Peter is a big damn hero (webtastic) wrote in the_networks, @ 2011-09-03 10:06:00 |
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Entry tags: | emails, namor, spider-man |
Email
To: "Namor McKenzie" [mckenzie.n@tomorrowtoday.edu]
From: "Peter Parker" [parker.p@tomorrowtoday.edu]
Subject: English Assignment
Date: September 4th, 2011, Morning
Attachment(s): Sophomore_English_Assign1.pdf
Mr. McKenzie,
I've attached my homework assignment to this email for review since I have completed it already. It is in PDF format so you may print it out as you might wish to do in order to make any corrections on it.
I can make any changes as necessary if you are willing to accept this as merely a review or first draft so that I may go back and make whatever changes for the final draft I can submit on Tuesday's class.
Thank you,
Peter Parker
Peter Parker Period 1, English II September 4th, 2011 In 1776, fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence, thus declaring freedom from their mother country of England and separating themselves from the vast British Empire. It was already then, that much of the American people had already started to morph what is now known as “British” English to what we in American refer to as just plain “English.” While we all speak the same language, they have become more or less dialects of the original Germanic based tongue that we once shared completely. As expected of what might happen though, time has evolved the two languages in the same way that the French of France, while speaking French, do not speak with the same pronunciation and sometimes vocabulary as those in the Canadian province of Québec, the American state of Louisiana, islands such as Haiti, Tahiti and Martinque or a large number of countries that were once claimed by France in the continent of Africa. To break down the exact differences in the languages applies to various elements as a whole, but one that is in plain sight though often overlooked is the change in how the diphthongs are pronounced by each cluster of people. Take for example the term “beer can”. To both those who speak American English and the Queen's English (it is the Queen's English as there is currently a female monarch), when spoken by someone with a distinctly American accent, it is comprehensible by both as what it is meant to be. A cylindrical container (usually made of aluminum) filled with a alcohol. The alcohol commonly used is that of barley or wheat, brewed with sugars and fermented. The diphthong in the first word is enunciated in such a way that it accentuates or elongates the “e” sound and at the same time presses upon a the harsh “r” sound at the end, in such a way that it makes it a distinct end to the word. So when the word “can” is added directly after it, there are two words which are obviously separated. One could never mix the two words together or say it in such a way that it could be confused with any other word. At the same time the second “e” is meant to merely hint to the reader how the form of “e” is enunciated. So it is a long vowel as opposed to the short “e”, as used in words “whether” or “bet”, which both countries will pronounce relatively the same way. In contrast, those of the British Empire who have such distinct accents such as England and Australia have a different method of pronouncing the diphthong in the very same way but entirely different from the American continents. To use the “beer can” example again, the diphthong in the word “beer” emphasizes less on the second “e” and seems to transform the “r” into an “a”. This being so, it could give the illusion that the word has no “r” and even that it could be part of whatever word may follow it. The “a” sound resembles that of the short “a”, which the Queen's English tends to use more often than the long “a”, which is also said much softer and less harsh than its Australian counterpart and the American English. The most fascinating part of this change in diphthong is how much it can be interpreted incorrectly by those who do not speak the same dialect or with the same accent as the one who is speaking. When adding the word “can” after it, the effects can be humorous to someone who grew up in an American continent. The “can” appears to be part of the first word as well and with the pronunciation sounds like the speaker is merely imitating someone native of a Caribbean country, primarily Jamaica, and saying the word “bacon” in English instead. While this change in diphthong appears to be only slight, it is most noticeable in precise phrasing. In conclusion, it is clear that while many prefer the soft sounds and diphthongs to have a slight change in emphasis, it does make the accent or variation of the English speakers who use such to have a greater chance of misinterpretation. However this is merely a study of the base languages, not looking into the various changes within each culture's diverse accents. While American English is most commonly thought of as being harsh, there are routines in Southern states which take a very soft approach, thus resembling more of their British counterpart. As I said before, there is a great deal that encompasses the differences between the King's English and American English, and this paper has merely been to define one of them. |