Unit 7

Learning about English

Part I Lead-in

What do you think has made English “the first truly global language”?

Do you think it worthwhile to spend a lot of time and effort learning English? Why or why not?

Tell whether there are troubles emerging in your process of learning English. And what might be the grounds for your troubles?

The Glorious Messiness of English--- By Robert MacNeil

Text A

Part II Cultural Notes (1)

History of English: 1) The roots of English

English began as a west Germanic language which was brought to England by the Saxons around 400 A.D. Old English was the spoken and written language of England between 400 and 1100 A.D. Many words used today come from Old English, including man, woman, king, mother, etc. But Old English was very different from modern English and only a few words can be easily recognized. In the 9th and 10th centuries, when Vikings invaded England, Old Norse words, e.g. sky, take and get and many place names, entered the language.

Part II Cultural Notes (1)

From the Norman Conquest (1066) until the late 12th. century English was replaced as the official language by Norman French, though English was still used by the lower classes. English from about 1300 to 1500 is known as Middle English. It was influenced by French and also Latin in vocabulary and pronunciation. French brought many words connected with government, e.g. sovereign, royal, court, legal and government itself. Latin was the language of religion and learning and gave to English words such as minister, angel, master, school and grammar.

Part II Cultural Notes (1)

2) The development of Modern EnglishModern English developed from the Middle English dialect of the East Midlands and was influenced by the English used in London, where a printing press was set up by William Caxton in 1476. English changed a great deal from this time until the end of the 18th century. During the Renaissance, many words were introduced from Greek and Latin to express new ideas, especially in science, medicine and philosophy. They included physics, species, architecture, encyclopedia and hypothesis.

Part II Cultural Notes (1)

By the 18th century American English was established and developing independently from British English. After colonists arrived in the US new words began to be added from Native American languages, and from French and Spanish. In 1783, Noah Webster’s The Elementary Spelling Book was published in the US. It contained many of what have come to be known as American spellings, e.g. harbor and favorite.

Part II Cultural Notes (1)

3) 20th Century EnglishDuring the 19th and early 20th centuries many dictionaries and books about language were published. New words are still being added to English from other languages, including Chinese (feng shui) and Japanese (karaoke). Existing words gain new senses, and new expressions spread quickly through television and the Internet.

Part II Cultural Notes (1)

English is now an international language and is used as a means of communication between people from many countries. As a result the influences on the English language are wider than ever and it is possible that World English will move away from using a British or American standard and establish its own international identity.

Part II Cultural Notes (2)

Winston Churchill (1874-1965):a politician who is remembered as one of Britain’s greatest statesmen. He was the son of the Conservative politician Lord Randolph Churchill and his American wife Jennie. As a young man he served as a soldier in India and Egypt, and as a journalist in South Africa, before entering politics. Churchill became Prime Minister and Minister of Defense in 1940. His radio speeches during World War II gave the British people a strong determination to win the war, especially at times of great crisis.

Part II Cultural Notes (2)

Examples of Churchill’s phrases still often quoted today are “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat”, and “This was their finest hour”. The Conservative Party led by Churchill lost the election of 1945, but he became Prime Minister again from 1951 to 1955 when he retired, aged 80. When he died in January 1965 he was given a state funeral.

Part II Cultural Notes (3)

Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.):the best-known of all the ancient Roman leaders, and the first one to land in Britain with an army. He did this twice, in 55 and 54 B.C., although Britain did not become part of the Roman Empire until nearly a hundred years later.

Part II Cultural Notes (4)

William Caxton (c. 1422~1491) William Caxton was the man who set up the first printing firm in Britain. He printed his first book in 1474. By printing books in English, Caxton had a strong influence on the spelling and development of the language. were French stories which he translated himself.

Part II Cultural Notes (5)

Otto Jespersen (1860~1943)

Otto Jespersen was a Danish philologist, grammarian, and educationist. He promoted the use of the “direct method” in language teaching with the publication of his theoretical work How to Teach a Foreign Language (1904). Other books include his seven-volume Modern English Grammar (1909-1949).

Part III Writing Features

The author of this text is an expert at using rhetorical devices in English.

1) Oxymoron, e.g. the title: The Glorious Messiness of English (other examples include true lies; sweet bitterness; poor millionaire; deafening silence)

2) Metaphor, e.g. core of English (para. 4), a common parent language (para. 8), another flood of new vocabulary (para. 14), the special preserve of grammarians (para. 19).

Part III Writing Features

3) Sustained metaphor, e.g. there is an instance of sustained metaphor in para. 18: the cultural soil, the first shoots sprang up, … grew stronger, build fences around their language. In this case the English language is compared to plants, and the various cultures influencing it are compared to the soil, while users of English are compared to gardeners.

4) Parallelism, e.g. “we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall never surrender.”

Part III Writing Features

5) Personification, e.g. “Translations of Greek and Roman classics were poured onto the printed page…”

6) Metonymy, e.g. “The country now had three languages: French for the nobles, Latin for the churches and English for the common people.” Here the word “churches” stands for religious institutions and those who are involved in religious practices.

Part IV Difficult Sentences

… which French kids are supposed to say instead—but they don’t (Lines 6-7, para. 2).

French children are expected to say the word “balladeur” instead of “Walkman” but they don’t say it.

Part IV Difficult Sentences

The history of English is present in the first words a child learns about identity… (Lines 3-5, para. 4).

The history of English is revealed in the first words a child learns about identity…

Part IV Difficult Sentences

Yet there is something direct to the heart that speaks to us from the earliest words in our language (Lines 6-7, para. 6).

Yet, the earliest words in English have the power to convey to us something direct to our heart.

Part IV Difficult Sentences

Printing brought into English the wealth of new thinking that sprang from the European Renaissance (Lines 2-4, para. 15)

Printing brought into English a large amount of new thinking that originates in the European Renaissance. Here “the wealth of” means “a large amount of”. More examples: a wealth of information/talent/detail/experience.

Part V Language Points corrupt (para. 2): 1) cause errors to appear in

e.g. The Academy ruled that such foreign expressions were not permitted, as they corrupted the language.Has Japanese been corrupted by the introduction of foreign words?

2) cause to act dishonestly in return for personal gains

e.g. To our great surprise, the former mayor turned out to have been corrupted by the desire for money and power.

Part V Language Pointsban (para.2): forbid (sth.) officially (used in the pattern: ban sth.; ban

sb. from sth./doing sth.)

e.g. The local government will ban smoking in all offices later this year.

Tom was banned from driving for six months after being caught speeding again.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover was banned when it was first published.

Part V Language Points fascinating (para.3): of great interest or attraction

e.g. The story of his adventures in the Arctic was fascinating to listen to.

I found the discussion about cloning absolutely fascinating.

It is fascinating to imagine what might have happened if the US had not declared war against Japan in World War II.

Part V Language Points to a (very real, certain, etc.) extent (para.3): to the

degree specified

e.g. I agree with him to some extent but there are still some areas of sharp disagreement between us.

To a certain extent the failure of the restaurant was due to bad management.

Part V Language Points arouse (para.5): provoke (a particular feeling or

attitude)

e.g. These educational toys give children a feeling of self-worth by arousing their interest in challenging tasks.

The man’s strange behavior aroused the policeman’s suspicions.

Part V Language Points surrender (para.5): give in (followed by to)

e.g. After several weeks of severe attacks, Afghanistan’s Taliban forces surrendered to the Northern Alliance.

After the bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese surrendered.

We’ll never surrender to terrorism despite the terrorist attacks.

Part V Language Points

resemble (para.8): be like or similar to

e.g. John resembles his father very much in all ways.

I’d say he resembles his mother more than his father.

Part V Language Points

descend (para.8): come down (from a source), go down

e.g. These ideas descend from those of the ancient philosophers.

The old lady descended the stairs.

The sun descended behind the hills.

Part V Language Points

pass (sth.) on to (sb.) (para.11): hand or give (sth.) to (sb.)

e.g. When you have finished reading the novel, please pass it on to Laura.

The King passed on much of his fortune to the princess.

Part V Language Points

addition (para. 13): 1) a person or thing added (followed by to)

e.g. The baby is a welcome addition to the Smith family.

He will be a valuable addition to our basketball team.

2) the act of adding, esp. adding numbers together

e.g. Before I entered the primary school, my mother taught me to do addition and subtraction.

Part V Language Points

alternative (para. 14): one of two or more possibilities (followed by to)

e.g. His father gave John the alternative of staying in high school or going to work.

I’m afraid I have no alternative but to report you to the police.

Part V Language Points enrich (para. 14): 1) make rich or richer

e.g. That once poor coastal village has been enriched by the profits from tourism.

2) improve

e.g. It is important to enrich the soil prior to planting.

Music can enrich your whole life.

Part V Language Points strike out (para. 17): create, produce

e.g. After working for his father for about ten years, he decided to strike out on his own.

With a baby on the way, Mary and her husband struck out for the suburbs.

Part V Language Points spring up (para.18): appear or be produced suddenly

and quickly

e.g. New buildings sprang up like mushrooms after a spring rain.

The sun shone warm, the air was balmy, and the grass sprang up.

Part VI Writing Techniques Using cause and effect in essay writing

Every day we try to figure out the causes of things and analyze or predict effects. Cause-and-effect analysis is, therefore, an important analytical skill to develop. When writing a cause-and-effect paper, you should bear in mind the following points:

Part VI Writing Techniques 1) Sound Reasoning or Logic

When discussing causes and effects, make sure your analysis is logical. You must not take it for granted that event A causes event B simply because event A precedes event B. In other words, you must explain clearly what really brings about a particular result.

Part VI Writing Techniques 2) Possible Shift in Order

In cause-and-effect writing, it seems convenient to state the effect first and then analyze the causes. The reverse order, however, is to be preferred when one cause leads to a number of effects.

Part VI Writing Techniques 3) Using Transitional Words and Phrases

For cause and effect analysis you can use the following transitional words and phrases:Causes: because, since, as, for, because of, due to, now thatEffects: consequently, thus, therefore, so, as a result, for this reason

Part VI Writing Techniques Homework for Writing

You are required to write an essay on Why we need to learn English within 200 words.