Where in the World Did You Learn to Speak English?

A Global Language

If someone told you, "Let's grab a jumper,throw the Esky in the boot, and hit the frog and toad," would you know what they were talking about? You would if you were Australian. The same suggestion in the United States would be, "Let's grab a sweater, throw the cooler in the trunk, and hit the road!"

If you can speak English, you can get by in just about any country in the world. That is what we are told. But oftentimes when you arrive in the foreign land of your choosing, the people there speak an entirely different type of English from what you are used to! You may find youself confused, misunderstand, or --worse yet--laughed at.

Over 370 million people the world speak English as a native language and even more speak it as a second language. Not surprisingly, numerous English dialects have developed.These variations have been heavily influenced by the other language spoken in each region, by geographic isolation, and by modern technology and lifestyles. And when it comes to English slang and colloquialism in a particular place, you had better consult a dictionary to avoid embarrassment.


The Queen's English

After settling in North America, British colonists' English began to change.
Many of the changes can be attributed to Noah Webster, who wrote a dictionary with spellings based on the simplest possible pronunciation of words and his own personal choices.Centre became center, color became backyard. American English also differs in its syntax, or the way sentences are put together. Speakers of British English would say that were going away "at the weekend," while Americans would say they were going away"on the weekend."

Modern invention and innovations also played their part in shaping American English, as popular brand names such as"Kleenex," "Band-Aid," and "Frisbee" have become part of the vocabulary.

Adapted froms of British English are spoken outside the UK in most countries that were part of the British Empire, such as Australia and New Zealand, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, and the Caribbean. Canadian English is usually British in its spelling, but many of the pronunciations and usuages are strongly influenced by French and by Canada's American neighbors to the south.

All of these variations in English may be intimidating, but remember: a friendly smile is part of the universal language.


vocabulary:

1.jumper 2.toad 3. dialects 4. geographic 5. slang 6.colloquialism 7.colonist 8. syntax


my thinking:
English is an important language all around of the world. We should use it to communicate with foreigners. Maybe, I should not feel scared; instead, We must speak English bravely because of going forward to the international stage. We aren't only to stay Taiwan. Therefore, we must strengthen our English because it is like our bridge to connect to the foreginers. Although, some country which use English differ from some country, I think it is ok.
It makes no difference to care about the English details. It's for us enough to communicate with people who understand. Most of important thing is we must let our English get better.