Difficulties Faced by Sri Lankan Students in the United States of America due to the Regional Dialectal Differences of American English

Abstract

Every year, a considerable amount of Sri Lankan students go to the USA to pursue their undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Most of them are familiar with the British English, as a result of which they face difficulties in communicating with American people since American English differs from the British English mainly in Phonology and Lexicon. The difficulties increase due to the regional dialectal differences of American English. This study focuses on the nature of those difficulties. It is known that about fifteen regional dialects are found in the United States of America. The differences among regional dialects in phonology, grammar and lexicon will be analysed in this study. Data was collected through conversation with native speakers in different states. The study will highlight the difficulties faced by Sri Lankan students as a result of those Regional Dialectal Differences and further, the study will pave the way to avoid those difficulties.