Variations in British Accents
不同的英语口音
Language changes over time as people try to express themselves in different ways to different people.
当人们尝试用不同方式跟不同人交流时,语言久而久之就会发生变化。
And English, although broadly the same language, is spoken in lots of different ways by lots of different people.
尽管大体上人们说的都是英语,但由于说英语的人群所处地域各异,说的方式也不尽相同,所以存在各种口音也就不奇怪了,
Normally this is because people live far apart.
正所谓十里不同音。
However, even in Britain, a relatively small place, there are huge variations in the way people speak English.
即使在英国这一疆土相对较小的国家,仍然存在多种口音。
And that is not to forget the large numbers of people who speak other languages as their first language.
而且不要忘记很多人将其他语言作为他们的第一语言。
Written English is much more fixed, and changes much less quickly than spoken English.
书面英语更加固定,变化相对英语口语较少。
People across Britain speak English using not only different accents, but different expressions.
英国讲英语的人们不仅使用不同的口音,还有不同的表达。
For example, people of different ages and from different parts of Britain may greet you with as many different words.
例如, 英国不同年龄和不同地区的人们或许会用尽可能不同的单词跟你打招呼。
As people migrate into Britain, and as people move around Britain more freely, accents change more quickly.
另外,到英国的新移民和国内流动的人口也加快了口音的变化。
However, most British people can guess where another British person is from because of their accent.
但是,大多数英国人听口音就能知道对方的家乡所在。