Though it is traditionally

considered a «prestige»
accent, RP is not The dialect regions of
intrinsically superior to the United States are
other varieties most clearly marked
of English; it is itself along the Atlantic
only one particular littoral, where the
accent that has, through earlier settlements
the accidents of history, Africa is one of were made.
achieved a higher the world’s most
status than others. multilingual areas;
the problems of
language are
everywhere linked Three dialects can be
Unlike Canada, Australia with
In 1950 Hindi was political, social, ec defined:
In Wales the English has no concentration of a
declared the first onomic, and Northern, Midland, and
inherited rising European language other national educational Southern.
intonations from than English within its language. factors.
ancestral Celtics borders. There are still
many Aboriginal
languages, though they In 1967 English is
each are spoken by small First settlers arrive in
acknowledged to
numbers and their The Afrikaans
Virginia and
be indispensable.
Lowland Scottish and language began Massachusetts
continued existence is
Northern English to diverge
threatened.
diverged dialects in the seriously from
14th century English is widely European Dutch Canada becomes
used in business, in in the late 18th bilingual.
higher century and People in Quebec
education, and in gradually came has French as their
scientific research. to be recognized
mother tongue
as a separate
language