It's English.

[dragonslayer32]

You have no fucking clue what it used to be like. It was an illegible mess of a language back 200 years ago. Around the time of the colonies, we had to build on what we had and teach kids what we only perceived as common terms rather than a slur of slang-like words. I know this because I got a early 19th century children's school book that was passed down from my mum's side, and it is the biggest spelling and grammar mess I have ever seen. I mean, we didn't have some huge library or university right there, we had to build that shit ourselves, use whatever books we may have brought over from jolly old England or write them ourselves with our screwed-up, compiled understanding of english. And, things got even worse when immigration took off. Being a "melting pot", we have so many different cultures mixing together into one nation that it's nearly impossible to keep everything straight while having a huge influence from many different countries impact our way of life. Trust me, it wasn't easy, but we've done the best we can.

the way you wrote this actually sounds like you were there lol. i understand about using the resources you had, but surely the big colonies must have had an idea about the language they were supposedly speaking? what about before the war of independance? the Americans must have picked something up from the English.

 

[War Penguin]

I do believe that when the American Revolution ended, they began spelling things differently to to separate themselves from England. Hell, Webster released a dictionary for those new words. And who could really blame them? I'm not saying that the English spelling is inadequate, I'm saying that England was the enemy at the time, and the didn't want to be like the enemy. Why else do you think they had a whole goddamn revolution? Spelling, that's why... Oh, and, uh, independence, of course.

 

[Therumancer]

Language evolves and changes, the simple reason is that your dealing with two seperate nations/cultures that have seen the language evolve slightly differantly through use.

Honestly given that English is a lingual juggernaut and all over the world, you'll find that there are a lot of differant ways it's spoken/written, but it's just most people look at the UK and America since we're the big nations that have it as our primary language and the ones who shared the responsibility (at differant times) of spreading it globally.

Unless we somehow unify the planet, designate a single planetary language for humanity which everyone will learn to speak, as taught in a globally focused education system, we're going to see even more of this as time goes on.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

the way you wrote this actually sounds like you were there lol. i understand about using the resources you had, but surely the big colonies must have had an idea about the language they were supposedly speaking? what about before the war of independance? the Americans must have picked something up from the English.

Education wasn't always the life requirement that it is today. When it came to teaching children from a lower class, reading a single sentence a day was good enough for a parent back then. It doesn't really matter whether it started before or after the War, the colonists didn't necessarily have the same childhood education that you or I have now, or even perhaps some of the more wealthy members of society then. When they began raising children in the New World, they could only teach what they themselves knew or had on hand, which wasn't much. They didn't really have a scholastic curriculum to abide by. Parent's were more concerned for them to learn their trade rather than something that was considered only for politicians, clergymen, and scholars.

Also, how exactly do you know that I wasn't there, hmmm? *Escapes in Tardis*

 

[bigass]

First thing I thought when I read this.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

Cause we like to spell color like color not colour or any wacky spelling.

 

[Vrach]

hello fellow escapists, i was thinking today, why do Americans spell some words different to the English, yet they say they speak English? i'm not having a go at anyone, i think that it is good that we have cultural differences but i just think it is interesting that the same language is spoken, yet it is different.

Would you have them call it American? I know some do and I generally find it slightly disrespectful, but the topic in particular hits a little closer to home for me so I'm not fond of it, nor do I have an opinion that's really set in the stone.

And what you're talking about doesn't really seem strange, it's simply dialect. You don't even have to look at the US for that, within England itself you'll find people speaking differently. It's only natural that for a country so geographically detached from its origin, a slightly different dialect forms.

edit: oh and lol&much love at the Pulp Fiction vid

 

[CplDustov]

To be honest English is some parts of England is different to in others so... yeah.

 

[Lexodus]

I imagine they were drunk, and that the conversation went a little something like this:

"We don't like the English... I know! Let's spell some words wrong!"
"Yeah, that'll learn 'em!"
*cheers all round. One fellow picks up a can of beer, and proclaims, "Aluminum!" to raucous applause. Another declares that 'colour' shall no longer have the vowel 'u' in it, to louder applause. They all pass out.*

 

[Lexodus]

-deleted. Internet connection failed halfway through posting, resulting in double-

 

[Lexodus]

hello fellow escapists, i was thinking today, why do Americans spell some words different to the English, yet they say they speak English? i'm not having a go at anyone, i think that it is good that we have cultural differences but i just think it is interesting that the same language is spoken, yet it is different. Also, what are the origins of words like 'soda' which is in the English language but the English never use?

It was our ancestors way of showing spite to the English. That's why we drive on the left side of the road,too. Actually, I think that most of the stuff the US does was in spite of England no offense

A small problem there: WE drive on the left. Tell me, are there lots of accidents when you go out?

 

[Kragg]

It's accents. Except that accents are also in your hands and fingers. Also, I demand that the BB code becomes friendly to Brits. I die inside when I write "COLOR" instead of "COLOUR". Also, I want World Peace. No wait, that's too easy compared to that other one. A'ight, just the first one, and make it snappy boy!

Calumon: Jack's been playing Saint's Row 2. : /

youre thinking of dialects, accents is spoken language