Similarities and Dissimilarities between British English and American English英式英语和美式英语的异同.docx

毕业论文诚信声明本人郑重声明：所呈交的毕业论文Similarities and Dissimilarities between British English and American English是本人在指导老师的指导下，独立研究、写作的成果。论文中所引用是他人的无论以何种方式发布的文字、研究成果，均在论文中以明确方式标明。本声明的法律结果由本人独自承担。 毕业论文作者签名： 2013 年6 月4 日江西科技师范大学毕业设计（论文）题目（中文）： 英式英语和美式英语的异同 （外文）： Similarities and Dissimilarities between British English and American English 院（系）： 外国语学院 专 业： 英语 学生姓名： 学 号： 指导教师： 2013年 6 月 4 日Contents1. Introduction.12. The Definition of British English and American English.22.1 British English.22.2 American English.23. Similarities between British English and American English.23.1 Similarities in Origin23.2 Similarities in Principle.34. Dissimilarities between British English and American English.34.1 Dissimilarities in Pronunciation.44.1.1 Dissimilarities in Vowels.44.1.2 Dissimilarities in Consonants.54.1.3 Dissimilarities in Pronunciation of the Same Word.64.1.4 Dissimilarities in Intonation.64.2 Dissimilarities in Spelling64.3 Dissimilarities in Vocabulary.84.4 Dissimilarities in Grammar94.4.1 Dissimilarities in Certain Verbs.104.4.2 Dissimilarities in Nouns.114.4.3 Dissimilarities in Articles114.4.4 Dissimilarities in Pronouns.124.4.5 Dissimilarities in Prepositions124.4.6 Dissimilarities in Tense134.4.7 Dissimilarities in Subjunctive Mood.134.4.8 Dissimilarities in Syntax.135. Conclusion.14 5.1 Importance of Knowing Their Similarities and Dissimilarities14 5.2 Attitudes toward Their Similarities and Dissimilarities.14Bibliography.15Similarities and Dissimilarities between British English and American EnglishAbstract: As a world language, English is one of the working languages of the United Nations, and it is also regarded as an international language. British English and American English are two major varieties of English. Generally speaking, these two languages are about the same. Because of the influence of politics, economy, geography, history, culture and many other factors, there are differences between British English and American English. This paper will first discuss the similarities between British English and American English in origin and principle levels, and then will mainly focus on the dissimilarities between them in such levels as pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary, and grammar.Key words: British English; American English; similarities; dissimilarities1. IntroductionIt is well known that English is considered as the most common language which is frequently used all over the world. With the development of economic globalization, the importance of English has become increasingly prominent. Nowadays English is used as a tool in international exchange; it is one of the working languages in the United Nations. Since English is often described as the first global language, it has become a requirement in a number of fields, occupations and professions. As a consequence, everyone is involved in the wave of learning English.While, because of the influence of geography, history, culture and social customs, English has had a tendency to be divided into two varieties: one is called British English (BrE), which is used in the British Isles, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and West Indies; the other is called American English (AmE), which is used mainly in the United States and Canada. 陈玢, 陈立.英式英语和美式英语的差异研究J.科技信息, 2002, (5): 109. British English and American English are two major varieties of English in the world. However, there is no standard to measure which is better; actually they belong to the same language and have many similarities in origin and principle levels. Besides, British English and American English also have great dissimilarities in pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary, and grammar. By knowing the similarities and dissimilarities between them, English learners will be familiar with the culture and characteristics of British English and American English, as well as broaden their horizon.2. The Definition of British English and American English2.1 British EnglishAccording to the Wikipedia, British English (BrE) is the form of English used in the United Kingdom. It includes all English dialects used within the United Kingdom. English is a West Germanic language originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects, and it was first brought to Britain by Germanic settlers. Generally speaking, the history of the English language can be divided into three periods: the first period is from 450 to 1150 which is also called the Old English or Anglo-Saxon period; the second period from 1150 to 1500 which is known as the Middle English period; the third period from 1500 to the present day which is also called the Modern English period. Through these periods British English has gradually been enriched and developed, and it becomes the world wide language after the Industrial Revolution from 18th to 19th.2.2 American EnglishAccording to the Wikipedia, American English (AmE) is the form of English used in the United States. It includes all English dialects used within the United States. The use of English in the United States is a result of English colonization. During the 17th century, the first group of English-speaking settlers arrived in North America, and then numerous immigrants came here in the 18th and 19th centuries. Since then, American English has been formed gradually and later be influenced by the languages of West Africa, the Native American population, German, Irish, Spanish, and so on. American English has its own unique characteristics for its splendid culture and its creative thoughts as well as its willing to absorb the essence of other languages.3. Similarities between British English and American English3.1 Similarities in OriginMetaphorically, language is regarded as a mirror of society, through which we can understand social activities of a certain society better. 胡壮麟, 姜望琪.语言学教程M.北京:北京大学出版社, 2008.34. It has become acceptable for everyone to think that there exists a close relationship between language and culture. Language is a necessary carrier of culture. Culture represents language in an effective way of using. Besides, language is the representation of the history and it is a good record for different countries. However, language is continuously changing with the development of the world.English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England. English belongs to the German tribesthe Angeles, the Saxons, the Jutes, the Danes, etc. They used to live in the northern part of Europe, but later on moved to the British Isles and became the earliest inhabitants of England. 陈静敏.英式英语与美式英语J.外语研究, 1991, (2): 23. About three or four centuries ago, British immigrants brought English to a new colony. Under the influence of new society and environment, it has become different forms after the development in hundreds of years. American English originated from the British English. The English language was brought to North America by colonists from England since 1607. During that time, large amount of people went there to set their homes. At that time they had already taken the English of Elizabethan period to America, which became the starting point of American English. 3.2 Similarities in PrincipleGenerally speaking, every language has its own characteristics and its own rules. These may include phonetics, intonation, grammar, and vocabulary. British English and American English are two major varieties of English; there is no big difference between them in these aspects. Indeed, the pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary of them are approximately alike. Besides, there is no essential difference between British English and American English in intonation. Both of them use different intonation to transfer different information and express different intentions. They usually have three basic tones, namely rising tone, falling tone, and level tone. So whether you use British English or American English, there is no difficulty in communicating with each other. 4. Dissimilarities between British English and American EnglishAlthough British English and American English both belong to English, the main parts of them are about the same, there exist plenty of dissimilarities in pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary, and grammar. In order to learn English well and be able to distinguish British English and American English, it is better to understand those differences. Whats more, by knowing dissimilarities will help avoid some misunderstandings and embarrassing times.4.1 Dissimilarities in PronunciationAs everyone knows, human beings are capable of making all kinds of sounds, but only some of these sounds can be used in daily communication. Every language has its own rules or laws in pronunciation that is why there exist numerous kinds of language in the world like Chinese, Japanese, French, and German etc. British English and American English have many differences as follows:4.1.1 Dissimilarities in VowelsIn linguistics, Received Pronunciation (RP) which is also called BBC English, Oxford English, or Kings / Queens English, and it is spoken by the upper-middle and upper classes throughout the England. General American (GA) which is referred to the widely accepted accent used by most educated speakers in the USA. 胡壮麟, 姜望琪.语言学教程M.北京:北京大学出版社, 2008.34. There are many differences between RP and GA in vowels, the details are as follows:1) In British English “a” is pronounced a: before , s, m, n, etc. while æ in American English. For example:British EnglishAmerican Englisha:æaska:skæskanswer´a:ns´ænsbathba:bædanceda:nsdæns2) in British English, while in American English, for example:British EnglishAmerican Englishnotntntclockklkklkshoppp3) ju: in British English, while u in American English, for example:British EnglishAmerican Englishju:udutyju:ustudent´stju:d()nt´studntTuesday´tju:zdei´tuzdeinewsnju:znuz4) i or e in British English, while in American English, for example:British EnglishAmerican Englishiexceptik´sept; ek-ik´sptexperimentik´sperim()nt; ek-k´sprimntexpectationekspek´tei()nkspk´te()n4.1.2 Dissimilarities in Consonants1) In British English “wh” is pronounced w, while in American English is hw, examples are as follows:British EnglishAmerican Englishwhwwhatwthwtwhenwenhwenwhichwithwit 2) The letter “r” is pronounced when it is at the beginning of the vowels or before the vowels, while in American English “r” is pronounced wherever it appears. For example:British EnglishAmerican Englishstarsta:starcarka:kar3) In American English when the letter “t” is appeared between two vowels or between one vowel and “l”, it will be voiced closely to d, while British English remains the same. Those words like “water, later, writer”.4.1.3 Dissimilarities in Pronunciation of the Same WordIt can be obviously found that British English and American English have different pronunciations even if in the same word. Examples are as follows: British EnglishAmerican Englishtomatot´ma:tut´metuclerkkla:kkl:rkschedule´skedju:l´skdulvaseva:zveis; veiz4.1.4 Dissimilarities in IntonationGenerally speaking, British people speak at fast pace with rich tone so that some words may be not pronounced clearly. Being compared with British people, American people are relatively slow and always have clear enunciation with small fluctuation. In intonation it is generally agreed that American English is flatter than British English. 余未霞.英式英语与美式英语的简要研究J.海外英语, 2011, (5): 325. In other words, this means that British intonation is singsong while American intonation tends to be flat and monotonous.4.2 Dissimilarities in SpellingIn the process of English learning, the spelling of words is essential and inevitable. There are two major dissimilarities between British English and American English in spelling: one is the difference in some individual letters; the other is the simpler spelling form in American English. It can be summed up as follows:1) The omission of silent letters “-ue” in American spelling, such as“目录”catalogue (BrE) & catalog (AmE), “对话”dialogue (BrE) & dialog (AmE), “序言”prologue (BrE) & prolog (AmE).2) The omission of silent letters “u” in American spelling, such as“颜色” colour (BrE) & color (AmE),“喜爱”favourite (BrE) & favorite (AmE),“举止、行为”behaviour (BrE) & behavior (AmE), “劳动”labour (BrE) & labor (AmE).3) In British spelling, words end with “-re”, while “-er” in American spelling, such as British English-“-re”American English-“-er”centrecenterfibrefiberkilometrekilometertheatretheater4) Some words end with “-se” in British English, while “-ze” in American English, such asBritish English-“se”American English-“ze”analyseanalyzememorisememorizeorganiseorganizecivilisecivilizerecogniserecognize5) Some words end with “-ence” in British English, “-ense” in American English, such as“防御”defence (BrE) & defense (AmE),“执照”licence (BrE) & license (AmE),“犯法行为”offence (BrE) & offense (AmE).6) In American English, if the suffix “-l” is unstressed syllable, it is usually dont need double write, while British English “-l” need double write. For example: traveling(AmE) & travelling(BrE), leveling(AmE)& levelling(BrE), quarreler(AmE) &quarreller(BrE), marveled (AmE) & marvelled(BrE).7) The suffix “-gramme” is used in British English while “-gram” in American English. BrE: centigramme, decigramme, milligramme AmE: centigram, decigram, milligram 8) “-xion” in British English while “-ction” in American English. Examples: “关系”connextion (BrE) & connection (AmE), “肤色”complexion (BrE) & complection (AmE), “反映”reflexion (BrE) & reflection (AmE).4.3 Dissimilarities in Vocab