Speaking Your Best (TM) Accent Reduction and Communication Skills Training
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Testimonials and Clients
    • Policies
  • Zoom/Skype Classes
    • speech assessment
    • SYB 7-Week Course
    • SYB 12-Week Program
    • SYB 24-Week Accent Reduction Course
  • Informational Articles
  • Accent Guides
    • Chinese Accent Reduction/Chinese Accent Reduction Made Easy
    • Indian Accent Reduction/Indian Accent Reduction Made Easy
    • Japanese Accent Reduction/Japanese Accent Reduction Made Easy
    • Russian Accent Reduction/Russian Accent Reduction Made Easy
    • Spanish Accent Reduction/Spanish Accent Reduction Made Easy
    • Arabic Accent Reduction/Arabic Accent Reduction Made Easy
    • Portuguese Accent Reduction/Portuguese Accent Reduction Made Easy
    • French Accent Reduction/French Accent Reduction Made Easy
  • Contact Us

Standard American English and General American English:  What They Mean and How They Originated 

2/11/2016

1 Comment

 
During my many years of working individuals who speak English as a second language, only one of my students has ever asked me what Standard American English is and how it originated.  While I always knew what the term meant, I never really knew how or when it originated.  I thought this was a great question!  So I dedicate this article to my student, JZ and hope this article answers his question. I’m sure many of you out there have wondered the same thing. 
 
The term “General English” was first described by an American English scholar, named George Philip Krapp, in 1925.  At that time, he used the term to describe the accent used more in the western part of the United States.  Over the next 20 years or so, other linguistic scholars added to the term, and it expanded to mean any American accent excluding certain parts of the United States, specifically the southern states, New England and New York.  A revision to the term was made one more time in the 1960’s to exclude the Mid-Atlantic region and Pennsylvania. 
 
In general terms, we can say that “General American English” is used to describe an American accent with no identifying sounds that identify what part of the United States a person is from.  All that means is that when you hear a person speak, you can’t really tell what part of the country they are from. The Midwest has always been the region that comes closest to fitting this description. 
 
English scholar, William A. Kretzchmar, Jr feels that there is really no justification for why the term “General English” exists or any circumstances to support its use.  He also goes on to say that it has become synonymous with the best accent an American can have.  He prefers the term “Standard American English,” to describe the accent used by well-educated and successful people.  A good example of this would be local and national news broadcasters in the United States.  Regardless of where they are from, they all use the same accent when they speak on television.  Of course, when they are not speaking publicly, they use their natural accent. 
 
In summary, there are several different accents recognized in the United States, depending on the region in which people reside.  The “Standard American” accent has come to be recognized as what I refer to as the “professional accent.”  It is the accent that many people associate with a high level of education and success and is used as a model for public speakers. There will most likely always be controversy over the details of what this accent involves, and all linguists will never completely agree.  For now, we can safely say that most people feel that the Midwest accent comes closest to what is termed the “Standard American” accent. 
1 Comment
    Picture

    Author

    Cheryl Posey is a licensed and nationally certified speech/language pathologist.   She specializes in accent reduction and communication skills training and provides useful tips and suggestions to help you improve your spoken English and reduce your accent with articles from Speaking Your Best's blog.  Subscribe today so that you don't miss any articles!

    Archives

    June 2020
    May 2020
    September 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    February 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    February 2015


    Categories
    Accent Reduction 
    Accent Reduction Classes 
    Accent Reduction Online 
    Accent Reduction Specialists 
    American Accent Training 
    ​
    American English Pronunciation 
    American Idioms Using The Word "up" 
    Common American Expressions 
    Communication Skills 
    Improve Spoken English 
    Improving Presentation Skills 
    Improving Public Speaking 
    Improving Vocabulary Skills 
    Presentation Tips 
    Pronounce The "r" Sound 
    Public Speaking Tips 
    Reduce Accent 
    Skype classes
    Small Talk 
    Speak Like An American 
    Spoken English 
    Understanding The American Culture 
    Vocabulary 
    Vocabulary Building 

    All

    RSS Feed

Cheryl Posey, MS CCC-SLP
speakingyourbest@gmail.com
774-212-3241


Copyright 2005-2023
Proudly powered by Weebly