why do americans only use 97% of our lnaguage and not all?

Question

i.e sidewalk /path tomato /tomarto rubbish/garbage where did these words come from and why did they get used instead of our definition not having a pop just would like to know the history of english in america

Answer 1

I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say Americans use only 97% of our language. While the English vernacular is made up of about 1.5 million words yet only about 35,000 are used most commonly. That's a far cry from 97%.

Also, you're talking about synonyms and there are always subtle differences between synonyms (for example, a sidewalk is generally paved, a path is not. Rubbish and garbage are similar but the former is chiefly British English (and in case your wondering trash usually refers to dry waste whereas garbage refers to wet waste, especially food scraps and waste).

Other distinctions (I believe one of the examples you've given is an attempt to show the pronunciation difference between toe-MAY-toe and toe-MAH-toe) are merely variations on pronunciation and are not truly separate words.

Answer 2

Most of the English people who emigrated to America went there between 200 and 400 years ago. Languages change a lot in that time: I can think of quite a few changes in British English that have taken place during my lifetime. The descendants of the first Americans have inherited their language from their ancestors, not from ours. That's why the American accent is so different from ours. And it also explains why many of the words are different. If languages were people, American English would be a second cousin of British English. What surprises me is that they are so similar. That probably has a lot to do with the modern influence of American English on British English.

And then the vocabulary of American English has had strong influences from other immigrant groups ... particularly Italian, Irish, African and Hispanic Americans. This is particularly true of colloquial speech. Think of the Sopranos for example ... "I'm just busting your b***s!" That's a straight translation from Neapolitan dialect. American English is full of idioms of Italian origin, because 2 million Italians emigrated there. But the only reason we use expressions like that in British English is because we watch the Sopranos.

Answer 3

Dicrepancies like the ones that exist between American and British English are not uncommon. For example, German is spoken a little differently in Austria than in Germany and Swedish as spoken by the Swedish minority in Finland is a little different than the Swedish of Sweden although I understand that television is reducing these differences.

Also, changes which occur in the mother country are sometimes late to reach colonies and former colonies. Quebec French still retains some older French words from the 17th and 18th centuries no longer used in France. Likewise, American English still retains some older English words from that time period too which have fallen into disuse in England. This is why most Americans (and even Canadians) prefer to use words like "trash" and "garbage" as opposed to "rubbish" in England or "tavern" as opposed to "pub" in England (although many Canadians now use "pub.").

In one of his books, John McWhorter, a Black American linguist, talks about how differences in vocabulary on both sides of the Atlantic don't necessarily interefere with mutual understanding. For example, most Americans still know what an Englishman means when he refers to a "lift" and most Englishmen still know what an American means when he talks about an "elevator."

McWhorter also sites similar examples between Canadian and Parisian French. He says that Canadian French speakers still understand the Parisian French words, they simply don't use them. I pretty much agree with him.

Most Americans say tuh-may-toh or tuh-may-tuh for "tomato" instead of "toh-mah-tow" as in England. In this case, the British pronunciation is actually more correct. The American pronunciation probably started out the same way as the British pronunciation but gradually the deformed pronunciations became more popular. It may be because the British pronunciation is harder to say in fast speech, or simply because it has a snobby ring to it for many Americans where as "tuh-may-toh" and "tuh-may-tuh" sound more down home.

Answer 4

Possibly because English was the common language for a multitude of nationalities who emigrated to the Americas and who brought their own accents, dialects, bad spelling etc.
It is the same reason that we in the UK speak as we do (yeah but no but) and not in some form of Shakespeare.
Language doesnt originate, it evolves -
Did someone say it first or did someone hear it wrong?

Answer 5

It's gay to spell color...colour,that's why.We are all Macho Cowboys who keep a "sked-u-al" not a "schej-ule."
Because we have not only English ,but a lot of Dutch,German ,French,and in the 4 So. Western States(California,Arizona,Texas and New Mexico) a lot of Spanish/Mexican influence on the language.
Toe-may-toe not toe-ma-toe , hood of a car,not a bonnet.
Windshield not windscreen.
We go to the movies not the cinema.
We eat fries not chips ,chips are potato chips.
Just kidding with you.

Answer 6

well, we are definatly NOT stupid like some say. We are 2 different countries which means we're not going to have the exact same language. America is like a mixed country. People live here who come from all different countries (my family is german). So of course it's going to change some. Our words come from all different languages since we had so many people from different countries migrate over here. So we're not stupid, just different from you.

you might find this interesting, i found it funny :-)
http://www.krysstal.com/ukandusa.html

Answer 7

It`s a well known fact that America & UK are two nations separated by a common language (not my original I`m afraid!) but judging by your spelling the irony of that statement will be lost on you - use the spellcheck!!!

Answer 8

I don't understand your question. How do americans only use 97% of the language?

Answer 9

well, as you put it "our language", isn't really our language. english is a constantly evolving melting pot of other languages past and present pasted together as english. how people come up with new words with the same definition as other words, i haven't the faintest clue. like painting and dancing, language is an artform. one amongst many other ways to express ourselves, to make known what we are thinking and feeling.

Answer 10

Well the Yanks can spell language for a start!
You should learn how to use a spell checker, if you have not mastered your own language!
And it is called AMERICAN ENGLISH!