The English Language in America
Abstract
This chapter discusses the origins of American dialects in migration and settlement patterns beginning with Jamestown in 1607. The thirteen colonies divide familiarly into New England, the Middle Atlantic states, and the South Atlantic states. Following independence there was a period of expansion west of the Appalachians. These migrations and the intermingling of eastern seaboard populations resulted in present-day American dialects. Dialectologists often identify half a dozen geographical varieties and several social varieties. We will look at the work of these and other scholars of American English from Noah Webster to the present.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Linguistic Variation and Morphology
Linguistics and language evolution
Spanish Linguistics and Language Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 317–369
- Publication date
- 19 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter