Speech Varieties of English Language: British vs. American

Speakers of a language manifest all kinds of differences, which makes languages stratified on every level – phonological, morphological, lexical, syntactic, and semantic and in three dimensions – temporal, spatial, and social. This makes their varieties and dialects. Nevertheless, it remains the case that although spoken American and British English are generally mutually intelligible, there are enough differences to cause occasional misunderstandings or at times embarrassment. Written forms of American and British English as found in newspapers and textbooks vary little in their essential features, with only occasional noticeable differences in comparable media. This kind of formal English, particularly written English, is often called standard English. An unofficial standard for spoken American English has also developed, as a result of mass media and geographic and social mobility. The paper will focus on the background of British and American English along with a comparative analysis of British and American pronunciation. Within British English pronunciation, one speech variety, the so-called Received Pronunciation, is recognized which also will be discussed and it is really important when speaking about English pronunciation. Key words: phonology, phonetics, dialects, accent, standard English, pronunciation, RP