News Item -美式英語開始在香港流行
People in Hong Kong speak a rich mixture of languages. Hong Kong was a British colony for more than 150 years before was returned to Chinese control in 1997. English was the only official language until 1994.
香港人講多種語言。香港曾淪為英國殖民地長達 150 多年，1997 年才回歸中國。在 1994 年之前，英語是唯一的官方語言。
Most people in Hong Kong today speak Cantonese(粵語), but Mandarin and other dialects also are heard, and English as the British used it is still widely spoken and taught here. Now however, many people are choosing to learn English as it is spoken in the United States.
今天，大多數(shù)香港人講粵語，但也能聽到普通話和其他方言，英國人使用的英語仍在這里廣泛使用和教授。不過，現(xiàn)在很多人選擇學習美國人說的英語。
Victor Chan, for example, has children who attend a 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，Victor Chan的孩子在一所名為 "自然情商"（Nature EQ）的學校上學，每周六和周日，他們都在學習用美國方式說單詞。陳先生說，他希望自己的兒子學習美式英語，因為他打算送他們去美國深造。
Student Sam Yu has another reason for studying English spoken in the American way.
學生 Sam Yu 學習美式英語還有另一個原因。
“The thing is getting more and more important, and maybe it’s taking over the dominance(主導)of British English.
他說："這件事越來越重要，也許它正在取代英式英語的主導地位。
Yes. So I’m willing to learn.”
是的，所以我愿意學習。
Public schools in the former British colony still teach mostly British English. But the number of private language schools teaching American English is growing.
前英國殖民地的公立學校仍然主要教授英式英語。但教授美式英語的私立語言學校數(shù)量正在增加。
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.
一些觀察家說，美式英語正在成為國際商務語言。與美國文化的接觸越來越多，如電影、電視節(jié)目、電腦游戲和互聯(lián)網(wǎng)，使美國的表達方式和口音在商業(yè)以外的領域傳播開來。
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.
香港的語言教師說，居住在中國大陸的富人正在幫助增加對美式英語課程的需求。中國大陸人正在進入香港，因為香港有更多的教育選擇。
But for now, people hearing English in the streets of Hong Kong are mainly hearing traditional British English.
但目前，人們在香港街頭聽到的英語主要是傳統(tǒng)的英式英語。
