9.4

(L=Liang Wei  P=Pam  R=Robert)

L: English is spoken in many areas of the world, for example, the US, the UK,Australia and New Zealand. Therefore, the English language may be used slightly differently from one country to another. English speakers in different areas may also have different speaking habits. Today, we're honoured to have two special guests with us to tell us about this.

P: Hey there! I'm Pam, from the US.

R: Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Robert, from the UK.

L: Nice to meet you, Pam and Robert. Can you tell us the differences between American English and British English?

P: Well, I'm American and Robert is British, so we have different ways of pronouncing words. For example, British people say "water" and "tomato" but Americans say "water"and "tomato"!

L: That's odd! They sound so different!Do they still mean the same thing?

P: They do. Let me think of some other examples for you. Ah, I say "example" and "dancing in the classroom", but Robert says...

R: "Example" and "dancing in the classroom".

L: Ah! How do people understand each other when words are pronounced so differently?

P: The more you listen, the easier it is to catch on.

R: Apart from pronunciation, we use different words for describing the same things. For example, we say "lift" but Americans say "elevator". We say "football" and Americans say "Soccer" !

L: Interesting!

R: Let me tell you a joke. In London,if you ask the local people, "Where is the nearest subway?", you may end up in a fast food restaurant! The American "subway" is called the "underground" in the UK, or the"tube" in London.

L: Wow! I never realised that British and American English were so different!

P: Well, don't worry. Though they are different in one way or another, people have no difficulty in understanding each other. There are other ways to communicate—smiling is a worldwide language!

R: That's right!