導(dǎo)語：在19至20世紀(jì)的，英國(guó)和美國(guó)在文化、經(jīng)濟(jì)、軍事、政治和科學(xué)在世界上的領(lǐng)先地位使得英語成為一種國(guó)際語言。如今，許多國(guó)際場(chǎng)合都使用英語做為溝通媒介。英語也是與電腦聯(lián)系最密切的語言，大多數(shù)編程語言都與英語有聯(lián)系，而且隨著網(wǎng)絡(luò)的使用，使英文的使用更普及。英語是聯(lián)合國(guó)的工作語言之一。 一些人認(rèn)為低地蘇格蘭語是與英語最接近的一個(gè)獨(dú)立語言，而一些人則認(rèn)為它是英語的一個(gè)方言。與古英語最接近的是古弗里西語，這種語言現(xiàn)在仍然德國(guó)北部和荷蘭的弗里斯蘭省使用。蘇格蘭語、低地撒克遜語、丹麥語、德語、荷蘭語、南非荷蘭語和英語也很接近。擁有丹麥血統(tǒng)的法國(guó)的諾曼人于11世紀(jì)征服英格蘭王國(guó)，帶來數(shù)萬法語詞匯和拉丁語詞匯，很大程度地豐富了英語詞匯外，相對(duì)也驅(qū)使不少原生的日耳曼語匯作廢。
大西洋英語趣事
大西洋彼岸的女兒打來電話：“老漢你學(xué)英語嘛，今后到美國(guó)來看孫孫也好跟人交流和相處融洽。”女兒熱情的邀請(qǐng)，我想：除了探親，美國(guó)是什么個(gè)天堂，還真想去看一看。電話里輕柔和潤(rùn)的聲音又講：“我們這里來了一對(duì)韓國(guó)夫妻會(huì)講英語，大家相處很方便，很快就融入了那里的生活圈。”女兒那片誠(chéng)心，真的激起我學(xué)習(xí)的熱情。如今時(shí)代，中國(guó)已經(jīng)成為世界更大經(jīng)濟(jì)體，交流往來日漸頻繁;地球村越來越來小了，交流的需要，英語成了溝通的主要語種;現(xiàn)在，中央電視臺(tái)電視劇也打出了雙語字幕。
可是，這次學(xué)習(xí)是我人生中艱難宭相的過程，但是，又有許多生活趣事。
群山老年大學(xué)春秋開學(xué)之后，我和女友玲玲中途插班，我們帶著一片陌生和好奇坐在明亮的教室，溜眼那些陌生的同學(xué)，同學(xué)們老態(tài)的臉和那花花綠綠的格式衣裳，流露出了富足，矜持和成熟�，F(xiàn)在的中國(guó)人沒有海外鍍金的傲氣和張揚(yáng)，反而多了些許謙遜和收殮;反之的人，多了理解和平和。她們個(gè)個(gè)認(rèn)真虔誠(chéng)地學(xué)習(xí)的表情，使人欽佩和尊重，仿佛要把失去的東西拿回來。激情使我慢慢地愛上了英語。我就喜歡哪些名叫元音和輔音的豆芽腳腳，在那些陌生晃忽的字母里好像有一個(gè)大世界。玲玲曾經(jīng)學(xué)過，很快就進(jìn)角色。而我就像一張白紙，茫然不知所措。英語分語音班和語法班，班上有兩個(gè)男士，其余30多個(gè)都是女人們。老師要求我們?cè)谛＞陀糜⒄Z對(duì)話。一段時(shí)間后，喜歡詼諧和玩笑的我，進(jìn)教室就像女朋友招手打招呼：goodmorning(早晨好!)而我就取英語拼讀的中文同音字(估到摸你)，見到女朋友就叫：darling(愛人)用同音中文：“打你”開玩笑。認(rèn)識(shí)和不認(rèn)識(shí)的的同學(xué)們都嫣然一笑。
Impolite to His Brother
“Why were you so rude to your brother?” Gladys asked. “He drove all the way over here to deliver that package to you. But you didn’t invite him inside your apartment. You didn’t offer him anything to drink or eat. Then, when he was talking to me, you kept telling him to speak faster. He was speaking slowly because he knows my English isn’t that good—he was just being polite. Finally, when he and I sat down in the living room, you just went to your computer and started typing away.”
William tried to explain to Gladys that what she saw between him and his brother was their normal interaction. Roland was simply delivering a package; there was nothing for the two of them to chat about. Further, Roland felt that William's apartment had an odor; he usually didn’t even come inside the apartment when he visited. In addition, Roland was very picky about what he drank and ate—he wasn’t interested in eating William’s “junk food.”
Finally, William argued, he had told Roland many times not to “talk down” to Gladys. “He talks to you like you’re a two-year-old,” William said.
She said she didn’t mind; Roland was just trying to communicate. She just wished that William would be more polite to him. “When my sister visits me,” she said, “I hug her, I invite her inside, we eat and drink and talk, and we just have a good time with each other.”
Well, William told her, he and his brother were different. “No,” she corrected him, “maybe you and I are different.”