1、1关于英国英语和美国英语的区别多有讨论，今天我给大家来个简单的总结吧。在总结前有三句话说在前头：1. 倒退三四百年世界上没有所谓的标 准英语，标准的英音和美音是上流社会经济和文化的产物。2. 英式英语和美式英语沟通不存在问 题，所以学那种都可以。3. 英音和美音各有自己的特点，所以学那种 都可以，不存在说美音的人听不懂英音的情况。今天就给大家看几篇西方人对英美英语的区别的总结。第一篇 是位教书有10 年的英国教师的总结There are many well-known differences between British and American English, but these dif
2、ferences wont cause you any serious problems if you come and work in Britain. First, there are a few noticeable GRAMMAR differences between British and American English: Ill talk about the two most important ones. First of all, when Americans make sentences using just, already or yet, they normally
3、use the past simple tense, while in Britain, we use the present perfect. So an American, for example, might say: “I already had lunch.“ “She didnt arrive yet.“ And a British person would say: “Ive already had lunch.“ - Thats “I have already had lunch.“ Or. “She hasnt arrived yet.“ Also, in Britain w
4、e often use have got or has got when we talk about possession, while Americans generally just use have or has. So, for example, in American English we might say: “I have a new car.“ In British English its more normal to say: 2“Ive got a new car.“ The meanings the same, theres just a small grammatica
5、l difference that you might notice. There are these and a few other very small differences, but to be honest, these differences almost never make it difficult for us to understand each other. On the other hand, the differences in VOCABULARY between American English and British English are stronger t
6、han the grammatical differences, but again, these very rarely cause serious problems. A lot of the words which are different are informal or slang words. For example, I think many Americans would be unfamiliar with the British slang word naff, which means un-cool or poor-quality. On the other hand,
7、a Brit (a British person) might be very confused by a sentence like: “The caf is kitty-corner to the pharmacy.“ This means that the caf is diagonally opposite to the pharmacy, but we dont have the wordkitty-corner in British English. Another example would be telling the time. If we want to describe
8、2:45 in Britain, we might say: “Quarter to three“, or 3:15 would be “Quarter past three“. On the other hand, in America, these might be: “Quarter of three“ for 2:45, or “Quarter after three“ for 3:15. Its another small difference, but its one thats not going to cause serious problems - its quite eas
9、y to get used to. There are also some differences in SPELLING which I should mention. One example of this is the verb to practise: In British English, this is spelt with an S, so thats P-R-A-C-T-I-S-E. In American English, its spelt with two Cs, so in American English its P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E. 3And there
10、 are lots of other examples of slight difference of spelling, but about 99% of the time, British and American people can understand each other without any trouble at all. In Britain we watch lots of American films and TV programs, and we listen to lots of American music, so American English is gener
11、ally very familiar to us. This is probably not quite so true for an American coming to Britain. Americans, I think, dont watch quite so much British TV or British movies. I should also point out that regional English can be an important thing to think about. Not everyone in Britain talks like James
12、Bond. There are some regional accents in Britain which you dont hear so often in the movies, and these might be a bit more difficult to get used to. However, Id like to finish by saying that many, many Americans live and work in Britain, and they dont have any serious language problems at all. So, B
13、rittney, my advice to you is: dont worry about the language, youll be fine! 第二篇 关于两种拼写 牛津在线词典给了详细的说明British and American spellingThere are several areas in which British and American spelling are different. These are the main ones to be aware of.Words ending in reBritish English words that end in -r
14、e often end in -er in American English:British UScentre centerfibre fiberlitre litertheatre theater or theatre4Words ending in -ourBritish English words ending in -our usually end in -or in American English:British UScolour colorflavour flavorhumour humorlabour laborneighbour neighborWords ending in
15、 -ize or -iseVerbs in British English that can be spelled with either -ize or -ise at the end are always spelled with -ize at the end in American English:British USapologize or apologise apologizeorganize or organise organizerecognize or recognise recognizeWords ending in -yseVerbs in British Englis
16、h that end in -yse are always spelled -yze in American English:5British USanalyse analyzebreathalyse breathalyzeparalyse paralyzeWords ending in a vowel plus lIn British spelling, verbs ending in a vowel plus l double the l when adding endings that begin with a vowel. In American English, the l is n
17、ot doubled:British UStravel traveltravelled traveledtravelling travelingtraveller travelerfuel fuelfuelled fueledfuelling fuelingWords spelled with double vowelsBritish English words that are spelled with the double vowels ae or oe are just spelled with an e in American English:6British USleukaemia
18、leukemiamanoeuvre maneuveroestrogen estrogenpaediatric pediatricNote that in American English, certain terms, such as archaeology, keep the ae spelling as standard, although the spelling with just the e (i.e. archeology) is usually acceptable as well.Nouns ending with enceSome nouns that end with -e
19、nce in British English are spelled -ense in American English:British USdefence defenselicence licenseoffence offensepretence pretenseNouns ending with ogueSome nouns that end with -ogue in British English end with either -og or -ogue in American English:British US7analogue analog or analoguecatalogu
20、e catalog or cataloguedialogue dialog or dialogueThe distinctions here are not hard and fast. The spelling analogue is acceptable but not very common in American English; catalog has become the US norm, but catalogue is not uncommon; dialogue is still preferred over dialog.Aside from spelling differ
21、ences, many items and practices have different names in British and American English. To explore further, see British and American terms.第三篇 这位老师给了更详细的一个说明IntroductionSpeakers of American English generally use the present perfect tense (have/has + past participle) far less than speakers of British E
22、nglish. In spoken American English it is very common to use the simple past tense as an alternative in situations where the present perfect would usually have been used in British English. The two situations where this is especially likely are:(i) In sentences which talk about an action in the past
23、that has an effect in the present:American English / British English Jenny feels ill. She ate too much. Jenny feels ill. Shes eaten too much. I cant find my keys. Did you see them anywhere? I cant find my keys. Have you seen them anywhere?(ii) In sentences which contain the words already, just or ye
24、t:American English / British English A: Are they going to the show tonight? B: No. They already saw it. A: Are they going to the show tonight?8 B: No. Theyve already seen it. A: Is Samantha here? B: No, she just left. A: Is Samantha here? B: No, shes just left. A: Can I borrow your book? B: No, I di
25、dnt read it yet. A: Can I borrow your book? B: No, I havent read it yet. 1. Verb agreement with collective nounsIn British English collective nouns, (i.e. nouns referring to particular groups of people or things), (e.g. staff , government, class, team) can be followed by a singular or plural verb de
26、pending on whether the group is thought of as one idea, or as many individuals, e.g.:My team is winning.The other team are all sitting down.In American English collective nouns are always followed by a singular verb, so an American would usually say:Which team is losing?whereas in British English bo
27、th plural and singular forms of the verb are possible, as in:Which team is/are losing?2. Use of delexical verbs have and takeIn British English, the verb have frequently functions as what is technically referred to as a delexical verb, i.e. it is used in contexts where it has very little meaning in
28、itself but occurs with an object noun which describes an action, e.g.:Id like to have a bath.Have is frequently used in this way with nouns referring to common activities such as washing or resting, e.g.:Shes having a little nap.9Ill just have a quick shower before we go out.In American English, the
29、 verb take, rather than have, is used in these contexts, e.g.:Joes taking a shower.Id like to take a bath.Lets take a short vacation.Why dont you take a rest now?3. Use of auxiliaries and modalsIn British English, the auxiliary do is often used as a substitute for a verb when replying to a question,
30、 e.g.: A: Are you coming with us? B: I might do.In American English, do is not used in this way, e.g.: A: Are you coming with us? B: I might.In British English neednt is often used instead of dont need to, e.g.:They neednt come to school today.They dont need to come to school today.In American Engli
31、sh neednt is very unusual and the usual form is dont need to, i.e.:They dont need to come to school today.In British English, shall is sometimes used as an alternative to will to talk about the future, e.g.:I shall/will be there later.In American English, shall is unusual and will is normally used.I
32、n British English shall I / we is often used to ask for advice or an opinion, e.g.:Shall we ask him to come with us?In American English should is often used instead of shall, i.e.:Should we ask him to come with us?104. Use of prepositionsIn British English, at is used with many time expressions, e.g
33、.:at Christmas/five o clockat the weekendIn American English, on is always used when talking about the weekend, not at, e.g.:Will they still be there on the weekend?Shell be coming home on weekends. In British English, at is often used when talking about universities or other institutions, e.g.:She
34、studied chemistry at university.In American English, in is often used, e.g.:She studied French in high school.In British English, to and from are used with the adjective different, e.g.:This place is different from/to anything Ive seen before.In American English from and than are used with different
35、, e.g.:This place is different from/than anything Ive seen before.In British English to is always used after the verb write, e.g.:I promised to write to her every day.In American English, to can be omitted after write, i.e.:I promised to write her every day.5. Past tense formsBelow is a table showin
36、g verbs which have different simple past and past participle forms in American and British English. Note that the irregular past forms burnt, dreamt and spoilt are possible in American English, but less common than the forms ending in -ed.Infinitive Simple past(Br)Simple past(Am)Past participle(Br)P
37、ast participle(Am)burn burned/ burned/ burned/ burned/11Infinitive Simple past(Br)Simple past(Am)Past participle(Br)Past participle(Am)burnt burnt burnt burntbust bust busted bust busteddive dived dove/diveddived diveddream dreamed/dreamtdreamed/dreamtdreamed/dreamtdreamed/dreamtget got got got gott
38、enlean leaned/leantleaned leaned/leantleanedlearn learned/learntlearned learned/learntlearnedplead pleaded pleaded/pledpleaded pleaded/pledprove proved proved proved proved/provensaw sawed sawed sawn sawn/sawedsmell smelled/smeltsmelled smelled/smeltsmelledspill spilled/spiltspilled spilled/spiltspi
39、lled12Infinitive Simple past(Br)Simple past(Am)Past participle(Br)Past participle(Am)spoil spoiled/spoiltspoiled/spoiltspoiled/spoiltspoiled/spoiltstink stank stank/stunkstunk stunkwake woke woke/wakedwoken wokenNote that have got is possible in American English, but is used with the meaning have, g
40、otten is the usual past participle of get, e.g. American English British EnglishYouve got two brothers(= you have two brothers)Youve got two brothersYouve gotten taller this year Youve got taller this year6. Implications for teachingThe two major varieties of EnglishThe two varieties of English most
41、 widely found in print and taught around the world are British and American - it is therefore important for teachers to be aware of the major differences between the two. And while lexical differences are the easiest ones to notice, a knowledge of grammatical and phonological differences can be usef
42、ul not only for teachers to be aware of, but also to be able to deal with should they come up in class.Which is better?An important point to make is that different doesnt mean wrong. Comments such as “American English is inferior to British English”, or “American English is better than British Engli
43、sh” have no solid basis other than the speakers opinion. The truth is that no language or regional variety of language is inherently better or worse than another. They are just different. Students will often have very firm beliefs on which English they think is better/easier to understand/clearer et
44、c. While it may be true for that particular individual, 13there is no evidence to suggest that one variety is easier to learn or understand than the other.Materials and varietiesIf you are an American English speaker teaching with a British coursebook or vice versa, what do you say when the book is
45、different from your English? The answer here is to point out the difference. The differences are not so numerous as to overload the students and often can be easily dealt with. For example, if you are an American English speaker using a lesson that has just included “at the weekend” it takes very li
46、ttle time to point out that in American English people say “on the weekend”. Accept either from your students then. If you decide to go along with the book and say “at the weekend” yourself, youll probably sound unnatural, and “on the weekend” might slip out anyway!Exams and essay writingIn most int
47、ernational exams, both varieties of English are accepted. However, while writing for an international exam (or writing in English generally) students should try to remain consistent. That means if they favour (or favor) American spelling and grammar, they should stick to that convention for the whol
48、e piece of writing.What role do other varieties of English have in the classroom?Although British and American varieties are the most documented, there are of course many other varieties of English. Scotland, Ireland, South Asia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, West Africa, the Caribbean, South Afri
49、ca all have their own regional variations of English. The decision whether or not to highlight aspects of these Englishes would depend on two factors:if the students are going to live, or are already living, in one of these places - in which case the need to understand specific aspects of that English is clear; orif the teacher is from one of those places and therefore speaks a regional variation of English. In this case it could be useful to occasionally point out differences be
