American Pronunciation Standard

English is pronounced on USA in numerous ways and all of them differ from the pronunciation of Great Britain. The following peculiarities are noticeable in the speech of Americans: there may be distinguished 3 types in the USA of cultivated speech:

• the Eastern type

• the Southern type

• the Western type (General American)

The 3-rd type (GA) is the most widespread type of educated Americans. The most marked points of difference between GA and RP are:

Within the vowel system:

• /ɒ/ has completely lost labialization: clock /klʌk/ (exception: dog, fog, long, strong);

• English vowel /ɑ:/ is nearly always replaced by /æ:/ in the words containing nor “r”: ask /æsk/, past /pæst/ (exception: father /'fɑ:ðər/);

• The second element of diphthong /e²/, /è¤/ is strongly reduced which results in complete loss: again /ə'geɪn/ - /ə'gen/; no /nəʊ/ -/no/;

• All vowels and diphthongs are more or less nasalized.

Within consonant system:

• /r/ is retroflexed with protruded lips;

• /l/ is dark in all positions;

• /t/ in words like “20” is often omitted /ˈtwenɪ/;

• /j/ + /u:/ is pronounced like /u:/ : Tuesday /'tu:zdɪ/.

• They keep closer to the reading rules;

Stress in polysyllabic words with primary stress on the fourth syllable from the end of the word (particularly in words ending –ary, - ory, -ony). There is a weak secondary stress called tertiary:

RP- /ˈsekrət(ə)rɪ/, / ˈterɪtərɪ/

GA - /'sɛkrɛˌtərɪ/, / 'tɛrɪˌtɒrɪ/

In the intonation system American English is more monotonous. The range of the utterance is usually narrower.

These differences as well as in vocabulary give ground for some scientists to claim the existence of the American language. But the differences in pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not so far reaching as to give grounds to consider that there exists the American language as such.

We say that since English spoken in USA have the same grammar, structure and the same basic word stock, we may speak of the American English variant of English.