The Americanization of Euro‐English

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In this paper I argue that Mid‐Atlantic should replace British English as the educational standard in Europe. The English spoken by Europeans is increasingly influenced by American English. As a result, a new variety of the language has emerged. Europeans, in increasing numbers, speak Mid‐Atlantic, a variety that encourages neutral pronunciation and a vocabulary based on the interlocutor's frame of reference. Traces of both AmE and BrE are included in Mid‐Atlantic. Extreme features of the British accent are avoided. Pronunciation which is overtly British is discussed. Samples are also provided of lexical items which are everyday language in Britain or the US but which are often incomprehensible to some native‐language speakers as well as to others. Reference is made to grammar and style. The political aspects of learning a specific variety of English, as well as the future of Mid‐Atlantic, is discussed. In conclusion, it is pointed out that the development of Mid‐Atlantic will most likely continue and in time will establish its own frame of reference, and as such be less dependent on American and British standards.

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