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Language is a fundamental part of a human culture. It is so ubiquitous that we seem to rarely mention it or give it proper credit. Naturally, something that is used so often will inevitably affect its users and at the same time will be affected by them. Hence the ever-changing, dynamic and fluent nature of a language, which reacts not only to the emergence of new objects or phenomena that need to be described but also to the social changes and worldview of its carriers – in other words, the language reflects nation’s culture.
American English is no exception. Being the language of a dynamic society, it reflects each noticeable trend. Besides, it gives an unparalleled opportunity to track these changes contrasting it to English spoken in other countries. British English is a perfect candidate for this, as it offers a society which is significantly different from ours. British and American English has had a common start but have since developed relatively independently. The most easily detectable difference – and most often cited – is the sentence structure and grammar. There are countless examples of grammar differences, but one can safely assume they are best described as a simplification (McArthur and McArthur 5).
The tendency here is primarily reducing the needless complexity, like irregularities and exceptions, and striving for uniformity. The same happens in spelling, with mute letters gradually disappearing from American English. This characterizes American culture as striving towards efficiency and rationality. It should be noted that British English experiences the same effects, as the ever-growing complexity of the contemporary world requires such actions. However, European countries, including Britain, have stronger adherence to tradition, which slows down the process. In other words, the dynamics of our language highlights our “rationale over tradition” trait.
Another noticeable change triggered by the cultural changes is the recently popularized trend of purging language of sexist terms. Examples include substituting the words which specify gender with neutral terms where both sexes are applicable, like “firefighter” instead of a “fireman” or “flight attendant” instead of the “stewardess.” (Rohdenburg and Schluter 28) However, rather than the involuntary subconscious change, as in the previous case, this is an artificial modification, the result of a collective effort. This, too, reflects cultural changes in our society – the ones aimed at creating a better world.
The final example – and the one I am most familiar with – is the introduction of abbreviations, known as textspeak, with the emergence of affordable cellphones. Being initially a necessity directed at making texting less expensive and time-consuming, it then became a part of youth culture. Textspeak was introduced to the areas where word length was not an issue, and certain words found their way to the oral language. As it was initially exclusive to the young audience, it gradually became associated with it. Nowadays it can be featured to add progressive, streamlined and informal feel to the message. Probably the most prominently featured example is the famous YOLO, used by Barack Obama in his health campaign promotion video. Such ubiquitous usage of the niche terminology also reflects the tendency of Americans to embrace something new rather than stick to formalities.
All three examples are frequently encountered by Americans on a daily basis but are seldom given a closer look. As we have seen, American language can indeed offer valuable insight into our cultural life if properly analyzed, and the availability of British English as the most convenient matching pair gives an unparalleled opportunity to do so.
Works Cited
McArthur, Tom, and Roshan McArthur. Concise Oxford Companion To The English Language, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
Rohdenburg, Gunter, and Julia Schluter. One Language, Two Grammars? Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Print.
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