Prof Philips:
A salam alekum to you in Japan. Did the African you met in Amsterdam tell you his nationality? You are in a frame of mind for nationalities in the present discourse - English, American - only to make it "an African" once you get to Africa. Why did you not tell him that you're from the Americas just to maintain a balance of stories? We need to sometimes make it Kenyan, Senegalese, Tanzanian or Togolese in relation to French, Belgian, Canadian, American or Australian, lest we stand guilty of having a great relationship with the Africans (apologies to the Donald).
Pius
--- On Sun, 1/5/11, John Edward Philips <philips@cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp> wrote:
From: John Edward Philips <philips@cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Is American English Bastardized (British) En...
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Date: Sunday, 1 May, 2011, 9:06
I did a field for my Ph.D. orals in historical linguistic and have since done study and research in the field, including a book on the history of Hausa. In general languages change most in the center and retain archaisms on their periphery. This is why American English is generally considered closer to Shakespearean in grammar, vocabulary and even pronunciation. Only the spelling has been reformed. Jamestown Virginia was being settled in 1607, as Shakespeare's career was winding down. This English changed less in North America than it did in its homeland, although Scottish English (if it is even English anymore) is even more archaic. I might also point out that American is considered the only overseas English derived from Midlands dialect. I remember meeting an African in Amsterdam once, who listened carefully to my accent and asked "Are you from Midlands?" "Close" I replied. "I'm American." On Apr 29, 2011, at 2:57 AM, Mario Fenyo wrote: > Dear Professor: > > please bear in mind that i am no expert in linguistics, on the English language(s), or even in American history. I have always heard, however, that English-speaking settlers arrived in Virginia (if we forget about Roanoke Island) many years before they landed at Plymouth Rock. I have also been told that the English spoken in the Tidewater region of Virginia and North Carolina is closer or closest to Elisabethan English..... Correct me if i am mistaken. > > respectfully, Mario > > > Dr. Mario D. Fenyo > University Professor of American History > Department of History and Government > Bowie State University > Bowie, MD 20715 > USA John Edward Philips < http://human.cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp/philips/> International Society, College of Humanities, Hirosaki University "Homo sum; humani nihil a me alienum puto." -Terentius Afer < http://www.boydell.co.uk/www.urpress.com/80462561.HTM> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin. For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue- unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
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