Dialects can be defined as "sub-forms of languages which are, in general,mutually comprehensible."[1] English speakers from different countries and regions use a variety of differentaccents (systems of pronunciation) as well as various localized words and grammatical constructions. Many different dialects can be identified based on these factors. Dialects can be classified at broader or narrower levels: within a broad national or regional dialect, various more localised sub-dialects can be identified, and so on. The combination of differences in pronunciation and use of local words may make some English dialects almostunintelligible to speakers from other regions without any prior exposure.
The major native dialects of English are often divided by linguists into three general categories: theBritish Isles dialects, those ofNorth America, and those ofAustralasia.[2] Dialects can be associated not only with place but also with particular social groups. Within a given English-speaking country, there is a form of the language considered to beStandard English: the Standard Englishes of different countries differ and can themselves be considered dialects. Standard English is often associated with the moreeducated layers of society as well as more formalregisters.
British and American English are the reference norms for English as spoken, written, and taught in the rest of the world, excluding countries in which English is spoken natively such asAustralia,Canada,Ireland, andNew Zealand. In many formerBritish Empire countries in which English is not spoken natively, British English forms are closely followed, alongside numerous American English usages that have become widespread throughout theEnglish-speaking world.[3] Conversely, a number of countries with historical ties to the United States tend to follow American English conventions. Many of these countries, while retaining strong British English or American English influences, have developed their own unique dialects, which includeIndian English andPhilippine English.
Chief among other native English dialects areCanadian English andAustralian English, which rank third and fourth in thenumber of native speakers.[4] For the most part, Canadian English, while featuring numerous British forms, alongside indigenous Canadianisms, shares vocabulary, phonology and syntax with American English, which leads many to recogniseNorth American English as an organic grouping of dialects.[5] Australian English, likewise, shares many American and British English usages, alongside plentiful features unique to Australia and retains a significantly higher degree of distinctiveness from both larger varieties than does Canadian English.South African English,New Zealand English andIrish English are also distinctive and rank fifth, sixth, and seventh in the number of native speakers.
These dialects are used in everyday conversation almost all over the world, and are used aslingua francas and to determine grammar rules and guidelines.
Hickey, Raymond, ed. (2010).Varieties of English in Writing. The Written Word as Linguistic Evidence. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.ISBN978-90-272-4901-2.
Hickey, Raymond, ed. (2004).Legacies of Colonial English. Studies in Transported Dialects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-17507-4.
Crystal, David (2003).The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (Second ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 109.ISBN978-0-521-53033-0.
American Languages: Our Nation's Many Voices - An online audio resource presenting interviews with speakers of German-American and American English dialects from across the United States
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