Regional varieties of the english vocabulary

1. The main regional varieties of the English language (British, American, Canadian, South African, New Zealand, Australian).

2. Historical background.

3. Difference between a regional variety and a dialect.

4. Major British and American dialects.

5. British and American English: comparative analysis.

Suggested Readings

1. Арнольд И. В. The English Word. — 3-е изд. — М.: Высш. шк., 1986. — С. 262—272.

2. Леонтович О. А. Россия и США: введение в межкультурную коммуникацию. — Волгоград: Перемена, 2003. — С. 237—239, 327—335.

Glossary Terms:

regional variety of a language, local dialect.

Practical Home Assignment: cards with examples.

Practical Class Assignment (for the groups studying British English)

1. Phonetic differences: read the following words the way they are pronounced in British and American English:

fair, hire, shower, sure, wheel, white, twenty, fast, student, new, hurry, courage, secretary, territory, ceremony, administrative, Amazon, missile, feminism, plagiarism, excursion, amnesia, aristocrat, garage, laboratory, magazine, renaissance, ate, clerk, dynasty, either, leisure, lieutenant, medicine, process, schedule.

2. The following text is given in British English. Read it silently. Change it into American English using the selection of words from the table below. Try reading it aloud with American pronunciation.

Julia: Oh, no! How can I be so stupid! I lost my handbag. And we’re going on holiday tomorrow.

Tom: OK. Calm down and think about it. Are you sure it’s not in the flat?

Julia: Yes, I’m sure. I looked everywhere. Even in the rubbish.

Tom: What? Under those cold chips?

Julia: Yeah.

Tom: Where did you go today?

Julia: Well, I went to the cinema with Dolores. She paid. Before that we went to a chemist’s. But I didn’t buy anything. This morning I went down the motorway to buy petrol… So I had my handbag then.

Tom: What happened at the petrol station? Do you remember?

Julia: Yeah. There were two or three lorries in there, and there was a queue to pay. I paid for the petrol and bought some crisps and biscuits.

Tom: And in the cinema… did you buy sweets? Did you go to the toilet?

Julia: Hey, yes! That’s it. I left my handbag in the toilet. Let’s phone them right now.

(The World of English)

BRITISH ENGLISH	AMERICAN ENGLISH
flat crisps chemist motorway rubbish queue cinema toilet holiday to phone biscuit stupid chips petrol film handbag lorry sweets	apartment potato chips drugstore highway garbage line movie theater bathroom vacation to call cookie dumb French fries gas movie purse truck candy

Practical Class Assignment (for the groups studying American English)

1. Phonetic differences: read the following words the way they are pronounced in American and British English:

fair, hire, shower, sure, wheel, white, twenty, fast, student, new, hurry, courage, secretary, territory, ceremony, administrative, Amazon, missile, feminism, plagiarism, excursion, amnesia, aristocrat, garage, laboratory, magazine, renaissance, ate, clerk, dynasty, either, leisure, lieutenant, medicine, process, schedule.

2. The following text is given in American English. Read it silently. Change it into British English using the selection of words from the table below. Try reading it aloud with British pronunciation.

Julia: Oh, no! How can I be so dumb! I lost my purse. And we’re going on vacation tomorrow.

Tom: OK. Calm down and think about it. Are you sure it’s not in the apartment?

Julia: Yes, I’m sure. I looked everywhere. Even in the garbage.

Tom: What? Under those cold French fries?

Julia: Yeah.

Tom: Where did you go today?

Julia: Well, I went to the movie theater with Dolores. She paid. Before that we went to a drugstore. But I didn’t buy anything. This morning I went down the highway to buy gas… So I had my purse then.

Tom: What happened at the gas station? Do you remember?

Julia: Yeah. There were two or three trucks in there, and there was a line to pay. I paid for the gas and bought some potato chips and cookies.

Tom: And in the movie theater… did you buy candies? Did you go to the bathroom?

Julia: Hey, yes! That’s it. I left my purse in the bathroom. Let’s call them right now.

AMERICAN ENGLISH	BRITISH ENGLISH
apartment potato chips drugstore highway garbage line movie theater bathroom vacation to call cookie dumb French fries gas movie purse truck candy	flat crisps chemist motorway rubbish queue cinema toilet holiday to phone biscuit stupid chips petrol film handbag lorry sweets