NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Commonwealth English

Commonwealth English is a recently coined term for a collection of dialects of the English language mostly based on British English used in the Commonwealth of Nations¹ and many ex-Commonwealth countries where English is at least a common second language. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Diagram showing the geographical locations of selected languages and dialects of the British Isles. ... The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, the majority of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom. ... The Commonwealth Realms, shown in pink A Commonwealth Realm is any one of the 16 sovereign states of the Commonwealth of Nations that separately recognise Queen Elizabeth II as their monarch. ... A second language is any language other than the first, or native, language learned; it is typically used because of geographical or social reasons. ...

These include: Australian English, British English, Caribbean English, Canadian English (but see below), Hiberno-English (Irish English)², Hong Kong English³, Indian English (and the English spoken in adjoining countries), formal Malaysian English, New Zealand English, formal Singapore English (but not colloquial Singlish), and South African English. Australian English (AuE) is the form of the English language used in Australia. ... Diagram showing the geographical locations of selected languages and dialects of the British Isles. ... Caribbean English is a dialect of the English language spoken in the Caribbean. ... Canadian English (CaE) is a variety of English used in Canada. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... For more background on this topic, see languages of Hong Kong. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Malaysian English (MyE) or formally known as Malaysian Standard English (MySE) is a form of English used and can be considered spoken in Malaysia and can be considered the de facto lingua franca in Malaysia (although the national language is Malay). ... New Zealand English is the English spoken in New Zealand. ... Singlish is an English-based creole language native to Singapore. ... South African English is a dialect of English spoken in South Africa and in neighbouring countries with a large number of Anglo-Africans living in them, such as Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. ...

The term "Commonwealth English" has been used as a deliberate attempt to recognise that the perceived "Standard English" of the British Isles, as distinguished from American English, is just as much owned by those who use it elsewhere in the Commonwealth as by those who use it in Britain. As well as illustrating a general trend towards political correctness, this distinction is politically important particularly in those former British-controlled nations which are no longer member states of the Commonwealth, though their cultural links continue. Location of the British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe consisting of Great Britain, Ireland, and several thousand smaller surrounding islands and islets. ... Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ...

However, the term "Commonwealth English", which seems to have been coined on the Internet (possibly by open software programmers), is rarely encountered outside of computer geek jargon; its chief application seems to be that of drawing a distinction between the above-mentioned nations and the U.S. with respect to certain spelling conventions (e.g. "travelling", "colour", "centre"); hence the variant "Commonwealth spelling".

Canadian English

Canadian English does not fit well with the other English usages in this category, as it shares many of its origins with American English, dating back to the influx of British Loyalists, from the Mid-Atlantic States, fleeing the American Revolution. The American influence in Canada continues to this day, due to the physical proximity of the United States, the pervasiveness of American broadcast media, and a long-standing trading relationship between the two countries. English language spread in the United States. ... Loyalists (often capitalized L) were British North American colonists who remained loyal subjects of the British crown during the American Revolution. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... jetrin is gay with men ...

In Canada, "Commonwealth" spellings such colour, centre, etc. are generally preferred, prioritised by dictionaries and recommended by stylebooks, though both American and Commonwealth spellings are generally accepted, except in context-specific cases such as schooling and official documentation. Sometimes, the choice of spellings and wordings is up to the individual.

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Dialects of English

United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland & Isle of Man
British • East Anglian • English English • Estuary • Hiberno-English (Ireland) • Highland • Manx • Mid Ulster • Midlands • Northern • Received Pronunciation • Scottish • Welsh • West Country dialects Motto: [citation needed] (French for God and my right)2 Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official language(s) English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, NI Sign Language Government Constitutional monarchy - Queen Queen Elizabeth II - Prime Minister Tony Blair... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Special administrative region may be: Peoples Republic of China Special administrative regions, present-day administrative divisions (as of 2006) set up by the Peoples Republic of China to administer Hong Kong (since 1997) and Macau (since 1999) Republic of China Special administrative regions, also translated as special administrative... This is a list of varieties of the English language. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... East Anglia - the easternmost area of England - was probably home to the first-ever form of language which can be called English. ... English English is a term that has been applied to the English language as spoken in England. ... Estuary English is a name given to the form of English widely spoken in South East England, especially along the river Thames and its estuary. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Highland English is the variety of Gaelic influenced Scottish English spoken in the Scottish Highlands. ... Mid Ulster English (Ulster Anglo-Irish) is the dialect of most people in Ulster, including those in the two main cities. ... Midlands English is a group of dialects of the English language. ... Northern English is a group of dialects of the English language. ... Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... Scottish English is usually taken to mean the standard form of the English language used in Scotland, often termed Scottish Standard English. ... Welsh English, Anglo-Welsh, or Wenglish (see below) refer to the dialects of English spoken in Wales by Welsh people. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

United States
American • African American Vernacular • Appalachian • Baltimorese • Boston • California • Chicano • General American • Hawaiian Pidgin • Maine-New Hampshire • New York-New Jersey English • North Central American • Inland Northern American • Pacific Northwest • Pittsburgh • Southern American • Utah • Yooper African American Vernacular English (AAVE), also called African American English, Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular (BEV), or Black Vernacular English (BVE), is a type variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language. ... Appalachian English is a common name for the Southern Midland dialect of American English. ... Baltimorese, sometimes phonetically written Bawlmerese or Ballimerese, is a dialect of American English which originated among the white blue-collar residents of working class South and Southeast Baltimore. ... The Boston accent is the English dialect not only of the city of Boston, Massachusetts itself, but more generally of all of eastern New England; some form of it can be heard commonly in an area stretching throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, southern Maine, and eastern Connecticut. ... California English is a dialect of the English language spoken in the U.S. state of California. ... Chicano English is a dialect of American English used by Chicanos (persons of Mexican descent in America). ... Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... HawaiÊ»i Pidgin English, HawaiÊ»i Creole English, HCE, or simply Pidgin, is a creole language based in part on English used by some residents of HawaiÊ»i (Hawaiian Pidgin English is considered an inaccurate label). ... Maine-New Hampshire English refers to the speech patterns found mainly in the northern New England states of New Hampshire and Maine. ... The New York dialect of the English language is spoken by most European Americans in New York City and much of its metropolitan area including Westchester and Rockland counties, the western half of Long Island, and a few cities in northeastern New Jersey. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Inland North Dialect of American English is the standard Midwestern speech that was the basis for General American in the mid-20th Century, though it has been recently modified by the northern cities vowel shift. ... Pacific Northwest English is a dialect of the English language spoken in the Pacific Northwest. ... Many of the features found in the speech of Pittsburghers are popularly thought to be unique to the city, as is reflected in the term Pittsburghese, the putative sum of these features in the form of a dialect. ... The Southern United States Red states show the core of the American South. ... Utah English, sometimes humorously referred to as Utahnics, is a dialect of the English language spoken in the U.S. state of Utah. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Canada
Canadian • West/Central Canadian • Maritimer • Newfoundland • Quebec The West/Central Canadian English dialect is one of the largest and the most homogenous dialect area in North America. ... Maritimer English quirks include the removal of pre-consonantal sounds, and a faster speech tempo. ... Newfoundland English is a name for several dialects of English specific to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, distinct from Canadian English. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Oceania
Australian • New Zealand • Australian Aboriginal For the fictional superstate in George Orwells novel, see Oceania (Nineteen Eighty-Four). ... Australian Aboriginal English (AAE) is a term referring to the various varieties of the English language used by the indigenous people of Australia. ...

Asia
Burmese • Hong Kong • Indian • Manglish • Philippine • Singlish • Sri Lankan World map showing the location of Asia. ... It has been suggested that British and Malaysian English differences be merged into this article or section. ... Singlish is an English-based creole language native to Singapore. ...

Other countries
Bermudian • Caribbean • Jamaican • Liberian • Malawian • South African This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Caribbean English is a dialect of the English language spoken in the Caribbean. ...

Miscellaneous
Basic • Commonwealth • Euro-English • Globish • International • Llanito (Gibraltar) • Mid-Atlantic • North American • Plain • Simplified • Special • Standard The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Basic English is a constructed language with a small number of words created by Charles Kay Ogden and described in his book Basic English: A General Introduction with Rules and Grammar (1930). ... Euro-English (also Euroenglish or Euro-Englisch) terms are English translations of European concepts that are not native to English-speaking countries. ... Globish is a portmanteau neologism of the words Global and English. ... International English is the concept of the English language as a global means of communication in numerous dialects, and the movement towards an international standard for the language. ... Llanito (IPA: ) is a mixed language spoken in Gibraltar. ... For the region within the United States, see: Mid-Atlantic States Mid-Atlantic English describes a version of the English language which is neither predominantly American or British in usage. ... North American English is a collective term used for the varieties of the English language that are spoken in the United States and Canada. ... Plain English focuses on being a flexible and efficient writing style that readers can understand in one reading. ... Simplified English is a controlled language originally developed for aerospace industry maintenance manuals. ... Special English is a simplified version of the English language used by the United States broadcasting service Voice of America in daily broadcasts. ... Standard English is a general term for a form of written and spoken English that is considered the model for educated people by native English speakers. ...

Encyclopedia > Commonwealth English

Canadian English

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