美式英语与英式英语到底有什么区别？

张明明

While there are certainly many more varieties of English，American English and British English are the two  varieties  that  are  taught  in  most  ESL/EFL  pro-grams. Generally，it is agreed that no one version is “correct”， but there  are  certainly preferences in use. The  three  major  differences  between American  and British English are：

英语种类有很多，但美式英语和英式英语是在大多数ESL/EFL课程中教授的两个种类。一般来说，大家都认为没有一个版本是“绝对正确的”，但在使用中肯定有一些偏好。美式英语和英式英语的三个主要区别是：

Pronunciation —  differences  in  both  vowel  and consonants，as well as stress and intonation

发音——元音和辅音的差异，以及重音和语调

Vocabulary — differences in nouns and verbs，es- pecially phrasal verb usage and the names of specific tools or items

词汇——名词和动词的区别，特别是短语动词的用法和特定工具或项目的名称

Spelling — differences are generally found in cer- tain prefix and suffix forms

拼写——在某些前缀和后缀形式中通常会发现差异The most important rule of thumb is to try to be consistent in your usage. If you decide that you want to use American English，then be consistent in your spell- ing （i.e.“The color of the orange is also its flavour”— color is American  spelling and flavour is British）. Of course，this is not always easy or possible. The follow- ing guide is meant to point out the principal differences between these two varieties of English.

最重要的經验法则是在使用中保持一致。如果你决定使用美式英语，那么你的拼写要一致（即“橙子的颜色也是它的味道”——color是美式拼写，flavour却是英式）。当然，这并不总是容易或可能的。下面的指南旨在指出这两种英语的主要区别。

※Minor Grammar Differences

语法上的细小差异

There are very few grammar differences between American and British English. Certainly，the words we choose might be different at times. However，generally speaking，we follow the same grammar rules. With that said，there are a few differences.

美式英语和英式英语几乎没有语法差异。当然，我们选择的词有时可能会有所不同。但是，一般来说，我们遵循相同的语法规则。尽管如此，还是有一些不同之处。

Use of the Present Perfect

现在完成时的用法

In British English，the present perfect is used to express an action that has occurred in the recent past thathas an effect on the present moment. For example：

在英式英语中，现在完成时是用来表达最近发生的、对现在产生影响的动作。例如：

I’ve lost my key. Can you help me look for it？

我的钥匙丢了。你能帮我找一下吗？

In American English，the following is also possible：

在美式英语中，也可能出现以下情况：

I lost my key. Can you help me look for it？

我把钥匙丢了。你能帮我找一下吗？

In British English，the above would be consideredincorrect. However，both forms are generally acceptedin standard American English. Other differences involving the use of the present perfect in British English andsimple past in American English include already，justand yet.

在英国英语中，上述内容被认为是错误的。然而，这两种形式都是标准美式英语。在英式英语中使用现在完成时和在美国英语中使用简单过去时的其他差异包括“已经”、“刚刚”和“尚未”。

British English：

英式英语

I’ve just had lunch.

我刚吃过午饭。 I’ve already seen that film.

我已经看过那部电影了。

Have you finished your homework yet？

你做完作业了吗？

American English：

美式英语：