American English dialects trace back to the various British groups that settled the different colonies. Tangier Island[1] for example has an ancient Cornish dia

American English dialects trace back to the various British groups that settled the different colonies. Tangier Island[1] for example has an ancient Cornish dialect. Ocracoke Island[2] has what is probably the closest thing to a living Elizabethan English speech community. Those are extreme examples, but the stereotypical New England and Southeastern dialects have similar origins, they're just considerably watered down due to the lack of isolation. Meanwhile, the standard "BBC English" Received Pronunciation is actually quite the novelty, comparatively speaking. [1] https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20180206-the-tiny-us-island-with-a-british-accent https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20180206-the-tiny-us-isla... [2] https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190623-the-us-island-that-speaks-elizabethan-english https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190623-the-us-island-th...