Could there be another language (or a rather different form of English) for America, or an early American country.
Different American Language
- Thread starter Imuildaeren
- Start date
French.
If there were more French colonizers along the Mississippi River in Louisiana Territory as well as in Ohio and Michigan, America could become a largely French speaking nation, or American English could have much more French influences.
Just think, everything west of the Mississippi River becomes more culturally related to New Orleans!
Spanish is another. If there were less Anglo settlers in places like Florida, Texas, and all of the areas seized in the Mexican American War.
If there were more French colonizers along the Mississippi River in Louisiana Territory as well as in Ohio and Michigan, America could become a largely French speaking nation, or American English could have much more French influences.
Just think, everything west of the Mississippi River becomes more culturally related to New Orleans!
Spanish is another. If there were less Anglo settlers in places like Florida, Texas, and all of the areas seized in the Mexican American War.
If the Brits were defeated in the Seven Year War then the French would control the 13 colonies and French would have (eventually) have become the linga franca of the Americas
I am not sure that states have an offical language although English is used to make laws etc.
A significant surviving Dutch-speaking population in New York and New Jersey would be an interesting challenge.
What about Gaelic? Might not be possible for the US but it's definitely possible for Canada.
Gaelic certainly would be interesting, not sure how it could happen though...
Maybe first settlers Irish instead of English? Then just have more of them and then more Scots ones after the Jacobites?
I'm fairly sure English would still be used for more official however and maybe by the time some sort of independence movement occurs there is an anti-English sentiment?
If the colonies were to become independent very early, or to become the possession of another country early enough, I'd expect the development of English to bifurcate very considerably. Anything that reduces commerce or discourse between America and Britain is likely to promote the development of two different forms of English.
Do we have any scholars of Quebecois French or Afrikaans who could explain a little how those languages came to be?
How about mass Huguenot immigration following the Edict of Fountainebleau? At the time the English colonies had a population of roughly 250,000, but its possible that nearly a million French Huguenots were driven from France. If even a third or quarter of them end up in the colonies its entirely possible French becomes dominant or at least America becomes bilingual.
It did in Canada (sort of):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_Irish
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic_in_Canada
The Maritime Provinces had heavy immigration from Ireland and Scotland, to the point where use of Gaelic was at one time pretty widespread. The trick is sustaining this, and I'm not sure how that happens as long as you've got the Brits in charge. Maybe an American Revolution POD that somehow kicks the Brits out of Canada and leaves the 13 colonies, Quebec, and the Maritimes, respectively, as independent states? But that might be ASB.
They could maybe move earlier and more into the New England area and further south maybe.
The main reason IIRC that Scots and Irishmen moved to the Maritimes IIRC is that in the early 1600s, the Scottish Crown granted William Alexander a colonial charter and he settled there. Have the charter be granted for a different area more in the middle of the Eastern seaboard and when Scotland becomes part of the UK and the colonies rebel, that Scottish population will be part of the new country.