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List of dialects of English
List of dialects of English
List of dialects of English
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Dialects are linguistic varieties that may differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling, and other aspects of grammar. For the classification of varieties of English in pronunciation only, see regional accents of English.

Overview

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Dialects can be defined as "sub-forms of languages which are, in general, mutually comprehensible."[1] English speakers from different countries and regions use a variety of different accents (systems of pronunciation) as well as various localized words and grammatical constructions. Many different dialects can be identified based on these factors. Dialects can be classified at broader or narrower levels: within a broad national or regional dialect, various more localised sub-dialects can be identified, and so on. The combination of differences in pronunciation and use of local words may make some English dialects almost unintelligible to speakers from other regions without any prior exposure.

The major native dialects of English are often divided by linguists into three general categories: the British Isles dialects, those of North America, and those of Australasia.[2] Dialects can be associated not only with place but also with particular social groups. Within a given English-speaking country, there is a form of the language considered to be Standard English: the Standard Englishes of different countries differ and can themselves be considered dialects. Standard English is often associated with the more educated layers of society as well as more formal registers.

British and American English are the reference norms for English as spoken, written, and taught in the rest of the world, excluding countries in which English is spoken natively such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. In many former British Empire countries in which English is not spoken natively, British English forms are closely followed, alongside numerous American English usages that have become widespread throughout the English-speaking world.[3] Conversely, a number of countries with historical ties to the United States tend to follow American English conventions. Many of these countries, while retaining strong British English or American English influences, have developed their own unique dialects, which include Indian English and Philippine English.

Chief among other native English dialects are Canadian English and Australian English, which rank third and fourth in the number of native speakers.[4] For the most part, Canadian English, while featuring numerous British forms, alongside indigenous Canadianisms, shares vocabulary, phonology and syntax with American English, which leads many to recognise North American English as an organic grouping of dialects.[5] Australian English, likewise, shares many American and British English usages, alongside plentiful features unique to Australia and retains a significantly higher degree of distinctiveness from both larger varieties than does Canadian English. South African English, New Zealand English and Irish English are also distinctive and rank fifth, sixth, and seventh in the number of native speakers.

Europe

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English language in Europe

Dialects and accents of English spoken in the British Isles

Great Britain

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England

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English language in England:

Scotland

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Wales

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Non-geographic based English

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British dependencies and territories

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Ireland

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Continental Europe

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European interlanguages

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Mediterranean

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North America

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United States

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American English:

Canada

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Canadian English:

Caribbean, Central, and South America

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Caribbean

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Antigua and Barbuda

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The Bahamas

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Barbados

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Belize

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Bermuda

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Cayman Islands

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Colombia

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Costa Rica

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Dominican Republic

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Falkland Islands

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Guyana

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Honduras

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Jamaica

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Nicaragua

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Panama

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Puerto Rico

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Saba

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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

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Trinidad and Tobago

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Turks and Caicos Islands

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Virgin Islands

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Asia

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Bangladesh

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Brunei

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Cambodia

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China and Taiwan

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Hong Kong

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See also: Code-switching in Hong Kong

India

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Indian English:

  • Standard Indian English
    • Indian English: the "standard" English used by government administration, it derives from the British Indian Empire.
    • Butler English: (also Bearer English or Kitchen English), once an occupational dialect, now a social dialect.
    • Hinglish: a growing macaronic hybrid use of English and Indian languages.
  • Regional and local Indian English
    • East Region: Odia English, Bhojpuriya English, Assamese English, Bengali English, North-East Indian English etc.
    • West Region: Gujarati English, Maharashtrian English etc.
    • North Region: Hindustani English, Delhi/Punjabi English, Rajasthani English etc.
    • South Region: Telugu English, Kannada English, Kanglish, Tenglish, Tanglish, Tamil English, Malayali English etc.

Israel

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Japan

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Myanmar (Burma)

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South Korea

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Malaysia

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Maldives

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Middle East

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Nepal

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Pakistan

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Philippines

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Singapore

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Sri Lanka

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Thailand

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Africa

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Cameroon

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The Gambia

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Ghana

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Kenya

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Liberia

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Malawi

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Namibia

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Nigeria

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Sierra Leone

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South Africa

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South Atlantic

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Uganda

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Zambia

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Zimbabwe

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Oceania

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Australia

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Fiji

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New Zealand

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Palau

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Papua New Guinea

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South Atlantic

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World Global English

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These dialects are used in everyday conversation almost all over the world, and are used as lingua francas and to determine grammar rules and guidelines.

Antarctica

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See also

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References

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Further reading

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

List of dialects of English

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from Grokipedia
The dialects of English refer to the diverse regional, social, and functional varieties of the that exhibit systematic differences in (accent), , , and patterns, shaped by historical, geographical, and sociocultural factors. These variations arise from the language's global spread through British , migration, , and modern , resulting in numerous countries where English is spoken as a first, second, or . A comprehensive list of English dialects typically organizes them into broad categories, including those from the (such as , , and ), North American varieties (like , , and General American), Australasian forms ( and ), and in regions like (), (Singaporean English), ( and ), and the Caribbean ( and ). Key distinctions among these dialects often involve phonological features, such as rhoticity (pronouncing 'r' sounds in non-rhotic accents like versus rhotic ones like in ), lexical choices (e.g., "lorry" in versus "truck" in ), and grammatical structures (e.g., the use of double modals like "might could" in Southern U.S. English). Social dialects, overlapping with regional ones, reflect class, ethnicity, or identity, such as influenced by immigrant communities. While standard varieties like British or General American serve as prestige forms in education and media, non-standard dialects are equally vital to cultural expression and linguistic diversity, with ongoing research documenting their evolution amid increasing multilingualism. This list underscores English's adaptability as a , with varieties continuing to emerge and hybridize in urban and digital contexts worldwide.

Overview

Definition and Scope

A dialect of English is defined as a regional or social variety of the that differs from standard forms in , , and , while remaining mutually intelligible with other varieties. These differences arise systematically, encompassing not just phonetic variations but also lexical choices and , allowing speakers from different dialect areas to communicate effectively in most contexts. Unlike distinct , such as English and Swedish, dialects occupy a continuum of variation within the same linguistic system, where serves as a key criterion for classification. English dialects must be distinguished from related linguistic concepts, including accents, registers, and sociolects. An accent refers solely to variations in and prosody, without affecting or , such as the rhotic accent of versus the non-rhotic accent of in the UK. Registers, by contrast, represent situational adaptations of language use based on formality, purpose, or audience, ranging from informal conversational styles to formal , and can overlay any dialect. Sociolects are varieties associated with social groups, influenced by factors like class, occupation, or , and may incorporate elements of dialects but emphasize social identity over geography. The scope of this article encompasses varieties of English with substantial native or second-language speaker populations—estimated at approximately 380 million native speakers worldwide—rooted historically in and exhibiting distinct regional linguistic features. Inclusion criteria prioritize mutually intelligible forms that have developed through geographic isolation, migration, or cultural contact, excluding pidgins, creoles, or non-intelligible offshoots unless they have evolved into full dialects. The global proliferation of these dialects stems from British , subsequent migrations, and modern , resulting in diverse varieties across continents while maintaining core intelligibility. The evolution of English dialects traces a brief timeline beginning with around 450 AD, when Anglo-Saxon settlers introduced West Germanic dialects to Britain, forming a language heavily inflected and distinct from modern forms. emerged after the in 1066, incorporating French influences and simplifying grammar, leading to regional divergences by the . , from the late onward, standardized spelling via the and expanded vocabulary through and colonial contacts, setting the stage for global dialectal branching in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Historical Origins

The English language originated from the West Germanic dialects spoken by Anglo-Saxon settlers, including the Angles, , and , who migrated to Britain around 449 AD, displacing or assimilating the Celtic-speaking inhabitants. These settlers established regional variations during the 5th to 11th centuries, forming the basis of dialects such as Northumbrian, , West Saxon, and Kentish. Influences from emerged through Viking invasions and settlements in the 8th to 11th centuries, introducing loanwords and grammatical simplifications, particularly in northern dialects, while Latin contributions via Christian missionaries from the 7th century onward enriched vocabulary in religious, scholarly, and administrative domains. The of 1066 profoundly altered English, ushering in the period (c. 1100–1500) and exacerbating dialectal splits between Northern and Southern varieties. Northern dialects, with less Norman contact, retained more features and fewer French loanwords, whereas Southern and dialects absorbed extensive Norman French vocabulary—up to 10,000 words—and developed phonemic voiced fricatives like /v/ and /z/. The London dialect, influenced by migration, began emerging as a prestige form, blending Northern and Southern traits and facilitating a gradual standardization. Standardization accelerated in the late 14th to 16th centuries through Geoffrey Chaucer's works, such as (c. 1400), written in the London dialect, which promoted a unified literary English. Concurrently, the —a raising long vowels (e.g., Middle English /i:/ in "bite" to /ai/, and /u:/ in "house" to /au/)—transformed pronunciation across dialects, distinguishing from its predecessor by the early 16th century. William Caxton's introduction of the in 1476 further entrenched the Southern/London dialect as the standard, as his publications homogenized spelling and favored London forms, printing over 100 works that fixed linguistic norms. English dialects diverged globally during the 17th to 19th centuries through British Empire expansion, with colonization spreading varieties to the Americas, Africa, and Asia, where local substrates and isolation fostered unique developments. The American Revolution in 1776 accelerated U.S. linguistic independence, as reduced transatlantic contact and deliberate reforms by figures like Noah Webster promoted spellings like "color" over "colour," solidifying divergence from British norms. In the 19th century, mass migrations from Britain and Ireland to Australia and New Zealand shaped those varieties, blending southeastern English dialects with convict speech and indigenous influences, resulting in distinct phonological traits like non-rhoticity.

British Isles

England

England's English dialects display rich regional diversity, influenced by Anglo-Saxon settlements, Viking invasions, Norman influences, and later migrations. Traditional linguistic surveys from the 19th century, such as those by Alexander J. Ellis, classified the dialects into five primary areas: Northern (north of the Humber River), West Midland (western central England), East Midland (eastern central England), Southern (southeast and southwest excluding Kent), and Kentish (southeastern county of Kent), with East Anglian often treated as a distinct eastern variant overlapping the East Midland zone. These divisions were based on phonological isoglosses, such as variations in vowel pronunciation and lexical choices, mapped across rural localities to capture pre-industrial speech patterns. In contemporary usage, these historical areas broadly align with three major dialect groupings: Northern, , and Southern, though has promoted — the reduction of marked local features—through migration and media exposure. Northern dialects, spoken across the region from to , feature shortened monophthongs (e.g., the trap-bath split absent, with flat /a/ in both), widespread glottal reinforcement of /t/ and /p/, and Scandinavian-derived vocabulary like "" for child or "kittle" for kettle. The variety of is marked by a sing-song intonation, dark l-vocalization (e.g., /l/ as in ""), and lexical items such as "canny" for pleasant. dialects, prevalent in the county's rural and urban areas, retain second-person singular pronouns "thee" and "" in informal speech, alongside flat vowels and Yorkshire-specific terms like "" for alleyway. Midlands dialects occupy the central belt from Shropshire to Lincolnshire, blending Northern and Southern traits but with distinctive nasal quality and prosodic features. The Brummie accent of Birmingham exhibits a nasal twang, lengthened vowels (e.g., /ʊə/ in "book"), and rising intonation patterns that convey questioning even in statements. In the adjacent Black Country, speakers use emphatic do-support in declaratives (e.g., "I do like it") and unique lexicon like "ta" for thanks or "bostin'" for excellent, with phonological traits including centralized /ʌ/. East Midlands varieties, such as those in Nottingham, show h-dropping and monophthongal realizations of diphthongs, bridging Northern glottalization and Southern non-rhoticity. Southern dialects dominate from to , generally non-rhotic except in the southwest, with features like h-dropping and spreading nationwide. , originating in , is defined by (e.g., /θ/ as in "think"), l-vocalization (/l/ as or [ʊ] in "milk"), and historical (e.g., "apples and pears" for stairs), though the latter is now largely performative. dialects, spanning , , and , retain post-vocalic /r/ pronunciation (rhoticity) with a uvular or tapped "burr" quality, elongated vowels (e.g., /iː/ in "pit"), and archaic grammar like zero plural in measure words (e.g., "two mile"). In the far southwest, Cornish substrate effects appear in lexical borrowings and place names, reflecting the language's revival and cultural identity, such as "dreckly" meaning "soon" (a dialectal form of "directly"). and varieties feature conservative vowels (e.g., diphthong smoothing in East Anglia) and rural lexicon, though increasingly leveled by influences. Amid these traditional varieties, (MLE) has emerged since the late 20th century in diverse urban boroughs, incorporating influences from , South Asian, and African languages into a contact variety. Key features include labiodental spreading for /θ/ and /ð/ (e.g., "three" as [triːf]), intonation, and grammatical innovations like "was" leveling (e.g., "we was") and address forms such as "man" or "innit" for emphasis. (RP), often called "BBC English," functions as a supralocal standard accent without regional ties, used in formal contexts but not classified as a dialect due to its sociolectal basis. Overall, ongoing dialect contact from mobility and broadcasting continues to homogenize features, particularly among younger speakers, while preserving core regional identities in rural and working-class communities.

Scotland

Scottish English encompasses a range of dialects spoken in , distinct from the and , yet forming a with Scots due to historical linguistic contact in the Lowlands. These varieties emerged prominently after the Union of Parliaments in , which integrated into the Kingdom of and accelerated the adoption of southern English administrative and legal norms, blending them with existing Lowland Scots elements to create hybrid forms of English. By the , written Lowland usage had shifted toward English infused with Scottish lexical and grammatical traits, while the 20th century saw a literary revival of Scots influences in works by authors like , reinforcing their presence in modern . Today, is recognized as a under the government's ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in the 2000s, though it is frequently classified as a of English in linguistic and educational contexts. Lowland Scots varieties, often viewed as a transitional zone between Scots and Standard , feature a rhotic accent with an alveolar trill for /r/ (rolled ''), distinguishing them from non-rhotic southern English. Vocabulary draws heavily from Scots, such as wee meaning 'small' or 'little', integrated into everyday Scottish English speech. Grammatically, these dialects favor continuous tenses with progressive forms like "I'm going" for ongoing actions, alongside Scots-derived structures such as the use of do for emphasis in negatives and questions. Urban varieties exemplify regional diversity within Scottish English. Glaswegian, the dialect of , incorporates widespread T-glottaling, where /t/ is realized as a (e.g., "bu'er" for "butter"), alongside innovative like boggin' for 'disgusting' and a fast-paced, rising intonation pattern. In contrast, Edinburgh English tends to be more conservative, retaining clearer enunciation and less , closer to Standard Scottish English with subtle Scots lexical borrowings. Highland English, spoken in the northern and western Highlands, bears a strong Gaelic substrate from historical bilingualism, leading to phonetic traits like a uvular /r/ (guttural 'r') in some speakers and syntactic patterns influenced by Gaelic , such as verb-subject-object in certain emphatic constructions. This variety developed as English supplanted Gaelic in the 19th and 20th centuries, retaining substrate effects in intonation and , like Gaelic-derived terms for landscape features. Scottish English dialects are regionally grouped into key areas, each with distinct characteristics. Doric, in the Northeast (e.g., ), features a strong Northern Scots influence with unique vowel shifts and vocabulary tied to rural life. , prevalent in the , represents a broader base, blending urban and rural speech with melodic intonation and Scots grammar. Insular varieties in and incorporate Norse roots from Viking settlement, evident in (e.g., peerie for 'small') and , setting them apart as the most divergent from mainland English norms.

Wales

Welsh English, also known as Anglo-Welsh, refers to the varieties of English spoken in that exhibit significant substrate influence from the , particularly in , vocabulary, and . This convergence arose historically following the Acts of Union in 1536 and 1543, which legally incorporated into the Kingdom of and mandated English as the language of administration, law, and governance, thereby imposing bilingualism among the Welsh population and fostering dialectal borrowing from Welsh into English. As English spread through and , it absorbed Welsh elements, creating distinct regional dialects that reflect 's bilingual heritage and Celtic linguistic context within the . In northern Wales, Welsh English displays a strong substrate influence from Welsh, including lexical borrowings such as bach (meaning 'small' or used as an endearment, directly from Welsh bach) and phonological features like spirantisation of consonants in certain positions, akin to Welsh initial mutations, where stops like /t/ and /d/ may fricativize (e.g., /t/ to [θ] or /ð] in intervocalic contexts). Additionally, northern varieties often feature strong aspiration of voiceless stops, as in accent pronounced [akˣsɛntʰ], reflecting transfer from Welsh phonotactics. These traits are more pronounced in rural areas with higher Welsh proficiency, underscoring the substrate's role in shaping English pronunciation and word choice. Southern Welsh English, prevalent in areas like Cardiff and the Valleys, is characterized by a distinctive sing-song intonation pattern, with rising and falling pitch contours borrowed from Welsh prosody, giving speech a melodic quality often described as lilting. This variety retains the Welsh voiceless alveolar lateral fricative /ɬ/ (spelled ll in Welsh), pronounced in borrowed words or code-switched expressions, such as in place names or affectionate terms, distinguishing it from standard English sounds. Influenced by the industrial mining communities of the Valleys, it incorporates slang like cwtch (a hug or safe place, from Welsh cwtch) and terms related to coal work, such as pit for mine or collier for miner, embedding socioeconomic history into everyday lexicon. Regional variations include the dialect in southwest , which preserves unique archaisms from early Norman and influences, such as vlem for 'flea' or crimbil for 'mussel', due to its relative isolation and early Anglicization following the 12th-century . This dialect features archaic vocabulary and syntax not found elsewhere in , reflecting a distinct evolutionary path. Anglo-Welsh literature, from 19th-century works by authors like Allen Raine to modern writers such as , showcases these dialectal features through phonetic spelling, Welsh-influenced grammar (e.g., periphrastic verb forms like I am going to do), and lexical items, highlighting the cultural interplay in narratives set in Welsh communities. Distinct grammatical elements persist in rural northern Welsh English, such as traditional sheep-counting systems like yan tan twee (one, two, three), a Brythonic-derived used by shepherds to tally livestock up to twenty before restarting, preserving Celtic numerical patterns in an English-speaking context. Modern trends show that the declining number of Welsh speakers—from 19% in to 17.8% in 2021—has led to less substrate influence on English in urban areas like and , resulting in purer, more standardized English forms with reduced Welsh borrowings and intonation patterns among younger generations. This shift is particularly evident in cities, where increased English and migration dilute traditional dialectal traits, though rural and bilingual communities maintain stronger characteristics.

Ireland

Irish English, also known as , is the variety of English spoken across the island of , encompassing both the and , and is characterized by significant substrate influence from the (Gaeilge). This influence manifests in unique grammatical structures, phonological patterns, and vocabulary that distinguish it from other English dialects. Emerging from centuries of bilingualism following the Norman invasion in the and subsequent English colonization, Hiberno-English reflects a blend of , Scots, and Irish Gaelic elements. Historically, the dialects took shape during the 17th-century , when English and Scottish settlers introduced their varieties to , mixing with the indigenous Irish Gaelic-speaking population and creating Ulster varieties with Scots-like features, such as the retention of "wee" for small. The Great Famine of the 1840s further shaped these dialects by prompting mass emigrations, which exported forms to and beyond, while reinforcing Gaelic substrate effects in rural areas of the remaining population. In the , a more neutral standard has developed in urban centers influenced by media and education, contrasting with Northern Ireland's varieties, which maintain closer proximity to due to ongoing cultural and linguistic ties across the border. Key grammatical features include the after-perfect, a construction using "be after" plus a to indicate recent completion, as in "I'm after eating," calqued directly from Irish structures like "Tá mé tar éis ithe." Another hallmark is the habitual aspect marked by "do be," as in "She do be working late," which conveys ongoing or characteristic actions and derives from Irish verbal systems. Phonologically, —consonant weakening inherited from Irish—affects sounds like /t/ and /d/, leading to softer realizations in intervocalic positions. In urban English, this is evident in the realization of /θ/ as , producing "tink" for "think," a feature tied to local non-rhoticity and rapid speech patterns. Vocabulary draws heavily from Irish, including "craic" for fun or enjoyable conversation, an adoption of the Gaelic "craic" (itself a respelling of English "crack") popularized in the 20th century. Similarly, "grand" means fine or acceptable, often used in responses like "I'm grand" to indicate adequacy rather than magnificence. Regional variations highlight rural-urban divides: western rural areas retain stronger Gaelic substrate influences, such as idiomatic expressions tied to agricultural life, while Belfast's urban slang incorporates industrial-era terms and Protestant working-class lexicon, reflecting its history of shipbuilding and linen production. Northern varieties, particularly in Ulster, show Scots influence in lexical items like "wee," contrasting with the more Gaelic-infused southern dialects.

Continental Europe

Gibraltar and Malta

Gibraltar and Malta, as former British naval bases in the Mediterranean, developed distinctive varieties of English influenced by their colonial histories and multilingual environments. was captured by British forces in 1713 during the and formally ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht, leading to the establishment of English as the official language amid a predominantly Spanish-speaking population. Similarly, Malta came under British protection in 1800 following the French occupation and was incorporated as a , confirmed by the , where English was introduced alongside Italian and later Maltese, serving strategic military roles that encouraged linguistic mixing. These contexts fostered creolized forms of English, blending with local substrates to create hybrid dialects that reflect ongoing and cultural identity. In Gibraltar, Llanito represents a Spanglish-English hybrid primarily based on Andalusian Spanish with extensive English loanwords and code-switching, serving as a marker of Gibraltarian identity in a diglossic setting where English dominates formal domains. Linguistic features include Spanish loanwords like "chaval" for "boy," integrated into English sentences, and an Andalusian accent influencing pronunciation, such as the aspiration of /s/ sounds and yeísmo (merging /ʎ/ and /ʝ/). Casual speech often involves fluid code-switching, as in phrases like "Voy to the shop to buy some bread," highlighting the variety's dynamic, contact-induced nature. As the official language, Gibraltar English retains British influences but incorporates strong Romance admixtures from Spanish, with Llanito viewed as a distinct ethnic language despite pressures toward monolingual English in education and media. Maltese English, the variety spoken by bilingual Maltese-English users, exhibits a Semitic substrate from the , which is derived from and features root-and-pattern morphology, affecting and lexicon. Key phonological traits include non-rhoticity, similar to , and devoicing of word-final obstruents, as in pronouncing "bed" closer to [bɛt], alongside vowel shifts influenced by Maltese's five-vowel system. blends incorporate Maltese terms, such as adaptations from "ġej" (meaning "coming") in expressions like "he's ġej" for "he's coming," reflecting Semitic influences on syntax and semantics. In modern usage, integration since has promoted standardization toward norms in professional contexts, yet localisms persist in informal speech, maintaining a distinct variety with Semitic and Romance (Italian/Sicilian) admixtures despite English's co-official status.

Other European Varieties

Euro-English represents an emerging supranational variety of English primarily used as a in European Union institutions and cross-border communication, featuring simplifications and neutralizations relative to native-speaker norms. This variety arises from processes like discoursal , where speakers adapt English structures to fit local communicative needs, and fossilization of non-standard forms due to limited exposure to native models. Common simplifications include direct translations from other European languages, such as using "actual" to mean "current" rather than "real," reflecting calquing from Romance or Germanic L1 influences. In specific continental European countries, English varieties exhibit substrate effects from local languages, though these are often subtle given the predominance of L2 use. Netherlandic English, spoken in the , shows Dutch substrate influences, including a tendency toward uvular or strong /r/ pronunciations transferred from . German-influenced English among L1 German speakers frequently displays word order patterns shaped by German's verb-second rule, such as placing adverbs before subjects in main clauses during L2 production. In contrast, Scandinavian Englishes in countries like , , and demonstrate minimal substrate interference, attributable to exceptionally high English proficiency levels among speakers, which allow closer approximation to international standards. The historical development of these varieties traces back to post-World War II influences, including the establishment of U.S. military bases across , which exposed local populations to through interactions with stationed personnel. This presence, beginning in the late as part of the Allied occupation and strategy, facilitated the initial spread of English beyond elite or commercial contexts. More recently, migration of British expatriates to urban centers has reinforced English usage, particularly in professional and communities. Phonological and lexical features distinguish these L2 varieties from native dialects. Non-rhoticity—omitting /r/ sounds after vowels unless followed by another vowel—is prevalent in European L2 English, aligning with patterns in many L1 accents like those in and the . Lexically, calques from local languages appear, such as the German-influenced use of "handy" to denote a , a direct adaptation of the English into a with a specialized meaning. While predominantly second-language forms, these varieties are evolving toward more stabilized dialects in multilingual urban hubs. In , a unique Euro-English has emerged among EU officials and residents, incorporating adapted word usages and hybrid structures to accommodate diverse L1 backgrounds. Similarly, in , English functions as a firmly established contact language in daily life, blending with Dutch in informal settings and contributing to nascent dialectal features among younger speakers.

North America

United States

The dialects of English in the developed from varieties of British English transported by colonists starting in the 17th century, with significant diversification occurring during the 18th-century colonial period and the 19th-century westward expansion, as settlers from different regions mixed and adapted linguistic features to new environments. Early settlements along the Atlantic coast established distinct regional patterns, influenced by waves and isolation, leading to the traditional of three major dialect areas: Northern (including ), Midland, and Southern. These variations encompass phonological, lexical, and grammatical differences, shaped by social, geographical, and ethnic factors, and continue to evolve amid increasing mobility and media influence. General American English, often regarded as a prestige variety and the basis for broadcast media, is primarily associated with the Midwest and Western regions, characterized by rhoticity (pronunciation of post-vocalic /r/), the cot–caught merger (in many areas) and the near-universal father–bother merger (both to /ɑ/), and a relatively neutral vowel system without strong regional markers. It emerged as a standardized form in the 20th century, influenced by midwestern speech patterns through media and migration, though it is not entirely uniform and shows subtle variations like the absence of the pin-pen merger. In contrast, regional dialects highlight pronounced differences: Southern American English features a drawling intonation, monophthongization of diphthongs (e.g., /aɪ/ as /aː/ in "ride"), and lexical items like "y'all" for second-person plural, rooted in 18th-century Tidewater and Appalachian settlements. Within Southern varieties, Appalachian English, spoken in the Appalachian Mountains region, retains distinct features such as a-prefixing (e.g., "she's a-going") and vocabulary from Scots-Irish heritage like "afeared" for afraid. New England English, particularly the Boston variety, is traditionally non-rhotic (dropping /r/ after vowels, as in "car" pronounced /kaː/), with broad /a/ sounds and innovations like the horse-hoarse merger, tracing back to early Puritan colonists from East Anglia. The Midland dialect, spanning the interior from New Jersey to the Plains, is often seen as transitional and neutral, featuring the cot-caught merger (where /ɑ/ and /ɔ/ are pronounced similarly) and widespread rhoticity, developed through 19th-century migrations from Pennsylvania and the Ohio Valley. African American Vernacular English (AAVE), a spoken primarily by , exhibits distinct grammatical features such as the habitual "be" (e.g., "she be working" indicating ongoing action), (e.g., "he tall"), and aspectual markers like "done" for completed actions, with historical roots in the linguistic contact between West African languages and Southern vernacular English during the era of . Phonologically, AAVE includes reduction (e.g., "test" as /tɛs/) and th-stopping (e.g., "this" as /dɪs/), and it has spread nationwide through the Great Migration, maintaining vitality alongside Standard American English in contexts. Urban ethnic varieties further diversify American English: Chicano English, prevalent among in the Southwest, incorporates Spanish-influenced , lexical borrowings (e.g., "barely" for 'recently' or 'just'), and syntactic patterns such as extended negation (negative concord), emerging as a native dialect among bilingual communities since the mid-20th century. New York Latino English, spoken by Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage speakers in , features th-fronting (e.g., /θ,ð/ to /t,d/), /t,d/ or spirantization, /l/ fronting, and participation in the short-a vowel split (including raised /æ/ before certain environments), functioning as a systematic rather than , developed through urban in the late 20th century. Contemporary changes include the Northern Cities Vowel Shift, a affecting urban areas around the (e.g., , ), where the short /æ/ in "cat" raises and diphthongizes to /ɛə/ or /eə/, the /ɛ/ in "dress" shifts toward /ɪ/, and other vowels adjust accordingly, originating in the early and marking a departure from traditional General American patterns. This shift exemplifies ongoing dialectal innovation driven by local speech communities, contrasting with the relative stability of rhoticity across most U.S. varieties since the mid-20th century.

Canada

Canadian English, the variety spoken primarily in English-speaking communities across Canada, shares many phonological and lexical features with but is distinguished by unique traits shaped by historical migrations and regional substrates. It emerged largely from the settlement of United Empire Loyalists—American colonists who fled the Revolutionary War in the 1780s and resettled in areas like , , and —bringing early influences northward. Subsequent waves of British, Irish, and Scottish immigrants in the , followed by diverse 20th-century arrivals from , , and elsewhere, further diversified the dialect, particularly in urban centers. , prevalent in and , features the , where the vowels in words like "cot" and "caught" are pronounced identically as /ɑ/, a trait shared with much of western . It also exhibits , a shift where the vowels in "about" (/əˈbʌʊt/) and "house" (/hʌʊs/) are raised before voiceless consonants, giving a perceptibly distinct quality to these words compared to many U.S. varieties. Regional variations highlight Canada's linguistic diversity. In the Maritime provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island), English is predominantly rhotic—pronouncing the "r" in words like "car"—though some areas like parts of Nova Scotia's South Shore are non-rhotic, and it bears traces of 19th-century Irish and Scottish immigration, including occasional Gaelic-influenced vocabulary and intonation patterns that differ from central Canadian norms. Newfoundland English, spoken in Newfoundland and Labrador, is also predominantly rhotic but retains archaic West Country English and Irish features, such as unique lexical items like "b'y" (a diminutive for "boy" used in address, e.g., "How's it going, b'y?") and grammatical constructions like "right good" for emphasis. Quebec Anglophone English, used by English speakers in predominantly French-speaking Quebec, shows a French substrate influence due to bilingualism, including borrowed loanwords like "dépanneur" for and occasional nasalization of vowels before nasal consonants, reflecting phonetic transfer from . In northern territories like , English incorporates Indigenous influences, particularly borrowings from such as "qamutiik" (a type of ) and "inukshuk" (a stone landmark), integrated into everyday speech amid the territory's majority population. Urban centers like reflect modern multicultural dynamics, with post-1960s immigration from introducing features such as retroflex consonants in some speakers' English (e.g., pronounced "r" sounds akin to ) and lexical borrowings like "roti" or "dhal" entering local vernacular, contributing to a hybrid "Multicultural Toronto English."

Caribbean and Central America

Major Caribbean Islands

The English dialects of the major islands emerged primarily from British colonial expansion during the 17th to 19th centuries, when the transatlantic slave trade brought large populations of West and Central Africans to the region, leading to the development of English-lexified creoles with significant substrate influences from African languages such as Akan, Igbo, and Yoruba. These creoles formed as enslaved people adapted English vocabulary to their native grammatical structures under conditions of restricted contact with European speakers, resulting in basilectal varieties that diverged markedly from . Following in 1834 across British colonies, efforts toward increased through and administration, fostering a creole continuum where speakers navigate between acrolectal (standard-like) and basilectal forms, though basilects persist in informal rural and urban contexts. Jamaican Patois, or , exemplifies a basilectal creole with strong West African substrates, evident in its simplified system where "im" serves as a gender-neutral third-person singular for he/she/it, contrasting with distinctions. Tense and aspect marking draws from African serial verb constructions and preverbal particles, such as "did" for (e.g., "Mi did go" for "I went") and "en" or "a" for completive or progressive actions (e.g., "Mi en eat" for "I have eaten"), rather than inflectional suffixes. retains African retentions like "nyam" (to eat, from Akan) and syntactic features such as topic-comment structures, reflecting the linguistic adaptations of enslaved Akan and other groups during the peak slave trade years of 1700–1807. Bahamian English, including its creole continuum, is characterized by variable rhoticity, with postvocalic /r/ pronounced in many contexts (e.g., "car" as [kɑɹ]), though less consistently among urban Afro-Bahamians influenced by non-rhotic American English media. Vowel shifts include the fronting and raising of /u/ in words like "goose" ([gʉs]) and backing of /ɪ/ in "kit" ([kɪt̪]), creating ethnic distinctions where Afro-Bahamian speakers show more centralized vowels compared to Anglo-Bahamians. African influences appear in vocabulary, such as "jook" (to poke or thrust, from West African roots) and "obeah" (a form of spiritual practice, derived from Akan "obayifo"), stemming from the 18th-century influx of enslaved Africans to the Bahamas' plantation economy. Barbadian English, known locally as Bajan, operates along a creole continuum from acrolectal standard forms to basilectal creole, with the exhibiting full rhoticity (e.g., pronounced /r/ in "hard" as [hɑɹd]), a feature retained from early 17th-century British settlers and distinguishing it from non-rhotic neighbors. Its melodic intonation arises from African prosodic influences, including tone-like pitch contours and syllable-timed rhythm, which contribute to expressive speech patterns in informal settings. Historical creole residues persist in basilectal syntax, such as (e.g., "She tall" for "She is tall") and serialized verbs, traces of the intensive slave-based sugar plantations established after 1640. Trinidadian English Creole blends African substrates with Indo-Caribbean influences from 19th-century Indian indentured laborers, resulting in a vocabulary enriched by Hindi-Urdu terms like "" (flatbread) alongside such as "liming" (socializing). Unique lexical items include "tabanca," denoting a state of or melancholy from romantic loss, possibly from African emotional descriptors adapted in the multicultural post-slavery society. Syntactic features reflect this mix, such as habitual "does" marking (e.g., "He does play" for habitual action) from African patterns and Indian-influenced for emphasis (e.g., "sweet sweet" for very sweet), shaped by the island's diverse 18th–19th-century labor migrations. In contemporary urban settings across these islands, Jamaican-influenced slang has gained regional traction through and media, introducing terms like "gyal" () and "wuk" ( provocatively) into Bahamian, Bajan, and Trinidadian youth speech, promoting a shared vernacular amid . This diffusion, accelerated since the via and exports, overlays local creoles without displacing them, as seen in hybrid forms like Trinidadian "tabanca vibes" in social contexts.

Central American Countries

English dialects in Central America are primarily found along the Caribbean coast, emerging from British colonial activities and interactions between European settlers, enslaved Africans, and indigenous populations. These varieties, often creolized, trace their origins to 17th- and 19th-century British logging camps established for extracting logwood and mahogany, where "Baymen"—English woodcutters from and other colonies—interacted with African laborers and local Maya groups, influencing the development of creole speech patterns that blended English lexicon with African and indigenous substrates. This historical context parallels broader creole formations but incorporates distinct Central American indigenous elements. Belizean Kriol, the most prominent English-lexifier creole in the region, serves as a spoken by over 100,000 people, primarily descendants of African slaves and Baymen. It features African and Maya substrates evident in its , such as the invariant definite article "di" (e.g., "di pikni" for "the child") and serial verb constructions like "mi geh di buk geh ih" meaning "I got the book and gave it." The Baymen's English-influenced speech contributed to its lexifier base, while enslaved Africans from introduced substrate structures, resulting in a that functions as both a first and across ethnic groups. Nicaraguan East Coast English, also known as Miskito Coast Creole, is spoken by approximately 30,000 people mainly in , the , and Rama communities along the Atlantic coast. This variety is rhotic, preserving post-vocalic /r/ sounds (e.g., "cah" for "car"), but shows Spanish influences through lexical borrowings in domains like administration and daily life, such as "komida" for food alongside English terms. Its syntax aligns with western creoles, featuring tense-aspect markers like "doh" for non-past, and it developed from 18th-century interactions between British traders, , and Miskito indigenous groups. Garifuna communities in (about 100,000 people) and speak regional English creoles, such as Bay Islands English, alongside their indigenous Arawak-based and Spanish. These include Arawak vocabulary like "dügü" (spiritual ceremony) in creole contexts, reflecting their Arawak-African heritage from 19th-century from St. Vincent and subsequent coastal settlements. In ' Bay Islands and coastal areas, Garifuna speakers employ this creole alongside Spanish, drawing on English from British colonial contacts and Jamaican influences. Across these Central American varieties, a exists, ranging from basilectal creole forms in rural or traditional settings to acrolectal approximations of in formal contexts. Non-rhoticity, where /r/ is dropped after vowels in urban areas (e.g., "caht" for ""), emerges in more anglicized urban speech influenced by British norms and Spanish contact. Today, these dialects remain minority languages in predominantly Spanish-speaking nations, with speakers increasingly bilingual; efforts like development and cultural preservation counter Spanish dominance, though vitality varies, with Kriol faring better than more isolated forms.

South America

Guyana and Suriname

English-based dialects in Guyana and Suriname represent unique creole varieties shaped by colonial histories of British and Dutch influence, alongside African and Indian substrates from enslaved and indentured populations. These dialects form part of a , where speakers navigate between basilectal creole forms and acrolectal , reflecting multilingual ecologies in both nations. Guyana's is English, but (also known as Creolese) dominates informal communication, while in Suriname, Dutch holds official status, yet —an English-based creole—serves as a with notable impacts on local English usage. The historical development of these dialects traces back to 17th-century British and Dutch colonial rivalry in the region. Suriname began as an English colony from 1650 to 1667, when it was ceded to the Dutch under the Treaty of Breda, fostering the emergence of Sranan Tongo during early plantation slavery with heavy West African substrate influences from Gbe and Kikongo languages. In Guyana, British control solidified after Dutch rule ended in , but the creole's roots lie in 18th- and 19th-century slave plantations, evolving from an English-lexified amid similar African substrates. Indentured labor from , , and elsewhere in the mid-19th century further diversified the , introducing lexical borrowings and reinforcing as former slaves and laborers interacted on coastal estates. Guyanese Creole exhibits a continuum influenced by African and Indian substrates, with basilectal forms diverging significantly from standard English. Phonologically, it is non-rhotic, features TH-stopping (e.g., "ting" for "thing"), and includes vowel shifts like the merger of English /ɪ/ and /iː/. Lexically, it derives predominantly from English, with substrates contributing items and Indian-influenced terms like "roti" for a flatbread dish. In Surinamese English, Sranan Tongo's hybrid nature—English-based but Dutch-influenced post-1667—shapes local varieties, with about 77% of its basic vocabulary from English and terms like "gaaf" (good, from Dutch via African mediation) and "bakra" (white person, from English "backra" via African substrates) persisting in informal English speech. These dialects parallel Caribbean creoles in their English lexifiers but incorporate distinct Dutch and South Asian elements. Regional variations distinguish coastal urban forms from interior ones in both countries. In Guyana, urban Guyanese Creole around Georgetown emphasizes African substrates with rapid intonation, while interior Rupununi dialects blend Amerindian influences, such as Arawak loanwords for and , resulting in slower speech rhythms. Surinamese English, often code-mixed with , shows urban varieties as more Dutch-hybridized, whereas rural communities retain purer Sranan forms with stronger African retentions. These contrasts arise from geographic isolation and ethnic demographics, with coastal areas reflecting plantation-era . Grammatically, these dialects favor topic-prominent structures over subject-prominent ones, allowing flexible word order for emphasis, as in sentences like "Dem boy dey a play" (Those boys are playing, topic-fronted). Aspect markers are pre-verbal particles; for instance, "a" denotes progressive aspect (e.g., "Mi a ron" for "I am running"), while "e" marks non-past habitual (e.g., "Mi e eat rice" for "I eat rice habitually"). influences Surinamese English similarly, using particles like "e" for incomplete aspects and serial verb constructions for complex actions, such as "Mi lon en si en" (I went and saw him). These features underscore the creoles' efficiency in conveying temporality without inflectional endings. Post-, both countries have seen trends toward standardization and increased English prestige. Guyana's 1966 elevated in and media, narrowing the creole continuum as younger speakers adopt acrolectal features, though Creolese remains vital in cultural expression. In , following 1975 , English gained traction via CARICOM ties and , with surveys showing shifting attitudes favoring ; however, Dutch dominance persists, leading to hybrid English-Sranan forms in urban youth speech. These changes promote formal English proficiency while preserving creole vitality in informal domains.

Other South American Varieties

In other South American countries beyond Guyana and Suriname, English varieties remain peripheral, primarily arising from 19th-century British trade enclaves and contemporary expatriate or missionary communities, where they function more as second languages (L2) than dominant native dialects. During the 19th century, Britain's informal economic empire fostered English usage in coastal ports such as Valparaíso in Chile and Buenos Aires in Argentina, where British merchants and engineers established temporary communities that introduced standard British English forms for commerce and infrastructure projects like railroads. Today, modern expatriate enclaves—concentrated in urban centers like Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo—sustain English as an L2 among professionals and retirees, often blending American and British influences without forming distinct dialects, though these groups number in the tens of thousands regionally. Falkland Islands English represents the most established native-speaker variety in this context, spoken by approximately 3,500 residents as of 2025 of the UK Overseas Territory. Emerging in the mid-19th century from settlers primarily from southwest England and Scotland, it is a highly levelled dialect typologically akin to southern British English varieties, with low frequencies of unique grammatical features such as occasional "youse" for plural "you" and "was-leveling" in plural contexts. Phonologically, it is non-rhotic and exhibits non-Received Pronunciation (RP) traits, including a centralized vowel in words like "about" (approximating "abite") and resemblances to West Country English. Lexically, it incorporates minimal Spanish borrowings, such as modified terms for local fauna and geography (e.g., "tussac" for a type of grass), reflecting limited contact with neighboring Spanish-speaking regions. On the Caribbean coasts of Colombia and Venezuela, English varieties are predominantly L2 forms imported via Afro-Caribbean labor migrations to port cities like Cartagena and , featuring creole elements overlaid on Spanish substrates. In Colombia's San Andrés and Providencia islands, these include , an English-based variety with phonological features influenced by Spanish such as aspirated /s/ sounds and lexical borrowings like "plata" adapted for "money" in bilingual exchanges. Similarly, Venezuelan coastal ports show traces of English creoles from influences, though speakers are few and the variety is endangered, blending with local Spanish dialects in mercantile settings. These forms exhibit rhoticity inherited from sources and simplified grammar, but remain non-dominant amid Spanish prevalence. In the Amazon regions of and , English exposure stems largely from Protestant activities among indigenous groups, resulting in limited L2 varieties used in educational and religious contexts. American , particularly from organizations like the Summer Institute of Linguistics, introduced English in the mid-20th century for translation and literacy programs among groups such as the Waorani in and Asháninka in , leading to hybrid forms where indigenous languages incorporate English loanwords for concepts like "" or "school." These varieties feature Spanish substrates, with calques such as direct translations of indigenous terms into English structures, and are spoken by small numbers of bilingual indigenous individuals in outposts. Overall, English in these Amazonian settings is non-native and auxiliary, confined to about a few thousand speakers across isolated communities. Across these South American varieties, common features include rhotic in Falklands and coastal forms, lexical calques from Spanish (e.g., economic terms like "plata"), and creole-like simplifications in due to L2 acquisition. Their status is marginal, with English serving as a prestige L2 in , , and expat circles rather than a , often overshadowed by Spanish and indigenous languages.

Asia

South Asia

The English language in South Asia traces its historical roots to the British colonial era, particularly the assumption of direct Crown rule in 1858 via the Government of India Act, which transferred administrative powers from the to the British . This period solidified English as an administrative and educational medium, building on earlier initiatives like Thomas Babington Macaulay's Minute on Indian Education in 1835, which argued for English-medium instruction to foster a class of Indians versed in Western knowledge while downplaying traditional Oriental learning. These developments entrenched English across the subcontinent, influencing its evolution into localized varieties post-independence. South Asian Englishes share core phonological traits, such as non-rhoticity—where post-vocalic /r/ sounds are typically not pronounced—and lexical innovations termed "Indianisms," including "prepone" to denote advancing an event or schedule. These features reflect substrate influences from Indo-Aryan and , resulting in syllable-timed rhythms rather than the stress-timed patterns of . Indian English encompasses diverse regional varieties, with southern forms like —a simplified occupational dialect historically used by household staff—exhibiting reduced verb inflections and retroflex consonants drawn from Dravidian phonology. In northern urban contexts, emerges through of and English, blending elements like Hindi syntax with English in everyday . Pakistani English, influenced by substrates, features distinct such as aspirated stops (e.g., /pʰ/ for "p") and unique vocabulary like "eve-teasing" for verbal sexual harassment. Bangladeshi English bears Bengali imprints, including syllable-timed prosody that equalizes durations, diverging from native English stress patterns. Sri Lankan English, shaped by British colonial rule from 1815 to 1948, is a nativized variety influenced by Sinhala and Tamil substrates. It is typically non-rhotic, with syllable-timed rhythm and features like intrusive /r/ sounds. Lexical items include borrowings such as "pol" (coconut) and syntactic traits like pronoun omission in informal speech. It varies from acrolectal forms used in education to mesolectal varieties among the middle class. Contemporary South Asian Englishes vary by sociolinguistic context, with urban elite speakers employing acrolectal forms closer to international standards for professional and educational purposes, while rural L2 varieties represent basilectal adaptations with heavier substrate interference. This urban-rural continuum underscores English's role as a marker of class and mobility in the region.

Southeast Asia

English dialects in Southeast Asia emerged primarily through colonial influences, with British colonization shaping varieties in Malaya (encompassing modern-day , , and parts of ) from the early 19th century, and American administration introducing English to the following the Spanish-American War in 1898, which lasted until Philippine independence in 1946. These historical processes, driven by , migration, and administration, resulted in creolized and substrate-influenced forms that blend English with local languages such as Malay, Chinese dialects, Tagalog, and Tamil. Common phonological traits across these varieties include non-rhoticity, where the /r/ sound is not pronounced in post-vocalic positions, and a tendency toward topic-comment sentence structures influenced by substrate languages. Singaporean English, commonly known as , is a creolized variety that developed in the multicultural port city under British rule, incorporating substrates from Malay, , , and other Chinese languages. It features distinctive syntactic elements such as copula deletion, as in the sentence "He very tall" instead of "He is very tall," and the retention of subject-verb order in questions without inversion. Sentence-final particles like "lah," used for emphasis or persuasion (e.g., "Come lah, don't be shy"), add pragmatic nuance, reflecting influences from local contact languages. functions as an informal vernacular, contrasting with acrolectal Standard used in formal settings. Malaysian English, or , shares close ties with due to shared colonial history in but incorporates additional influences from Tamil and other Indian languages spoken by the Malaysian Indian community. It exhibits lexical borrowings from Malay, such as "alamak" as an exclamation equivalent to "oh no," and hybrid forms blending English with local vocabulary for everyday expressions. Like , employs topic-prominent structures and particles, but it varies along a continuum from basilectal colloquial speech to more standardized forms, often reflecting ethnic and regional diversity in . This variety is widely used in informal urban contexts, fostering solidarity among multilingual speakers. Philippine English, a nativized variety shaped by American colonial policies from 1901 onward, shows strong substrate effects from Tagalog and other Austronesian languages, leading to syllable-timed rhythm and shifts in word stress patterns, such as emphasizing the penultimate in loanwords. Unique lexical items include abbreviations like "CR" for "comfort room," a for restroom derived from local usage, and idiomatic expressions influenced by Tagalog semantics, such as extended uses of prepositions. Grammatical features often involve topic-comment organization, where the subject may be fronted for emphasis, and the progressive aspect is overextended in stative verbs (e.g., "I am knowing" for familiarity). exists on a , with formal varieties aligning closer to due to prolonged U.S. influence. Bruneian English, emerging from British protectorate status established in 1888 and reinforced by oil-driven modernization, retains a conservative (RP) base in formal speech but integrates Malay lexical and pragmatic elements in colloquial use. Influences from include particles like "bah," which softens assertions or seeks agreement (e.g., "It's okay bah"), and in bilingual contexts. Phonologically, it shares Southeast Asian traits like non-rhoticity and shifts, but impacts are evident in from media exposure, though less pronounced than in neighboring varieties. This dialect serves as a in Brunei's diverse ethnic society, balancing Malay as the national language with English in education and administration.

East Asia

English varieties in East Asia are predominantly second-language (L2) forms shaped by contact with local languages, including tonal systems like Mandarin and , agglutinative structures in Japanese and Korean, and historical colonial influences. These varieties exhibit substrate effects from the native languages, such as phonological simplifications and syntactic transfers, while serving as tools for in rapidly globalizing economies. Unlike institutionalized colonial Englishes elsewhere, East Asian varieties emphasize pragmatic adaptation over standardization, reflecting the region's focus on English for , and media. The historical roots of English in trace back to the 19th-century established after the , where Western powers, including Britain and the , opened cities like and for trade, introducing among merchants and locals. In , for instance, mixed speech communities emerged, blending British and with local forms, laying the groundwork for modern L2 varieties. Post-1945, U.S. military presence in and further accelerated English adoption through occupation policies and education reforms, embedding American influences in pronunciation and vocabulary. Chinese English, spoken across and , features phonological traits like flat intonation due to tonal interference from Mandarin, where speakers often apply syllable tones to English words, resulting in a sing-song or reduced stress patterns. Syntactically, it incorporates measure words from Chinese, as in expressions like "one piece of advice" instead of "a piece of advice," reflecting classifier systems absent in . These features persist regardless of the speaker's regional Chinese dialect, underscoring a unified variety tied to cultural norms in and lexis. Hong Kong English, influenced by its Cantonese substrate, often drops syllable-final consonants, such as pronouncing "food" as /fu:/, due to Cantonese's simpler coda structure, and simplifies verb tenses by omitting markers like the third-person -s. Unique slang includes "gweilo," a Cantonese loanword meaning "ghost man" or foreigner, commonly used in multicultural contexts to refer to Westerners, highlighting the variety's bilingual hybridity. Morphosyntactically, it shows transfers like topic-prominent structures from Cantonese, prioritizing context over strict subject-verb-object order. Japanese English, often termed "Engrish" in popular discourse, adapts English words via katakana script, leading to phonetic shifts like rendering "refreshing" as /refureshingu/ with added vowels to fit Japanese syllable structure. Grammatical influences from Japanese's subject-object-verb (SOV) order appear in L2 speech, such as inverted constructions like "I apple eat" in learner errors, though proficient speakers align more with English norms. These adaptations stem from L1 interference in phonology and syntax, creating a stylized variety used in advertising and media for cultural appeal. South Korean English displays high proficiency among educated speakers but retains L2 features like topic-marking from Korean's structure, where sentences emphasize themes first, as in "This book, I like it" to highlight the object. romanization affects pronunciation and spelling in loanwords, often simplifying English clusters, such as "smartphone" becoming /seumatopeun/ with Korean . Syntactic traits include of subjects or articles, influenced by Korean's pro-drop nature, and preposition variations tied to postpositional logic. Modern trends include the rise of "" in , a playful mix of Chinese syntax and English vocabulary, seen in signs like "Slip carefully" for wet floors, which encodes literal translations of idioms while conveying local humor. In , "Kongish" emerges as a code-mixed variety blending particles with English, such as "lah" for emphasis in sentences like "It's good lah," fostering identity in . These trends reflect the global growth of L2 English, with hundreds of millions of English learners across adapting the language for creative expression.

Africa

Southern Africa

Southern African English dialects emerged primarily through British colonial settlement and subsequent socio-political developments, beginning with the acquisition of the in 1806, which established English as an administrative language alongside Dutch. Further expansion occurred in the late 19th century, including the settlement of in the 1890s by British pioneers under the , leading to the formation of distinct varieties influenced by local substrates. Today, English serves as an across the region—in alongside 10 others, in as the sole official language since , and in as one of 16—but remains a second language (L2) for the vast majority of speakers, functioning as a in , , and urban settings. These varieties exhibit non-rhoticity and phonological shifts shaped by and , reflecting settler-descended norms rather than pidginized forms. South African English (SAfE), the most studied variety in the region, is characterized by three main social sociolinguistic varieties among white speakers: Cultivated (resembling , associated with upper-class elites), General (a middle-class norm with local adaptations), and Broad (working-class or Afrikaans-influenced, with more pronounced substrate effects). Phonologically, SAfE features a KIT-split, where the vowel in "kit" varies from [ɪ] before velars to a centralized [ə] or [ɨ̞] elsewhere, particularly in Broad varieties, contributing to a distinct auditory profile. Intonation patterns include a high-rising terminal (HRT), where declarative statements end with rising pitch, a feature noted in younger speakers and linked to regional trends in Englishes. Lexically, SAfE incorporates and Bantu terms, such as "braai" for , alongside semantic shifts like "robot" for , reflecting historical multilingual contact post-1806 settlement. Namibian English, emerging from German and South African colonial rule until independence in , shows strong Afrikaans substrate influences due to the dominance of Afrikaans-speaking administrators and settlers, resulting in non-rhotic and lexical borrowings like "braai" for outdoor grilling, integrated into everyday usage. As an L2 for over 90% of the population, it aligns closely with General in , including centralized vowels and stress-timed rhythm, but exhibits variation based on ethnic backgrounds, such as subtle prosodic transfers from Oshiwambo or Herero L1s among non-white speakers. Despite its official status, Namibian English remains underdeveloped as a distinct variety, often serving as a bridge in multilingual contexts without widespread . Zimbabwean English, rooted in the 1890s Rhodesian pioneer settlements and formalized after independence in 1980, is heavily influenced by Shona (spoken by about 75% of the population) and Ndebele (18%), leading to phonological features like syllable-timed rhythm and lexical innovations such as "" denoting a or tip, borrowed from local practices. As an L2 for most Zimbabweans, it displays variable vowel quality—e.g., monophthongization of diphthongs influenced by Bantu tones—and pragmatic shifts, where Shona honorifics affect address forms in English interactions. Historical apartheid-era migrations and post-colonial policies have stabilized it as a national variety, though regional differences persist between urban norms and rural Shona-dominant speech.

West Africa

English varieties in West Africa emerged primarily through colonial trade, missionary activities, and the transatlantic slave trade, with pidgins and creoles developing as contact languages among diverse ethnic groups and European traders from the 16th century onward. By the 18th century, European slave forts along the coast, such as those in present-day and , facilitated the mixing of English with local languages, leading to stable forms used in commerce and intergroup communication. The establishment of in in 1787 as a settlement for freed slaves from Britain, , and marked a pivotal moment, fostering the of English into Krio, which became a foundational variety influencing neighboring regions. Sierra Leonean Krio, spoken by about 8.5 million people (97% of the ) primarily in and among communities as of 2025, is a full-fledged creole that originated from the linguistic interactions of enslaved Africans resettled in , incorporating substrates from Akan, Yoruba, and Igbo languages. It exhibits basilectal features such as the absence of infinitival markers, where verbs like "go" directly follow modals without "to," as in "A want go" meaning "I want to go." Krio also features serial verb constructions, where multiple verbs chain together to express complex actions, such as "A bin go buy food chop" for "I went to buy food and eat it," reflecting influences from West African languages. Additionally, it incorporates tonal elements adapted from substrate languages, with pitch variations distinguishing meanings in some lexical items, though less systematically than in tonal African languages. Nigerian Pidgin, the most widely spoken English-based variety in with 121 million speakers across and in urban centers of neighboring countries like and as of 2025, functions as a creole in informal domains and a bridging 's 500-plus ethnic groups. It derives from 17th- and 18th-century trade pidgins along the , evolving into a stable form with English lexicon and West African grammatical structures. Characteristic features include the copula "dey" for existence or location, as in "Dem dey here" meaning "They are here," and the auxiliary "don" marking , such as "I don eat" for "I have eaten." Like Krio, it employs serial verbs, e.g., "He take shoot dem" for "He took a gun and shot them," and shows substrate influences from languages like and Igbo in its syntax. In , English serves as the with a distinct variety influenced by the Akan substrate, spoken by approximately 18 million as a , featuring conservative grammar that retains British norms in formal contexts while incorporating local lexical innovations. grammar avoids some British phrasal verbs, preferring analytic constructions, and includes borrowings like "tro-tro" for shared minibuses, derived from Akan "tro" meaning "to turn." Phonologically, it exhibits tonal interference from Akan, leading to syllable-timed and reduced distinctions, such as merging "ship" and "sheep." Modern urban varieties, particularly Lagos Pidgin in , have expanded as vital lingua francas in multicultural cities, blending with youth slang and to facilitate trade, media, and social interaction across . This urban form parallels Caribbean pidgins in its creole continuum but remains rooted in Atlantic trade histories.

East Africa

East African English varieties emerged during the British colonial era, beginning with the declaration of the Uganda Protectorate in 1894 and the establishment of the (encompassing modern-day ) in 1895. , formerly , transitioned to British administration as a in 1920 following . , initially part of under British control from 1924, shares linguistic ties through regional colonial networks. Post-independence in the early 1960s— in 1962, in 1961, in 1963, and in 1964—English was enshrined as an official language across these nations, serving administrative, educational, and legal functions while coexisting with indigenous languages like in the east and Bemba or Nyanja in . This status solidified English as a for most speakers, fostering localized varieties shaped by and dynamics. Common phonological features across East African Englishes include non-rhoticity, where post-vocalic /r/ is not pronounced (e.g., "" as /ka:/), and a syllable-timed influenced by , contrasting with the stress-timed rhythm of British (RP). Vowel systems are often reduced, with mergers such as /ɪ/ and /ə/ or /ʊ/ and /ə/, and 's five-vowel system promotes centralized or harmonized realizations, leading to phenomena like where adjacent vowels share traits like height or tenseness. Lexically, loanwords are prevalent, especially in and , such as "" (meaning "pull together," used for community fundraising efforts). between English and local languages is widespread in informal and urban settings, reflecting sociolinguistic fluidity. In Kenyan English, Swahili substrates contribute to idiomatic expressions and non-rhotic accents, with education systems reinforcing a formal variety alongside vernacular influences in daily speech. Ugandan English exhibits substrate effects, including innovative plural formations for mass nouns, such as "maize flours" to denote varieties of , diverging from standard English uncountable usage. Tanzanian English, heavily shaped by Kiswahili as the national language, features syllable-timed prosody and lexical borrowings, with English often alternating in bilingual contexts. Zambian English blends Bemba and Nyanja elements, resulting in indigenization (e.g., centralized /æ/ as /ɛ/) while retaining a conservative RP-like base in formal registers, though urban varieties show Bantu-inspired simplifications. These traits underscore English's adaptation as a pluricentric in multi-ethnic societies.

Oceania

Australia and New Zealand

Australian English and New Zealand English, collectively known as Antipodean English, emerged from British colonial settlement in the late 18th and 19th centuries, primarily through convict transportation to and free settler migration to both regions. The First Fleet's arrival in 1788 marked the beginning of English usage in , with s and officials from , , and introducing a mix of dialects that evolved into distinct varieties. In , English solidified after the in 1840, which formalized British sovereignty and encouraged migration, blending influences from British settlers with elements. These varieties share Southern Hemisphere vowel shifts but diverge due to regional substrates and social factors. Australian English is non-rhotic, meaning the /r/ sound is not pronounced in post-vocalic positions, and features a characteristic high-rising terminal intonation in declarative sentences, often called the "Australian Question Intonation." It is sociolinguistically stratified into three main accents: Broad, General, and Cultivated. Broad Australian English, associated with working-class and rural speakers, exhibits pronounced vowel shifts, such as the face shifting to /fʌɪs/ (as in "face" pronounced closer to "fice"). General Australian represents the standard accent used in media and education, balancing these shifts moderately, while Cultivated Australian approximates with closer vowels and less diphthongization. Vocabulary draws heavily from but includes unique like "arvo" for afternoon, reflecting informal, abbreviated forms common in everyday speech. Indigenous Australian influences are evident in loanwords from Aboriginal languages, such as "kangaroo" (from Guugu Yimithirr gangurru) and "boomerang," integrated into the lexicon since early contact. New Zealand English closely resembles Australian English in its non-rhoticity and intonation patterns but is distinguished by a Māori substrate, which has contributed to phonetic and lexical features. A notable phonological trait is the realization of "wh" clusters (as in "what" or "when") as /f/ rather than /hw/ or /w/, influenced by Māori orthography and phonology, where these sounds merge. New Zealand English also undergoes a central vowel shift, with the short-i (as in "kit") raising and centralizing toward a sound like /ɪ̈/, and the short-u (as in "strut") fronting to /ʊ/, creating a distinct "Kiwi" accent. Regional variations include urban Auckland English, which aligns closely with General Australian, versus rural Southland's partial rhoticity, where /r/ is retained in some speakers due to Scottish settler influences from the 19th century. Māori loanwords like "kiwi" (for the bird and fruit) and "whānau" (family) enrich the vocabulary, reflecting bicultural integration. In Australia, regional differences highlight urban-rural divides: Sydney's urban variety features sharper distinctions and multicultural influences from post-war , while slang incorporates terms like "fair dinkum" (genuine) tied to life and Indigenous interactions. New Zealand's variations extend to ethnic distinctions, with English blending standard forms with substrate features like lengthening in emphatic speech. These dialects continue to evolve through global media and migration, maintaining their core identity from colonial Oceanic settlement.

Pacific Islands

English dialects in the Pacific Islands primarily manifest as creoles and pidgin-derived varieties, shaped by colonial labor migrations and multilingual contact during the 19th and early 20th centuries. These forms emerged as lingua francas among diverse indigenous populations brought together through the trade, where over 60,000 Pacific Islanders were coercively recruited from 1863 onward for plantation work in , , and other regions, fostering simplified English-based communication systems. Under subsequent British and Australian administrations, such as the Australian governance of Papua and from 1906 to 1975, these pidgins stabilized and expanded, incorporating substrate influences from local Austronesian and . Tok Pisin, the most prominent English-based creole in , originated from the Melanesian used in the labor trade and evolved under German (1884–1914) and British/Australian colonial rule, drawing vocabulary from English, German, and local languages. Recognized as one of three official languages in the 1975 constitution, it features reduced grammar, such as the absence of inflectional endings and reliance on preverbal particles for tense; for example, "baimbai" (from English "by and by") marks future or irrealis events, as in "Em baimbai kam" meaning "He will come later." In the , Pijin represents another variant of Melanesian , developing from the same 19th-century labor trade contacts and spreading as a before creolizing in the under administration. It exhibits features like unmarked transitive verbs in some constructions and substrate-influenced serial verb structures, such as "go lukim" for "go and see," reflecting Oceanic language patterns where multiple verbs chain to express complex actions. Pijin unites speakers across the ' 70+ indigenous languages, with an estimated 300,000 speakers (as of 1999), serving as a in a population of approximately 800,000 (as of 2024). Fijian English, a more acrolectal variety spoken primarily by iTaukei (indigenous Fijian) communities, developed post-1874 under British colonial rule and shows conservative traits influenced by the Fijian substrate, including non-rhotic and simplified morphology. It incorporates iTaukei loanwords like "bula" for greeting or "kava" for the ceremonial drink, alongside substrate effects on syntax, such as topic-prominent structures mirroring Fijian patterns. Bislama, the national language of , is another key English-based creole derived from the 19th-century Melanesian used in plantation labor trade, evolving under Anglo-French condominium rule (1906–1980) with influences from English, French, and over 100 local Austronesian languages. It features simplified morphology, such as no tense marking and use of aspect particles like "i stap" for progressive (e.g., "Hem i stap kam" meaning "He is coming"), and serves as a unifying in one of the world's most linguistically diverse nations. With about 10,000 native speakers and 200,000 second-language users (as of 2011), Bislama is spoken by nearly the entire population of approximately 300,000 (as of 2024). Today, these varieties serve as essential lingua francas in highly multilingual Pacific societies: is spoken by over four million people in , functioning as a for many urban dwellers; Pijin unites speakers in the ; and Fijian English and support official communication in Fiji's and Vanuatu's diverse linguistic landscapes.

Global Englishes

International Varieties

International varieties of English refer to non-territorial forms that have developed through global interactions, transcending specific geographic regions and often serving as neutral mediums in multicultural or transnational contexts. These dialects emerge from the need for among diverse speakers, particularly in domains like , , , and digital communication, where regional accents and idioms are minimized to facilitate clear exchange. Unlike regionally bound varieties, international Englishes prioritize a shared core of , , and , adapting to the demands of while incorporating innovative features from non-native users. The historical roots of these varieties trace back to mid-20th-century standardization efforts, such as the (ICAO)'s 1951 recommendation that English serve as the universal language for international aeronautical communications, establishing a simplified, precise and to ensure safety across linguistic barriers. This aviation English, with its standardized terms like "cleared to land" and the ICAO phonetic alphabet (e.g., Alpha for A), laid early groundwork for neutral international forms by prioritizing clarity over native-like fluency. Post-1990s accelerated their evolution, as the rapid expansion of , migration, and technology fostered a proliferation of hybrid usages, leading scholars like to predict the rise of a "World Standard Spoken English" (WSSE) as a convergent, core English stripped of strong regional markers. World Standard Spoken English (WSSE) exemplifies this neutrality, functioning as a de-accented variety in global and , relying on a common-core and while avoiding idiomatic expressions tied to specific cultures. It features minimal phonological variation, such as reduced distinctions, to enhance intelligibility among non-native speakers, and is often described as a "neutral" form that accommodates diverse accents without favoring any one. In practice, WSSE appears in multinational corporate settings, where speakers from various backgrounds converge on simplified structures for efficiency. (ELF), closely related, emphasizes accommodative strategies in non-native interactions, including the simplification or omission of articles (e.g., "I go to school" instead of "I go to the school") and regularization of verb forms to promote mutual understanding. ELF's dynamic nature, highlighted in corpora like VOICE, reveals creative adaptations such as with local languages, evolving since the late through increased global mobility. Cyber English, also known as Netspeak, represents a digital evolution of these international forms, characterized by abbreviations (e.g., "LOL" for "laugh out loud"), acronyms (e.g., "BRB" for "be right back"), and emoji integrations that convey emotion efficiently in text-based communication. These features function as a dialectal shorthand, blending linguistic economy with visual elements to adapt English for online platforms, where brevity and expressiveness drive innovation; for instance, emojis serve as non-verbal cues, evolving the language beyond traditional grammar. A global feature across these varieties is the increased use of "like" as a discourse marker, functioning as a hedge, quotative (e.g., "He was like, 'Hello'"), or approximator (e.g., "It's like a big deal"), with high frequency among younger, multilingual speakers worldwide, signaling informality and shared understanding. In diplomatic contexts, such as United Nations settings, international English manifests as a formal, precise variant that balances ambiguity for negotiation with explicitness for clarity, often featuring academic lexicon and connective phrases like "in this regard" to structure arguments. For example, UN General Debate speeches in English exhibit higher rates of explicit connectors and nominalizations compared to native varieties, aiding cross-cultural persuasion while maintaining neutrality; untranslated speeches by native speakers show more idiomatic flair, whereas translated ones emphasize universality. This diplomatic English, dominant since post-World War II when it supplanted French, underscores the adaptability of international varieties in high-stakes, multilingual forums.

English-based Pidgins and Creoles

English-based pidgins and creoles emerged as contact languages primarily through colonial trade, economies, and the transatlantic slave trade starting in the , where speakers of diverse African, European, and indigenous languages interacted under conditions of limited . These pidgins initially served as simplified auxiliary languages for intergroup communication, drawing heavily from English but incorporating substrate influences from African and other languages. occurred when these pidgins became the primary language of children born into such communities, expanding into fully functional native languages with complex grammars. A key theoretical framework for understanding variation in English-based creoles is the creole continuum model, which posits a from the acrolect—closest to the standard lexifier English—at one end, through intermediate mesolect varieties, to the basilect—the most divergent creole form—at the other. This continuum reflects ongoing linguistic accommodation between creole speakers and English-dominant societies, with styles shifting based on social context, rather than discrete boundaries between registers. Quantitative sociolinguistic studies, such as those applying variationist methods, support this model by demonstrating implicational hierarchies in features like copula absence or verbal marking across the continuum. Major English-based creoles are classified by geographical and historical origins, with Atlantic creoles forming a prominent type influenced by West and Central African substrates during the slave era. For instance, , spoken in the of the , retains significant African lexical and syntactic elements, such as serial verb constructions, derived from the Rice Coast creole spoken by enslaved Africans transported to North American plantations. In the Pacific, creoles like in evolved from Beach-la-Mar, a 19th-century maritime used in the labor for Pacific plantations, which incorporated English alongside local Austronesian influences. In Asian and African contexts, varieties such as English illustrate adaptation in multicultural colonial settings, where English served as the dominant language. Linguistically, English-based creoles often exhibit simplified tense systems without the inflectional suffixes of , relying instead on preverbal particles to indicate tense, mood, and aspect—for example, "bin" for past or completed actions in varieties like Cameroon . systems frequently feature invariant or universal forms that serve multiple functions, such as subject and object roles without case distinctions, reducing the paradigm from English's gendered and cased pronouns. These features, including aspect-focused marking over strict tense, arise from substrate influences and the need for efficient communication in stages, stabilizing during . Currently, the status of English-based pidgins and creoles varies widely: some, like Hawaiian Creole English, face pressures from standardization efforts and language shift toward mainstream , contributing to concerns over vitality among younger speakers, while others, such as Pidgin, continue to expand as urban lingua francas in multilingual societies. For example, , detailed in the section, remains robust in cultural domains despite educational policies favoring .

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