VOA慢速英語(yǔ):American English Becoming More Popular in Hong Kong

From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.

這里是美國(guó)之音慢速英語(yǔ)教育報(bào)道。

People in Hong Kong speak a rich mixture of languages. Hong Kong was a British colony for more than 156 years before was returned to Chinese control in 1997. English was the only official language until 1994.

香港人講很多種語(yǔ)言。香港作為英國(guó)殖民地超過(guò)156年，直到1997年回歸中國(guó)。而在1994年以前，英語(yǔ)是唯一的官方語(yǔ)言。

Most people in Hong Kong today speak Cantonese, but Mandarin and other dialects also are heard, and English as the British used is still widely spoken and taught here. Now however, many people are choosing to learn English as it spoken in the United States.

今天大多數(shù)香港人講粵語(yǔ)，但是普通話和其它方言也常能被聽(tīng)到，同時(shí)英式英語(yǔ)在這里仍然被廣泛使用和教授。然而現(xiàn)在許多人選擇學(xué)習(xí)美式英語(yǔ)。

Victor Chan, for example, has children who attend school called Nature EQ on Saturday and Sunday, they are learning to say words the American way. Mr Chan says he wants his sons to learn American English, because he plans to send them to the United States for further study.

例如，維克多·陳(Victor Chan)的孩子周末時(shí)在Nature EQ學(xué)校就讀，他們?cè)趯W(xué)習(xí)美式發(fā)音。陳先生表示，他想要孩子學(xué)習(xí)美式英語(yǔ)，是因?yàn)樗?jì)劃送他們到美國(guó)深造。

Nature EQ is one of a growing number of schools in Hong Kong that offer American English classes. Frankie Ng opened the school 17 years ago, at that time, he had only 40 students. Today, the school has 350 students, it does not have space for any more.

Nature EQ是香港越來(lái)越多提供美式英語(yǔ)課程的學(xué)校之一。弗蘭克·吳(Frankie Ng)在17年前開(kāi)辦了這所學(xué)校，當(dāng)時(shí)他只有40名學(xué)生。如今，這所學(xué)校有350名學(xué)生，學(xué)校已經(jīng)沒(méi)有空間招收更多學(xué)生了。

Mr Ng says American English is clear and defined, he says it is easy to teach and easily understood. That, however, is not the main concern of the children.

吳先生表示，美式英語(yǔ)更清晰明確，他說(shuō)美式英語(yǔ)容易教，也容易懂。然而這不是孩子們最關(guān)心的。

Student Sam Yu has another reason for studying English spoken the American way.

學(xué)生山姆·于(Sam Yu)學(xué)習(xí)美式英語(yǔ)有另一個(gè)原因。

"I think [American English] is getting more and more important, and is maybe taking over the dominance of British English, so I'm willing to learn," said Sam Yu.

于同學(xué)說(shuō)，“我認(rèn)為美式英語(yǔ)變得越來(lái)越重要，也許正在取代英式英語(yǔ)的統(tǒng)治地位，所以我愿意學(xué)。”

Public schools in the former British colony still teach mostly British English. But the number of private language schools teaching American English is growing.

香港公立學(xué)校仍然主要使用英式英語(yǔ)教學(xué)。但使用美式英語(yǔ)教學(xué)的私立語(yǔ)言學(xué)校的數(shù)量正在增長(zhǎng)。

In Hong Kong's Tseung Kwan O district, for example, the "American English Workshop" school had 20 students a week when it opened one year ago. Today, it has more 180 each week.

在香港將軍澳區(qū)，“美式英語(yǔ)工作坊”學(xué)校在一年前開(kāi)張時(shí)每周只有20名學(xué)生，如今該校每周有180多名學(xué)生。

Some observers say American English is becoming the language of international business. Increased contact with American culture, like movies, television programs, computer games and the Internet is spreading American expressions and accents in areas other than business.

一些觀察人士表示，美式英語(yǔ)正逐步成為國(guó)際商業(yè)通用的語(yǔ)言。和美國(guó)文化的不斷接觸，像電影、電視節(jié)目、電腦游戲以及互聯(lián)網(wǎng)，將美國(guó)慣用詞匯和口音傳播到了商業(yè)以外的領(lǐng)域。

Language teachers in Hong Kong say wealthy people who live in mainland China are helping to increase the demand for classes in American English. Mainland Chinese are crossing into Hong Kong because it has more educational choices.

香港的語(yǔ)言教師們表示，中國(guó)大陸的有錢人助長(zhǎng)了美式英語(yǔ)課程的需求。大陸人進(jìn)入香港是因?yàn)檫@里有更多的教育選擇。

But for now, people hearing English in the streets of Hong Kong are mainly hearing traditional British English.

但當(dāng)前而言，人們?cè)谙愀鄣拇蠼稚下?tīng)到的主要還是傳統(tǒng)英式英語(yǔ)。

"We can understand both, but for what we speak, we speak [with] the British accent," said one local woman.

一位當(dāng)?shù)嘏员硎荆?ldquo;兩者我們都能聽(tīng)懂，但我們講的還是英國(guó)腔。”

"The British is better I think," commented a local man.

一位本地男性評(píng)論說(shuō)，“我認(rèn)為英式英語(yǔ)更好。”