Modern English is different from what English was a hundred years ago. After all, any living language tends to change. And we are talking not only about the emergence of new slang words and acronyms, but also about changes in sounds, words and grammatical structures. In this article, we will talk about the most interesting changes in the English language that have occurred over the past century.
Before we start, we want to note that all these changes are not yet established grammatical rules, therefore they are used only in informal and semi-formal speech.
Input straight speech that helps emphasize emotions
Despite the fact that, according to all the rules, direct speech looks like this:
He said,”Great – I’ll go to the party” (He said: “Great, I’ll go to the party”)
Over the past few decades, several more ways have emerged to convey someone's words, while doing it more emotionally. We suggest considering several options:
— He goes,”Great – I’ll go to the party”
In this case, the word "goes" is equivalent to "said", but it sounds more youthful and emotional.
He is like,”Great – I’ll go to the party”
The construction “to be like” as an input to direct speech is used when we convey what a person said not literally, but only approximately, trying to express the essence of what was said. At the same time, we will try to copy the intonation and gestures of the person we are talking about. The Russian equivalent of this expression can be:
He's like, "Great, I'm going to the party."
to be all; - this is the newest construction, which is equivalent to the previous one, but is often used when a person said something very emotionally. In our case, he said he would go to the party with delight.
He is all ,”Great – I’ll go to the party!”
The Russian equivalent might sound like this:
And he's like, "Great, I'm going to the party!"
Separation of the verb and particle “to”
According to the rules in English, you cannot break the infinitive. If she writes the phrase “our team tried very quickly to solve that problem” in the essay, the teacher will surely correct it.
However, in oral speech native speakers increasingly break the verb and particle “to” into an adverb. Interestingly, the rule not to break the infinitive appeared in the 17th century and was borrowed from Latin, which at that time was considered an exemplary language. In Latin, infinitives were written together, so it was impossible to break them with another word. In order to bring English closer to Latin, a rule was introduced into it that it was impossible to break the particle “to” and the verb.
Start to do or start doing
Verbs such as “start” and “begin” are used with both the infinitive and the gerund. Both constructions are correct and have been used for a long time. However, since the 40s of the last century, the tendency to use these verbs with the gerund has been steadily growing. But the preference to use verbs denoting emotions, hate, love like, with the ending ing began to increase from the 1950s. It is worth noting that verbs such as cease, stand, intend are still used with the infinitive.
Twice no
Teachers love to correct students when they use double negatives. But in spoken English, native speakers are increasingly using it.
for example, if it is grammatically correct to say “I didn’t eat any ice-cream today” (I didn’t eat any ice cream today), then in colloquial speech you can increasingly hear the phrase with a double negative: “I didn’t eat no ice-cream today".
Long form of the verb in English
Apparently, native speakers liked the use of the long form of the verb, which is becoming more and more popular. Today it's much more common to hear something like "He's being furious" instead of "He's furious".
Also, long forms in the passive voice and with modal verbs began to be used more often:
That question is beign taken seriously - that question is taken seriously
You should be going - you should go.
Modal verbs
It has long been clear that it is time to say goodbye to "shall" and "ought to", which are used less and less. But "will," "should" and "can" did not change. Recently, going to, have to, need to, want to are increasingly used, which are often replaced by other modal verbs and constructions.
For example, often the verb have to replaces must, and instead of should, when giving a recommendation, they use want to.
Quite often you can hear:
You might want to use a dictionary (instead of: You should use a dictionary).
This construction looks like more polite advice, thanks to the replacement of "you should" with "you may want to."
Don't have or Haven't
If we suddenly said “I haven’t a book” in class, the teacher corrected us, saying that there must be an auxiliary verb. However, actually saying "haven't" when we don't have something is acceptable. At the same time, it is curious that such a “non-standard” option is preferred by the stiff British, while the Americans often say “don’t have”.
Get-passive
In modern English, the word get is increasingly used in the passive. Instead of “he was promoted” (he was promoted), now they can say “he got promoted” more often. Of course, the use of this form of passive is by no means new, but 50 years ago it was used much less frequently.
animated animals
Even at school, we were taught that any animal in English is it, that is, “it”. But is it possible to do this with our beloved pets? Now, in relation to animals, it is more correct to use he or she (depending on the sex of the animal).
The Briton can, to put it mildly, be very offended by you if you suddenly call his favorite horse “it”.
Modern English does not stand still, but continues to develop, and who knows how it will change even after a century. In the meantime, we want to remind you that all of the above points apply only to informal English, so if you are writing an essay, a business letter or taking an exam, it is better to use grammatically correct constructions.
The origin of the English language began a very long time ago. The formation of a language is a complex process, due to various historical and social factors. With the development of typography, there is a gradual consolidation of standard English, but at the same time, phonetics and vernacular continue to change and develop, moving away from dictionary English. So today we use modern form of the English language, on the creation of which not a single generation worked.Modern English: what is it?
English belongs to the Germanic languages of the Indo-European language family. Today, English is spoken by residents of England, Australia, the USA, New Zealand, Ireland, Malta, Canada, as well as in some countries in Asia and Africa, so this language is alive and constantly evolving.A bit of history
Language is a living matter that is constantly changing along with the culture of speakers. Therefore, in order to fully master a foreign language, you need to know the history of the people and understand what causes certain changes. Throughout history, the English language has undergone significant changes, so modern English has a lot of borrowed vocabulary. In ancient Britain, the Celtic language was spoken, which was completely forgotten during the active invasions of the Germanic tribes. And later in the Viking period, English developed under the influence of Old Norse. Significant moments in the formation of the English language was the conquest of the throne by the Normans, who imposed the French language. And this served as a powerful impetus in the process of formation of modern English.Features of modern English
Due to the fact that people of all continents speak English, the language core is constantly enriched, which contributes to the emergence of new words, synonyms and expressions. At the same time, English grammar is quite simple, despite the large number of irregular verbs and exceptions that need to be learned. Most words in English are monosyllabic, and punctuation is one of the simplest in the world. That is why English has become so widespread among all peoples. The hardest thing about English is spelling. The pronunciation of words often does not coincide with the spelling, so it is customary to indicate the transcription. Despite this, modern English is easy to learn and understand, slang expressions are simplified, so learning colloquial is not difficult.Differences from Russian
It is not easy for a Russian-speaking person to learn English, because there are many things that are incomprehensible to us, such as a large number of verb tenses, articles, and a strict word order in a sentence. In our language, everything is quite simple, unlike English. Most of the pronouns in everyday speech are replaced by the pronoun it, the only exceptions are the pronouns "he" and "she". In English, words do not change by case or by the role of the word in the sentence. In addition, some words that have different forms in Russian are denoted by one word in English, for example, the word "flower" can mean "flower", "bloom", "flowery" depending on the context. It seems that such nuances only make it difficult to learn the language, but in fact, everything is much simpler than with regard to the Russian language.Variants of Modern English
Modern English combines several regional varieties of Canadian, American, British, New Zealand and Australian English. There are several dozen dialects, which are worth studying only after mastering the classical versions of the language, which today dominate the world.British English is more conservative, strict observance rules, clear pronunciation, correct placement of words in a sentence, etc. Shortened phrases and swallowing endings are taboo for all Brits. There is also the so-called "Royal English", which is spoken by the royal family.
American English, which the British themselves sometimes call "bad English". It is not difficult to guess that this form of language has all the opposite features. This is a simplified version of the language, which became very impoverished in the process of its formation. Due to the dynamism and enslavement inherent in the American mentality, “correct” English has not taken root here, so there is an opinion that the American form of English is easier to learn.
You can go to Italy for Italian, but learning English opens up wide horizons and gives everyone who speaks it the opportunity to travel without borders. Indeed, in almost every country in the world, leaving the plane, you can hear the legendary “Hello!”.
In the 21st century, it's hard to imagine successful person without knowledge of foreign languages. The ability to communicate fluently in English is increasingly indicated by employers as one of the main requirements for employment, knowledge of English is necessary for programmers and IT specialists, and finally, even basic knowledge of spoken English makes life much easier for those who often travel around the world and those who who occasionally goes on business trips abroad.
Excursion into history
Language is a living matter that is in constant development and changes along with the culture of speakers. Therefore, in order to successfully master a foreign language and learn to feel it, it is necessary to know its history, to understand what causes certain changes.
Throughout the history of its existence, the English language has undergone many invasions, as a result of which the Anglo-Saxon core has acquired borrowed vocabulary. The Celtic languages spoken in ancient Britain were almost completely lost with the advent of the Germanic tribes. They survived only in remote areas of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Later, during the period of the Viking invasion, the language developed under the influence of Old Norse.
The turning point was the conquest of the English throne by the Normans, who literally imposed the spread of the French language. For a long time, French was considered the language of the aristocracy, while Anglo-Saxon was spoken only by commoners - this served as a powerful impetus for the transformation and enrichment of the language, which, as a result of forced assimilation, was formed into the version of English we know.
Variants of Modern English
Meager and undeveloped before the 12th century, English took shape by the beginning of the 15th century into a beautiful and strong literary language used in official institutions, schools and courts. He was soon recognized official language. During the period of mass emigration of the British to America, English quickly acquired international significance, dividing into territorial offshoots.
Modern English is represented by several regional variants - British, American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and others. The most widely used among them are two main varieties - British English, which has several dozen dialects, and American English, which rightfully occupies a dominant position in the world today.
British English language is more conservative, requires strict adherence to grammatical rules, in particular, strict adherence to the correct word order in a sentence, does not tolerate phrase abbreviations and “swallowing” word endings. The pronunciation with characteristic stretching vowels, as well as the intonation of sentences, also differ significantly. However, modern life makes its own adjustments, and the younger generation of the British, keeping pace with the global linguistic trend, strives for the maximum simplification of the language.
The so-called "Royal English" is the dialect spoken by most of the British population. However, the British Isles contain dozens of other dialects, some of which have survived only in the most remote regions and are hardly used in Everyday life. Such territorial variants of English are rather a symbolic historical heritage.
American English English themselves call the language "bad English" and treat it with some disdain. It is believed that this is a very simplified English at all levels of the language, which is pretty poor in the process of such transformations. In fact, such a transformation of the language is due to a different culture - more liberated and dynamic. In America, it is impossible to imagine a smooth measured speech "on the nose" in perfectly correct English. A different pace of life and other values gave rise to a different language - concise, concise, simplified.
Features of modern English
Thanks to a large number borrowings and a wide distribution area, English has a rich vocabulary with many synonymous words. At the same time, its grammar is quite simple, despite a sufficient number of exceptions to the rules and irregular verbs that need to be memorized. Most words are monosyllabic. Modern English punctuation is one of the simplest in the world. The difficulty is only spelling, since spelling English words often inconsistent with pronunciation. That is why in dictionaries it is customary to indicate a transcription for each word.
The modern language is characterized by simplifications, compression of phrases, the use of slang vocabulary. Often in colloquial speech, there is a neglect of the rules of grammar, shortening of words and “swallowing” endings, as a result of which it is difficult for an unprepared person to hear such speech.
Learning English language
As a rule, the basic knowledge that most people somehow get in the process of learning a foreign language in a school or non-core university program is not enough to master the language at the level of free communication. Various English courses, online seminars, intensive trainings, audio and video tutorials, study abroad programs and other methods aimed at quickly and effectively mastering modern English come to the rescue.
The theoretical part can be easily learned by resorting to the services of language schools, where qualified teachers will help you quickly understand grammar rules, spelling and phonetics. However, learning to write and read correctly in a foreign language is only half the task. It is more important to learn to understand and speak, and this requires practice.
Seminars with a native speaker
Modern English is so dynamic that the best way to learn it is to communicate directly with native speakers. For beginners who do not speak the language well enough to study abroad, the best way out is seminars led by an English-speaking teacher. Such classes combine the performance of written tasks and live communication, which allows you to simultaneously learn the spelling and sound of new vocabulary. In addition, upon contact with a native speaker, the speaker unconsciously copies and imitates the manner of speech of the interlocutor - thus, the correct pronunciation and intonation are learned at the subconscious level.
English via Skype
Another way of learning English that is gaining popularity is the practice of communicating through interactive programs such as Skype. In the age of technological progress, this is not only one of the most effective, but also the most convenient option. A specially trained teacher - a native speaker - composes for each of his students individual program online learning and individual schedule. Real-time dialogue allows you to improve your speaking skills and deal with uncertainty.
Study abroad
Nothing will help to master a foreign language better than immersion in the language environment. Currently, many travel agencies and language schools developing study abroad programs. Such courses allow not only to learn English, but also to get acquainted with the culture of the country, the mentality of local residents, and therefore, feel all the nuances of the modern language and get closer to understanding it.
Constant rotation in English-speaking circles will help you enrich your business faster and more efficiently. vocabulary and learn to speak with a minimal accent or get rid of it altogether. This is most easily given to young people - schoolchildren, students who absorb culture along with the language and quickly adapt to unusual conditions. More mature people should pay attention to learning English in groups and combine communication in their usual circle with new English-speaking acquaintances - overcoming the language barrier will be easier with the support of like-minded people.
Tutorials
For lovers of a clearly structured curriculum and connoisseurs of free choice of time and topics of classes, tutorials are suitable. However, it is necessary to monitor the relevance of the publication, because modern English is constantly evolving, and information in printed publications becomes outdated rather quickly. The exception, perhaps, is business English tutorials - classic phrases in literary language remain always up to date.
Audio and video materials
Learning a foreign language can be made more interesting and exciting if you use video materials for self-study - films, talk shows, educational programs in English. On the Internet in the public domain, you can find a huge number of old and modern recordings, the latest videos on current topics. At the same time, many resources provide the ability to include subtitles (including those with translation), which facilitate understanding, which is especially important for beginners.
The easiest way to unobtrusively assimilate modern English vocabulary- listening to music of foreign performers. You can turn on the radio or CD in the car, at home, or anywhere else where you can focus on the lyrics. Another option is audiobooks with works by contemporary authors in English.
A reflection of modern English with its current vocabulary, new idioms and youth slang contains popular TV series. While spending the evening watching a couple of episodes of a modern English-language series with friends, you can not only have a good time, but also learn a few new expressions.
parting word
Anyone who is just about to get acquainted with the English language, or who seeks to improve their knowledge and conversational skills, should remember that the main thing is to have strong motivation, have self-discipline and have fun.
The key to successful learning a foreign language is competent selection teaching materials and teaching methods, a qualified teacher who can arouse interest in the lessons, and, of course, passion for the process.
Modern English is an amazing, constantly changing and developing world that opens up new opportunities for those who sincerely strive to become part of it. It is much more interesting to follow its development in the process of studying, especially if there is an opportunity for a live dialogue with native speakers. With a little effort and mastering the language of world communication, you can safely call yourself a modern man of the world.
Loginova Valentina
Download:
Preview:
Municipal educational institution
basic comprehensive school №1
Karasuksky district of the Novosibirsk region.
Variants of modern English.
Loginova Valentina Sergeevna
8th grade student
Tsygankova Natalya Ivanovna
Plan.
- Variants of Modern English:
A) British
B) American
- The nature of the lexical features of American English.
Sources of the emergence of new vocabulary:
A) borrowings from other languages.
B) Various kinds of innovation.
- Categories of comparison of American and British variants of languages:
A) Common words.
B) General concept - different words.
C) Words without analogues.
- The main differences between the American and British versions:
A) Spelling
B) Phonetics
C) Grammar
- Conclusion.
English in modern world.
None of the languages ever invented by man has ever become a universal world language. Based on the real distribution of languages in the world community, the United Nations has chosen the following six languages as its official or working languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese. A special place among them belongs to the English language.
English is the native language for more than 400 million people living in 12 countries of the world, including: the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. It also ranks first in the world among foreign languages studied in secondary and higher schools, in circles and in adult education courses. In France, for example, 85% of students take a compulsory four-year English course high school. In Russia, English is studied by about 70% of students in secondary and higher educational institutions.
In today's world, English plays an extremely important role in such areas. human activity like science, technology, economics, trade, diplomacy, tourism. This language is international language in aviation and shipping. 80% of all information embedded in the computers of the world is presented in English.
It acts as the working language of the absolute majority of international scientific, technical, political and professional international congresses, conferences, symposiums and seminars. Those. English today plays the same role that Latin played in Europe in the Middle Ages.
Thus, while studying the role of English in the modern world, my attention was drawn to the fact that there are several varieties of modern English, but two of them occupy a special position: British and American.
The American and British versions are not different languages, and this is confirmed by the practice of my research.
But the end result that I would like to achieve when completing the work is to identify the differences between the two versions of the language and the general patterns of their development.
I realize that it's impossible to describe and find all subtleties in the difference and similarity of these options, but as Walt Disney said “It is fun to do the impossible” (It is very interesting to do the impossible).
What is the novelty of this work?
To achieve the results of my research, I used for the first time in relation to this material the methods of empirical knowledge.
Before starting this work, the teacher introduced me to several research methods, but we settled on the application general method scientific knowledge - empirical, which is a comparison and is one of the most common. We know that everything is relative. As for linguistic variants, here, in my opinion, only in the course of comparison can one establish the real truth in their similarities and differences.
The influence of the British version is due to the fact that it is traditionally used as a subject of study in the education system of most countries of the world. The growing role of the American variant is explained by the place occupied by the United States of America in modern economic, scientific and cultural life and, above all, by the activities of the mass media (film, television, video, print). The American and British versions are not different languages, and this is confirmed by practice: Americans, Canadians, British, Australians and New Zealanders can easily communicate with each other. However, assuming that these variants of the English language have much more in common than different, one should not forget that such an assessment is of a qualitative nature. Naturally, there are a lot of specific differences, and they are especially noticeable in the vocabulary. A few words about the nature of the lexical features of American English.
This option has already four centuries of history. In the 17th century, the first settlers from England arrived on the Atlantic coast of the American continent, speaking different dialects. In the earliest "colonial" period, the settlers had a need to give names to local plants, animals, realities and traditions. Numerous Indian words became the sources of new words.
languages:
Igloo igloo (Eskimo ice hut)
Skunk skunk (animal)
totem
wigwam
Another cultural contact that influenced the formation of the vocabulary of the American version was French immigrants from France
Brave brave
bureau bureau
Depot depot, warehouse
prairie prairie
pumpkin pumpkin
rapids rapids
Many words were borrowed from Spanish:
corral cattle pen
lasso lasso
mustang mustang
Sombrero sombrero
The Danish colony of New Amsterdam, on the site of modern New York, also left its linguistic mark:
Boss boss, boss
bush bush
Sleigh sleigh
waffle waffle
There were very few borrowings from African languages. For example:
Okra okra (plant)
Voodoo sorcerer
The largest influx of new words is observed in the 19th and 20th centuries, when millions of immigrants from many countries of the world arrived in the United States. The Italians brought, in particular, their national cuisine and the corresponding words:
pizza pizza
spaghetti spaghetti
There are also various words of German origin in American English:
Hamburger hamburger
Liverwurst liverwurst
semester
seminar
Another source of new words was American political institutions, traditions, way of life, scientific discoveries and inventions:
assembly assembly
Congress
President
Senator
telegram telegram
telephone telephone
Finally, words related to the development of culture: cinema, theater, music, television. Many of them quickly entered the British version, and even other languages of the world:
jazz jazz
pop music popular music
Rock group
TV serial
Thus, the vocabulary of the American version is very diverse and its specific features are determined, on the one hand, by borrowings from other languages, and, on the other hand, by various kinds of innovations, word creation and, in general, the dynamic development of American society.
Comparing the vocabulary of the American and British variants, 3 main categories can be distinguished: 1. Common words; 2. General concepts - different words; 3. Words without analogues.
GENERAL WORDS
man man
sky sky
Tree tree
Day
head
Black
Cold
Biology biology
And thousands of others identical in both versions. This is one of the reasons why Americans and British people can easily understand each other. It is important to understand that for all its differences, vocabulary
The British and American versions rest on the same powerful foundation.
GENERAL CONCEPTS-DIFFERENT WORDS
The second group includes a large number of examples where different words are used to denote concepts or realities that exist in British and American cultures.
Pants (Amer.) pants
Trousers (UK)
Coat (Amer.) coat
Overcoat (UK)
Subway (amer.) subway
Underground (UK)
Gas (amer.) gasoline
Petrol (UK)
Student (amer.) student
Pupil (UK)
Soccer (amer.) football
Football (UK)
WORDS WITHOUT ANALOGUES
The third group includes words denoting concepts or objects that have no analogues in another country. For example, geographical terms, names of plants and animals, national sports and their terminology.
Canyon (amer.) canyon
Caribou (Amer.) caribou (Canadian deer)
Cricket (brit.) cricket (sport)
Baseball (amer.) baseball
SPELLING
The greatest influence on American spelling was provided by Webster, who at one time proposed a series of reforms that simplified the spelling of an entire category of English words. The most characteristic differences are as follows:
Aluminum
Aluminum
Catalog catalog
Catalog
honor
Honor
program program
program
specialty
specialty
As for phonetics and grammar, the differences in these areas are small. The difference in the pronunciation of individual sounds and words, intonation, stress and rhythm, the use of individual grammatical structures is not an obstacle in the communication of educated people.
So what kind of English should a foreigner study?
A curious experiment was carried out in one of the Polish universities. One group of students studied the American version, and the other - the British version. Tests at the end of the course revealed minor differences in grammar and vocabulary. As for phonetics, most of the students spoke English with a pronounced Polish accent. The conclusion is simple: it is necessary to study not the British or American version, but the ENGLISH LANGUAGE, adjusting certain elements of the content depending on the learning objectives.
What did I personally get from working on this topic?
First, I acquired the skill independent work in the library, and this is what I'll have to work with when I'm a student.
Secondly, by working with literature on the topic, I will learn to master various types readings that involve varying degrees of depth of penetration into the material:
2) Introductory(selective) helped me in finding answers to certain questions from several sources and for comparing and contrasting the information found;
3) Learning Reading, i.e. careful reading with stops and reflection on the information.
I was introduced to different types of reading by my teacher
before starting work on the topic.
Thirdly, in the course of working on the topic, I learned to compare and analyze the information found. And when studying other people's work, I had my own thoughts on this issue, and I consider this just as important.
And fourthly (I consider this the most important) - my language knowledge and general outlook have expanded.
And I want to invite respected listeners to reflect on this topic in the same way. I have given one of the options here, but I think that there are still a sufficient number of possible options for further research and there is a wide front for creative search. Therefore, in next year I plan to continue this work.
And the last. Perhaps this topic reflects the coexistence in science of what is already known, perhaps in my work I “did not discover America”, but for me, as a future teacher of foreign languages, the very process of scientific knowledge on this topic is important.
Having carefully studied it, I imagine how I give a decent and rather detailed answer to the questions of my future students about what is the reason for the appearance of several variants of the English language, what are their similarities and differences.
And I hope that it will be very pleasant for me to realize that I began to be interested in this while still in school.
Bibliography.
Marchenko T., Khurshudyants A.S. "Features of the translation of synonyms, taking into account their belonging to the American or British version of the English language."
Sokolova L. “English language self-instruction manual: American version”.
Schweitzer A.D. "A systematic presentation of the main features of the American version in the field of phonetics, spelling, vocabulary."
“Be a Leader” is an English textbook for businessmen.
Ivanov S.V. (level - intermediate) - a guide to American English for adults.
Drozdov V.A. "On a Difference in the Morphology of American and British English".
Drozdov V.A. “Comparative study of vocabulary, phonetics, grammar of American and British English”.
Peshekhonov E.V. “On Some Peculiarities of American and British English”.
Peshekhonov E.V. “ Foreign languages and intercultural communication”.
Translation agency “Dictionaries of regional differences in English variants”.
Cheprasova Ya.I. "Some General Features of Australian English".
“English-Russian Dictionary” Muller V.K.
“Russian-English, English-Russian Dictionary” publishing house “Collins”
“Russian-English, English-Russian Dictionary” Romanov A.S.
On the present stage The development of the language can be divided into two main variants of English - British English and American English. According to the Russian linguist A.I. Domashnev, these options are certain forms of adaptation of a single language to the conditions, needs of social development and traditions of nations - speakers of a given language and represent special forms of functioning of a single language (Domashnev, 1990).
The modern British language is far from the classical English that existed more than 300 years ago. There are three language types in British English (Koptelova, 2000). The first type is conservative English, which reflects the English of the past and which has not been developed under the influence of modernity (conservative is the language of the royal family and parliament). Conservative English is rarely used even in the most civilized part of the UK. It is spoken by no more than 5% of the total population of the country.
The second reflects the standard language of the business world. In this type, all the norms and rules of the language are strictly observed (received pronunciation, RP is the language of the media, it is also called BBC English). The language of the educated population of London and the south-east of England eventually acquired the status of a national standard (RP). Its basis is "correct English" - the language of the best private schools and universities. This is the classical, literary English, which is the basis of any English course in linguistic schools for foreigners.
The third type is spoken English or advanced English (advanced - the language of youth). This type is the most mobile, it is he who constantly absorbs elements of other languages and cultures. Advanced English is most affected by the general trend towards language simplification.
Unlike British English, American English is more flexible. It is a new generation language that brings people together, thanks mainly to common culture, rock music, films, close communication, as well as those ideals and idols that society lives by.
At the end of the 20th century, the development and spread of the American version caused the accusations of the English-speaking states of neo-colonialism, of suppressing other languages, which in turn caused the development of the anti-globalization movement. The governments of many Western countries tried in every possible way to secure the status of their country's language as the state language. Yes, in 1994. In France, the Toubon Law was passed, providing for considerable fines for the abuse of foreign words in the media. Similar measures were taken in Israel and Poland. In Germany, the Society for the Protection of German language(Bovarskaya, 2005).
It should be noted, however, that in most countries of the world the spread of the English language is voluntary, and not imposed by force from outside. In Germany, for example, the Society for the Defense of the German Language is opposed to the use of the struggle for the purity of the language for nationalist purposes. It is critical, but not hostile to everything American (Bovarskaya, 2004). And in China, the demand for learning English is so great that the number of English learners outnumbers the US population.
English is rapidly becoming an international language. The Germans are already talking about ein Image Problem and das Cashflow, the Italians are programming their computers with il software, the French go out for a weekend break, the Spaniards have a flirt, the Austrians eat Big Macs, the Japanese go to pikunikku, and in Russia they are already used to the words show, supermarket, office and even a loser and a killer. Over the past 15 years, according to experts, we have already used about 10 thousand. foreign words, mainly from American English (Bovarskaya, 2005).
Unlike other languages, English demonstrates certain grammatical advantages: the absence of gender for nouns, the absence of declensions for pronouns. So, for example, if you want to say the word you in German, you must choose from 7 words: du, dich, dir, Sie, Ihnen, ihr and euch.
The English language tends to be clear and concise: for example, the English phrase a business trust company in German sounds like Wirtschaftstreuhandgesellschaft, and in the Netherlands such company names have more than 40 letters (Bovarskaya, 2004).
But these linguistic features are not enough to single out English as a global language. These advantages of the language must certainly be correlated with the cultural, economic, political and military power of the country. Only then can it become a means of international communication. “A language becomes international for one main reason,” wrote the famous linguist David Crystal, “the political power of the people who speak this language, especially due to military power” (Bovarskaya, 2004).
According to the director of the Russian representative office of the British school Language Link Robert Jensky, now we can talk about the emergence and consolidation of some kind of average universal English, which has absorbed the features of both options. This one is neither American nor British nor any other. It is language international communication(Koptelova, 2000).