This book is one volume in a series that examines the history of English. It traces the history of English in North America during the past 400 years, from its British background to its present position among the varieties of English used worldwide. Influences that have formed American English include political, social, and cultural changes in American life, contact with other languages in North America, and continuing immigration. In this book, 16 authorities consider how vocabulary (both standard and slang), grammar, spelling, and usage in both the standard language and regional and social dialects have evolved in response to various influences, noting the relationship between British and American English. Fourteen chapters examine the following: (1) "External History" (John Algeo); (2) "British and American, Continuity and Divergence" (John Hurt Fisher); (3) "British and Irish Antecedents" (Michael Montgomery); (4) "Contact with Other Languages" (Suzanne Romaine); (5) "Americanisms" (Frederic G. Cassidy and Joan Houston Hall); (6) "Slang" (Jonathan E. Lighter); (7) "Dialects" (Lee Pederson); (8) "African-American English" (Salikoko S. Mufwene); (9) "Grammatical Structure" (Ronald R. Butters); (10) "Spelling" (Richard L. Venezky); (11) "Usage" (Edward Finegan); (12) "Canadian English" (Laurel J. Brinton and Margery Fee); (13) "Newfoundland English" (William J. Kirwin); and (14) "American English Abroad" (Richard W. Bailey). (Contains approximately 1,020 bibliographic references, a glossary of linguistic terms, and an index.) (SM)