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
1 - The Idea of American English
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
American English is not a simple thing to define. The United States is a big place, with many different regions. American English is certainly different from British English, and yet it is hard to set boundaries on the differences. American culture also plays a role in American English, and some say that politics does as well. In the end, the multitude of voices of Americans of whatever belief and whatever region come together to emerge as what people around the world recognize as American English.
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- The Emergence and Development of American English , pp. 5 - 21Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
References
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