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Dialects of English
American English is the language spoken by U.S. government officials, the U.S. media, etc. It does not include Canadian English, which falls outside of this definition of "American English". Canadian pronunciation is similar to that in the United States, but spelling more often than not takes the Commonwealth form. American English is also used by countries and organisations, such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Liberia, and the Organization of American States, whose use of English is most influenced by the United States.British English is assumed to be the form of English spoken in southeast England and the BBC and understood in other parts of the United Kingdom. The section on pronunciation assumes the received pronunciation of British English, from which there are many regional variations.
Commonwealth English refers to the language written in most of the English-speaking world, including Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. The language may vary slightly from country to country or even between those countries' regions, states, provinces and territories, but it is in all cases distinct from American English. Commonwealth English is mostly interchangeable with British English, and where "Britons" is used, "inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Nations" might be a more accurate, if more unwieldy, replacement. Commonwealth English is also used by countries and organisations, such as Ireland and the European Union, whose use of English is mostly influenced by the United Kingdom. International organizations like the United Nations, the IOC and the WTO also use Commonwealth English as a standard.
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