What are the seven amazing ancient and modern Wonders of the World?  They can be anywhere between the Channel Tunnel, (England and France ), to the Great Pyramid of Giza in Africa .

However, in reference to language tips, the Seven Wonders of the World are the seven English speaking countries. Those countries are the United States of America, (US), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, (UK), Australia, (AU), Canada, (CAN), New Zealand, (NZ), Ireland, (IRE), and South Africa, (SA).  What is so magnificent is how the seven countries have such a wide variety of spoken English intrinsic sounds.

My specialty in teaching is specifically American English, (in combination with American culture).  I have chosen to teach this combination of English as I believe that American culture is woven very tightly into the fabric of American dialogue. One cannot dismiss the US culture from the language without compromising the authentic or absolute meaning of the language. In short, cultured English is the style of English in which Americans speak.  So, if one wants to improve his/her everyday English, one must incorporate American culture into their spoken dialogue. (The author states how to accomplish this in “How to Speak English Better in 30 Days”).

Once again, one of the ways to improve your English is to incorporate American culture into your everyday life.

American English is of course the most influential and most widely spoken forms of English since this version is comprised of a culture which emanates communicative resources for the entire world. Those resources are in the formats of popular culture including American film and television, and in an assortment of pop culture in the forms of dance and radio.  Furthermore the resources in the forms of technological advances are astounding. Therefore, if culture is a strong component of any language, then one should view American English, for example, in its many cultural facets. Below are two examples of how American and New Zealand English combine culture into their spoken languages.

American English:

For instance, using a humorous approach one could say the following:

A spoken type of American English could be called, “Garth Brooks American Cowboy-English.”  This could be a compilation of a lifestyle, of country “mountain-music,” and of the love of an infamous southwestern homestead in the United States. This specifically is the state of Texas, but not completely eliminating the old California west of the past. Cowboys are an eccentric part of American folklore and include big and rich men in high Cowboy hats who ride their horses into the sunset with their favorite Cowgirl. (i.e., The American Cowboy rides into the sunset with anyone from Grace Kelly to the Dixie Chicks to the author herself.  Ah - Cowboy Take Me Away).

New ZealandEnglish:

In another instance using a humorous approach one could say the following:

A spoken type of New Zealand English could be called, “Sam Neill New Zealand English.”  This form of English radiates a style, pitch, and intonation of speaking English which is relative to The NZ film star Sam Neill who gave autographs on bottles of wine at a news conference in Hong Kong recently. Sam Neill introduced a bit of NZ culture and conversation to Hong Kong by exhibiting a line of fine wines into Hong Kong at an organic food store in January of 2007.

Garth Brooks American Cowboy-English and Sam Neill New Zealand-English are not names of actual styles of spoken English, although these are rather real-life and cultured people and cultured folklore which is associated with each country. Perhaps you can smell the cowboy leather apparel, taste the fuzzy green kiwi fruit, and hear that country fiddler?

It might be important to note that about six words in every 1,000 in spoken and written New Zealand English are of NZ’s Maori origin, or of the indigenous peoples of New Zealand’s past.  And given the above examples, we can see that culture is woven and woven over and over again and again into the English language.

You can hear the culture in the dialect and in the choice of words associated with the territorial region when an American or a New Zealander speaks.

Every country at one time contained exclusively its indigenous inhabitants.  If all seven of the amazing Wonders of the English Languages have a spoken style unique to its own people, then all English as foreign language speakers in China must take note of these different styles of English.  (As “the Seven Wonders” are relative to a particular country and to its culture. See the author’s upcoming English Stylebooks).

Two of the modern Seven Wonders of the World are the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Empire State Building in New York, (and if both hip hop and country music are the genres that rock the musical atmosphere in the United States), then everything calculated and monitored in the world is relative to the United States and to its culture-influenced language. (Therefore hip hop and country music are relative).

This is ultimately vital in understanding how culture is interwoven into the fabric of spoken American English to all learners of English. In final, absorb the culture. Dream it. Become it. Live it. Tie a lasso around the golden moon.  Saddle up your old stud Leroy horse and ride into the city.  Good luck and great fortune cruising in your horn-grilled, Silverado Chevy truck; you’re 100% Cowboy.

Good Ride Cowboy!

American Country-Western Songs

Good Ride Cowboy– Song, by Garth Brooks

100% Cowboy – Song, by Jason Meadows

Cowboy Take Me Away– Song, by The Dixie Chicks

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy – Song, by Big and Rich

Gia Lovelady-Johnson

United States of America

English Language Consultant

Email: shanghai_expatriate@yahoo.com

About the author:

Gia Lovelady-Johnson is an English Language Consultant and a private American College Admissions Counselor from the United States of America who teaches English at several locations throughout Shanghai. Ms. Lovelady-Johnson's specialty is a principle methodology for teaching English, "The Notebook Project", which is proven widely successful and whose fast-track format for teaching adults and university students spoken English and American Culture is gaining in popularity in Shanghai.