English in The Commonwealth of Nations - Native Varieties

Native Varieties

Southern Hemisphere native varieties of English began to develop during the 18th century, with the colonisation of Australasia and South Africa. Australian English and New Zealand English are closely related to each other, and share some similarities with South African English. The vocabularies of these dialects draw from both British and American English as well as numerous native peculiarities.

Canadian English is a variety of North American English. It shares the same roots as the English of the United States because it was based on the immigration of British Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution in the late eighteenth century. It was also influenced by Scottish, Irish and English immigration after the War of 1812. While the language has continued to change in all of these places, modern Canadian English has inherited significant vocabulary and spelling from the shared political and social institutions of Commonwealth countries.