Page 17 - (DK) Help Your Kids with Language Arts

15
ENGLISH AROUND THE W ORLD

3. North America was the first 4. English became the dominant 5. A 2010 survey found that around
English-speaking colony, but it language in Great Britain during the two-thirds of Europeans can speak
developed a distinct form of English Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries). some English.
with different spellings.

6. Today, English is an international
language of business, and is taught in
schools in many Asian countries,
4 including Japan and China.
5
7. In India and parts of Africa, English
6 was imposed as the administrative
language through centuries of colonial
7 rule, but—in most cases—it was spoken
only as a second language by the
local populations.

8. The expansion of the British Empire
8 during the 1700s in Australia and New
7
Zealand saw European populations
quickly outnumber indigenous
8 populations, and English became
the dominant language.

What’s that?
English speakers around the world knapsack
use different words and pronunciation, fizzy drink flip-flops
according to their background, age, backpack rucksack
and sense of identity. An accent is soda pop thongs
the way in which the words are
pronounced, while a dialect refers
to the use of certain vocabulary and A path at the side of The British call
grammatical constructions. In the the road for pedestrians a knitted garment
UK alone, there are many distinctive is called a pavement in pavement jumper with long sleeves
dialects, such as Geordie (Newcastle), Britain, a sidewalk in sidewalk a jumper. In North
North America, and a
Brummie (Birmingham), and Doric sweater America, this is
footpath in Australia. called a sweater.
(northeast Scotland). Similarly, around footpath
the world, English is spoken and written
in many different ways, so that some
common objects are called by different
names in Britain, America, Canada, sweet pepper trainers
and Australia. trousers
bell pepper runners sneakers
capsicum pants