节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-08-11
难易度:Low
关键字:soft drink, confused, root beer, play it safe, server, carbonated
Hello, friends.
Thanks for joining us here at Studio Classroom Worldwide.
My name is Steve.
If you've studied English long enough, you'll know differences exist between
American and British English.
There are differences in spelling, meaning, usage and a slew of different slang
phrases.
Now let's take that a step further.
Did you know there are language differences even within the same country?
For example, in America, depending where you are, you'll hear different accents,
slang phrases and different ways to order a drink.
Really!
Let's get our magazines open to page 26 and begin reading: What Would You Like
to Drink?
What Would You Like to Drink?
In the U.S., ordering something to drink can be a challenge.
You're on vacation in the southern part of the U.S.
You want to order a soft drink at a local restaurant.
"I'd like a Coke, please," you tell the server.
"What kind?" she asks.
You stop to think, a little confused.
You want a Coke.
Did you pronounce it wrong?
Don't worry - you ordered correctly.
But around the U.S., people use different names for soft drinks, depending on
the location.
So what do you say when you want a sweet, carbonated drink?
Hello, friends.
Thank you so much for joining us here in the studio.
My name is Kaylah.
My name is Ryan.
Friends, have you ever traveled to a different country and thought you could use
your English in a certain way but got a little confused?
Well, we're going to help you out with this article.
That's right.
We know that when we visit different countries, even in a country, sometimes
people speak differently depending on where they live.
Well, today we're traveling to the United States.
And the United States is a very big country, so people speak differently
depending on where they are.
Yeah. In different parts of the U.S., people don't use the same type of English
all the time.
So here we're talking about ordering a drink.
What would you like to drink?
OK. In the U.S., ordering something to drink can be a challenge sometimes.
Now often we think of different dialects in different parts of a country just
sounding differently.
But actually, there are different kinds of words to describe the same thing.
Yeah, that's true.
So here we're talking about drinks.
So friends, we're going to give you a scenario, a story.
So let's pretend you are on vacation in the southern part of the United States.
OK, the southern part.
So we are down south and not near New York City, closer probably to Florida and
Texas.
Well, you're on vacation, and you want to order a soft drink at a local
restaurant.
OK. First of all, what is a soft drink?
Friends, a "soft drink" is a very sweet drink that does not have alcohol in it.
You might also call this a soda.
That's right.
Soft drinks also have bubbles.
We call that "carbonated." It has the bubbles in you drink, so sometimes it kind
of makes you burp.
OK. And if you're at a local restaurant, that means it's a restaurant that is
nearby.
And since you are in the southern part of the U.S., then this restaurant is
there.
You sit down and you say, "I'd like a Coke, please." And you tell the server.
OK. Now you're telling a server.
And a "server" is someone who works at a restaurant who takes your order and
brings you your food.
That's right.
Another word for this could be a waitress or a waiter.
So they're the person serving you.
There's the word - serve.
OK, excellent.
So everything seems fine so far.
And you tell them you would like a Coke.
But he asks you: What kind?
Hmm. You stop.
You think a little, maybe a little confused.
So what does it mean to be confused?
All right.
If you're "confused," that means you don't understand something or you have a
hard time knowing what is happening.
That... that makes sense.
You say, "Well, I ordered a Coke." And the server asks you, "What kind?" Ryan,
isn't there just one kind of Coke?
Well, I mean... I guess there's Diet Coke.
But that's still the same Coke, right?
You... you'd think there's just one kind of Coke.
Of course you would be confused.
Why would they ask you "What kind" ? You just told them!
That's right. You don't understand.
You... you think you want a Coke.
Did you pronounce it wrong?
Maybe that's what it is.
Maybe my English wasn't good enough, and I pronounced the word incorrectly.
Ah. That might be what you think.
If you pronounce something, that is the way that you say it, the type of sounds
that your mouth makes in order to create a word.
Now don't worry, friends.
You ordered correctly.
So you did say the correct thing.
But around the U.S., people use different names for soft drinks.
All right. So you ordered it correctly.
You... that is the correct way to ask for a Coke because that is actually what
it is called.
But depending on where you are in the United States, people use different names
for soft drinks.
So here, Kaylah, they're saying "Coke," they might just mean any kind of soft
drink, right?
That's right. We say depending on your location.
Now "depending" here means that it's where you are, sometimes means it could be
different.
So what do you say when you want a sweet, carbonated drink?
Hmm. OK.
Well, you'd obviously want a carbonated drink because you want a Coke; and Coke
is carbonated.
But what does it mean if something is carbonated?
Well, I mentioned it a little bit earlier.
"Carbonated" means it has those bubbles in it.
And usually those bubbles, as I said, kind of make you burp.
Well, yeah. And they also make the drink a little bit "fizzy." And that word
means you can feel the bubbles in your throat.
So those drinks are very delicious.
But you tried ordering a Coke, and that didn't work.
So what should you actually say?
That's a good question.
You want this sweet, carbonated drink, and you did it wrong.
What are you going to say?
Well, friends, we'll figure out what to say depending on where you are after we
visit the Chat Room.
So Ken, who is your favorite actor?
Hmm, I would have to say Robert De Niro.
Who is your favorite actor?
Uh, that would be Meryl Streep.
She was excellent in The Iron Lady.
Bryan, I thought we were talking about actors, not actresses.
Ken, nowadays actors actually include both male and female performers.
But I thought the suffix "-ess" indicated a female.
You're right, Ken.
But a lot of people now are against using the "-ess" suffix because they feel it
actually promotes inequality between men and women.
So the English language is changing because of the way people feel.
Believe it or not.
That's why "actress" has been replaced by the word "actor." It's more
gender-neutral, which means it could be referring to either a man or a woman.
Are there any other examples of gender-neutral words?
Sure. Another example is: Server.
Server?
Like a computer?
No, Ken.
A server is a person who serves food and drinks in a restaurant.
So server is used instead of waitress or waiter?
You've got it.
How about stewardess, a woman who assists and serves airplane passengers?
Another good example, Ken.
Some people today consider the word "stewardess" out-of-date and even impolite.
What's the new gender-neutral term?
Flight attendant.
Ah, got it.