英美性格对比

A Contrastive Study of British and American

Characters And Its Implications

Zhang Tingting

Abstract: This paper is to have a contrastive study of British and American Characters and Implications. The author firstly give us a general Introduction of British and American characters, secondly introduce British and American characters apartly, then summarize the diffreences between British and American characters, and finally tell us the implications of this Study. England and America are all great powers in the world. The chance we contact with them are also frequent. Through this article, we can deedly see the similarities and differences between them.

Key words: contrastive study; British character; American character; implications

1.Introduction

National character, as a common national psychological quality, refers to a psychological state which is condensed during the process of the formation and development of each nation and manifested in characteristics of the national culture". The forming of a national character is not happened overnight, nor by a person or a group of people, which includs a lot of factors. A kind of culture embodys through people’s the principles, behavior standards, ways of thinking, and life attitudes etc specific actions living in the scope of this culture radiation, constitutes unique national character which the creat the culture. So, national character can't live without the existence of national culture, and at the same time, people’s faith, the experiences of the nationa in its history and geographical environment of the nation, are to a large extent influence the national common psychology.

And, of course, as the world’s two strong nations, Britain and the United States, their common characteristic is confident, integrity, vigorous and eager to make progress. And the differences of British and American national character is basically the difference of British and American culture, this is not formed overnight, but gone thongh hundreds of years’ baptism. A

nation is called a nationa is due to owning their own this characters. What we are talking about is only the differences of two national characters, not a discuss about which is better or worse, for there is no good or bad points of culture itself. As a fact the culture of the two nations are inevitably influenced by each other because of the strengthening of the cultural exchange.

2.The Contrastive Study of British and American Characters

As two big powers in the current society, Britain and the United States, are extremely similar in many places. They are both capitalist countries which speak English, mastering the final results of many events today's society, ownning strict legal and perfect social system, and have world's leading universities which students are dreaming of. People in Britain and the United States are convinced of each other. British insist that Americans have no history, but Americans say the English men who can't understand the future. So similar the two countries are, and do they have obvious differences?

2.1 British Character

The wording of ‘ British character’ is also ex parte. As is known to all, English and not a single ethnic nation. England, Scotland, wales and Northern Ireland people each have their own traditions and national cultural identity. From t his level of speaking, there seems to be no ‘British character’; Or, the so-called "British character, is in fact mainly referred to as the ‘England character ’.

2.1.1 manners

On one hand, English people pay great attention to privacy and personal space. There is a English proverb that says: ‘ An Englishman's house is his castle’ . British people do not ask about other people's private affairs, nor infringe upon other people's space, nor impose his or her concepts and values onto others. The whole British society is based on the composition of individual understanding and respect.

On the other hand, the British are well-mannered ,kind and friendly to the one they do not know. In the small or medium town with not too fast life pace, passers-by will greet you when you go outside; In the bus or shop, people who don't know you will also talk to you for minutes.

The UK is recognized as ‘JunZiGuo’ in Europe with perfect order social civilization. Britain has the world's oldest modern public management system. With centuries’ accumulation , men and women of all ages in Britain, are gentle to others. The British order is widely recognized all over the