetaria

Canteen

busy

Engaged

Band-aid

Plaster

beet

Beetroot

buddy

Mate

can

Tin

chips

Crisps

Cotton candy

Candy floss

Counter-clockwise

Anti-clockwise

American English

British English

Deadend

Cul-de-sac

Detour

Diversion

Diapper

Nappy

Divided Highway

Dual Carriageway

Flashlight

Torch

Game

Match

Kerosene

Paraffin

Mail

Post

Parking lot

Car park