英语词汇学论文

2010年—2011学年第一学期英语词汇学期末论文DifferencesbetweenAmericanEnglishandBritishEnglish08级本科一班152DifferencesbetweenBritishEnglishandAmericanEnglishAbstract:Iwanttoexplainthedifferencesinthefollowingaspects:pronunciation,spelling,meaning,vocabularyandusage.Iwillcomparethesetwolanguagesintheoryandusesomeexamples.Ithinkwecanlearnmorethroughthiskindofresearch.Keywords:differences,AmericanEnglish,BritishEnglish,pronunciation,spelling,meaning,use.Englishisoneofthemostimportantlanguagesintheworld.Itisimportantbecauseofitsworldwideuse.LargenumbersofpeopleintheworldspeakandwriteEnglishasaforeignlanguageforthepurposeofscience,technology,andinternationalcommunication.ItisapparentlythatEnglishisthemoststudiedandusedlanguageintheworld.Englishisunmistakablyonelanguagebutcanbegroupedintotwomajorvarieties,BritishandAmericanEnglishwhichhavetheirowncharacter.GrammaticaldifferencesbetweenBritishEnglishandAmericanEnglisharefew.WhatIwanttoexplaininmythesisismainlyaboutlexical.Iwanttoexplainthedifferencesinthefollowingaspects:pronunciation,spelling,meaning,vocabularyandusage.Iwillcomparethesetwolanguagesintheoryandusesomeexamples.Ithinkwecanlearnmorethroughthiskindofresearch.ⅠDifferencesinPronunciation：⒈differencesinindividualsounds：⑴Americansretaintherattheendofthewordscar,etc.,orbeforeconsonantsasinhard,etc.;inBritishEnglishtherisnotpronounced,asinteacher[＇ti:tʃə].BrEstar[sta:]car[ka:]AmEstar[stʌr]car[stʌr]⑵Intermsoftheconsonant,themostobvioussystematicdifferenceisthepronunciationof/r/behindvowelsinAmericanEnglish.Butthispronunciation3donotexistinBritishEnglish.Herearesomeexamples:AmEBrEdoor/dɔ:r//dɔ:/father/`fa:ðər//`fa:ðə/pleasure/`pleʒər//`pleʒə/⑶Theotherimportantsystematicisthepronunciationof/t/betweentwovowels.Itpronouncedas/t/inBritishEnglishbutpronouncedas/d/inAmericanEnglish.e.g.:butterbettermatterfatter⑷Americansprefertouseflatasimilarto/æ/,inwordspath,grass,answer,etc.againstthebroadacurrentlyusedbyEnglishmen.⑸Thethirdobvioussystematicdifferenceisrelatedto/l/.Thereisdifferencebetweenclear/l/anddark/l/inBritishEnglishbutnotinAmericanEnglish.Americanspronounceditasdark/l/anytime.e.g.:calm/ka:lm//ka:m/⑹Theletterainconsonantcombinationsat,ask,ass,ath,alfandanceispronouncedas/a:/inBritishEnglish,whereasaispronouncedas/æ/inAmericanEnglish.e.g.:after/a:ftə//æftə/half/ha:f//hæf/⑺/ʌ/inBritishEnglishispronouncedas/ə/inAmericanEnglish.e.g.:cup/kʌp//kəp/⑻DiphthongsinBritishEnglisharereplacedbylongvowelsinAmericanEnglish./ei/by/e//əu/by/ɔ//εə/by/e//iə/by/i/⑼/ju:/inBritishEnglishpronouncedas/u:/afteradentalinAmericanEnglish.duke/du:k//dju:k/4news/nu:z//nju:z/⒉differencesinstressThereisobviouschangeonstressinBritishEnglishandAmericanEnglish.BritishEnglishtendstostressstronglyonesyllable,usuallythefirstandhurryovertherestoftheword.AmericanEnglishtendstoputthestressonthefirstsyllablebutalsotoputasecondarystressonthelattersyllableandpronouncestheremainingsyllablesmoredistinctly.⑴LoanwordsfromFrenchinAmericanEnglishusuallyputthestressonthelastsyllableandthisisabsolutelydifferentfromBritishEnglish.e.g.:attaché/ætə`ʃei//ə`tæʃei/ballet/bæ`lei//`bælei/⑵WordsendedupwithateinAmericanEnglishalwaysputthestressonthefirstsyllable,butitwasputonthelastsyllableinBritishEnglish.Examples:likedonatemigratevacate⑶Mostwordsendedupwith–ary,-ery,-oryputthestressonthefirstsyllable,inAmericanEnglish,asecondarystresswillbeputonthepenultimatesyllable.ButinBritishEnglishthepenultimatevowelusuallybelightenedoromitted.Inaword,therearealotofchangesonstressinBritishEnglishandAmericanEnglish.ComparedwithAmericanEnglish,changesonstressesinBritishEnglishismorecomplex.NowAmericanpronunciationofthestressinpopularwiththeEnglishpeopletoo,especiallyamongtheyounggeneration.Ⅱ.DifferencesinspellingMostvocabulary’sspellinginthetwolanguagesarethesame,buttherearefewwords’spellinghaveobviousdifferences.SomeofthedifferencesaretheresultofthedevelopmentofAmericanEnglish,especiallyinthe19thcenturywhenDoctorWebsterputtheAmericancharactersintoBritishEnglishspelling.TheotherpartreflectedthedifferentchoicesofBritishEnglishandAmericanEnglishonthespellingofoldEnglish.Anyway,thereareregularityinthedifferentspellingofAmericanEnglishandBritishEnglish.5Inaword,AmericanspellingdiffersinsmallsidesfromrhatcustomaryinEnglish.⑴AmericanspellingalwaysmoreadjustedtothespellingregularityandpronunciationthanBritishEnglish.ThemosttypicalexampleinAmericanEnglishinuse–oror–erinsteadof–ouror-re.e.g.:colorcolourcentercentrehumorhunourkilometerkilometre⑵Americanspellingalwaysavoidtherepetitionoftheletterofconsonant.Generally,lisnotdoubledinAmericanEnglish.e.g.:canceledcancelingcancelledcancellingmarveledmarvelingmarvelledmarveling⑶Americanspellingalwayssimplifiedsomelettercompoundlike–e-ae–oe-o-oue.g.:estheticaestheticmoldmould⑷Americanspellingalwaysomittheun-pronouncedletters.e.g.:catalogcatalogueaxaxedialogdialoguegood-bygood-byeⅢDifferencesinvocabularyandmeaningDuetothedifferencesinthepopulationstructure,physicalenvironment,socialandeconomicconditions,AmericanEnglishhasdivergedsomewhatfromBritishEnglish.Mostvocabular