研究生英语阅读教程(基础级第二版)1-10课文及课后习题答案翻译.docx
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Lesson1
READINGSELECTIONA
WorldEnglish:
ABlessingoraCurse?
Universallanguage
ByTomMcArthur
[1]Intheyear2000,thelanguagescholarGlanvillePrice,aWelshman,madethefollowingassertionaseditorofthebookLanguagesinBritainandIreland:
ForEnglishisakiller.ItisEnglishthathaskilledoffCumbric,Cornish,NornandManx.TherearestillpartsoftheseislandswheresizeablecommunitiesspeaklanguagesthatweretherebeforeEnglish.YetEnglishiseverywhereineverydayuseandunderstoodbyallorvirtuallyall,constitutingsuchathreattothethreeremainingCelticlanguages,Irish,ScottishGaelic,andWelsh...thattheirlong-termfuturemustbeconsidered...verygreatlyatrisk.(p141)
Someyearsearlier,in1992,RobertPhillipson,EnglishacademicwhocurrentlyworksinDenmark,publishedwithOxfordabookentitledLinguisticImperialism.Init,hearguedthatthemajorEnglish-speakingcountries,theworldwideEnglish-languageteachingindustry,andnotablytheBritishCouncilpursuepoliciesoflinguisticaggrandisement.Healsoassociatedsuchpolicieswithaprejudicewhichhecallslinguicism(aconditionparallelto(equalto/similarto)racismandsexism).AsPhillipsonseesit,leadinginstitutionsandindividualswithinthepredominantly"white"English-speakingworld,have[bydesign(=deliberate)ordefault(=mistake)]encouragedoratleasttolerated—andcertainlyhavenotopposed—thehegemonicspreadofEnglish,aspreadwhichbegansomethreecenturiesagoaseconomicandcolonialexpansion.
[2]PhillipsonhimselfworkedforsomeyearsfortheBritishCouncil,andheisnotaloneamongAnglophoneacademicswhohavesoughttopointupthedangersofEnglishasaworldlanguage.TheinternationalizationofEnglishhasinthelastfewdecadesbeenwidelydiscussedintermsofthreegroups:
first,theENLcountries,whereEnglishisanativelanguage(thisgroupalsobeingknownasthe"innercircle");second,theESLcountries,whereEnglishisasecondlanguage(the"outercircle");andthird,theEFLcountries,whereEnglishisaforeignlanguage(the"expandingcircle").Sincethe1980s,whensuchtermsbecamecommon,thisthirdcirclehasinfactexpandedtotakeintheentireplanet.
[3]Forgoodorforill,therehasneverbeenalanguagequitelikeEnglish.Therehavebeenmany"worldlanguages",suchasArabic,Chinese,Greek,Latin,andSanskrit.Byandlarge,wenowviewthemasmoreorlessbenign,andoftentalkwithadmirationandappreciationabouttheculturesassociatedwiththemandwhattheyhavegiventotheworld.Anditisfairlysafetodothis,becausenoneofthemnowposesmuchofathreat.
[4]Englishhoweverisprobablytoocloseforustobeabletoanalyzeandjudgeitasdispassionately,aswemaynowdiscusstheinfluenceofClassicalChineseonEastAsiaorofClassicalLatinonWesternEurope.ThejuryisstilloutinthetrialoftheEnglishlanguage,andmaytakeseveralcenturiestoproduceitsverdict,butevensowecanask,inthisEuropeanYearofLanguages,whetherPriceandPhillipsonarerighttowarnusallaboutthelanguagethatIamusingatthisverymoment.
[5]Itcertainlyisn'thardtolookforsituationswherepeoplemightcallEnglishacurse.AnexampleisAustralia,whichisroutinelyregardedasastraightforwardEnglish-speakingcountry.ThefirstEuropeanswhowentthereoftenusedLatintodescribeanddiscusstheplace.ThewordAustraliaitselfisLatin;evidentlynooneatthetimethoughtofsimplycallingit"Southland"(whichiswhatAustraliameans).Inaddition,inSouthAustraliathereisawidestretchoflandcalledtheNullarborPlains,thefirstwordofwhichsoundsAboriginal,butnullarborisLatinandmeans"notrees".Andmostsignificantlyofall,theearlysettlerscalledthecontinentaterranullius.AccordingtotheEncartaWorldEnglishDictionary(1999)theLatinphraseterranulliusmeans:
...theideaandlegalconceptthatwhenthefirstEuropeansarrivedinAustraliathelandwasownedbynooneandthereforeopentosettlement.Ithasbeenjudgednottobelegallyvalid.
Butthatjudgmentwasmadeonlyrecently.WhentheEuropeansarrived,Australiawasthinlypopulated—butpopulatednonetheless—fromcoasttocoastineverydirection.Therewerehundredsofcommunitiesandlanguages.Manyoftheselanguageshavediedout,manymoreareintheprocessofdyingout,andthesedeadanddyinglanguageshavebeenlargelyreplacedbyeitherkindsofpidginEnglishorgeneralAustralianEnglish.Dependingonyourpointofview,thisiseitheratragiclossorthepriceofprogress.
[6]Atthesametime,however,cantheblamefortheextinctionofAboriginallanguagesbelaidspecificallyatthedoorofEnglish?
ThefirstEuropeanstodiscoverAustraliawereDutch,andtheirlanguagemighthavebecomethelanguageofcolonizationandsettlement.Anysettlerlanguagecouldhavehadthesameeffect.IfforexampletheMongolshadsustainedtheirvastEurasianempire,MongolianmighthavebecomeaworldlanguageandgonetoAustralia.Again,ifhistoryhadbeensomewhatdifferent,today'sworldlanguagemighthavebeenArabic,apowerfullanguageinWestAsiaandNorthAfricathatcurrentlyaffectsmanysmallerlanguages,includingCopticandBerber.Spanishhasadverselyaffectedindigenouslanguagesinso-called"Latin"America,andRussianhasspreadfromEuropetotheSiberianPacific.IfEnglishisacurseandakiller,itmayonlybesointhesensethatanylargelanguageislikelytoinfluenceandendangersmallerlanguages.
[7]YetmanypeopleseeEnglishasablessing.Letmeleaveasideheretheobviousadvantagespossessedbyanyworldlanguage,suchasalargecommunicativenetwork,astrongliteraryandmediacomplex,andapowerfulculturalandeducationalapparatus.Letusinsteadlookatsomethingratherdifferent:
theissueofpolitics,justice,andequality.MyobjectlessonthistimeisSouthAfrica.Tenyearsago,SouthAfricaceasedtobegovernedonprinciplesofracialseparateness,asystemknowninAfrikaans(alanguagederivedfromDutch)asapartheid.ThesystemarosebecausetheAfrikanercommunity—EuropeansettlersofmainlyDutchdescent—sawthemselvesassuperiortotheindigenouspeopleofthelandtheyhadcolonized.
[8]English-speakingSouthAfricansofBritishdescentwerenotparticularlystronginopposingtheapartheidregime,andtheblackopposition,whosemembershadmanylanguages,wasatfirstweakanddisorganized.However,thelanguagethroughwhichthisoppositiongainedstrengthandorganizationwasEnglish,whichbecameforthemthekeylanguageoffreedomandunity,notofoppression.TherearetodayelevenofficiallanguagesinSouthAfrica—English,Afrikaans,andninevernacularlanguagesthatincludeZulu,Ndebele,andSetswana.ButwhichoftheseninedoblackSouthAfricansuse(orplantouse)astheirnationallinguafranca?
Whichdotheywishtheirchildrentospeakandwritesuccessfully(inadditiontotheirmothertongues)?
Theanswerisnoneoftheabove.TheywantEnglish,andinparticulartheywantasuitablyAfricanizedEnglish.
[9]So,acursefortheindigenouspeoplesofAustraliaandsomethingofablessingforthoseinSouthAfrica...
[10]HowthenshouldwethinkofEnglishinourglobalizingworldwithitsendangereddiversities?
Theanswer,itseemstome,iscrystalclear.Likemanythings,Englishisattimesablessingandattimesacurse—forindividuals,forcommunities,fornations,andevenforunionsofnations.TheEastAsiansymbolismofyinandyangmightservewellhere:
Thereissomethingofyangineveryyin,ofyinineveryyang.Althoughtheyareopposites,theybelongtogether:
inthisinstancewithinthecircleofcommunication.Suchsymbolismsuggeststhattheusersoftheworld'slinguafrancashouldseektobenefitasfullyaspossiblefromtheblessingandasfaraspossibleavoidinvokingthecurse.(1,292words)
ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
Dr.TomMcArthurisfoundereditoroftheOxfordCompaniontotheEnglishLanguage(1992)andthequarterlyEnglishToday:
TheInternationalReviewoftheEnglishLanguage(Cambridge,1985—).Hismorethan
20publishedworksincludetheLongmanLexiconofContemporaryEnglish(1981),WorldsofReference:
Language,LexicographyandLearningfromtheClayTablettotheComputer(1986),andTheEnglishLanguages(1998).HeiscurrentlyDeputyDirectoroftheDictionaryResearchCenterattheUniversityofExeter.
EXERCISES
I.ReadingComprehension
Answerthefollowingquestionsorcompletethe,followingstatements.
1.ItcanbeinferredfromGlanvillePrice'sstatementthatheis .
A.happythatEnglishiseverywhereinBritainandIreland
B.worriedaboutthefutureoftheremainingCelticlanguages
C.shockedbythediversityoflanguagesinBritainandIreland
D.amazedthatmanypeopleintheUKstillspeaktheirAboriginallanguages
2.Cumbricisusedasanexampleof .
A.alocaldialect
B.avictimoftheEnglishlanguage
C.alanguagethatisonthevergeofextinction
D.alanguagethatisusedbyonlyalimitednumberofpeople
3.WhichofthefollowingisthemajorconcernofthebookLinguisticImperialism?
A.Englishteachingoverseas.
B.Britishgovernment'slanguagepolicies.
C.DominanceofEnglishoverotherlanguages.
D.TheroleofEnglishintechnologyadvancement.
4.BothPriceandPhillipsonare .
A.governmentofficials
B.advocatesoflinguisticimperialism
C.insupportoflanguagepoliciescarriedoutbytheBritishCouncil
D.concernedaboutthenegativeeffectofEnglishonsmallerlanguages
5.Accordingtothetext,theEFLcountries .
A.arelargeinnumber
B.isknownasthe"outercircle"
C.willbeendangeredbyEnglish
D.havemadeEnglishtheir