The American Dialect

The nearest dialect to a standard American English is General American English. This is spoken mostly in the Midwest, but also in other parts. The main dialect groups are the Northern, the Coastal Southern, the Midland, and the Western. The main differences between them are in accent, but there are some differences in words too. Some old and rich families in Boston speak in a way that is very similar to Britain's standard dialect, called RP, or 'Received Pronunciation'.