(
课件网) British and American English We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except of course, language. --Oscar Wilde, 19th century writer With a century British and American English speakers will not be able to understand each other. --Henry Sweet, 19th century linguist America and England are two countries divided by a common language. --George Bernard Shaw, 20th century writer It doesn’t make much of a difference whether a teacher speaks British or American English. --Dave Sperling, founder of Dave’s ESL Cafe pronunciation Hi there Mum, Everything’s going well. Lessons start tomorrow for students on the exchange programmes. I’ve already decided to join the theatre group. First practice is on Thursday. Good news— I’ve realized I understand what people say, so the accent isn’t going to be a problem. You can write to me at the school address or use my usual email address. Callum Hi Mom, There was a party for exchange program students yesterday. They had it in the school theater. It was great fun. Everyone was friendly. The only problem was I didn’t realize the local accent would be so different, but I guess I’ll learn with practice. Write me or email when you have a moment. Samantha British English American English Hi there Mum Hi Mom programme program theatre theater realise realize write to me write me The second writer is American. Some of the reasons we know are: 4 ways in which British and American English are different. vocabulary grammar spelling pronunciation the Differences in Vocabulary (Part 1) British American cars motorway petrol underground taxi automobiles freeway gas subway cab British American torch queue up chips(薯片) crisps(薯条) More examples (Part 2) flashlight stand in line French fries chips the Differences in Grammar (Part 3) British English American English Have you got… My friend just arrived. in the team/ at the weekend Write me soon! Do you have… My friend has just arrived on the team/ weekend Write to me soon! the Differences in Spelling and Pronunciation (Part 4) British English American English spelling pronunciation centre colour programme center color program Accent on the east coast London accent Glasgow accent Periods Themes(主题) In the 20th century The two varieties of English have been influencing each other by non-stop communication. Read part 5 and finish the form. At present Different people, such as newsreaders and _____, speak English with different _____. In the future There are going to be many “Englishes”. accents weather forecasters Read the text carefully and try to answer the questions. 1. There are ____ differences between American and British varieties of English. A. no B. a few C. lots of Complete the sentences with the correct words or phrases. 2. Americans ____ understand what the British are saying. A. sometimes B. usually C. never 3. There are ___ differences between British and American grammar. A. no ... ...
