American or Canadian English,
is there a difference?
The evolution of a language is a natural phenomena. Language is not stagnant, but it changes. The exact reasons for its changes are numerous. Some reasons why a language might change could be because of the influence of another language or culture, a change in climate or from the natural tendency of people to simplify language.
In order to better understand why there are differences between American and Canadian English with regard to word spellings, vocabulary, expressions and pronounciation, it is important to have a look at some history. You will see how two separate groups of people formed during the colonization of what is today, the United States of America. Next, you might read how the spelling of some English words was altered by Noah Webster or why the English spelling was left intact by the Loyalists.
After reading about the history, you can see more of Webster's spelling changes. Afterwards, move on to American and Canadian vocabulary. Notice how some of the Canadian vocabulary has been influenced by French. For example, the word "Tuque", a hat you wear in the winter to keep you warm. Finally, tune you ears into different present-day accents from the United States and Canada. It is interesting to notice the silent "r" at the end of words like "car" from the New England region and the "Canadian raising" of the sound [u] as in "about".
After you have browsed all of these pages, give youself a shot at the test. See how much you have learned while visiting my site! Good luck!