Interviewee: silver smile- Assistant III 7- 13 18:56
Favorite and favorite have the same meaning, so do colour and color. These are two ways to spell the same word. The one with a U is British English and the other is American English.
Responder: rch lch- senior wizard level 6 7- 13 18:57
agree
Respondent: js 24 1243 145- probation period level 1 7- 13 18:59.
Favorite and favorite have the same meaning, so do colour and color. These are two ways to spell the same word. The one with a U is British English and the other is American English.
Interviewee: happy woodeasy- Assistant II 7- 13 18:59
Similarly, because both Britain and the United States use English, because of historical reasons, American English and British English are different, and both are correct!
Interviewee: hese fenmo- new to Jianghu level 2 7- 13 19: 12.
I won't say any more.
Responder: Shadow Taoist-Magician Level 4 7- 13 19:30.
Actually, it's the same. Most letters are English, and few are American. Due to the characteristics of society, Americans pay attention to efficiency and have a strong sense of time. In this way, the number of letters is reduced, and the time needed for writing and speaking is saved.
Respondent: speak 2- probation period level 1 7- 13 2 1:2 1
It is the same.
Respondent: 395379024- trainee guide level 2 7- 13 2 1:2 1.
I think the landlord has been learning English for a long time. ...
Interviewee: s _ pacino- manager level 4 7- 13 22:48
The differences between British English and American English can be summarized as follows.
American English American English British English
Archaeology archaeology
catalogue
Civilized civilization
Color color color
Curb; kerb
Resistance defense defense
Draft, draft, draft
favorite
honour
Jewelry store
institutional framework
Practice practice
tyre
"Bernard Shaw once quipped that there is a gap between Britain and America in the same language." [4] (4) In fact, the development and change of any language is a complicated process, which not only reflects the cultural changes of a nation or country, but also reflects the historical tradition and political and economic development. Language always changes with the development of society and the change of people's lifestyle. English is the most widely used language in contemporary international communication, and it is also a rapidly changing language. There are many sources. "First, the development of science and technology is its main source. Second, the turbulent political situation and ever-changing social environment are also its sources. Third, social changes have impacted people's ideology, and also had a great impact on the development of language, resulting in a corresponding language. " [5](2)
(A), political economy
Political events, politicians, political movements, political groups and political policies may all lead to language changes. Sometimes, language will change dramatically, especially when society and politics change.
In the United States, the September 2006 1 1 New York World Trade Center terrorist attack led to the emergence of many new words. Among them, Ground Zero refers to the ruins left by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. "9. 1 1" also has special significance, especially the terrorist attacks at that time. Even the word Osamaniac has appeared in the media to refer to a woman who is crazy about bin Laden.
In Britain, after Tony Blair was elected as British Prime Minister, we saw the emergence of some new words: blairism, blairist, blairistas, blairization, blairite and so on. The White Watergate incident originated from political events and was invented by President Clinton.
With the development of the world economy, many new words in business and other economic fields, such as Bush Economics, Blair Economics and Berg Economics, all mean "one's economic policy". Therefore, Bush economics is "the economic policy of US President Bush" and Blair economics is "the economic policy of British Prime Minister Blair".
With the rise and fall of the British Empire, the former American colonies got rid of British rule and developed into a powerful political and economic entity. The political and economic differences between Britain and the United States are inevitably reflected in the languages of the two peoples, especially in the vocabulary of the languages. [7](3)
(2) Social life
English reflects the pulse of the times, directly faces real life and has a strong flavor of life. "Language and culture are related, language reflects culture, language is the carrier of culture, and language, as an active substance, can reflect the political, economic and cultural characteristics of the times and people's mental outlook at that time." [6](4)
People's lives are changing with each passing day, and the emergence of a new generation has also produced some new words. In the 1960s, there were hippies in America, referring to those young people who were dissatisfied with social reality, unconventional and rebellious. In the 1980s, yuppies were young people with high-paying professional jobs and rich material lifestyles. They are not stingy with money and enjoy a fashionable life. The words baby boomer, baby boomer, lost generation, generation X and generation Y are all reflections of American social life. [8]( 16 1)
"Here is a ha 'pee, don't spend it all in a shop" is a humorous remark, and generously gave some gifts to the children. Half a penny. This sentence was fashionable from the late19th century to the second half of 20th century, and was completely abandoned in 1970. The change of this English buzzword also reflects the change of the life of ordinary British people from the end of 19 to the second half of the 20th century. With the improvement of the living standard of the whole people, it is no longer considered as a thing to give small gifts to children, and this buzzword has also been introduced into the historical stage.
(3) National history
Language has distinct social characteristics and records and reflects the history of a country. The inheritance of English is also inseparable from the development of history.
If English is counted from the old English in 450 AD, it has developed for thousands of years. During this period of history, Britain experienced foreign invasion, medieval feudal society, bourgeois revolution, industrial revolution and overseas colonial expansion, forming a unique historical culture. For example, the word castra is the best proof of the Roman invaders' military occupation in Britain for several years. 1649 Charles I, the general representative of feudal reactionary forces, was guillotined as a "tyrant, traitor, murderer and enemy of the state". The word regicide is a historical testimony of the beheading of an unprecedented feudal monarch in Britain. The first industrial revolution in Britain began in the second half of18th century, and there were flying shuttles and spinning machines in English.
This is also reflected in American history. Plantation in American history has been a word related to early colonies since Britain established colonies in North America. Jamestown was the first colony established by British colonists in North America in 1607. It was called plantation at that time, which means colony in old English. The frontier spirit or pioneering spirit has always been an important part of the national cultural characteristics that Americans are proud of. In 1950s, blacks launched a large-scale civil rights struggle against racial discrimination, and they created famous ways of struggle, such as sit-in, sit-in and swimming. After a long and unremitting struggle, the blacks finally won the integration.
(4) Regional culture
"Language is a true portrayal of the objective world and a social phenomenon. What kind of language will be produced in what kind of environment people live and work in. " [9]( 1) A certain cultural entity always exists in a certain geographical space, which inevitably reflects the natural features of the region.
Because there are still some differences between the United States and Britain in geographical environment, social life, customs and habits, some American words do not exist in Britain. The United States has a vast territory and changeable terrain. Winding mountains, vast plains, rolling hills, desolate deserts, flat highlands, low-lying swamp lakes and basins, all kinds of landforms can be found here. For example, caribou, sagebrush, sequoia and Everglades are only found in American English.
Britain is surrounded by the sea, and the life of islanders is closely related to the sea and water transport. The dependence and development of the ocean determines that the marine people must use a large number of ocean-related words, such as smooth sailing, drifting with the tide, hitting the rocks and so on. Britain is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the European continent in the east. The easterly wind from the northern part of the European continent is biting cold, while the westerly wind from the Atlantic Ocean is warm and pleasant, which is why Mansfield wrote "This is a warm wind, westerly wind, full of birds' songs". Conversely, some words in British English are not found in American English, such as prince, duke, marquis and knight.
(5) Cultural specificity
Sapir (Sapir), a famous American linguist, pointed out when talking about the relationship between language and culture: "Culture can be understood as what society does and thinks, while language is the concrete expression of thought." The relationship between culture and language can be understood as the relationship between content and form. Content determines form, and form reflects content. "English, as the carrier of British and American cultural information and the subjective and objective expression of culture, is deeply branded with the unique cultural imprint of British and American society. Through the internal lens of English, the British and American culture, we can glimpse the unique cultural connotation of Britain and the United States. " [ 10]( 1)
We can also strongly feel the uniqueness of British and American culture from the language. The United States is a country founded by immigrants, and Epullibus Unum is the motto of the United States, which reflects this characteristic of the United States. In the past few centuries, tens of millions of immigrants have crossed the ocean and poured into the United States from all corners of the world. The United in the American name "America" refers not only to all the nations in the world, but also to the rich and colorful culture they bring. The staggered combination of various national cultural styles can be said to be a major feature of American social life today.
The British aristocracy is the oldest and longest political legacy that has never been interrupted from beginning to end. It has been produced for more than 1000 years, its context is inherited, multiplied and updated, and its hierarchy is strict. Five kinds of hereditary nobles have gradually formed, namely, Duke/Duchess, Marquis/Marquise, Earl/Countess, Viscount/Viscount and Baron/Baroness.
In the final analysis, language is a historical and cultural accumulation. In the words of Sapir (Sapir), "Language cannot exist without culture". The so-called culture is the sum total of habits and beliefs that are passed down from society and determine people's lifestyle. English records and reflects the specific cultural characteristics of Britain and America. In a sense, it is a historical portrayal of British and American culture.