2026-09-27 12:33 UTC
@FaithinBones@mastodon.social @lankohr@mastodon.social @peteorrall@mastodon.bsd.cafe @Fasgadh@mastodon.scot @kibcol1049@mstdn.social US and UK english had diverged far enough by the early 20th century that US English was commonly referred to as the "American language", and in fact in 1916 (I think?) H.L. Mencken actually wrote a sort of grammar-cum-style book titled "The American Language", which title was not controversial at the time.
Nowadays, radio - then talking pictures, followed by TV and internet - have caused the two to converge once more.
Replies (1)
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@PopTarts@gaygeek.social 2026-09-27 12:41
@FaithinBones@mastodon.social @lankohr@mastodon.social @peteorrall@mastodon.bsd.cafe @Fasgadh@mastodon.scot @kibcol1049@mstdn.social Good examples of late 19th century dialect can be found in some of Mark Twain's writing (Southern US, typically) and some of Ambrise Bierce's (Southwestern US, typically). Popular writing in dialect wasn't really common in any time period, so those are the only two American authors that come readily to mind. Bierce's California miners, in particular, are almost impossible to understand today - even by California natives.