CC BY
37
УДК 81'373.613
Mamaeva K. N. Student
2 course, Linguistics faculty
RSUE
Russia, Rostov-on-Don Scientific Supervisor: Cherednikova E.A.
INFLUENCE OF AMERICAN ENGLISH ON THE BRITISH ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
Abstract: The article touches upon the issue of influence of Americanisms on the English language. The article broaches a question of paying attention to this problem to prevent the loss of the great cultural layer - British English. This work is concerned with the absorption of British English by American English which shows its relevance. There are quotes of authoritative sources in the article emphasizing the importance of this issue.
Key words: British English, American English, Americanisms, influence, absorption.
Мамаева К.Н. студент 2 курса факультет Лингвистики и журналистики
РГЭУ (РИНХ)
научный руководитель: Чередникова Е. А., к.филол.н.
доцент кафедра ЛиМКК Россия, г. Ростов-на-Дону
Аннотация: В данной статье рассматривается влияние американизмов на британский вариант английского языка. Затрагивается вопрос о необходимости привлечения внимания к этой проблеме для предотвращения потери великого культурного пласта - британского английского языка. В этой работе рассмотрена важная проблема поглощения британского английского американским, чем и обуславливается её актуальность. В статье приводятся примеры авторитетных источников, что подтверждает значимость поднимаемого вопроса.
Ключевые слова: British English, American English, Americanisms, influence, absorption.
In the 19th century, Oscar Wilde reckoned: "The Americans are identical to the British in all respects except, of course, language". Actually, British English and American English have the same roots, but when the first European immigrants came to the New World, these two languages launched to slowly split. American English began to develop in its own way, because of the different living conditions and other immigrant languages. The main differences between American English and British English are the tone and rhythm. A number of new
words and new metaphors originally produced in the United States have gradually taken root in the United Kingdom only now.
Recently I have found out that the English language is on its way of dying out. By saying that, I mean the original British language.
If you follow linguistic news, you must be acquainted with changes of British English, and see what I am talking about. Americanisms are gaining more and more popularity and seem to colonize the language. In the second quarter of the 20-th century, one well known US host of PBS Masterpiece Theatre said: "Every Englishman listening to me now unconsciously uses 30 or 40 Americanisms a day". Due to statements of scientific researchers, nowadays people use Americanisms in their everyday speech ten times more than they did previous year.
But why is it considered to be such a pressed issue, if the British language seems to get richer and more multivarious due to borrowed words?
In the very beginning, Americanisms were brought to British culture to name some scientific and bottom-line words. But, in recent decades, the United States are widening the gap with Europe constantly in trade, military, science and technology industries, what makes America's position in the international arena particularly prominent, so the process of borrowed words spreading became uncontrolled.
At the early stages of Americanization of British English, some linguists confirmed, that Americanisms made the language more tactful, expressive, and euphonious. Nevertheless, there are many oppositionists of this point of view.
Nowadays, people of all strata, ages and professions use Americanisms. The reason seems to be obvious: it happens because of its popularity, freshness, novelty and glamour. People prefer a more modern American equivalent to its conservative version.
But, when we look at the depth of this problem, we can discover, that history repeats itself. Many new glamorous words have already existed in British English, but were borrowed and changed after that came back in their new form. Some scientists predict that British English can be entirely absorbed by American one by the beginning of the next century.
Besides, I should mention, that eventually it's turned out that the two languages (British and American English) can't stay equal and be used at the same time. American version starts to push out the British one. As G.B. Shaw incontestably declared: "We (the British and Americans) are two countries separated by a common language." If the expansion of Americanisms keeps going, we might lose the great cultural layer - British English.
Использованные источники:
1. Hephzibah Anderson. How Americanisms are killing the English language. 2017. URL: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170904-how-americanisms-are-killing-the-english-language
2. Erin Carrie. 'British is professional, American is urban': attitudes towards English reference accents in Spain. 2016. URL:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ijal.12139 3. Augustin Simo Bobda. British or American English: Does it matter? 2008. URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/english-today/article/british-or-american-english-does-it-matter/1D2F735BD627E0F9025B3E4F62E5B04C
УДК 159.9.07
Markuvinas I. V.
Student at the Faculty of Pedagogy, Psychology and
Communicative Studies Kuban State University Russia, Krasnodar Volkodav T.V., Ph.D.
Associate Professor in the Department of English Philology and
the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology
Kuban State University Russia, Krasnodar
THE ATTITUDES OF RUSSIAN CITIZENS TOWARD THE CHILDFREE
SUBCULTURE
Abstract:
The paper is devoted to the childfree phenomenon, its history and nature in various cultures. The study deals with the social attitude of Russian citizens towards the Childfree phenomenon based on the research of the scholars at Kuban State University, attended by N=247 respondents (M=45, F=202). The participants were presented with a questionnaire "Your Attitude to Childfree Subculture" consisting of 11 questions to determine the respondents' basic understanding of the childfree, their views on childless / childfree families, positive or negative opinions of parenting as well as their motives, goals and preferences in life.
The results of the study showed that Russian citizens do not adhere to this ideology, but they are loyal to their proponents.
Keywords: childfree subculture, ideology, citizens, attitude, childless, gender beliefs, parenthood, perceptions.
Today many citizens live without children. These people voluntarily refuse to have children to due to their moral attitudes or principles. Why is the trend so popular? Does it affect the development of society as a whole? Does the Russian society stigmatize childfree people?
Women without children are not anomalies, the latest census data shows. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey, in 2014, 47.6 percent of women aged from 15 to 44 year old never had children [1]. This represents the highest percentage of childless women since the bureau started tracking data in 1976. The census data is backed up by data from the National Center for Health Statistics. According to a recent report, in 2013 there were just 62.9 births for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the U.S. — an
