2. Let's face it –
English is a crazy language!
– There is no egg in eggplant;
– no ham in hamburger;
– neither apple nor pine in pineapple;
– English muffins weren't invented in England or
French fries in France;
– sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which
aren't sweet, are meat; and
– boxing rings are square.
3. English in the U.S.
• English is the most common language in the
United States.
• Though the U.S. federal government has no
official language, English is the common
language used by the federal government and
is considered the de facto language of the
United States because of its widespread use.
4. English language prevalence in the United States. Darker
shades of blue indicate higher concentrations of native
English speakers in the corresponding states.
5. English as a changeable language
1. Cakes not done in the middle
2. Big hat, no cattle
4. We’ve howdied, but we ain’t shook yet
5. He’s got tongue enough for 10 rows of teeth
6. Just because a chicken has wings doesn’t mean
it can fly
7. Don’t call him a cowboy until you’ve seen him
ride
8. This ain’t my first rodeo
6. English words that survived
in the United States and not Britain
• A number of words and meanings that originated in
Middle English or Early Modern English and that always
have been in everyday use in the United States
dropped out in most varieties of British English.
• Terms such as fall ("autumn"), faucet, diaper, candy,
skillet, and eyeglasses, are often regarded as
Americanisms.
– Fall for example came to denote the season in 16th
century England, a contraction of Middle English
expressions like "fall of the leaf" and "fall of the year".
– While the term fall gradually became obsolete in Britain, it
became the more common term in North America.
