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1、On British English and American English 【關(guān)鍵詞】英國英語美國英語不同發(fā)展趨勢融合 English is one of the widest used languages, and influences the world so much. Because of elements, as the areas, histories, cultures, customs, which cause the differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and spelling, toda

2、y’s English has been divided into different kinds of English(Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English, South African English and so on). British and American English today are the two main English languages of the English-speaking world. With the development of the society and econo

3、my, English becomes more and more important for international communication. Knowing the differences between British and American English is good for English teaching, learning and using. And knowing the English’s tendency of future development is also good for every English learner. 1. The influ

4、ence and the development of English. 1.1 The influence of English. English is an international language. The more the society develops, the more communications will be in different countries. Maybe a person couldn’t say a lot of different languages, so if he/she wants to communicate with foreigner

5、s, he/she should know a language in common use. With the situation and English’s own particularity, English becomes an international language gradually. English is so important, that about 1.5 billion of the world’s six billion people speak it as a second language compared to the 400 million native

6、speakers. English is fast becoming the language of science around the world, and as a daily language, English will continue to remain widespread and important. One expert on the English language, David Crystal of the University of Wales, the author of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Langua

7、ge, says:“nobody quite knows what’s going to happen because no language has been in this position before. But all the evidence suggests that the English language snowball is rolling down a hill and is getting faster and faster and accreting new foreign language users unlike any language has ever dow

8、n before.” And today, more and more people use English to communicate, to study, to read, to work and so on. English is becoming more important in our daily lives. 1.2 The development of English. English has more than 1500 years’ history. At about 500 years B.C., the T euton from the Northern Euro

9、pe intruded into the southern Great Britain(S-G.B), they drove out the autochthon, and united the whole nation by degrees, and the language they used was also separated from other European languages and shaped as a united England1 national language– The old English. The history of English language

10、can be divided into three periods: the period from 450 to 1150 is known as the old English. It is described as the period of full inflections, since during most of this period the case ending of the noun, the adjective and conjugation of the verb were not weakened. Old English was a highly inflected

11、 language. It had a complete system of declensions with four cases and conjugations. So old English grammar differs from modern English grammar in these aspects. The period from 1150 to 1500 is known as the Middle English period. It is known as the period inflections. This period was marked by impor

12、tant changes in English language. The Norman Conquest was the cause of these changes. The changes of this period had a great effect on both grammar and vocabulary. Many old English words were lost in this period, but thousands of words borrowed from Latin and French appeared in the English vocabular

13、y. In the Middle English period grammatical gender disappeared, grammatical gender was completely replaced by the natural gender. The period from 1500 to the present day is known as the modern English period. The early modern English period extends from 1500 to 1700. The chief influence of this time

14、 was great humanistic movement of renaissance. The influence of Latin and Greek on English was great. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries are a period of rapid expansion for the English vocabulary in the history of English language. Since the World WarⅡ these has been a trend toward much greater

15、 informality of expression. Conversational forms like ain’t, don’t and can’t are now commonly used in the press, and often people prefer to use informal styles such as“it’s me” and“who did you see?” A London bus notice says,“Please do not speak to the driver while he is driving.” Years ago, this wou

16、ld have been:“passengers are required not to communicate with the driver while the vehicle is in motion.” Most people will agree that this trend towards greater informality in the use of the written word is to be welcome rather than deplored. 2. American English 2.1 The source of American English

17、 American English is not an independent language; it comes from British English. With the particular history, culture, social environment, American English formed with its own unique style and meaning. From linguistics, American English is one of English alteration with about 400 years’ history. Ame

18、rican English stems from Elizabethan English in the seventeenth century. At the beginning of seventeenth the English language was brought to North America by colonists from England. 120 English colonists crossed over the Atlantic Ocean by three big ships; they set up the Jamestown in the state of Vi

19、rginia in 1607. Then in 1620, another 120 colonists reached Plymouth in Massachusetts by“May Flower２”, and founded their colonies. The basic vocabulary and grammar structure of Elizabethan English3 came to America at that time. The different dialects combined continuously in continuative migration,

20、India, for example. American English that is different from British English formed at last. According to statistics, now there are about 1700 loan words from India in American English, most of which are related with Indian lives, for example, wigwag, moose, raccoon, simmon, etc. 2.2 The development

21、 of American English Long after its introduction into the New World, American English was still considered non-standard English. Mr. Kahane pointed out that according to some people of the 1780s American English was the“underdog” or a peasant’s language that a“gentleman” will not speak. Considered

22、in a bilingual point of view, British English was the dominant language linked to prestige and(linguistic) purism. The belief in the authority or say in the superior of British English, has maintained to the twentieth century, especially in the former British Empire or in the fields of British influ

23、ence. Thus, it is reported that in China, teachers and school textbooks refer to and recommend Received Pronunciation as the model, as well as standard British syntax, spelling and lexis. British English is also encouraged and accepted as the criteria of some major official examinations, for example

24、, College English Test and Test for English Majors, which are conducted by government. Similar situations could be found in other countries, for example, in Africa, the West African Examination Council and Joint Admission and Matriculation Board accept the British English as the Standard English. Re

25、port can also be found that in Cairo, as recently as 1984, some university students received lower grades if they used American spellings instead of British. Modiano wrote that in Europe,“We find teachers, British people as well as natives of the country in which they work, who follow the British En

26、glish standard, and scorn the American English”. However the above attitudes are nothing but the last influence of a long-gone period of British supremacy. According to Campbell and others, the beginning of a distinct lead of American English can be traced to the decades after World War II. This co

27、incides with the simultaneous rise of the US as a military and technological power and the decline of the British Empire, which drove many to American English. And from then on, American English has continuously sent its influence to every corner of the planet. There were little obvious differences

28、 between British English and American English at the beginning. Both British and American spoke Elizabethan English at that time. In a long time hereafter, the two did not have any prominent difference. This can be found out from Dickens’ novel“martin chuzzle wit”. The novel was written after Dicken

29、s had been to U.S.A., he borrow American English in this book. There are not obvious differences between British and American English except pronunciation and accent. After the independence of U.S.A. in 1776, more and more Americans hoped to have their own national language, in order to set up the

30、better American establishment and civilization system. Noah Webster successively complied and published“An American Spelling book”,“A Grammatical Institute of English Language” and“An American Dictionary of English Language”, etc., which have made enormous contribution to standardization of American

31、 English. By the twenties of the nineteenth century, American English demonstrated its own independent spirit, and thus American English shaped finally. As time went on, the English language gradually changed on both sides of Atlantic. The American adopted many new words form foreign languages and i

32、nvented large number of new words to meet their various needs. 2.3 The influence of American English For many years American English has been assaulting the British Isles with ever-increasing weight and persistence, through movies, newspapers, magazines, radio and television. Though petrol, autumn

33、, lift and pavement have not surrendered to gasoline, fall, elevator and sidewalk, words, which aptly fill a real, need such as teenager and commuter have now become well established in British English, as in “At the same time, a number of teenagers climbed on to the dish and held a little party of

34、 their own”4 Similar examples of American English influence can be seen in the increasing use of the following words or expressions in British English: to update-which does work of“to bring up to date” to host-which means“to be host at?” to check up-which slightly intensify the meaning of the si

35、mple verb“to check” With the effects of American economics, military and culture, American English begins to rise fast. After the world warⅡ,American science technology and economics got a high development, a large number of American businessmen, scholars, engineers, journalists, movie stars and sp

36、orts stars’ activities are in all parts of the world, just take American English to all parts of the world, enlarge the influence of American English.The American dissemination magnate“VOA”,“CNN”(Cable National Network) and American newspaper such as“New York Times”,“The Washington Post”,“The Wall S

37、treet Journal”, have influenced the world so much. The American popular magazine“Reader’s Digest”, has been widely known magazine, and has been read by most of the English learners. The lead of the US in the computer and Internet industry has long been established. That Bill Gates and other computer

38、 geniuses are Americans; they create everything by Americanism. As a consequence of the US domination of computer industry, the favored language of this industry is American English, which forces people who use American computer hardware and software to accept the American English, either consciousl

39、y or unconsciously. Hollywood movies are always the strong intermediary of American culture, with this, American English spread all over the world. Meanwhile, politics, diet culture, foreign trades, etc. are all the strong intermediary of American English.“Otto Friedrich points out:‘It was the Briti

40、sh empire, on which the sun never net, that originally spread English around the globe, along with tea breaks, cuffed trousers and the stiff upper lip; but when the imperial sun finally set after World WarⅡ,the American language followed American power into the vacuum.’”5 3. The characteristics and

41、 differences of British English and American English 3.1 The characteristics of British and American English British English has long history of over 1500years. British English sounds traditional, gentle, has more pure nobility flavor, and it emphasizes the cadence of intonation, and strengthens t

42、he pronunciation of stressed syllable, non- omitted or not stressed. Since seventeenth century immigrants came to America, British English changed a lot. For example, in pronunciation, when Britain began to emigrate into America at the end of sixteenth century, the vowel‘a(chǎn)’ pronounced[?] in“fast, ba

43、th, calf”, etc. In 1780, Englishman Sheridan published a pronunciation dictionary, the vowel‘a(chǎn)’ still pronounced[?] in“fast, bath, calf”, etc. The pronunciation of[a:] appeared in English around London gradually after 1800. The letter‘r’ must pronounced in words‘earth, firm, turn, word’, etc. before

44、 1800, but after 1800,‘r’ like this has been already mute in cockney. In English of London, the vowel was sent[ju:] in words such as due, true, etc. in seventeenth century. By the nineteenth century, besides after the letter‘r’,‘u’ still pronounced[ju:], such as[dju:], but[tru:] except. British Engl

45、ish has changed enormously in vocabulary too. Some new vocabularies appeared. For example, Englishman expresses original‘baggage’ with‘luggage’ now, but American is still using‘baggage’ so far. Fall（秋天）, began in Britain in 1545, then Englishman uses‘a(chǎn)utumn’ instead of‘fall’ gradually later, few Eng

46、lishman use‘fall’ now, but in U.S.A.‘fall’ is still a daily word. The U.S.A. is a country with a short history, diversified immigrants and high development speed. American English only has a history of about 400 years. American people are rich in the spirit of creation about language. Americans are

47、 good at creating the neologisms; they express their thought in a more flexible way. American English sounds round, fashionable, with more cacuminal. Americans usually speak relatively slow and intonation is gentler at the same time. American English has one obvious characteristic: the spelling and

48、pronunciation are almost identical. Generally speaking, American English is rich in sense of humor; the meaning of word is abundant, freedom and creative. The creativity of American English stems from the unique social environment of America and adaptation of social communication need of language. I

49、ndian vocabulary in local North America and loan words from French has made enormous contribution to enriching American English and meeting the needs of communication. Spanish also did great contribution to enriching American English. Some words, like tomato, barbecue, savannah, have been mixed into

50、 English. Meanwhile, American English follows the traditional Elizabethan English in pronunciation and vocabulary even more than British English. 3.2 The differences between British English and American English 3.2.1 Spelling In general, both British and American spelling are acceptable, but it i

51、s important to be consistent, at least with the use of same word–theatre or theater, but not both–and in your choice of–ize or–ise ending as in criticize or criticise, plagiarize or plagiarise. The Cambridge International Dictionary of English gives British, American and Australian spelling. America

52、n spelling tends to reflect pronunciation and British English tends to grammatical or historical implication as well. However, there may be advantages in using British spelling in certain situations. For instance, two forms: programme and program exist in British English. The former can be a noun re

53、ferring to television programmes or programmes of events. The latter can be a noun referring to computer programs. Both forms can be verbs, but there is no spelling distinction between them except in the infinitive form(as in he is learn how to program the computer to calculate the value of the poun

54、d against the Euro) and the present tense. If you wish to make reference to both meanings in your writing, the British English makes a useful meaning distinction between the two, while American English has only one form program to refer to both. British English distinguishes between practice(noun):

55、 I haven’t done my piano practice yet and practise(verb): she practises the piano every night. However, American English tends to use practice as both a noun and a verb. American is a practical nation; they take pragmatism attitude on spelling In the process of American English development. Some non

56、-pronounced letters have been cut out in spelling. Sum up these situations, something as follows can get: ⑴ about the consonant–double writing or not. For instance: British English American English Traveller— traveler Cigarette— cigarette Programme— program Waggon— wagon ⑵ Some American spell

57、ing tend to reflect pronunciation British English American English Centre— center Favour— favor Realise— realize Dialogue— dialog ⑶ American English tends to omit some non-pronounced letters British English American English Colour— color Honour— honor Axe— ax ⑷ Some words ending with–ence

58、, changed into–ense, and the pronunciations are still the same. British English American English Defence— defense Licence— license Pretence— pretense 3.2.2 grammatical differences There are few grammatical differences between British and American English that are of concern in Academic Writing

59、. The past participles got and gotten are one of the most obvious differences, but they are rarely used in formal writing. American English accepts the use of the simple past tense with just, already and yet(Did you see him yet?/He just went out?/did you go there already?) While British English req

60、uires the use of the present perfect(Have you seen him yet?/He has just gone out/have you been there already?) In Academic English, the British form is preferable as the American form tends to be perceived as informal(rather than inaccurate). Particle differences- Clinton met with the representati

61、ves of the Daughters of the Revolution/ Clinton met the representatives- are not significant, though British markers maycorrect this with as it seems informal. American English can make what British English considers to be uncountable nouns plural, for example technologies. When this occurs with fo

62、rmal, technical vocabulary in a specific context- the new technologies- British English, over time, tends to adopt the same form. In American English, words such as have, dare, and need are verbs, but in British English they are auxiliary verbs. British English and American English just have little

63、 differences. For example:(Br.E6) do you have a Walkman?(Am.E7) Have you got a Walkman?;(Br.E) let’s stay at home.(Am.E) Let’s stay home;(Br.E) she has got a new job.(Am.E) She has gotten a new job. Besides, Englishman and American have different experiences about the same grammar style. Englishman

64、 considers the idioms as plain language, grammar is not very important but the natural order of words in sentences. But American considers the idioms as written language, and follows the grammar rules strictly. 3.2.3 Vocabulary differences There are many vocabulary differences–flat, pavement, tap,

65、 trousers or apartment, sidewalk, faucet, pants, for example. Most cause few problems except where the same word has a different meaning. Pants in British English refer to underwear, for example. It may be wise to check with British friends in case meaning is different in English or in case a partic

66、ular form does not exist in British English. Sum up these; we can get something as follows: ⑴ One word with different meanings. British English American English Corn(谷物玉米) Pants(短褲褲子) Billion(萬億十億) ⑵ The different words with same meaning. For example,“玉米” in British English is“maize”,“短褲” in American English spelt as“shorts”; another examp