STANDARD ENGLISH AND DIALECTS
What is standard English? Is it spoken in Britain, the US, Canada, Australia, India and New Zealand? Believe it or not, there is no such thing as standard English.Many people believe the English spoken on TV and the radio is① standard English.This is because in the early days of radio, those who reported the news② were expected to speak excellent English.However, on TV and the radio you will hear differences in the way people speak③.
标准英语和方言
什么是标准英语？是在英国、美国、加拿大、澳大利亚、印度和新西兰所说的英语吗？信不信由你，(世界上)没有什么标准英语。许多人认为，电视和收音机里所说的就是标准英语。这是因为在早期的电台节目里，人们期望新闻播音员所说的英语是最好的英语。然而，在电视和收音机里，你也会听出人们在说话时的差异。
[助读讲解] ①过去分词短语spoken on TV and the radio作后置定语，修饰the English。②who 引导定语从句，修饰先行词those。③people speak 为定语从句，修饰the way，省略了作状语的引导词that或者in which。
When people use words and expressions(词语；表示) different from the “standard language”④， it is called a dialect.American English has many dialects, especially the midwestern(中西部的), southern, African(非洲的；非洲人的) American and Spanish(西班牙的) dialects.Even in some parts of the USA, two people from neighbouring⑤ towns speak a little differently.American English has so many dialects because people have come from all over the world.
当人们使用不同于“标准语言”的单词和表达方式时，那种语言就被称为方言。 美国英语有许多方言，特别是中西部和南部地区的方言，以及黑人和西班牙人的方言。甚至在美国有些地区，即使是相邻城镇的两个人所说的语言都可能稍有不同。美国英语之所以有这么多的方言是因为美国人来自世界各地的缘故。
[助读讲解] ④形容词短语different from the“standard language”作后置定语修饰words and expressions。⑤neighbouring adj.附近的(只作前置定语)。
Geography also plays a part in making dialects.Some people who live in the mountains of the eastern(东方的；东部的) USA⑥ speak with an older kind of English dialect.When Americans moved from one place to another, they took their dialects with them.So people from the mountains in the southeastern(东南方的；来自东南的) USA speak with almost the same dialect as⑦ people in the northwestern(西北方的) USA.The USA is a large country in which many different dialects are spoken⑧ ．Although many Americans move a lot, they still recognize(辨认出；承认) and understand each other's dialects.
地理位置对方言的产生也有影响。住在美国东部山区的一些人说着比较古老的英语方言。当美国人从一个地方搬到另一个地方时，他们也就把他们的方言随着带去了。 因此，美国东南部山区的人同美国西北部的人所说的方言就几乎相同。美国是一个使用多种方言的大国。虽然许多美国人经常搬迁，但是他们仍然能够辨别、理解彼此的方言。
