In its earliest days, during the 1600s, American literature consisted mostly of practical nonfiction written by British settlers who populated the colonies that would become the United States. These histories, published in 1608 and 1624, are among the earliest works of American literature.

Early American literature is best described as solely influenced by Native American storytelling traditions. Early American literature is best described as a diverse mix of writing and storytelling techniques that were informed by various cultural influences.

American literature is very important for the education of people as it reveals the culture and history of the United States. Moreover, American literature studying in other countries gives foreigners the opportunity to get to know American culture, history, and great works of the great authors better.

Literature served as a portrayal of historical events or periods that occurred in the past, present, and sometimes future in America. This era focused mainly on scientific rationalism and the improvement of human society in America. In this age of reasoning, there was a strong political influence on the era.

English literature is written in British English while American literature is written in American English. American literature is often known as a much more realistic in portraying characters while English literature is known for its wit and portrayal of theme in plots and characterization.

• Values feeling and intuition over reason.
• Values the imagination over reality.
• Civilization is bad Nature is good.
• Educated sophistication is bad Youthful innocence is good.
• Individual freedom is important.
• Nature is the way to find God.
• Progress is bad.
• Most settings are in exotic locales or the supernatural.

Over the centuries, American authors have shaped a vast body of work, often reflecting voices that are distinctly American. American voice writers demonstrate the potential of literature to capture realities of time, place and, above all, people. Uniquely American voices illuminate the power of language.

English writers mostly emphasize their culture and manners, while American writers discuss American history and social issues. As well as early writings in the UK, early American works involve topics related to religion and politics.

Some Specific Features of American English

• American English intonation does not rise or fall as much as that of British English, it sounds more monotonous.
• American voices usually have a higher pitch.
• American pronunciation is more nasalized.
• There are certain differences in the pronunciation of vowels and consonants.

Currently, much of the English taught in Europe, India, and parts of Asia and Africa is British or British-influenced. American English is favored in Latin America, Japan, and South Korea. But linguists note that often those learning the language just want English – they don’t care what kind.

The American and British dictionaries are very different, because they were compiled by two very different authors with two very different perspectives on language: the UK’s dictionary was compiled by scholars from London (not Oxford, for some reason) who wanted to just collect all known English words, while the …

Although the United States does not have an official language, the most commonly used language is English (specifically, American English), which is the de facto national language. Many other languages are also spoken in the United States, especially Spanish.

So American English is closer to early forms of Early Modern English (the language of Shakespeare, Spenser, and Chaucer). Much of American English is older than British English. As well, in most cases where Americans “dropped” the U, the American spelling predates the British one.

Americans speak English. “American” is not a language; “American English” is a dialect of English. “Americans write and speak differently than citizens of England” is just barely true. The differences between the two dialects are limited and superficial.

Color is the spelling used in the United States. Colour is used in other English-speaking countries. The word color has its roots (unsurprisingly) in the Latin word color. It entered Middle English through the Anglo-Norman colur, which was a version of the Old French colour.