American English

The United States has no official language. English is the common language by use but it is not the national language by law. About 30 million Americans speak a language other than English at home. A so-called accent doesn`t mean that an individual is a foreigner. They say that Americans and the British are “two great nations divided by a common language”. American English is the variety of English spoken in the United States of America. It is different from English in pronunciation, intonation, spelling, vocabulary, and sometimes even in grammar. An Englishman goes to the town centre to see a film while an American goes downtown to see a movie. If an Englishman needs a pen he would ask you: “Have you got a pen, Please?”, but an American would say: “Do you have a pen?” However, the differences between BE and AE are comparatively small. Television, films and pop music have helped to bridge the Atlantic. It is normal to find 4 or 5 American programs on British television.

American English is the diverse form of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. According to the 1990 census, 97% of US residents speak Us English “well”. As of 2004, more than two-thirds of native speakers of English use the American dialect, although most for whom English is a second language around the world prefer Anglo-English.

English was inherited from British colonization. The first wave of English-speaking immigrants was settled in North America in the 17-th century. They brought with them Anglo-English words that remained in their vocabulary but were replaced in Anglo-English itself. “Diaper” for example, is archaic Anglo-English, replaced by “nappy” but the word survives in American English. Similarly “gotten” as the past participle of “get” is also archaic in Anglo-English. From this date there were also speakers in North America of the German, French, Dutch, Native American, Spanish, Swedish and Finnish languages. For almost a century the majority of immigrants were German speakers and this had a major effect on American grammar, spelling and vocabulary. American English has both spelling and grammatical differences from Anglo-English, some of which were made as part of an attempt to rationalize the English spelling used by Anglo-English at the time. The first American dictionary was written by Noah Webster in 1828. At the time America was a relatively new country and Webster`s particular contribution was to show that the USA spoke a different dialect from the various British ones and so he wrote a dictionary with many spelling differing from the standard. Many of these changes were initiated unilaterally by Webster. He also argued for many “simplifications” to conventional spelling. Many words are shortened and differ from other versions of English. Frequently German spelling such as “center” is used instead of “centre”. Conversely American English sometimes favors words that are morphologically more complex, whereas Anglo-English uses clipped forms such as AE “transportation” or Anglo-English “transport” or where the British form is a back-formation, such as American English “burglarize” and Anglo-English “burgle”.

I. Answer the following questions to the text:

A. 1. What kind of nation is the USA? How many states are there in the USA? 2. What types of landscapes and climates are there in the USA? 3. What are the famous mountains, lakes and plains on the territory of the USA? 4. What is the population of the USA? 5. What nationalities comprise the American nation? 6. What are the outstanding sights to visit in the American capital? 7. What is the largest city in the USA and where does its name come from? 8. What are the main tourist attractions in New York? 9. What was the lifestyle of Na­tive Americans before European colonization and what impact did it have on them? 10. Who were the first European settlers of America and when did they arrive on the American coast? 11. What was the main purpose of the American Revolution of 1775-1783? 12. Who were the founding fathers of the USA and what did they write? 13. Why was the Bill of Rights written and what does it guarantee? Did it apply to all of the population of the United States originally? 14. When was the American West built up and when did the notion of the West-em frontier disappear? 15. What was the concept of 'manifest destiny'? 16. What were the reasons for the Civil War and what did they have to do with the results of the Mexican War? 17. Who were the outstanding leaders on both sides of the War? 18. What was the Recon­struction programme of the 1860s aimed at?

В. 19. What was the period of major growth and expansion of the States and what were the reasons for it? 20. What American president does the slogan "Speak softly and carry a Big Stick" belong to? Is it still true today? 21. What were the major trends in American his­tory during the two World Wars? 22. What was the USA's participation in WW II? 23. What was the country's major foreign policy after the war? 24. What policies and events are Ri­chard Nixon and Ronald Reagan associated with? 25. Why was JFK was so popular among the Americans? 26. What was the first American dictionary of the English language and was particular about it? 27. What are the main parties and governmental institutions of the USA? 28. What are the most famous American newspapers? 29. What are the America's most popular sports? 30. Who are the most famous American writers, both in the past and today? Who are your favourite authors? 31. What is the role of Americ's Hollywood in the development of cinematography? 32. What famous actors, actresses, and film directors can you name? What were the landmark films produced by Hollywood? 33. What music trends did the USA give life to and who were the best known exponents of each style? 34. What are the holidays celebrated only in the USA or originating from them? 35. What American icons can you name? Any other in addition to those named in the textbook? 36. What world famous American personalities can you name?

II. Supply the word or phrase from the vocabulary list which correctly completes the sentence:

The Gilded Age, the Great Lakes, the President's administration, the Statue of Liberty, reservations, the Pilgrims, the Pledge of Allegiance, the frontier, the District of Columbia, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Declaration of Independence, New World, the Confed­eracy, the Trail of Tears, the Union, immigrants, the Great Depression, baseball, "reaga-nomics ".

1. A promise or oath of allegiance to the United States is called... 2.... are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. 3. Washington, D.C., officially..., is the capital city and administrative district of the USA. 4. White house is often used as a substitute name for.... 5. A gift from France, arriving in New York Harbour in 1884, was.... 6. As the result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 thousands of Native Americans moved from the east to western... along the route known as.... 7. In 1492 Co­lumbus seeking a short sea route to the Orient found... instead. 8. The first permanent Eng­lish settlement in North America at... was founded by Bartholomew Gosnold. 9. A group of English Protestant extremists known as... sailed from Europe to North America in 1620. 10. In 1776 the American Congress officially declared independence and formed the United States of America by adopting.... 11. In the 20-40* years of the 19^th century American set­tlers moved westwards pushing... further and further into the depth of the continent. 12. In 1863 Lincoln issued... which declared freedom for slaves in all areas of... that were still in rebellion against.... 13. Between 1870 and 1916 more than 25 million... entered the United States, most of them having sailed to New York. 14.... became so popular after 1900 that it was called the national pastime. 15. Mark Twain called the era of industrialization at the end of the 19^lh century.... 16. Year 1929 started the worst and longest depression in America's history, still known as.... 17. Tax cuts and heavy government defence spending in the beginning of 1980s made... popular among many Americans.

III. Decide whether the statements are true or false:

1. English is the official language of the USA. 2. The Unites States of America consists of fifty states with limited autonomy in which federal law takes precedence over state law. 3.The Federal Government consists of two branches: the executive and the legislative. 4. There are two major political parties in the USA: the democrats and the Republicans.5.Church and state are not separated in the USA. 6. The Big Three TV channels are gov­ernment-run network. 7. Baseball is popular in the Americas and parts of East Asia. 8. The Academy Awards are the most prominent film awards in the United States. 9. The iconic Johnny Cash was an outstanding representative of rock-and-roll trend. 10. Perhaps the only unique American trend in music was surf rock. 11. The centrepiece of contemporary Thanks­giving is a large roasted turkey. 12. May Day is a socialist festival in the USA. 13. The first groundhog day was observed in Pennsylvania in 1887. 14. Halloween is related to the pagan festival of Samhain, Draidic New Year celebrated on the 1^st of November. 15. Coke became so popular because cocaine was originally added to it. 16. It is illegal to carry guns in all of the USA states. 17. Martin Luther King was a African American civil rights activist.

IV. Write the letter of the best answer according to the information in the text:

a) USA is the largest country in the world.

b) USA is the 2^nd largest country in the world.

c) USA is the 3^rd largest country in the world.

a) Immigration is no longer significant for the USA

b) Immigration is still significant, with over 11 % of Americans born abroad.

c) Immigration is extremely significant, with over 40 % of Americans born abroad.

a) The Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts is located in Washington.

b) The Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts is located in New York.

c) The Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts is located in Philadelphia.

a) The Draft Riot of 1863 started as a protest against the ban on alcohol.

b) The Draft Riot of 1863 started as a protest against conscription for the Civil War.

c) The Draft Riot of 1863 started as a result of serious draft turned to be disastrous for agriculture.

a) Broadway is a theatre district in New York City.

b) Broadway is a major shopping street in New York City.

c) Broadway is the name of a roast pumpkin dish eaten at Thanksgiving.

d) Native Americans throughout history had an exclusively nomadic lifestyle.

e) All Native American tribes built advanced civilizations.

f) Different Native American tribes had different lifestyles before and through the time of European occupation.

a) The Vikings were probably the first Europeans to reach America.

b) Columbus was the first European to reach America.

c) Amerigo Vespucci was the first European to reach America.

V. Identify the events in American history related to the following names:

Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, Geronimo (Goyathlay), Barthlomew Gos-nold, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, General Robert E. Lee, General Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Al Capone, Harry S. Truman, Joseph McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Noah Webster, George Herman Ruth, Samuel Goldwyn, the Warner Brothers, Clark Gable, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr.

VI. Match the events in the first column to the dates in the second column:

The Indian Removal Act 1492

First voyage to the New World by Amerigo Vespucci 1620

Battle of Little Bighorn September 11, 2001

Arrival of the Pilgrims on board of Mayflower July 4,1776

The English captured the city later renamed as New York 1787

The American Congress declared independence 1664

Columbus discovered America 1846-1848

The Constitution of the Unites States was written 1602

The Louisiana Purchase 1876

A series of terrorist attacks by al-Qaida 1801

The Mexican War 1497

The first atomic bomb dropped on Japan 1933

The Emancipation Proclamation 1861

The beginning of the Vietnam War August 6,1945

The beginning of the Civil War 1862

Assassination of JFK 1967

The height of the Great Depression 1863

The Homestead Act 1963

The Civil Rights Act 1950

The beginning of the Korean War 1964

First English settlement at Jamestown 1830