English the Confusing
Learning English is a daunting task even for those native to the language.
Why, are so many words in America pronounced different ways?!
I often hear this question, and look into the puzzled faces of my students when I try to explain how the same word can have different pronunciations, or how several different word have the same meaning.
To understand why words are pronounced differently or how different words can have the same meaning, we must look at America's history - the countries and cultures that have built this nation.
America is a patchwork of different nations sewn together by a common cause. Each culture and language brings with its own meanings, interpretations, and pronunciations. This means there are many words in American English that have more than one correct pronunciation.
Tufts Magazine, Up in Arms, By: Colin Woodard
Breaks the United States of American into 11 different "nations" giving a brief history of the peoples who settled in the area, their beliefs, and influence.
NBC News, Soda or pop? Coo-pon or cyu-pon? Maps reveal how America speaks, By: Melissa Dahl
Maps a few hotly debated pronunciations in the American English language. The correct pronunciation depends on where you live in America.
Huffington Post,
These Dialect Maps Showing The Variety Of American English Have Set The Internet On Fire, By: Alexis Kleinman
More maps for different pronunciations of words in American English
Maps of US linguistic patterns
For more on the pronunciation of different words across America Google Joshua Katz, a PhD student in the Department of Statistics at North Carolina State University who has created a series of U.S. dialect maps.
Why, are so many words in America pronounced different ways?!
I often hear this question, and look into the puzzled faces of my students when I try to explain how the same word can have different pronunciations, or how several different word have the same meaning.
To understand why words are pronounced differently or how different words can have the same meaning, we must look at America's history - the countries and cultures that have built this nation.
America is a patchwork of different nations sewn together by a common cause. Each culture and language brings with its own meanings, interpretations, and pronunciations. This means there are many words in American English that have more than one correct pronunciation.
Tufts Magazine, Up in Arms, By: Colin Woodard
Breaks the United States of American into 11 different "nations" giving a brief history of the peoples who settled in the area, their beliefs, and influence.
NBC News, Soda or pop? Coo-pon or cyu-pon? Maps reveal how America speaks, By: Melissa Dahl
Maps a few hotly debated pronunciations in the American English language. The correct pronunciation depends on where you live in America.
Huffington Post,
These Dialect Maps Showing The Variety Of American English Have Set The Internet On Fire, By: Alexis Kleinman
More maps for different pronunciations of words in American English
Maps of US linguistic patterns
For more on the pronunciation of different words across America Google Joshua Katz, a PhD student in the Department of Statistics at North Carolina State University who has created a series of U.S. dialect maps.
Unique, English Spellings
Poems Showing the Absurdities of English Spellings
Poem: Why is English so Hard?
Popular American Slang
Every culture uses slang to convey common meanings common to the users; however, slang is also deeply rooted in cultural context. The following list contains sites the explain some of the most popular American slang you may hear in conversation.