難度：初階
是否曾聽過通用語言(lingua franca)這個術語？這是一個可在英語中使用的拉丁詞。它來自拉丁語，而它的原本意思是‘French language’ ('法語')：如今它用來代表一種不同語言背景人之間所使用的共同語言。在18世紀，法語是國際外交語言：也就是這術語的來源。
如今，英語是國際通用語言(lingua franca)。 真正使英語特別獨特的是在這世界非英文母語者多過以英文為母語的人。諷刺的是英語已變成名副其實的“法語”！雖然它整合了世界，但英文的區域差異仍就在持續，大家應該得知道。
美式（US）英語和英式（UK）英語是兩種最常見的英語讀寫系統。美式英語通常是美國人用，而英式英語則為英國人使用。許多英聯邦國家（加拿大，澳洲，紐西蘭等）原先都偏向採用英式英語，但此後分歧，造成各國不同拼寫及風格的變化。澳洲式英語以英式英語非常相似，但卻允許使用一些美式拼寫單詞（如: “inquire” 代替 “enquire”)。加拿大式英語保留了很多英式拼寫的單詞，但美式拼寫因地理接近的關係也相當常見。
例1（美式）：We inquired whether participants were taking estrogen supplementation.
（我們詢問參與者是否曾有服用雌激素補充劑。）
例2（英式）：We enquired whether participants were taking oestrogen supplementation.
例3（澳式）：We inquired whether participants were taking oestrogen supplementation.
例4（加式）：We enquired whether participants were taking estrogen supplementation.
最引人注目的英語寫作變化是標點與拼法的使用。學術期刊常見的要求係指定使用“美式或英式英語，但不要二者混合在一起使用”。越來越普遍使用的是“學術式英語”：基本上，作者應選擇自己喜歡的系統。 因為不同期刊有不同的要求，因此在編輯並提交您的稿件前，請先查看期刊的作者指南, 以便決使用較適當之英文。
例1: (Nature 期刊) Oxford UK English spelling.
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/authors/submit.html
例2: (IEEE 期刊) Change all British spellings to American spellings where applicable.
http://www.ieee.org/about/webteam/styleguide/mainsite_content.html
例3:(如 Journal of Endocrinology) Manuscripts can be written in either UK or US English.
http://joe.endocrinology-journals.org/site/misc/For-Authors.xhtml
美式拼法和語法對大多數國際出版是一個安心的選擇，然而位於英國的出版公司(如: 牛津大學出版社)通常喜歡用英式拼法。加拿大或澳洲的當地出版社有時會堅持使用他們自己的英語樣式版本。例如，如果你寫的論文要發表於澳大利亞大學，那麼使用澳式英語應該是你的選擇。
如果期刊沒有指定用哪一個拼法系統，我們建議用美式或英式拼法。
最後一點：英文母語者喜歡玩弄英語的差異變化，說英式英語才是“真”的英語，因來自起源地英國，或說美式英語是最好被學的英語，因全球最有影響力的是美國。然而，在一個全球化的世界，很多這些差異對應的是在文化認同，而不是意義。一個明智的作者會超越這種簡單的判斷來了解每個英文語系的細節，以便達成發表的目地。
Download Tip Here: 
世界英語種類 - 美式與英式英語
Uni-edit English Writing Tip 004: Variants of World English – American and British
Level of difficulty: Easy
Have you heard of the term lingua franca? It's a Latin phrase, but you can use it in English. It comes from Latin, and literally means "French language": it is used nowadays to mean a common language between people who do not speak the same language. In the 18th century, French was the language of international diplomacy: that's the origin of this term.
Nowadays, English is the international lingua franca. What makes English truly unique is that there are more non-native speakers in the world than there are native speakers. How ironic that English has become literally a "French language"! Although it unites the world, there are regional variations of English that persist, and which you should be aware of.
American (US) and British (UK) English are the two most common systems of written and spoken English. American English is the English of the USA; British English is the English of the UK. Many countries of the British Commonwealth (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) originally favored UK English, but have since diverged, with country-specific variations in spelling and style. Australian English is very similar to UK English, with a few words permitting American spelling (e.g., "inquire" instead of "enquire"). Canadian English retains UK spelling for many words, but American spellings are also common because of geographical proximity.
Example 1 (US): We inquired whether participants were taking estrogen supplementation.
Example 2 (UK): We enquired whether participants were taking oestrogen supplementation.
Example 3 (Aus): We inquired whether participants were taking oestrogen supplementation.
Example 4 (Can): We enquired whether participants were taking estrogen supplementation.
The most noticeable variations in written English are punctuation and spelling. A common instruction from academic journals is for authors to use “either US English or UK English, but not a mixture”. Increasingly common is "English in academic style": basically, the author should choose his or her preferred system. Because requirements vary from journal to journal, it is essential that you check a journal's Author Guidelines page to determine an appropriate English system before editing and submitting your manuscript.
Example 1: (Nature publications) Oxford UK English spelling.
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/authors/submit.html
Example 2: (IEEE publications) Change all British spellings to American spellings where applicable.
http://www.ieee.org/about/webteam/styleguide/mainsite_content.html
Example 3: (e.g. Journal of Endocrinology) Manuscripts can be written in either UK or US English.
http://joe.endocrinology-journals.org/site/misc/For-Authors.xhtml
US spelling and grammar is a safe choice for the majority of international publications. UK-based publishing companies (e.g., Oxford University Press) usually prefer UK spelling. Local publications in Canada or Australia will sometimes adhere to their version of English. For example, if you are writing your thesis for an Australian university, writing in Australian English is the way to go.
If the journal does not specify the spelling system, we recommend US or UK spelling.
One final note: native speakers like to play up differences between variants of English, saying UK English is the ‘true’ English since it England is the land of its origin, or that US English is the best to learn because of the US's global reach. However, in a globalized world, many of these differences correspond to cultural identity rather than meaning. A wise author will rise above such simplistic judgments and familiarize him or herself with the details of each English system for publishing purposes.
Download Tip Here: Variants of World English — American and British
END OF TIP