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English Language: American or British?
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being the paternal language of the other native englishes (canadian english, australian english, new zealand english and south african english), british english and american english today are the two main english languages of the english-speaking world. although too many has already been said over how the scope, the types, and the possible effects of the inconsistency between the two kinds will be in the future, the quarrel on the issue has not come to an end at all.
the cover of the journal forum xxvii, no 3, july 1989, recalling the topic and provides a research of evidence of the difference between the two kinds of english over the centuries. noah webster (in dissertations on the english language) claimed that a further incompatibility of the american language from the english necessary and inevitable. he also predicted that “north american english would eventually be as different from british as dutch, danish and swedish are from german or from one another”. mark twain (in the stolen white elephant) thought american and british english to be different languages and declared that the former, spoken “in its utmost purity”, cannot be understood by an english people at all. this attitude was previously expressed by captain thomas hamilton (in men and manners in america). he said that “in another century, the dialect of the americans will become utterly unintelligible to an englishman.”
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