НПК по английскому языку по теме Сравнение Британского и Американского английского языка

School research conferenceOffice of General and Vocational EducationMunicipal District Administration of Tchaikovsky Perm Municipal Educational Institution"Secondary school № 10»
A comparison of American English and British English
Author:Grebenshchikova Ksenia Nikolaevna4-10 grade studentMBGEI "School № 10" (NEC) Leader:Kovshevnaya Galina Petrovna,English teacherMBGEI "School № 10" (NEC)
Tchaikovsky , 2012Content
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………3Chapter 1. Formation of American English .........…………………………………………..41.1. The history of the formation of American English .........................................................41.2.Modern status of English as multinational language ......……………………………..6Chapter 2. The differences between American English and British English ……………...72.1. Pronunciation ..................................................................................................................72.2. Lexical differences ..........................................................................................................8
2.3 Grammatical differences .................................................................................................10
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..11References ............................................................................................................................12
Introduction
English is multinational : British variant initiated the American version, and then the Australian and South African ones. And now, in the XXI century, we are dealing with a Nigerian, Indian and Singaporean variants [3]. At the present time American English is the most widespread language, "in many spheres of life and human activity - in the field of material culture, economy and finance, education, health and many other areas - the U.S. version is spreading worldwide and has a tendency of replacing British English ... "[2]. The United States is now home for the largest number of native speakers of English (in 1995 U.S. population was 263 057 thousand).. So, America in the twentieth century, contributed to the spread of English more than other countries. However, despite the fact that, the teaching of English in many countries, including Russia, has been focused on the British version of the language for many years, people had to learn the American version in practice. Only few of them- those who were in connection with professional activities had to communicate with native American English. Our school has always focused and continues to focus on the classic English. In the best language schools the British version has been traditionally taught , and mainly teachers from Britain are invited to work as foreign consultants and trainers. As for professional educators of the American version we have very few of them (not more than 5%). In schools where there are still professionals (ex. Language Link, Polyglot), students are explained the difference between the variants of English and they choose to study that variant of English which they need.
However, agreeing with our teachers, Robert Dzhenski (American, the head of the British School of English) argues that it is for advanced students. When the students start learning language there is only one version of English that should be taught. But nowadays the fact that students (and not only students) almost daily contact with the American version though American films, listening to American music and reading the labels on products and goods of the American production should be taken into account. A global computer network and correspondence with American coevals contribute to the practice of modern languages. Of course, they notice differences between what they learn at school and with which they face in practice. Therefore, an English teacher (if he/she wants to be a success must be competent in matters of the differences between American and British (Queen's English) language versions. That is why this work is extremely actual.
Purpose:systematize the main differences between British and American English, the main differences between the various options of multinational languages : phonetic, lexical and grammatical ones.
Object: English
The subject of research work: phonetic, lexical and grammatical differences as the most visible to students. In this paper we consider the history of the formation of American English and the causes of the differences between the two versions of languages.
Objectives:1) to show American English as a variety of English;2) investigate the history of formation of American English;3) identify some of the differences between American English and British English;4) to show the influence of American English on British English.
The urgency of the work lies in the fact that American English has become the leading language in the world. It is the language of computer technology, business and science. It is becoming more common, as it has a simple grammar, vocabulary and phonetics. Theme of language never runs out of its relevance, as the language changes with the people.
Hypothesis: I guess the view of significant differences between the American and British English - is just a myth. I think that in fact there are not so many differences.
Chapter 1. Formation of American English
1.1. The history of the American English
There are very few pure languages. English language is known as the language of verbal borrowings. The English-speaking settlers, who came into contact with peoples using different native languages ​​and having different cultures, contributed to the appearance of American English.
XVII century was the beginning of a huge flow of immigrants from Europe to North America. During this period of time this movement has grown from a few hundred English colonists to a million new immigrants. Most European emigrants left their homelands because of political problems, hoping to find freedom, to extend one's religion or to experience adventure. Driven by strong motivations, they built a new civilization on the northern part of the continent.First words borrowed from a speech by the various Indian tribes came into use . This was due to the need to discuss new things, qualities, operations, concepts and ideas. The movement of people to another new environment not only created a problem of communication, but also made it cruel.The first settlers started to grow the plants and to raise animals that were new to them. Some fish that they caught on the coast was unlike anything they had seen before.The land was occupied by tribes who spoke a strange language, wore strange clothes and cooked strange food. Even the landscape was very different from the English countryside. The names were given to all these aspects of their new life.So, in the early seventeenth century colonists from England brought their own languages to America. The first English settlement in North America was founded in 1607 - it was the city of Jamestown where Virginia is now. In November 1620 Puritans who arrived on the ship "Mayflower" founded Plymouth. The Inhabitants of these two settlements had different linguistic traditions. Jamestown colonists "came mainly from the West of England, of such counties like Somerset and Gloucestershire, with a distinctive accent of these places"[4]. Plymouth colonists arrived from the eastern counties of England (Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Essex, Kent) and London, where the dialects were a different kind - so, the sound [r] after vowels was absent. These sound differences persisted in the future. People with different dialects settled on the west and south. And though the picture of dialects spreading had never been clear because of the constant migration from north to south and vice versa and the influx of immigrants from different countries, the dialect differences persist in the U.S. today. In the XVII - XVIII centuries the influx of immigrants was increasing. They were bringing with them a variety of languages ​​and dialects. For example, Pennsylvania was inhabited mainly by Quakers, who as a rule came from the middle and northern parts of England. Not only England influenced the language formation of colonists. Already in the XVIII century. a new wave of immigrants from Ireland appeared in North America. In the West and Southwest of the modern United States the main language was Spanish. Immigrants from France settled along the St. Lawrence River. In New York, originally called New Amsterdam, Dutch was the most widespread language. In Pennsylvania the Germans settled. In addition, a large number of black people were imported into the southern parts of America as a result of the slave trade. All of these new residents of North America (do not forget also the indigenous inhabitants - the Indians) contributed to the formation of the dialects of the colonies. Mass emigration to a new state - United States - continued in the XIX - XX centuries. However, despite the huge number of languages ​​and cultures of new settles, the dominant language was still English. Due to the natural process of assimilation, most immigrant families began to speak English in one or two generations [5]. However, the multicultural character of the United States is not difficult to notice. In particular, multiculturalism is expressed at the level of anthroponimics: "In the U.S. there are antroponomikone personal names, which have preserved their national characteristics: Spanish - Rodolfo, Dolores, and others, Italian - Antonio, Niccolo, Paolo et al, Portuguese - Mario, Manuel, Raul and others, the German - Rupert, Rudolf, and others "[7]. However, the English North American colonies were significantly enriched due to borrowings. The settlers borrowed words from Indian languages ​​to name unfamiliar plants (e.g., hickory - kind of hazel, or persimmon - persimmon) and animals (raccoon - a raccoon, woodchuck - Forest groundhog). From French there were borrowed such words as: chowder - a kind of soup, prairie - the prairie, from the Dutch - words scow - wherry, skiff, sleigh - sleigh. Many new words came through a combination of already known, for example, backwoods - backwoods, backwoods, bullfrog - bullfrog (frog species). Many English words have new meanings now, for example, lumber in the mv. "Trash" (used in the English language in the narrower sense - rags, rags); corn within the meaning of "corn" (in English the word previously meant any grain, usually wheat). It is clear that new words appeared because in the life of previous Europeans there appeared a set of new realities, for which the designation is in English and other languages ​​had no words for them. In addition to the lexicon, there appeared the difference in pronunciation, in grammatical structures and particularly strong difference - in tone. Often argued that if colonization occurred two or three centuries earlier, an American variant of English as much would be different from the British, as modern French - from Italian, that is, instead of the different variants of one language different languages would appear. However, the colonization occurred after the invention of printing, and went in the Enlightenment, with its ideas of universal education. Over time most of the books being read in America, were British ones. Moreover, many of the colonists continued to maintain ties with Britain, in which they differed from their Anglo-Saxon ancestors, known to have broken all ties with the continent after the relocation on the British Isles. Pro-British-minded Americans denounced any "Americanisms", emphasizing the difference between them and the British. At the present time, many "Americanisms" have become widespread, even in British English. This is explained by the following factors:"1) Population (number of speakers of American English is 70% versus 17% of the native speakers in comparison to the total number of people speaking English as their mother language).2) More powerful economy of the U.S. compared to the UK.3) Numerical superiority of higher education institutions in the U.S. compared to Britain.4) The magnitude of typographic industry in the USA.5) The significance of the influence of American media and information technologies around the world.6) The appeal of American pop culture and its influence on the language and way of life around the world..7) The international political and economic situation in the U.S. [8]. "In 1789, Noack Webster declared the requirement of American English to share the concept and status. He published "An American Dictionary of the English Language" (1793), in which he insisted on the American spelling. Webster's first provided the country with a native dictionary. Since that time, the hypotheses of so-called «American English» have found a few leaders and supporters, especially in the U.S. One of the most popular handbooks on this subject is the book "American language" by HL Mencken, published in New York in 1957. In this book, he insisted on the opinion that the language of the U.S. has nothing in common with the English, except the origin.A favorite expression of Mr. Mencken was that "Britain now superseded by the U.S. as the most powerful and populous English speaking country, no longer has the right to pose as arbiter of the English."Today the U.S. is the economic and military superpower. However, this is no reason to declare American language to be independent and consider it above the British English and other variants of English. The reason is to meet the linguistic requirements, to control the sound system, vocabulary and grammar independently. Since the "original language is a tool of communication, consisting for the most part, from the vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and spelling rules, which controls their use in speech and writing"
1.2. Current status of English as a multination language.
Modern British language, first of all, is not homogeneous, and second, it is far from the classic English that existed three centuries ago. ,, Inside the British version there are three language types: conservative English (conservative - the language of the royal family and parliament) an adopted standard (received pronunciation, RP – media language, it is also called BBC English) and Advanced English (advanced - the language of young people). "[9] The last type - the most active, it actively incorporates elements of other languages ​​and cultures. Advanced English is most susceptible to the general trend towards simplification of the language. Changes occur primarily in lexicon, one of the most mobile parts of the language: there are new phenomena that need to be called, and the old ones get new names. New vocabulary comes to the British Youth language from other variants of English, particularly American. Language of the educated population of London and the south-east of England - eventually acquired the status of a national standard (RP). Its basis is the "proper English" - the language of the best private schools (Eton, Winchester, Harrow, Rugby) and universities (Oxford, Cambridge). It is the classical, literary English, which is the basis of any course in English language schools for foreigners. Irish, Australian and New Zealand versions of English are perhaps the closest to the classic British. Because of the geographical isolation of these countries, they have not experienced the strong influence of other languages ​​and cultures. In the formation of American English almost all European citizens took part, while Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa were inhabited mostly by British. That's why the English kept more or less classical guise. The differences are mainly in phonetics again - particularly in the melody. It is more, "neutral" accent, replacing "difficult" sounds by more simple, for example, interdental sounds in such words as that, think by normal. The Irish, moreover, do not save the sounds between consonants, add neutral: for example, film sounds like "filem." Irish English is more musical that comes from the Celtic, the Australian is characterized by a slow rhythm and flat intonation scale. But America has created almost a new language: changes affected not only the phonetics and vocabulary, but also the most stable part of the language - grammar. It is therefore quite natural that the debates are mostly about the two variants of English - British and American. Unlike the British version American English is more flexible, open to change and easy to understand. That’s why it’s become more prevalent in the world. It is the language of the new generation without a certain nationality or place of residence, brought up on popular culture. English of the modern youth is more or less common thanks to the general culture, rock music, heavy communication and the ideals and idols, which, starting with Elvis Presley, are still common spiritual food.
Chapter 2. The differences between American English and British English
And American English and British English are the only versions of the same language- English. Between them there are more similarities than differences, especially when educated people use it, or when it is used in science. The cause of the majority of the differences is cultural and historical features of the two countries, a variety of local and regional idioms and fixed expressions, as well as the influence of media and advertising.
Both the Americans and Brits mutually ridicule and dislike each other's languages. From the point of view of the British American English is too straight and coarse, and they consider the British English to be the language of polite people. Americans think British English is too far-fetched, language of hypocritical snobs and their native American language is affable and friendly. At the gas station in the U.S. you will hear: "Fill her up, will you?", And in the UK: "Would you mind filling up my car?" If a visiting Englishman utter the phrase in America, the reaction may be approximately the: "Are you trying to be smart or what?".
2.1. Phonetic differences.
The differences in pronunciation.
Pronunciation - the most significant difference. Students with knowledge of English often have difficulty at the first contact with Americans. The problem is, however, not even in the language, and in the pronunciation. Apart from the quality of American speech there is a set of basic differences between British and American pronunciation.
Americans often pronounce [r] in a position where it is not pronounced in British English: car, hare, port.
Americans pronounce the sound "a" as [æ] instead of [a:] in words: ask, answer, past, can't, half, after, example, and others.
In such words as news, dew, duke will be the American pronunciation: [nu: z], [du:], [du: k].
Americans pronounce [hΛt], [nΛt], [tΛp], ['kΛmon], [Λn] in the words hot, not, top, common, on.
words better, butter, city pronounced as ['bedər], [bΛdə], [' sidi].
Tomato, address, and schedule are also pronounced differently: [tə'meitəu], ['ædres], [' skedju: l].
Words ending in - ary and the - ory are stressed on the last syllable of the next in the American language: secretary, laboratory.
Bringing down the [h], as a rule, at the beginning of the word: his, him, her, humor, humidity, history and more.
WordSAE PronunciationSBE Pronunciationadvertisement'æd vз:r taz məntəd'vз: t sməntcontroversy'ka:n trə vз:r si'kn trə vз: sikən'trv əsilaboratory'læb rə tr i lə'br ə trisecretary'sek rə ter i 'sek rə trileisure'le ər'le ə
schedule'sked ju:l'ed ju:ldynasty'da nə sti'dn ə stidancedæntsda:ntsoregano'reg ə no r 'ga: nə
clerkklз:rkkla:rkateet etballetbæ'lei'bæ leiTable 1
Application 1 [10]
2.2. Lexical differences
As we understand the differences in vocabulary can be explained only refering to American history. Another thing is that some of the words that have the same value on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean during the XVII-XVIII centuries were given new interpretations either in England or in America. Thus, the British "chips" (chips) -is American "French fries" (French fries). Sometimes different words mean the same thing: "a lorry" (truck) in British English - is "a truck" in American English.
Thus, the British and Americans often use different words to describe the same concepts. These words are in constant use and preserve their national character. There are a few examples of misunderstanding between Americans and British.
BRITISH/ AMERICAN VOCABULARY
Some American – British Vocabulary Differences:
American British
apartment квартира Flat
bar бар, пивная, закусочная Pub
bathtub ванна Bath
bill ( money ) банкнота Banknote
candy конфеты Sweets
store кондитерский магазин sweet shop
cookie печенье Biscuit
elevator лифт Lift
french fries жареный картофель Chips
gasoline бензин Petrol
lawyer адвокат Barrister
line очередь queue
living room гостиная sitting room
mailman почтальон postman
oatmeal овсяная каша porridge
raincoat плащ waterproof
second floor первый этаж first floor
sidewalk тротуар path
subway метрополитен tube
taxes налоги rates
truck грузовик lorry
vacation отпуск, каникулы holiday
basement подвал cellar
yard двор garden
closet гардероб wardrobe
fix чинить repair [6] Table 2
Application 2 [11]
Differences in spelling:
There are differences in spelling. In American English there is a growing trend to use simplified spelling.
The American spelling is more in line with the pronunciation, which makes the American language really simplistic. Some changes in the writing have been proposed by N. Webster, the author of "American English Dictionary." So also you should pay attention to the difference in spelling of many words in the U.S. and Britain.
BRITISH/ AMERICAN VOCABULARY
Some American – British Vocabulary Differences:
American British
colorцвет colourcenterцентр centrejail тюрьма gaolanalyze/ paralyze анализировать/ парализовать analyse/ paralysetraveling путешествие travelling
canceling отмена cancelling
All right всё в порядке alright
tire шина tyre[8] Table 3
2.3 Grammatical differences between American and British English
There is a difference in the use of verb tenses. So, instead of Present Perfect American can use the Past Simple. Refusing of Perfect Tenses in the spoken language has become so commonplace that it is time to introduce grammar phrase: «Did you go see« Redhead »with Arnold?» It seems to many Americans perfectly natural and correct, but situationally by all standards, including those described in U.S. grammars it needs Perfect: «Have you seen ...?» Or, at least in spoken form: «Seen« Redheat »yet?» Usually, the main contribution to the neglect of the times of Perfect attributed to immigrants from those countries in which there are no perfect language times mentioned, and Russian. However, any English-speaking Americans, will use Perfect, if the other choice makes a statement ambiguous or unclear. Past participle of the verb got sounds like gotten.
Also spoken in American English language there is a tendency of the English verb to do, as a form of gradual replacement of a third party <does> form first and second person do. This applies to the negative form of the verb. This tendency manifests itself in the British version of the language, as an example, a line from a song by the group «The Beatles» - «She's got a ticket to ride, and she don't care», that is not actually American. However, the literary norm is still the use of the verb in the third person does.
Many of the irregular verbs (for example, to burn, to spoil) in the American version of the language are correct.
The different articles are used. For example, «to / in THE hospital» in the American version, while in the UK «to / in hospital» without the article. Often in the same terms, instead of just one excuse used by another, for example, «on the weekend / on weekend» instead of «at the weekend / at weekend» in the British version; «on a street» instead of «in a street». Many expressions in the American version of the language are changing. For example, an American will say «take a shower / a bath» instead of «have a shower / a bath». Instead of «needn't» uses a sophisticated form of «don't need to». Adjectives slow and real are used as adverbs: He likes to drive slow (instead of slowly). She's real nice ( instead of really).
SAE GrammarSBE GrammarFinnair has a flight to London today. Finnair have a flight to London today. (large collective nouns)
England has played well today, even if it lost. England have played well today, even if they lost.
The Government is acting like itself again. The Government are acting like themselves again.
Have you gotten your grade in history yet? Have you got your grade in history yet?
He was in a course. How many were in the course? He went on a course. How many were on the course?
We lived on Main Street. We lived in the High Street.
He's in the hospital with a broken leg. He's in hospital with a broken leg.
I have a car. I got a car. (different implications) I have got a car.
One was different from/than the other. One was different from/to the other
Monday through/to FridayMonday to Fridayon the weekendat the weekendThe verbs burn, dream, lean, learn, smell, spill, spelland spoil are regular The verbs burn, dream, lean, learn, smell, spill, spelland spoil are irregular (burnt, etc)
The verbs quit, fit and wet are irregular (quit - quit - quit; fit-fit - fit; wet - wet - wet) The verbs quit, fit and wet are regular
I'm not hungry. I just had lunch. I'm not hungry. I've just had lunch.
I didn't tell him about my new job yet. I haven't told him about my new job yet. [8] Table 4
Thus, we see that American speech is very fast and not always easy to understand American English is a very lively and flexible language. Therefore, you must continually monitor its development.
Despite the fact that American English is not significantly different from British English for successful communication you should be necessarily aware of the differences in vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation, intonation, word stress and grammar.
Residents of both the U.S. and the UK, and several other countries understand each other easily because there are many regional variants of English. The only difference is that the American language is designed for communication between people, and this makes it much easier and faster from the point of view of understanding and tempo.
Moreover, as mentioned above, today the U.S. is a developed country. American English has become the leading language in the world. It is becoming more common, as it has a simple grammar, vocabulary and phonetics. Consequently, American English is an independent language.
Conclusion
Thus, differences between the American and British English are quite noticeable. However, the opinion of the significant differences between the American and British English - is just a myth. In fact, there are not so many of them. It is difficult to understand sometimes if this or that book is written by an American or British writer. "... The individual features of vocabulary in the speech of the inhabitants of the various British Dominions are not so large as to be considered to be the specific dialects of a particular area: their grammar and basic vocabulary are completely consistent with the same basic components of English the national language in metropolis "[8]. Nevertheless, the differences between these two versions of language are becoming more and more evident. Hence, the teachers have a question: what language we teach students - British or American? According to the director of the Russian representation of the British School of Language Link Dzhenski Robert, now we can talk about the emergence and consolidation of a universal average in English, incorporating the features of different languages. This - and not American, not British, and no other - option is the "international language". It is, of course, easier to understand. First, it is neutral in color, and secondly, foreigners speak in English more slowly pronounce sounds in isolation, but the words are clear. In addition, it is more convenient: no need to strain, trying to get closer to "pure British" or "purely American" accent. According to many linguists and teachers of Russian, the "correct" language is the British version, more precisely, that part which is called the "accepted standard" (RP). The correct basic English needed, by the way, in order to understand the other language variants, dialects and peculiarities. And it is easier to master them. According to Professor of the Moscow Linguistic Centre, Natalia Kuznetsova, a man with good classical English will never be lost, and, if necessary, will be able to regroup easy enough, get used to a different language versions. According to Natalia Kuznetsova, you should start with the UK version because it is the most complete and rich language. American grammar in comparison with the British one is considerably simplified. American English could be called "casual" language. The British version is more particular, more rigorous. There exists a huge set of intonation patterns, unlike the U.S. where there is almost the same: flat and descending scale of tone. This model determines the intonation and the whole structure of American sound. In British English there are a lot of scales: top-down and bottom-up, step and slide. The same goes for colors. Sometimes the accent gives no utterance of sound, and temporal characteristics: it is necessary to make a sound slower and you will recognize the foreigner. The Americans, by the way, with reverence, refer to British English. Americans call British English <refined>- they have never had this language and as well there was not naturally what is called the "British tradition and culture." All this, of course, speaks in favor of the British version to be studied at school. But the teachers, of course, need to explain to students the basic vocabulary and grammatical differences between the two versions of languages ​​- such work should be one of the keys in the study of linguistic cultural material. And the British English should be the main.
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8. http://www.english.language.ru/curious/curious2.html9. http://www.tlemb.ru/articles/br_vs_am
10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD1URkqv0n4&feature=relmfu11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6ekn8h6jzE