Everyone who has come into contact with English knows that English is a language that originated in Britain. It is not only the language of Britain, but also the language of various English-speaking countries. These countries include the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. However, since the Second World War, many countries have become colonies of English-speaking countries, and English has spread all over the world, and its use is no longer limited to these English-speaking countries. Nowadays, English has become a worldwide language. Naturally, internationally, it has become a common language and communication tool between different countries and nations. Especially in the business world, there is no doubt about the enthusiasm for English. Although the main parts (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling, etc. Like American English, American English has its own characteristics influenced by its unique history, culture, nationality and region, which is obviously different from English. Mark Twain once said, "English and America are two different languages ... When I speak the purest mother tongue, an Englishman can't understand me at all." (en2 1 1 white elephant, 1882). The main differences between English and American English are vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling and speaking temperament. British people have always hated American English, but times have changed. Now some British children are beginning to learn American English. The English textbook of People's Education Publishing House is also American English. Primary school (People's Education Edition) and junior high school (Come on! )。 Vowel:
One of the biggest differences between British pronunciation and American pronunciation lies in their pronunciation of voiced vowels (schwa,/? /) processing. In English, voiced vowels often appear in some monosyllabic unstressed short sounds A (such as about) and er (such as computer). Er in American English is rarely voiced, and sometimes voiced vowels are used for short sounds I (such as sentimental and realistic) and U (such as wuss), and even short sounds oo (such as hooker). The pronunciation of these four examples in English is, [? ],[? ]) The pronunciation of voiced vowels is uncertain, but it sounds almost like a quick pronunciation between "Russian" and "ah". There is another important difference in the pronunciation of vowels. One is [? ] sound: short o (such as oft), pronounced in English as shortened long sound/? /(such as or), and the American short sound o sounds like an English short sound [? ] very similar. At the same time, if there is an R after a long O, it will usually be the child mentioned in the previous paragraph. If there is no r, it will automatically become a short sound of o pronunciation.
The most representative difference between English and American English is the pronunciation of er. In English, the short voiced er is the voiced vowel mentioned above, while the long voiced er is just an elongated voiced vowel, which sounds like an exaggeration between "Russian" and "ah". In American English, er sounds like "er" (except for vowels in some common sayings).
Ar: English Ar is a unified long sound except for short sounds (such as singular) and vowels (such as unvoiced). ], and in American English, it is "Al". In fact, whenever there is an R at the end of a syllable, British and American pronunciations are usually different, such as tour (English: vomit, beauty: vomit) and tear (English: /t? /,USA: /t? R/), pair (English: /pe? /,beauty: /p? R/). Even in the clarity just mentioned, English /'kler? Ti/, USA /'kler? ti/.
In addition, vowelization of vowel combinations such as u and I.
Other changes are mainly manifested in a and O.
Words with the letter a in British English. If A is Pronounced//,it is pronounced as in American English. The voice of
Like pass/p? s/ dance/d？ ns/ fast/f？ st/ laugh/l？ f/
Common exception: father's lava garage
Words with the letter a in British English. If a is pronounced oh, it is pronounced /a/
Such as swallows /'SW ɑ l? /want/w\u nt/
Words with the letter o in British English. If a is pronounced oh, it is pronounced /a/
Such as stop/ST ι p/got/g ι t/
Consonants:
English consonants are basically the same as American consonants, but there are some differences in usage habits. Only the following two are more important:
R: The letter R represents almost all the differences between Britain and America. It's everywhere. When pronouncing consonants, the difference is that when R is at the end of the first word and the second word begins with a vowel, British English will pronounce R as the consonant of the vowel at the beginning of the next word, while American English will read it alone and still pronounce the original rolled tongue /r/. For example, the phrase "clean-animosity" is pronounced as "clean-animosity" in English and "clear-animisity" in America.
Another obvious difference is D and T. In some unstressed syllables (such as paddle, rattle and realistic), English will clearly pronounce these two letters, but in American English, D and T are often blurred into an inexplicable sound. Compared with other languages, if you know Spanish or Italian, it is very close to the short r; If you know Japanese, the consonants of らりるれろ are very similar. If you don't know, then the closest explanation is the side tone L, but it's a little short.
One more thing, history, factories, you may have found the pronunciation of O (/(? )/,which is a voiced vowel) There are brackets in many phonetic symbols. In Britain, influenced by archaism, English likes to omit this O, while in America, this O is often pronounced. If you are interested in English poetry, you will find that many letters of voiced vowels are expressed in single quotation marks, that is, omitted. In spelling, Americans are a pragmatic people, and they also take a pragmatic attitude in spelling words. In the development of American English, China had a similar movement in spelling, deleting some letters that were not spelled. The difference in spelling is another difference between English and American English. To sum up, there are the following situations. 1. The silent suffix -ue in English words has been deleted in American spelling. English Spelling American Spelling China Explaining Directory Directory Dialogue Preface:
This rule only applies to words ending in -ogue. In American English, words ending in -ague will not be deleted, such as league.
Computer-related terms are generally spelled in American style. For example, simulation. 2. English ends in -our and is pronounced as/-? /,in American English, the silent letter u has been deleted and read as/-? R/. English Spelling American Spelling China explains behavior, behavior color favorite favorite taste taste labor labor 3. English ends in -re, pronounced/-? In American English, the word/is changed to end with -er and pronounced as/-? R/. English Spelling American Spelling Chinese Interpretation Centre Center Fiber Meter Theater Note: Some place names in the United States also use English centers, such as Centreville, Centre College, Centre County, Rockville Centre and Stonebriar Centre mall. In addition, the English word "accord re" ends with -er in the traditional American dictionary, but it also ends with -re in Webster's dictionary. Words ending in -c(h)re, such as lucre, Massachusetts, euchre and acre, all end in -re in American and British English. This is mainly to show that the "c" in these words is pronounced as /k/ instead of /s/. (Note: According to English spelling rules, C is pronounced /s/ before the letters E, I and Y, and /k/ in other cases. . ) British meter refers only to the unit length "meter". The word "measuring instrument" (including radius and diameter) should be spelled as meter in both English and American languages, and the pronunciation is the same as the length unit "meter". 4. Some English words ending in -ence are changed to -ense in American English, and the pronunciation is still/-? Ns/. English spelling American spelling Chinese explanation defense against off-duty license excuse Note: For some of these words, the British should first change -ence to -ense, and then add a suffix. For example, defense, attack, and anticipation. Some words ending in -ise/-ize in English are changed to end in -ize in American English, and the pronunciation is still /-aiz/. English Spelling American Spelling China Interpreting Organization/Organization Realizing Improvement and Creation Specializing in Modernization Modernization Modernization Popularizing Public Concern;
For the following words, British people use the same spelling as Americans: revover, size, size, prize.
American uses the same spelling as British -ise for the following words: advise, advise, rise, chire, increase, increase, Include, include, die out, despise, devil, disguise, additional work, practice, French, disguise, improvise, cut, modify, rise, supervise, guess, comprise, TV. Defensive, offensive and pretentious. 6. Some words that end in L, if they end in unstressed syllables, sometimes the letter L at the end can be double-written or not. Not all of them are written in American spelling. English Spelling American Spelling China Interpreting Traveler Traveler Dialing (past tense, past participle) shoveling Eradicate (present participle) Incredible incredible jewelry, jewelry notes:
Suffixes applicable to this rule: -ed, -ing, -er, -or, -est, -ry.
For the suffix -en, English woolly and woolly should be written as double.
For suffixes -ise and -ist, there are tranquility, duel, medal, team member and trial in English.
For the suffix -ous, there are wonderful and defamatory ones in English.
For the suffix -ee, there is libellee in English.
For the suffix -age, there is pupillage in English.
Americans use "double letters" like the British for the following words: bimetallism, cancellation, celler, crystallize, excellent, tonsillitis and raillery. The roots of these words are mostly unstressed syllables, ending in L.
When there is a consonant before the "L" at the end of a word, or there are two vowels, English people usually don't have to write it twice. For example: punch, expose, fool.
The English word caliper (micrometer, compass) is spelled caliper in the United States, but it is not composed of "root+suffix". 7. If some verbs ending in P end in unstressed syllables, the letter P at the end of the suffix may or may not be double-written. Not all of them are written in American spelling. Handicappedhandicaped obstacles (past tense, past participle) worship (present participle) Note: Most of these verbs are composed of "prefix+noun (root)". 8. Complete tires of other tires shall be registered as registered tires. Register lovely skeptic skeptic judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge judge Formal British English and American English usage must mean "yes", while the perfect have got is limited to informal British English. I never really knew her. I never really knew her. Her feet hurt because her shoes don't fit. Her feet hurt because her shoes don't fit. The Committee will meet tomorrow. The Committee will meet tomorrow. It looks like rain. It looks as if it will rain. He looked at me strangely. He looked at me strangely. One should know his neighbors. One should know one's neighbors. When Americans don't use the article, British people sometimes like to use it. It was a Tuesday and he didn't come back to work until Wednesday. It was Tuesday and he didn't come back to work until Wednesday. Conversely, Americans use articles, but British people don't. For example, British English: I have been out of the hospital for six weeks. Prepositions are also used differently. British English American English Weekend In the street last weekend, some parents were talking. Keep their children out of school. Some parents are talking about not letting their children go to school. When expressing the meaning of "you" in Chinese, American English (including orthodox British English) often uses the verb have, while British English (mainly spoken English) often uses the perfect verb have. British English American English She has an interesting book. She has an interesting book. In some subjunctive mood sentences in American English, should can be omitted. In the present standard British English, this subjunctive mood form is "should+ verb prototype". British English American English I insist on getting everything ready before six o'clock.
That night. I insist on getting everything ready before six o'clock.
In terms of dates, the expressions in the United States and Britain are different. It is British to take the sun first and then the moon, but it is the opposite in America.
For example, March 2, 2009: March 2, 2009 (USA) and March 2, 2009 (UK).
In American writing, st, nd, rd, 2nd and 3rd of 1st are not used. Because the written expression of the date is different, the pronunciation is different. For example, April 20 1987, written in Britain as 20 April 1987, pronounced April 20, 1987; The American expression is April 20, 1987, and the pronunciation is April the Twenty, 987. Similarly, when all dates are expressed in numbers, there are differences between Britain and the United States. 1May 6, 998 should be written as 6/5/98 for English and 5/6/98 for American; 0 1/08/ 1998 is British 1998 August 1, but according to American expression, it is 1998 June 5438+0, American1998 August/kloc-. Therefore, when all numbers are used to indicate dates, misunderstandings often occur and must be used with caution in business activities.
There are great differences between Britain and the United States in expressing the concept of more than one million. For example, one billion English means "trillion" and "trillion", while American English only means "billion"; One trillion English is equivalent to =1018 in the morning, which is one trillion, but American English is equivalent to one billion British English, which is "trillion" and "trillion".
There are also differences in digital oral expression between the two countries. ($65,438+075) is pronounced as $ a/one forgotten and seven five in English and $ one forgotten seven five in American, often omitting and; When using the same number to represent numbers continuously, English is used to using double or triple, but Americans generally don't. For example, the telephone number 320 1 12 is pronounced as three two zero, double one two, and American is pronounced as three one two two. 999234 is pronounced triple nine 234 in English and 999234 in America, but Americans also pronounce three consecutive identical numbers as three plus this number, for example, 999 is pronounced three nines. Business or business English letters refer to communications used in transactions. In America, business writing is often used, including letters, telegrams, telephones, telex, reports, postcards and so on.
There are some differences in letter styles between Britain and the United States, such as letterhead and address, letter format, wording and closing etiquette. Generally speaking, English letters are conservative. Many British people like to use old-fashioned letters with formal and rigid words, while American letters are very lively, energetic and simple in format. Therefore, when we write to Britain or its old colonial countries, we should use standard English Queen English; ; If this letter is addressed to the United States or areas within its sphere of influence, American English should be used. Of course, the English language and culture have also changed in recent years, but on the whole, the differences between them are obvious. Business English letters are generally required to be printed neatly by typewriter or computer, and the lines on the left are vertical at the beginning, which is called vertical row or square, which is commonly used in the United States. Indentation of the first word of each paragraph is called indentation or indentation. This format is very common in Britain. The vertical position and signature are in the left column. This form has been widely adopted by American companies that attach great importance to work efficiency.
In a formal business English letter, the name and address of the receiving company or the full name, position and address of the recipient should be written above the address, which is called the internal address. There are also vertical and indented ways to write addresses in letters. Vertical and American lines are juxtaposed, while indentation or British style takes them back in turn. However, the author has noticed that the addresses in British business letters have not been indented in turn recently, which seems to be the same as those in the United States. In addition, it is also popular in the United States to write the address of ordinary recipients, that is, in the inner address of letters, the house number and street name are omitted.
Use honorifics in English letters. The most common honorifics are Mr, Mrs and Miss (for unmarried women). English people often use esq. (short for esquire) after men's names, but in business, for more than two women, they are gradually changing into Mr. MMEs (plural form of madam). Messrs (plural form of Mr) is used for more than two people, or for companies or groups composed of more than two people. In British English letters, Mr, Mrs and Messrs do not use abbreviated periods. On the contrary, American English, which tends to be progressive and free, is used to adding abbreviated periods, such as Mr, Mrs and Messrs
In terms of address, there are two common addresses in business: Gentleman (American) and Dear Gentlemen (British), which are equivalent to China's "Respected and Sincerely Inspired One". If this letter is addressed to every department of the company, rather than a specific person, it should be "gentleman" in American English and "dear gentlemen" in English. If there is only one person in the other company, you must use Sir/ Dear Sir. Punctuation marks are generally used after salutation, with colons in Britain and semicolons in America.
There are many polite closures at the end of letters, which are equivalent to "salute", "salute" and "Shun 'an" used at the end of letters in China. The most typical American writing style is sincere and best greeting, and the typical English expressions are Yours sincerely (an acquaintance or someone who knows his name), best wishes, cordial greetings and Yours faithfully (whose name is unknown). In addition, British polite expressions have special polite formats, but they are no longer used except in special circumstances. The English speak in a cadence and a high tone, which is quite similar to French (but they will not admit it). The British laugh at the Americans for their weakness, looseness and lack of rhythm.
Americans speak in a steady and low voice, and sentences are usually in a falling tone, and their speech speed is slow. On the other hand, Americans like to laugh at the hysterical and feminine tone of the British.
When talking on the phone, Britain and America also have different expressions. If you are an office secretary, operator and other staff, but you are not the person the other party is looking for, we often say "please wait a moment". The idiom in English is please don't hang up, and American English usually uses Hold on；; If you ask the other party (such as the operator) to transfer it to the manager, the English expression is, can you put me through to the manager? In American English, the preposition "to" is often used instead of "with" in sentences.
British English or American English. This is very important for us foreign learners. We can say it in the way we like. For example, some people like British English and think it is elegant; Some people like American English and think it is fashionable. Nowadays, most young people prefer American English, which has something to do with the development of today's times. Anyway, just remember that no matter which English we prefer, as long as we learn it well, we can communicate with all English speakers, and this will not change. They are all in English, even if there are differences in spelling and pronunciation, they must be the same. As long as we work hard and study hard, we can master it skillfully and use it flexibly in real life, so that our life, study and career can all embark on the road of internationalization.
In terms of address, there are two common addresses in business: Gentleman (American) and Dear Gentlemen (British), which are equivalent to China's "Respected and Sincerely Inspired One". If this letter is addressed to every department of the company, rather than a specific person, it should be "gentleman" in American English and "dear gentlemen" in English. If there is only one person in the other company, you must use Sir/ Dear Sir. Punctuation marks are generally used after salutation, with colons in Britain and semicolons in America. Some scholars predict that the differences between British English and American English will become bigger and bigger; They are worried that British and Americans may not understand each other's English in the future. In fact, this kind of worry is unnecessary, because the basic elements of these two English branches are almost the same, and they both maintain the common core of English. As Professor Zhou Haizhong, a famous scholar in China, once pointed out: although there are some differences between American English and British English in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar, their similarities are far greater than their differences, so they will not affect the standardization of English expression; Therefore, these differences will not hinder the communication and exchange of ideas between British and American people.