A thread not about braces, but about language.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

As much as I like to talk about braces there is a time when we all have to move on. Here is my question -

Is 'American English' a language or a dialect?

What is the difference between a dialect and a language? Does a language look at the written word and dialect look (listen) at/to the spoken word?

Lets have a good old chin-wag about it.

[Hondo]

Because of the many spelling differences, not to mention the incusion of so many unnecessary words, I'd say American English is a language of it's own.

[Hondo]

Ebonics would be a dialect of the American English language.

[Mark]

It's a dialect. After all I can understand 99.9% of what Americans talk about. If it were a seperate language it would be more like 0-1%

[edv]

It's a dialect. After all I can understand 99.9% of what Americans talk about. If it were a seperate language it would be more like 0-1%

You've never been to Louisiana, then.

[gadjo_dilo]

A dialect is a teritorial branch of a language having characteristics ( lexic, phonetic, grammar ) which differentiates it from the common language of the same people and from other teritorial branches of the common language. Obviously I'm not in the position to judge the characteristics.

[edv]

A dialect is a teritorial branch of a language having characteristics ( lexic, phonetic, grammar ) which differentiates it from the common language of the same people and from other teritorial branches of the common language.

Of course, this always leads to a big fight, over whom or where the 'proper' language is spoken vs dialects. :p :

[Rollo]

I suspect that most of the answer comes about because of that rapscallion and blaggard Noah Webster.

His publication of A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language in 1806 and then what became the definitive American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828, laid the standards down as to what the acceptable spelling of words were.

From that most reliable sources, Wikipedia:
Slowly, he changed the spelling of words, such that they became "Americanized." He chose s over c in words like defense, he changed the re to er in words like center, he dropped one of the Ls in traveller, and at first he kept the u in words like colour or favour but dropped it in later editions. He also changed "tongue" to "tung."

A decent little tome on the history of the English Language is Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson in 1990. That is currently on reprint in Penguin's orange cover. I bought a copy for A$10.00 recently, so I imagine that it should be reasonably cheap elsewhere.

The Streets' Mike Skinner says it best though:
Two nations divided, by a common language
And about two hundred years of new songs and dancing
But the difference is language, and just the bits you got wrong
'Cause we were the ones who invented the language

I especially do not like the tyranny which American English places over the internet. As I'm merrily typing away, every so often I will get these little wiggly lines appearing under occasional words, informing me that I've spelt something wrong, when in actual fact it is the spectre of Noah Webster and his deliberate attempts to change spelling that's causing the error.

American English is a dialect for reasons elsewhile stated in this thread, but because of the increase of mass media, it imposes itself upon the world and more importantly will probably overtake English English as the standard within 100 years because of its influence over new speakers.

[Hondo]

You've never been to Louisiana, then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fs12_-ihPY

[Mark in Oshawa]

I especially do not like the tyranny which American English places over the internet. As I'm merrily typing away, every so often I will get these little wiggly lines appearing under occasional words, informing me that I've spelt something wrong, when in actual fact it is the spectre of Noah Webster and his deliberate attempts to change spelling that's causing the error.

American English is a dialect for reasons elsewhile stated in this thread, but because of the increase of mass media, it imposes itself upon the world and more importantly will probably overtake English English as the standard within 100 years because of its influence over new speakers.

I feel your pain Rollo. I hope it doesn't come to that, because if I am still alive ( I do plan on being the oldest man in the world...of course, don't we all??) I will be cursing it.

WE (those of us from Commonwealth nations) speak and write English. So do the Americans in theory, but I would say they are a dialect. Heck, Cockney is a dialect, and I barely understand some of that, and I can barely understand Cajun's in Louisana, but they still if pushed speak the same language. The Americans with their Noah Webster inspired spellings are just an anchronism that will swamp us.....