又中又英 | King’s English | 褚简宁

　　President Donald Trump told the media he loved the accent of King Charles III when the British king gave a speech at the US Congress recently. King Charles, of course, gave the speech in perfect King's English. It was called the Queen’s English until Queen Elizabeth II passed away in 2022. It became the King's English when Charles succeeded his mother as king. But what does the Queen’s English or the King's English mean? It means an upper-class accent and pronunciation in perfect English that most people in the UK and those in English speaking countries like the US, Canada, and Australia are unable to do.

　　The late Irish-born writer George Bernard Shaw is credited with saying England and America are two nations divided by a common language. What he meant was people in both countries speak English, but the accent and some spellings are different. I read an old article in The Guardian, a British newspaper, about readers complaining that The Guardian uses too many Americanisms. Americanism means a word or expression first used in the US but has spread to other English-speaking countries. The American expression “pony up”, which means to pay back money you owe, has spread to other English-speaking countries.

　　Many countries now use elevator instead of lift, which is British English. Americanism also means culture or beliefs that are typically American. Trump, of course, is incapable of speaking the King’s English even though he admires the accent of King Charles. I have long wondered if the world should adopt American English. Places such as Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan use American English.

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　　英王查理斯三世最近在美国国会发表过演说后，美国总统特朗普就跟传媒说他喜爱英王的口音。当然，英王查理斯演讲是用完美的「国王英语」King's English。它前称「女皇英语」Queen’s English，直至英女皇伊利沙伯二世于2022年过世。当查理斯继承他母亲成为国王时，那就称为King's English。可是Queen’s English又或King's English到底作何解？它是指上流社会的口音与发音，是纯正、标准的英式英语，英国大多数人以至美国、加拿大和澳洲等英语国家的人，都未能说得这一口标准英语。

　　爱尔兰出生的已故作家萧伯纳，被认为曾说过这样一句话：英格兰和美国是被同一语言分开来的两个国家。他的意思是，两个国家的人都说英语，但两者的口音和有些字的串法并不相同。我读过英国报章《卫报》的一则旧报道，关于读者们投诉《卫报》用得太多Americanisms－－Americanism是指先在美国通行使用的美式字词或习语，而后传播至其他英语国家。美式习语“pony up”已传至其他英语国家，指的是还钱、还你所欠的债。

　　当谈到升降机时，许多国家现在都用elevator而非英式英语的lift。Americanism也可以指美国主义，包括美国的文化与信念。当然，即使特朗普非常欣赏英王查理斯的口音，他却说不出那一口标准的「国王英语」（King’s English）。长久以来我都思忖，全世界是否都应该采用美式英语？像日本、南韩、菲律宾和台湾这些地方，都在用美式英语。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻