American or English? A question from an American for Americans?

Question

We speak and use words differently. I have very hard time understand English speakers from other countries such as England or Australia. Just like Chinese, when people say they speak Chinese, it doesn't mean they will understand each other, They have Mandarin, Cantonese, and etc. For non-American English speakers, I'm sure they say that there is no American language, we speak and sound just like them. Well, I don't blame them as they have been listening and watching to our music, TV, or movies for years, so they get used to our language. Anyway, that is not what I concern nor want to know. When someone asks me, "What language do you speak?" I always proudly say, "I speak American". Am I wrong?

Answer 1

Yes. We speak English or American-English.

The Chinese actually have many different languages that are less related than UK English vs. US English.

I wonder if North American English would be better, Canadians and US Americans speak pretty similarly.

Answer 2

Yes, you are wrong. You speak English. Saying you speak American sounds like you think you are superior. Al language have their nuances and dialects. Take Spanish. Mexican Spanish is a bit different from Caribbean Spanish and south American Spanish yet, I can have a conversation with any of them. What happens is that language is more than words and grammar. It has to do with culture. Different regions of the world go Thur different things so their language change over time. Even words change over time. That is their meaning. There was a time not too long ago when the word gay meant jolly and Happy. Not any more.

Also, even withing the U.S. we have our own little dialect. Southerners have a very different accent than northerners. you can always tell when a person is from long island or Boston. The Midwest have a very different accent too. If we go by how people sound then what language do this people speak. American southerner. American Bostonian? Nope, is just English.

Answer 3

Yes. That is wrong, because "American" is only a dialect of English. I grew up in America and England and am well aware of the differences between the two dialects, but they are mutually comprehensible. Only extreme variances in some regional dialects of English or American English are difficult to understand at first. But in the mainstream and standard versions of both dialects, they are perfectly understandable.

There is no language called "American".

BTW, Cantonese and Mandarin, while sometimes called dialects, are actually two different languages. They are much, much more different than English English and American English.

Answer 4

I sounds like English is your second language, judging from all the mistakes in your question.
Also, if you can't understand the English spoken by someone from England, English is probably your second language.

In order for American English to be designated as a separate language there has to be more differences.

Native born Ameicans and the native born English have no trouble understanding each other.

They speak the SAME LANGUAGE and there are no fundamental differences.

Answer 5

American is not a language. English is the language. American is your accent. You don't understand people speaking English from other countries not because of the words they use but because of the accent they have. The words are the same but they pronounce them differently.

If you were to write to each other you would understand almost all of it. That's why you have English class in school. Not American class.

Answer 6

I work with many English speakers that come from other countries, and even they say we speak American English here in the US. I don't think it makes you sound silly at all. When people ask me, I say American English too, but only if they're from another country. There is a drastic difference between proper English English and American English. It's the same as the difference between Spanish spoke in Spain, and Spanish spoke in Mexico.

Answer 7

Yes. An answer like that exhibits a very small minded provincial attitude. You speak ENGLISH with a American accent. Or better said, you speak American English.

To say you speak "American" makes one sound really redneck and hillbilly. And when you are in another country do you shout at the non-English speaker thinking making it louder will make them understand? I've seen Americans in Europe do that. No wonder so many Europeans hate Americans! We're rude, ignorant and full of ourselves!

Answer 8

You are wrong, The Original languages of this continent were spoken by native Americans.
What we speak today is American English.
In Florida we seem to speak Spanish more than American English.
Our country is still very young, we have not yet developed our own language yet.
I would not feel comfortable claiming someone else's language as my own.
So I could never call our ex masters language my own.
It's a bit like Jamaicans calling their pigeon English slave dialect a real language.
Don't worry our time will come.

Answer 9

The correct term would be "English". Mandarin and Cantonese are languages different from "Chinese". You cannnot group different languages into an ethnc group. English may have different dialects, but essentially all "English" can be understood by anyone who knows English.

Answer 10

to me American language would mean the language of the indians there who are the real original Americans.....you guys speak English with an accent which is not that old and its...American-English language