Book contents
- The Emergence and Development of American English
- The Emergence and Development of American English
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 The Idea of American English
- 2 Emergence
- 3 Old World Origins for American English
- 4 The Colonial Period (1600–1800)
- 5 The National Period (up to the Civil War, 1800–1865)
- 6 Gilded Age to World War II (1866–1945)
- 7 The Information Age (1945–Present)
- 8 Regions and Localities
- 9 African American English
- 10 Social Differences in American English
- 11 Heritage Languages and American English
- 12 Standard American English
- Appendix 1 Terms and Concepts for Studying the English Language: Expression of Words with Sounds
- Appendix 2 Terms and Concepts for Studying the English Language: Beyond Expression to Content
- Appendix 3 The Linguistic Atlas Project and Excel: Working with Survey Data
- Glossary
- References
- Index
- References
4 - The Colonial Period (1600–1800)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 June 2026
Book contents
- The Emergence and Development of American English
- The Emergence and Development of American English
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 The Idea of American English
- 2 Emergence
- 3 Old World Origins for American English
- 4 The Colonial Period (1600–1800)
- 5 The National Period (up to the Civil War, 1800–1865)
- 6 Gilded Age to World War II (1866–1945)
- 7 The Information Age (1945–Present)
- 8 Regions and Localities
- 9 African American English
- 10 Social Differences in American English
- 11 Heritage Languages and American English
- 12 Standard American English
- Appendix 1 Terms and Concepts for Studying the English Language: Expression of Words with Sounds
- Appendix 2 Terms and Concepts for Studying the English Language: Beyond Expression to Content
- Appendix 3 The Linguistic Atlas Project and Excel: Working with Survey Data
- Glossary
- References
- Index
- References
Summary
The beginnings of American English come from the way that Europeans settled in North America. The circumstances of early immigration were different from the circumstances of life in the Old Country, and the interactions of speakers in the new setting shaped local habits. Crèvecoeur reports a typical experience of an immigrant coming to America. Early formation of American English does follow Schneider’s model for colonial Englishes, if we understand it from the point of view of complex systems.
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- The Emergence and Development of American English , pp. 60 - 77Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
References
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