Quote:
Originally Posted by Tritone
The consensus among linguists is that North American English is more conservative - not just in pronunciation but in grammar and lexicon. Most features that distinguish American English are conservative and not innovative.
The OP should ask the reverse question, because it's British accents have changed the most since colonization.
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I would guess that might be because that in the hundred and fifty maybe two hundred years or so years after the establishment of the colonies, before mass eastern and southern European immigration to the US, most immigration was from the English speaking British Isles.
The colonies, then states, relative vast size and isolation meant that there would be a relatively minor influence on the spoken language from other languages such as French and Spanish from their colonies and the small amounts of the many native tongues on the frontiers. By the time of mass non English speaking immigration in the mid 19th century onwards, American English was already on its own ininimitable course. But with perhaps a century or so of minor linguistic isolationism while the US established itself as a growing and powerful nation.
During this time the UK was forging a global empire and engaging in numerous wars, mainly with its close European neighbours. The proximity of the continent, the close trade as well as conflict with the diverse countries of northern and western Europe as well as the influence of words and phrases brought back by returning administrators , soldiers and colonist from literally hundreds of diverse languages may have given the developement of British English a more diverse and polyglot feel.
All this might be complete ballix, as i am also no expert on the subject, but there might be some truth to it.
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