The Cookout

I saw it first hand. Language changes as you leave the source and it changes irreversibly once you introduce other people with their own language.

Australia was populated by Brits but they created new words that were needed for the environment (outback).

The American south pre America developed their own words for new things they encountered.

That's the norm. The one thing I recall in England was that the Blacks infused Jamaican patois with Cockney but these days they also infused black American slang which makes sense because hip hop is the most powerful culture globally especially for those under 30.

I wonder if the influence plays a role in any of this. Like influential people of the time having an accent that other people mimic without noticing it. I think the reason the British accents stopped in America is because we had a mix of them and Natives learning the language so really "American" accents are likely down to Natives learning to speak English.

When people visit and live in a new country, they bring their language with them. Including slang.

Sapphire said:

I wonder if the influence plays a role in any of this. Like influential people of the time having an accent that other people mimic without noticing it. I think the reason the British accents stopped in America is because we had a mix of them and Natives learning the language so really "American" accents are likely down to Natives learning to speak English.

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Influence does play a part. Media, celebrities, rich folks, etc.

RCNAL said:

I saw it first hand. Language changes as you leave the source and it changes irreversibly once you introduce other people with their own language.

Australia was populated by Brits but they created new words that were needed for the environment (outback).

The American south pre America developed their own words for new things they encountered.

That's the norm. The one thing I recall in England was that the Blacks infused Jamaican patois with Cockney but these days they also infused black American slang which makes sense because hip hop is the most powerful culture globally especially for those under 30.

Click to expand...

Bingo

Terrymist said:

Here is the reverse, American words that have entered British vocab:

.
Full disclosure, although not uncommon, not every word here is ubiquitous.

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This will help me in the future with word choice.

educatedman23 said:

Influence does play a part. Media, celebrities, rich folks, etc.

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That is more so the case now than it was back then though. Back then we didn't have media or celebrities. The accent likely got muddied out when the white men started banging the natives. They seem to be good at that....