- published: 10 Jun 2015
- views: 2077047
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States.
English is the most common language in the United States. Though the U.S. federal government has no official language, English is the common language used by the federal government and is considered the de facto language of the United States because of its widespread use. English has been given official status by 28 of the 50 state governments. The use of English in the United States was a result of English colonization. The first wave of English-speaking settlers arrived in North America during the 17th century, followed by further migrations in the 18th and 19th centuries. Since then, American English has been influenced by the languages of West Africa, the Native American population, and immigration.
Compared to English as spoken in England, North American English is more homogeneous. Some distinctive accents can be found on the East Coast (for example, in eastern New England and New York City) partly because these areas were in close contact with England and imitated prestigious varieties of British English at a time when these were undergoing changes.[Need quotation to verify] In addition, many speech communities on the East Coast have existed in their present locations for centuries, while the interior of the country was settled by people from all regions of the existing United States and developed a far more generic linguistic pattern.[citation needed]
British people (also referred to as the British, Britons, or informally as Brits or Britishers) are citizens or natives of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, of any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants.British nationality law governs modern British citizenship and nationality, which can be acquired, for instance, by birth in the UK or by descent from British nationals. When used in a historical context, the term British people refers to the ancient Britons, the indigenous inhabitants of Great Britain south of the Forth.
Although early assertions of being British date from the Late Middle Ages, the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 triggered a sense of British national identity. The notion of Britishness was forged during the Napoleonic Wars between Britain and the First French Empire, and developed further during the Victorian era. The complex history of the formation of the United Kingdom created a "particular sense of nationhood and belonging" in Great Britain; Britishness became "superimposed on much older identities", of English, Scots and Welsh cultures, whose distinctiveness still resist notions of a homogenised British identity. Because of longstanding ethno-sectarian divisions, British identity in Northern Ireland is controversial, but it is held with strong conviction by unionists.
I was that kid sittin' over
in the corner,
smiling with a shit-eating
grin
And I was that kid smilin' in
the back of class
'cause I'm fryin' on mescaline
I was that kid drinkin' 40's
on the bleachers
getting drunk after school
Gettin' home too late,
fallin' on my face,
way too drunk to skate
and actin' a fool
I was that kid never doing
good at
nothing except for maybe
at P.E.
And I was that kid getting
bullied by the
filipinos rollin with ABT
Me and my friends reading
the satanic bible thinking
we should start a band
Cutting class to jam,
cutting class to jam
In my dad's garage we
learned to
Act a fool - don't need to
be cool
Pissed off too and
breaking the rules
Mama told me stay in
school
don't rock 'n roll
But this is my american
high
I was that kid that was
crank-calling
your girlfriend, couldn't
get a goddamn date
And I was that kid that was
getting hella busted for
pissin' on the bart train
I fuckin' hated school
except for hanging out
with my friends, the
outcast that was
startin' up a band
Fremont was the town,
California-bound,
bay area sound, taught me
Act a fool - don't need to
be cool
Pissed off too and
breaking the rules
Mama told me stay in
school
don't rock 'n roll
But this is my american
high
I'm that kid you tried to
punk in english class
Now I'm in a band and
you're kissing my...
Asteroids beat out homework
Slayer beat out Zeppelin
Not the sharpest noggin
that's why I'm in this band
And what you got against
me, I don't need a new job
What you got against me,
I'll get by on my own
Tellin' me I'm never getting
by from my songs
I love it when you're
proven wrong
Act a fool - don't need to
be cool
Pissed off too and
breaking the rules
Mama told me stay in
school
don't rock 'n roll
But this is my american
high
Act a fool - don't need to
be cool
Break the rules
'cause this is my american