Commonwealth English

Noun

Commonwealth English (uncountable)

1. (uncommon) The generalised variety of English spoken and written primarily in the United Kingdom and its former colonies, sometimes excluding Canada (especially in the context of pronunciation); always excluding the United States of America. (i.e. non-American English)
   • The written form of the language universally taught in schools is Commonwealth English with a slight emphasis on a few words which might be more common in the specific areas than others.2006, Namrata Palta, Preparing for Call Center Interviews, →ISBN, pages 80–81
   • 2005, Wikipedia contributors, “Amnesia”, in English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, revision 24227472:2008, Icon Group International staff, Disturbances: Webster’s Quotations, Facts and Phrases, Icon Group International, p 384 * Amnesia (or amnaesia in Commonwealth English) is a condition in which...
2. (rare) The group of varieties of English used in the ex-colonial member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, in distinction to the varieties used in Britain itself
   • There are also other reasons to account for differences between British English on the one hand and American and Commonwealth English on the other.1954, J.A. Sheard, The Words We Use
   • 17: The three major forms of Modern English—British, American, and Commonwealth—are very nearly identical on the printed page, a great source of the linguistic unity and cultural solidarity of the Anglo-Saxon civilization.
     25: Commonwealth English is very young in the prestige of its independent...1966, John A. Nist, A Structural History of English, New York: St. Martin's Press.

   Synonyms:

   variety of English used in the UK and former colonies