Differences between American and British English in lexicology.doc

Differences between American and British English in lexicologyAbstract: At the time of globalization, English as a universal language is very important for peoples daily life. No mater you are a citizen or you are a government officer, you still need to use English to communicate with other countrys people. Although American English and British English are English, they still have something in different. This article will introduce the difference between British English and American English in lexicology.Key Words: British English; American Englishin the 21st Century, with the development of development of the high-technology, world is getting smaller and smaller. It becomes the earth village. People of all colors, all kinds and all language live in this huge village. English gradually becomes the main language of this big family. There are two biggest and the most important languages be created which are American English and British English. US is the overlord of this world going with its stronger, and American English is getting more popular. And American English is already accepted by British people. Therefore, they also begin to learn and use this simplification language. American English is almost the same as British English, but they still have some differences. This situation just like our country, we have many different localisms, which are really difficult to communicate with each other. The same thing occurs between British English and American English.1. Vocabulary:1.1: The Same Words with Different Meaning:1.1.1 Complete Homonyms: Some words appear in both of American and British English, but the meanings of them in American English are totally different with them in British English. For example, public school in British English means a private for-fee secondary school, while it means a school supported by public funds in American English.1.1.2 Two-way Local Homonyms:Some words appear in both of American and British English, and part of their meanings are same in American and British English , while another are different. For example, ship is a common word in English. It means a large boat that carries people or goods by sea. Besides, In British English it also means convey by sea, while it means convey by any transportation: marine, railway, motor, vehicle, etc. in American English. So Englishmen will feel it is so funny when they hear this sentence: To ship a carload of fruit constantly one needs to have 1000 to 1200 trees of each variety in full bearing. It is not hard to see that if there is no contest, this kind of words easily make ambiguity.1.1.3 One-way Local Homonyms:Some words appear in both of American and British English, but them has some additional meaning in American English or British English. Mencken who is linguist is very interested in this phenomenon. He made a large survey research and collected a mass of first-hand data. In his book American Language, he pointed out that Englishmen all know the word senior, but they have no idea about that it means a student in the last year at a college.1.2 Different Words with The Same Meaning:Americans and Englishmen use different words to explain the same things. This kind of words comes down to all aspects of peoples daily life and social activities, such as clothes, food, house, traffic, business, education, politics and so on. Following are some common examples:【BrE】 【ArE】ring callflat apartmentnote billtin canbill checkseaside beachluggage baggage autumn fall2. Spelling:No matter American English or British English are changing in all ages. And the changes of spelling are so big.2.1 ter and tre:【ArE】: Theater, center, meter【BrE】: Theatre, centre, metre2.2 -or and our:【ArE】: labor, honor, color【BrE】: labour, honour, colour2.3 -og and ogue:【ArE】: catalog, dialog, analog【BrE】: catalogue, dialogue, analogue2.4 Else:【ArE】 【BrE】analyze analysecheck chequedefense defenceinstal installprogram programmetire tyrejail goalspecialty speciality3. Sound:The difference in sound of British and American English is just as English linguist P. Stevens says in his boolk British and American English(1972):The differences of sound comparing to the differences of grammar are more regular.3.1 The Words Begin with wh: w and hw【BrE】 【ArE】While wail hwailWhite wait hwaitWhere w hw3.2 r ：in British English r is only pronounced before vowel, While it is all pronounced in American English.【BrE】 【ArE】more         m:    mrletter     ´let       ´letrflower    flau       flaur3.3 -u and u： ju: and u:【BrE】 【ArE】reduce ri´dju:s ri´du:sdue dju: du:tube tju:b tu:b3.4 a：a: and a【BrE】 【ArE】laugh la:f lafhalf ha:f haf3.5 o: and a【BrE】 【ArE】not nt nat top tp tap Conclusion：Although in vocabulary, spelling and sounds there are many differences of American and British English, Americans and Englishmen can understand each other basically. Because these differences are regular. And people can learn and use.Bibliography:1李赋宁，英语史，北京：商务印书馆，2004。2孟宪友，英国英语和美国英语的词汇差异现象，广东农工商职业技术学院学报，2003，第1期。3David S. Jackson，流行美语，上海：上海世界图书出版公司，2004