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Question:
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Is ''proper'' English really proper at all? The Brits love to view their version of the language as ''standard'' but if they changed it, then it is not standard at all. Whose pronunciation has changed the most -- the British or the American?
Noah Webster said that the snobbery of British aristocracy changed the language in England. (Wikipedia). But I don't know if this was just his patriotism speaking or if it was the truth, or when this took place. Obviously he made this comment in the first few decades of our nation's history. Webster gave us Americans spellings such as center, color, neighbor, and so on.
From a Hungarian colleague I have learned that British English has changed more in vocabulary then American English. This is determined by viewing writings by authors of the same era on both sides of the Atlantic, and comparing it with current usage.
Thank you,
- Steve
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