Evolution of American English and Linguo-Pragmatic Factors of Its Expansion in the Context of Globalization

The paper deals with the problem of the evolution and acceptability of American English in the context of globalization. Globalization has trigged many controversial issues in modern linguistics. One of the most important remains the question of a world-wide accepted standard of English, often referred to as the Global/International Standard English. English as a world-language exists in great diversity. Therefore the urgent need for its standardization is felt, which is going to pose many difficult questions to come within the scope of communicative competence between its two major families - a British and an American family. These two families differ in detail, but they also contain very many similarities.
American English begins in Elizabethan time. On the American continent it underwent French, Spanish, Dutch, American Indian, African, North American and some other influences. Gradually a distinctive American English has grown up and become no longer a colonial variant but an equal partner with British English, and a powerful source of innovation and coining.
The research into the status and function of the American English in the global context with regards to its possible evolution into a global standard of the English language provides interesting data. We consider acceptability of a language as one of the parameters in the process on standardization. Acceptability exists as a term in cognitive and applied linguistics where it is defined as a set of language peculiarities which is manifested through a relative simplicity of its grammar, vocabulary and spelling, thus facilitating its acquisition. Therefore, acceptability can be regarded as a criterion applicable in case of global standardization of one of the variants of the Eng-lish language. The results of different surveys have proved that American English is easier to be acquired than Britich English.