American English

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/american-english

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the developmental period?Began diverging from British English in the 17th century
2. What is the standardization efforts?Significantly influenced by Noah Webster's dictionaries and spelling reforms
3. Why does American English use words like "raccoon" and "squash"?Early settlers in America mixed English with words from Native American languages. Those words, like "raccoon" and "squash," became part of everyday American English.
4. How did American English change its spelling?A man named Noah Webster simplified spelling so it matched how words sound. He changed words like "colour" to "color" and "analyse" to "analyze."

Lexicon: The vocabulary of a language, or the set of words known by an individual.
Phonology: The study of speech sounds and the patterns of their use in a language.
Sociolinguistics: The study of how language is used in society and how social factors affect language.