Language Autobiography Language is used all over the world. It is a very important part of our every day lives. In the British Isles alone there are sixty million native speakers. In America, there are 70% of native speakers and most countries use English as a 2 nd or 3 rd language. About 300 years ago America had to choose between German or English as their 1 st language.
The country chose English, but added their own words and changed the accent. For example instead of using ‘rubbish bin’, Americans say, ‘trashcan’. Instead of saying ‘sweets’ Americans use ‘Candy’. Using the same language, but with different words is called dialect. Most Americans found English more simple and easy. An accent varies in different regions.
It is sometimes known as pronunciation. There are lots of different accents, for example, in London, some people speak, Posh or Cockney. When people talk to you, you can often tell if they have been ‘properly educated’ or not. Sometimes people may be turned down for jobs judging on the way they speak. You can tell by the way that they speak what social status they come from. Judging people by the way they speak is offensive and shallow, as all people should be treated equally, no matter how they speak.
In Britain, R. P is classified as really ‘posh’ English, and stands for Received Pronunciation. This does not come naturally, it is learnt from years of proper education. Young adults and children from a poorer background may use ‘slang’. This dialect is used when words are shortened. For example, ‘because’ is shortened to ’cause’..