Standard American English Flashcards, test questions and answers

Discover flashcards, test exam answers, and assignments to help you learn more about Standard American English and other subjects. Don’t miss the chance to use them for more effective college education. Use our database of questions and answers on Standard American English and get quick solutions for your test.

What is Standard American English?

Standard American English (SAE) is the variety of English that is used as a standard throughout the United States. It is typically identified by its emphasis on formal linguistic features, such as a distinct pronunciation and grammar, and its use of culturally-specific vocabulary. SAE has a long history within the United States. It developed as settlers from different parts of Britain and Ireland migrated to North America in the 17th century, bringing with them their own versions of English. Over time, these dialects blended together to form SAE. Today, SAE is both officially recognized by many universities and colleges as an accepted English standard for academic writing, and informally taught in classrooms across the nation as part of learning proper language usage. The pronunciation of SAE follows certain general rules that are distinct from other varieties of English like British or Australian English. For instance, in SAE there is no distinction between the sounds ˜a’ and ˜e’ (e.g., apple vs egg). Additionally, there are specific vowel sounds that only exist in SAE (e.g., cot vs caught). There are also specific grammatical structures that are distinctive to SAE such as double negatives (e.g., I don’t know nothing). In terms of vocabulary usage, there are certain words or phrases which have become commonplace in SAE but may not be found elsewhere such expressions can often be traced back to regional slang from various parts of North America which has since permeated into mainstream language usage across the country. Examples include terms like ‘dude’, ‘bail’, ‘hikin’ up’, ‘scrapin’ by’ etc.