英語翻譯
The English Language,Part II
People who have spoken English all their lives are usually surprised to learn that Old English,which was spoken in the British Isles from about 450 to 1100 A.D.,is like a foreign language to them.To understand it,they must study it in school,just as they would study Spanish,Latin,or Japanese.Many of the sounds of Old English,as well as the grammar and a great deal of the vocabulary,are different from those of Modern English.The spelling is so different that,without special study,one cannot read the language at all.
The language of Chaucer's time,known as Middle English,is more like Modern English; even so,most people feel at a loss when they first start to read it and find that they need special instruction.The language of Shakespeare's time is sometimes called Early Modern English,but most students of English need some help in order to read Shakespeare's plays intelligently.Shakespeare's vocabulary was large,and the words he used often had different meanings from what they have today.His grammar,too,was different from modern grammar,especially in word order.
Even in Modern English there are variations in usage from place to place.For instance,the English used by an Australian is not exactly like that used by a Canadian.But most educated speakers of English have little trouble communicating with each other,regardless of what part of the world they come from.As was pointed out earlier,there is enough tolerance within any language so that minor variations in pronunciation,grammar,and word usage do not interfere with communication,even though another's use of the language may sometimes seem a little strange.English is not unique in this respect.Every living language grows and changes,losing some sounds,grammatical features,and words,while changing others and adding new ones.Thus,your own language will surely continue to develop in the future.These changes are interesting to observe.
English is the language of one of the greatest bodies of literature in the world.And so much other writing has been done in English that a person who knows this language has a tool with which he can explore every known field of study.Not only has a great body of writing been produced in English,but most of the significant literature and information produced in other languages has been translated into English.