THE 8 MOST WIDELY SPOKEN TYPES OF ENGLISH IN THE WORLD - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The types of English spoken and written are American, British, Australian, Canadian, South African, New Zealand, Indian, and Caribbean. John C. Wells said in his book Accents of English that language is not a homogeneous entity. This is evidenced when it is observed that languages ​​are nothing more than the compendium of the multiple varieties that they possess.

And in the case of English, it is the result of the colonial expansion of Great Britain, just as Spanish was the result of the colonial expansion of Spain in centuries past.

Today English is the most widespread language in the world. But those who study it as a second language learn what is known as standard English. This is the dialect that is used to write and it is the one that people who belong to the highest social classes usually use.

But, in addition to this variety, there are other types of English. Languages ​​are not static. That is, they evolve over time and are influenced by historical, social or generational changes.

For this reason, all languages ​​have internal varieties and these differences depend on their place of origin. In the case of English, there are eight main types of English currently used around the world, these are: American, British, Australian, Canadian, South African, New Zealand, Indian and Caribbean.

The most widely spoken types of English in the world

American English

This is the best known dialect in the world and therefore the most used. The cause of this being the most widespread is due to the entertainment industry. And it was then because of this massive disclosure that American English has made other dialect varieties invisible. This type of English is the standard form of the language used in the United States.

As with English in general, there is not a single American English but there are varieties of dialects. These are classified into three large groups: Northern English, Central English and Southern English.

Each one presents differences not only in vocabulary but also in syntax, morphology and pronunciation. But despite its differences, American English is more homogeneous than British.

British English

This variety is on par with American English when it comes to comparisons. And it is that this English is derived from Anglo-Saxon, also called Old English. This was an early form of the language that used to be spoken between the years 425 and 1125 in the territories that today make up England and southern Scotland.

Among the distinctive features of British English is the elimination of the / r / phoneme at the end of the word. Unlike American English, where the language is curved when pronouncing the r sound at the end of words, in British English speakers do not pronounce it and instead pronounce a schwa / ǝ /.

This type of English also has its internal variations. Thus several accents are distinguished: 'London English', 'Southern English', 'Northern English' and the one for Scotland which is the 'Standard Scottish English' and the 'Scottish Gaelic'.

Australian English

This is the standard form of English used in Australia. This variety differs from other variants of English, especially by its accent and vocabulary. The distinctive features of this dialect were established around 1830.

Australian English is characterized by the fact that it still preserves the use of certain indigenous words to name animals, plants and some places on the continent. Regarding its internal varieties, three classes are distinguished: 'Broad', 'General' and 'Cultivated Australian'.

Canadian English

Due to its geographical proximity, Canadian English is often confused with American. This is also because the variety of English spoken in Canada is a mixture of idiomatic elements from American and British English. But they are not the only ones who have had an influence on Canadian English.

And it is that this English was created after a series of migratory waves that occurred over two centuries. This is then a combination of English from England, from the United States, French and Aboriginal words.

This variety is characterized precisely by this mixture. In it, some words that emphasize the first syllable are confused with others that have a Francophone origin.

South African English

South African English was born with the arrival of the British in the country in 1795. This variety has many peculiar characteristics, so much so that it can sometimes be difficult to understand.

It has similarities to British English, especially in terms of vocabulary. However, as in all the others, there are different types of pronunciations.

South African English has had two particular influences: Dutch, and Afrikaans, which is a local language. In fact, many words that today are part of this variety of English have been taken from different African languages ​​such as Zulu, Ndebele, among others.

New Zealand English

This is the type of English that is spoken in New Zealand and because of its proximity, it is very similar to that spoken in Australia.

And the greatest similarity they present is in terms of their pronunciation. However, in this case the influence is not indigenous but of Irish and Scottish immigrants who arrived in the country in the 19th century.

Indian english

This is the standard form of English used in India. However, even if you speak of standard English, it really is not like that. And it is that in the country different regional variants of this language are used, either for social or geographical reasons.

On the other hand, Indian English has been heavily influenced by Hindi, the other official language of the country. At least 30 million people speak English in India, making it the third country in the world with the largest number of English speakers.

Caribbean English

This is the name for the type of English that is spoken in the Caribbean region. But although the entire dialect is called that, each country has its variations. Even so, they all have a common denominator, which is the fact that each one began with English and that their origins are African.

Jamaican English, for example, has a grammatical similarity to British English. However, due to its proximity to the United States, American English has been influencing the type of English spoken in the Caribbean region.

References

1. Pizarro-Chacón, G. (2015). Multidialectism: A challenge for teaching a second language. Educare electronic magazine. Costa Rica. Web: www.scielo.sa.cr.
2. Pérez, A. (No date). Integrating the varieties of English into programming: a case study. University of Huelva. Spain. Web: es.scribd.com.