现代英语词汇学概论最强版复习资料chapter11.docx

Chapter 11 American English n 11.1 Growth of American English n 11.2 Characteristics of American English n 11.3 Differences between British and American English 11.1 Growth of American EnglishA. Before Independence (before 1783)(1) Spelling eg. cleare clear dutei duty goodnesgoodness (2) Pronunciation eg. tea /te:/ (3) Grammar (4) Vocabulary *the greatest difference B. From independence to the early 19th century 1) The common strife of braving the hardships of life ,fighting against British tariffs and ultimately political control led to the emergence a sense of nationally .2) In 1816，A Vocabulary ,or Collection of Words and Phrases, which have been supposed to be peculiar to be the USA, was published.3) Thus it might be near the truth to say that American English had taken root and begun to influence British English by the early 19th century .C. From the early 19th century to the present time 1) The US played an important role in World War I, and had become one of the leading powers on the eve of the World War II.2) Scientific and technical inventions ,improved means of production and transportation ,new institution and new life all needed new expressions.3) Since the World War II, the US has become literally the leader of the western world and one of the superpowers contending for world hegemony.4) Thus in a little than four hundred years American English has developed under its peculiar historical ,political ,economic and social condition to its present position .D. The impact of American English on British English w Two factors have strengthened this tendency :1) The two varieties of English are basically the same in phonetic and morphemic structure .2) American movies ,popular songs ,newspapers, magazines, novels ,and radio and television programs are so popular in England that they serve as effective media though which the British people accept American expressions almost unconsciously.11.2 Characteristics of American EnglishA. Creativeness in enriching the language 丰富的语言创造性1) Facing the urgent requirement of naming new things and expressing new concepts ,the early settlers formed great numbers of expressive compounds .eg. jimson-weed (Jamestown weed ) （美）蔓陀罗（茄科） skyscraper摩天楼 bell-hop旅馆侍者，旅馆服务员（等于bellboy）2) Another handy way frequently used by American to form words is conversion ,esp. from noun to verb .eg. to lumber (to cut lumber ) 采伐to holiday (to spend holiday )3) Some affixes are preferred by Americans and used rather freely .eg. super super-films ,super-perfect ,super-star dedehire ,deescalate ,debug -teria cafeteria ,sodateria -nikprotestnik ,popnik4) American readiness for making neologisms also finds expression in blends and back-formation .eg. blend :Amerind-American Indian trainasium training gymnasium back-formation :commute ,enthuse ,emote 5) Clippings and acronyms eg. clipping :deli delicatessen narc narcotic agent acronym :NASA6) New meanings for existing words eg. suckerdupe squeeze boy or girl friend to fire dismiss 7) Phrases originating in Americaeg. in the doghouse be temporarily unpopular B. Conservativeness or retention of archaic features 对古英语的保留C. Heterogeneity1) American Indian 2) French 3) Spanish 4) Dutch5) German 6) Italian 7) African elements8) Yiddish犹太意第绪语 现代英语词汇学概论最强版复习资料chapter11D. Relative uniformity in speech E. Popularity of slang F. Use of big words eg. gobbledygook talk or writing that is pompous ,wordy官样文章braggadocio vain ,noisy ,boasting自夸，吹牛；吹牛大王G. Verbose and plain style in writing 11.3 Differences between British and American English A. Differences in pronunciation *different phonemes may be used in the same word ,this found only with individual words . Word British American ate /et/eit/schedule / edju:l/skedjul/vase