Just now, I have finished my translation homework and I've discovered an useful website for us to know more words, which have different appearances of American or British style.
I have picked out some examples which I often use. Let see what kind of English are you using :)
單字：ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE; NOWHERE, NOPLACE; SOMEWHERE, SOMEPLACE
例句：
(英) He had no where to go.(美) There's noplace left to hide.
(英) Let's go somewhere else. (美) We must look for someplace to live.
解釋：
(英) anywhere：任何地方；nowhere：無處，沒有什麼地方；somewhere：某處，某個地方。
(美) anyplace： 任何地方；noplace：無處，沒有什麼地方；someplace：某處，某個地方。
單字： ARM, STEM
解釋：
(英) arm：眼鏡臂 (眼鏡戴上時貼近太陽穴的兩臂)。
(美) stem：眼鏡臂。
--> 眼鏡其他組件的名稱如下：
lens (鏡片)；frame (鏡架，鏡框)；bridge (鏡架鼻梁)；hinge (鉸鏈)；earpiece (眼鏡腳 -- 眼鏡戴上時貼在雙耳的兩支腳)
單字：
AT THE WEEKEND, ON THE WEEKEND
解釋：
(英) at the weekend：週末 (期間)。
(美) on the weekend：週末 (期間)。
單字：
AUBERGINE, EGGPLANT
解釋：
(英) aubergine：茄子。
(美) eggplant：茄子。
單字：
BANK HOLIDAY, NATIONAL HOLIDAY
解釋：
(英) bank holiday：國定假日。
(美) national holiday：國定假日。
單字：
BANKNOTE, BILL
解釋：
(英) banknote (= note, paper money)：紙幣；紙鈔；鈔票。
(美) bill (= note, paper money)：紙幣；紙鈔；鈔票。
單字：
BISCUIT, COOKIE
解釋：
(英) biscuit：餅乾。
(美) cookie：餅乾。
單字：
CANDYFLOSS, COTTON CANDY
例句：
(英) The most popular color of candyfloss is
pink, though any color can be made.
(美) Eating cotton candy is often considered only one part of its allure;
the second part is the act of watching it being produced in a machine.
解釋：
(英) candyfloss or candy floss：棉花糖。
(美) cotton candy：棉花糖。
澳洲的棉花糖叫做 fairy floss。
--> 注意：別把 candyfloss 或 cotton candy 跟 marshmallow 搞混了，後者意為「棉花軟糖」。雖然有些字典以及電視影集和電影字幕將 marshmallow 譯成「棉花糖」，但這是不妥的，容易造成混淆；我們可以在賣場買到整包的棉花軟糖，但卻買不到棉花糖，因為棉花糖只有在夜市、路邊攤、展覽會或一些活動的場地才買得到，通常是攤販當場用棉花糖機 (cotton candy machine) 做成的。
單字：
CAR PARK/PARKING PLACE, PARKING LOT/PARKING GARAGE
例句：
(英) There is a big car park/parking place
behind the cinema.
(美) There is a big parking lot/parking garage behind the movie theater.
解釋：
(英) car park/parking place：停車場。
(美) parking lot/parking garage：停車場。
單字：
CASH DISPENSER/CASHPOINT, ATM (AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE)
例句：
(英) You can withdraw money at the cash
dispenser/cashpoint with a bank card.
(美) You can withdraw money at the ATM with a bank card.
解釋：
(英) cash dispenser/cashpoint：櫃員機；自動提款機。
(美) ATM (automated teller machine)：櫃員機；自動提款機。
From just a few examples mentioned above, I could already find out that I always mix up two style of English in my daily usage. If you are interested, try to click into the website and look out more! :)
It is funny that we usually mix with both British English and American English in our daily conversation. As you have mentioned, Hong Kong was once a British colony. We are taught with British English at school. However, as the American culture dominates in the world, we often get to know the American English through the media. This makes us easily confuse with the two kinds of English.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think it is ok for us to use both languages in our daily conversation as long as it will not hinder the understanding of the others. However, when we do our academic writing, I think it is better to use one kind of English only. This makes our passage more coherent.
By Kourtney