夜上海论坛 精品范文 美国文化英语论文范文

美国文化英语论文范文

前言:我们精心挑选了数篇优质美国文化英语论文文章,供您阅读参考。期待这些文章能为您带来启发,助您在写作的道路上更上一层楼。

美国文化英语论文

第1篇

【关键词】 美国电影;第六日;西方文化;隐喻

夜上海论坛 【中图分类号】G644.4 【文献标识码】A 【文章编号】2095-3089(2013)33-0-01

夜上海论坛 一、剧情述评

美国电影《第六日》(The 6th Day)是第一部探索人类克隆的动作影片,它把我们带到科技已高度的不远的未来,在那时,人类科技已可以任意克隆任何生物,甚至包括人类本身。然而,即便克隆人类的技术已相当成熟,但因社会伦理的限制,仍不被法律所允许。

夜上海论坛 人类的弱点之一就是往往抵挡不了利益的诱惑,在利益面前,不少人会很容易地就忘记了道德伦理和法律的约束而为所欲为。电影中韦恩实验室(研究克隆技术的实验室)的老板杜拉克便是典型的一例——他在医学博士韦恩的帮助下不仅克隆了自己,也克隆了许许多多的被他认为对自己有利的人,电影的主角亚当·吉布森(Adam Gibson,阿诺德·施瓦辛格饰演)即为其中之一。

亚当回到家里发现一个与自己一模一样的人取代了自己享受着本属于自己的天伦之乐,其震惊、困惑、痛苦之情溢于言表。而作为观众,我们都不难想象假如这一切发生在自己身上,会是什么一个感受。于是,为夺回原属于自己的一切——自己、家庭和爱,亚当开始了他的“正名”之旅。

夜上海论坛 如许多美国电影一样,《第六日》也有一个好莱坞式的结局——亚当在其克隆体的帮助之下,成功揭开了这一惊天阴谋,并最终拿回了原本属于自己的一切。

在这部电影中,克隆与爱两大主题相互交织:为了爱,亚当违背了自己的本意为女儿克隆了他们的宠物狗;出于爱,亚当选择与他的克隆体携手合作,共同揭开了隐藏在克隆人背后的巨大阴谋;因为爱,克隆亚当黯然退出……。若是从圣经和基督文化的角度去审视影片的这两大主题,实则是矛盾与冲突的相互交织——是上帝创造了世界和人类,而人类无权去克隆自己,但人类偏偏又克隆了自己;上帝与他所拣选的民立约,要爱上帝,爱家人,爱邻居,爱一切基督徒如兄弟姐妹,而片中的主人公所做的一切事情的出发点正是“爱”,包括克隆。电影就是在这样的矛盾冲突中给观众留下了无尽的回味和思索:人类在享受飞速发展的科技带来便利的同时,也不免担忧——科技高度发达之时,人类是否还能掌控自己的命运?高科技给人们带来的是福音还是灾难?在高科技面前,人类应该坚守的伦理底线是什么?

夜上海论坛 二、对克隆的矛盾心态

1997年2月22日英国生物遗传学家维尔穆特成功克隆出“多莉”羊的新闻被报道之后,克隆技术便震惊了世界;2000年6月26日,人类基因图谱被成功破译,这更为克隆人类在理论上提供了可能。但很快,顾及到社会伦理道德以及多数人的反对,多数国家通过立法明令禁止克隆人类。

《第六日》带给我们的不仅仅是视觉的冲击和震撼,更多的则是引发了人们对克隆人的深刻思索。影片最后虽没有援引“第六日法案”对疯狂的杜拉克进行法律审判,但对他的道德伦理审判却是显而易见的。

夜上海论坛 虽然如此,人们对克隆却不免存在有矛盾心态。正如影片中的亚当,其本意是,无论何种生物,“生命的基本法则是,出生,成长,生活,然后死去”。但对女儿的爱却又使他不由自主地走进宠物克隆商场,克隆了他们家的宠物犬“奥利佛”。这在片中的人们看来,为自己和家人克隆一个健康的宠物作为替代品已被普遍认可,即便他们仍强烈反对克隆人。

克隆技术的出现和发展,颠覆了人们传统的对生命的理解和思考:一则人们渴望借助克隆技术延续生命;另一方面,传统的社会伦理法则又告诉他们不可越过雷池。正如影片中亚当的思索和疑虑:克隆出来的,没有灵魂,危险吗?既然安全,为何不允许克隆人类?如何合情合理合法地运用高科技,尤其是克隆技术来造福人类,矛盾和纠结仍在继续。

三、西方伦理文化隐喻与《圣经》

文艺作品大都有其神话的、历史的或现实的素材和思想渊源并受其价值观念的影响,特别是神话传说,“一直在塑造和影响那些民族的思维观念,对各民族的思想观念和文化发展产生了极其深刻的影响” [1]。而在西方世界,“《圣经》的故事和传说是西方文化艺术的重要源泉……它的思想和哲理已经成为人们意识的重要组成部分”[2]。究其原因,在于《圣经》典故在西方社会中影响的普遍性和深入性:《圣经》典故在西方政治、经济、文学、艺术领域普遍存在,且已深深融入哲学、宗教、和意识形态领域,成为西方人的道德和行为规范,其影响力之广、之深是任何其他典故所无法匹敌的。

正如深受儒家思想影响的中国人的伦理道德观念基本来自于儒家学说一样,《圣经》及其典故所蕴含价值观念成为以基督教为普遍的西方人所认可和信奉的社会伦理价值观也就可以理解了。那么,西方电影取材于《圣经》典故并将其伦理思想作为影片的主题来表现并不出人意料。甚至可以不夸张地说,整整一部西方电影史从未脱离基督教文化的深刻影响[3]。

电影《第六日》也毫不例外地带有浓厚的《圣经》文化色彩,我们从该片片名以及男主角的姓名这些细节就可见一斑,因为“一部电影及其片名总是浸润在该民族的文学、历史、哲学、宗教、传统、习俗、传说等形成的文化体系中” [4]。

夜上海论坛 《圣经》这样描述:“神就照着自己的形像造人,乃是照着他的形像造男造女……是第六日”(《旧约·创世纪》,1:27-31)[5],而片中被多次重复的一句台词正是“在第六天,上帝创造了人,上帝造人时在第六天”,凸显了片名《第六日》的宗教文化含义;《圣经》中还讲道:“耶和华神用地上的尘土造人,将生气吹在他的鼻孔里,他就成了有灵气的活人,名叫亚当”(《旧约·创世纪》,2:7)[6],片中主人公也恰恰以上帝所创造的第一个人的名字“亚当”命名;还有,主角亚当·吉布森(Adam Gibson)的姓“吉布森(Gibson)”在古德语中的含义又是“光明磊落的誓约”,此名表达父母希望子女继承其祖先财物及传统的愿望。

这些细节除了在艺术手法上起到呼应主题的作用之外,更深层的含义则是表现该片主创者文艺创作的价值取向,即《圣经》和基督文化所秉承的传统的基督教伦理,即着眼于在肉体层面或物质范畴解读人(尤其是基督徒)与他人、社会及万物的关系嬗变,目标指向以神人和谐为基础,重建被罪扭曲的人与他人、人与社会乃至整个自然界的关系[7],重新回归到“神”所安排的正常的社会和人类生活秩序。

可见,影片中所反映的克隆人争议以及人们的矛盾心理,究其根源,正是来源于《圣经》深刻影响下的民族文化传统,也反映了影片主创者对克隆人问题鲜明的“上帝取向”的生命价值观和态度,即任何生命的诞生,尤其是人,只有通过正常途径出生、成长的人,才是《圣经》中所讲的“神所应许的”,才是“神”所喜悦的,才是合情合理合法的,否则就是对上帝的不敬——因为人不可能像上帝那样创造人类和世界;当然就是也是反传统的和伦理的,自然不会成为多数人的共识而被普遍接受。

四、结语

任何文艺作品都会反映作者本民族特有的文化传统及其附带的价值观念。欧美大片对所有学英语、用英语的人来说不啻于一个学习和了解西方文化的生动而鲜活的教材,也为我们提供了一个加深中西文化间相互了解、增加彼此间信任的绝好窗口。另外,一部好的电影带给人们的应该不仅仅是精神上的享受以及文化学习和交流的素材,电影故事背后的故事及其带来的对生命和人性的理性思考也非常值得我们去关注。

参考文献

[1]董广坤,王传顺.《2012年》中的神话原型与末日隐喻[J].电影文学,2011:20.115-116.

[2]赵玲洁,赵彦荣.《圣经》在西方文化中的表现形式及影响[J].时代文学,2011:8.88-89.

夜上海论坛 [3]杨然.电影中的宗教魅力——谈基督教文化在电影中的文化价值[J].电影评介,2009:19.8-9。

[4]佟磊,沈秋敏.浅谈西方文化与西方电影片名翻译[J].时代文学,2009:15.149-150.

第2篇

夜上海论坛 Key words:Black English; American English; American Culture; Influence

Contents

夜上海论坛 1. Introduction 1

夜上海论坛 2. The Characteristics of Black English 2

夜上海论坛 2.1 Phonetics 2

夜上海论坛 2.2 Grammar 3

夜上海论坛 3. The Influence on American Culture 7

夜上海论坛 3.1 The Influence on American English 7

3.2 The Influence on American Art 9

3.3 The Influence on American Literature 11

夜上海论坛 4. The Practical Significance of Black English 14

夜上海论坛 5. Conclusion 15

Acknowledgements 16

References 17

 

夜上海论坛 1.Introduction

Black English is a social dialect of American English, and it has been historically influenced by West African languages, General Southern American English and English-based creoles.

 This kind of English shares several characteristics with the forms of Creole English spoken by people throughout the whole world. In addition, it also has pronunciation, grammatical structures, and vocabulary in common with various West African languages.[1]198 Since a large number of Black people migrate to America and they have the percentage of more than 12%, [2]496the Black English has been popularized in this country. But in the American society, people seldom realize the influence and contribution of Black English and they never give the equal state to Black people. In fact, the language and culture of American reflect the contributions of the Black English in many aspects, such as linguistic, art and literature.

Nowadays, it is reasonably acceptable to say that Black English is not only an independent language but also making practical significance to American English and the American Culture. Researchers need to study the significance in details. So this paper intends to collect the study of the characteristics of Black English, and then summarize its influences on the American English. Since the change of language can lead changes in other aspects, such as Art and Literature aspects, this paper also states the influence in detailed options.

The method of this paper is reviewing the past study and surveys, not just from the linguistic point of view or the historical aspects of Black English, but from its formation and characteristics to demonstrate the existence and development of Black English and the practical significance. Through the analysis of Black English on the profound impact of American culture, the paper advances a view on the value of Black English and its prospects. Finally it puts forward the importance and necessity of enhancing learning and research on Black Culture as the continuous improvement and economic conditions of Black people.

夜上海论坛 2. The Characteristics of Black English

Black English, as a unique variant of English, has many differences with the Standard English based on the structure of language. And this paper tends to discuss the features of Black English in phonetics and grammar aspects. Since Black English is not just a simplified version of English, it has a unique language system with the same fixed structure as any other dialect all over the world.

夜上海论坛 2.1 Phonetics

Most Black people use a distinctive English variant. This black dialect has aroused many linguists’ interests. Repeatedly been labeled as “pidgin English”, Black English’s role in the development of American Culture can not be questioned. Black English as a source of Black Culture has always been paid more attention by linguists and sociologists in nowadays.

夜上海论坛 2.1.1 The Weakened Consonant

Because of the influence of West African, some voiced consonants are the same with their form of voiceless consonant. Word-final devoicing of /b/, /d/, and /g/ are always pronounced to //, //, //, and in most cases these phonemes are ignored. In order to make a difference between them, sometimes the vowel before the voiced consonants could be slightly re-read harder, take the “heat and heed”, “let and led” and “fate and fade” which is ended with the word “e” as examples.

In the syllables which are combined with consonants and vowels, some nasals can also be weakened, such as “sum, sun, sung”, and only the vowel // in the word which is somewhat influenced by the nasal.

夜上海论坛 2.1.2 The Omission of Consonant Clusters

夜上海论坛     The simplification of Consonant Clusters is an obvious feature of Black English. The mutes in English are //, //, //, //, //, //, //, //, //, //. Black English often omit the mutes in the end of a word, and the word “side”// is always pronounced to “sigh”//. This kind of omission is not arbitrary, and it is decided by the situation of pronouncing a word: when the mute at the end only represents the morpheme is not connected, for example, the frequency of reserving // is higher than integral part of the stem in the word “borrow”. It will also be reserved if there is vowel behind the mute, such as the first “d” in the phrase “tried hard”.

2.1.3 The Pronunciation of // and //

夜上海论坛 The omission of // is a notable characteristic of Black English. In American, it is a tendency of underclass to omit // before vowels but not only of Black English.[3]297Because of this kind of omission, there is no differences between “guard-god”, “fort-fought” and “sore-saw” in Black English.When // is between two vowels, the syllable after it needn’t be pronounced, as “Paris” could be read as//; when there is a word beginning with vowel behind it, the // could also be regretted.

// is voiceless before the consonant, such as the word “health” always be pronounced to // and so on. However, when // is after the vowel as the end of the word, it is assimilated by the phoneme before it, such as the similar pronunciation with “mail” and “may”//. In addition, // is voiceless before // and //, as “always”//, “already” //. The more interesting thing is that they pronounce “will” to “ah”,for example, “I ah be there in a minute.” While the correct form in Standard English is “I will be there in a minute.”

2.1.4 The Pronunciation of // and //

夜上海论坛 In Black English, // is always pronounced as // and // is always pronounced as //, for example, “think” is pronounced to be //. While the // in the end of a word is transformed to //, and “mouth” is pronounced to be //, “nothing” is to //. In addition, the “th” in the middle of a word is always pronounced to be //, so “mother” is to //, “other” is to //, and “brother” is to //.

Actually, there are many more characters than mentioned in the paper, but we can recognize the differences of phonetics between Black English and Standard English just from the mentioned examples.

夜上海论坛  Smith Thurman, a well-known expert in Black English, said that black dialect used same number of English phonemes with white, and the only difference is the distribution pattern of phoneme.[4]553

夜上海论坛 2.2 Grammar

    There are also many researches who have found the special usage in grammar of Black English. For example, the different meanings in the sentences “He workin’” and “He done worked” are hard to be explained by the Standard English. The first means “He is working 253.It also indicates the difference between Simple progressive and emphasized perfective. Not only the tense plays a different role in the grammar, there are many other points such as the relative usage of the word “be”, the negation and transmission of the word.

夜上海论坛 2.2.1 Tense

    Syntax best embodies the characteristics of Black English. In the verb-system, the differences between Black English and Standard English are most significant, which is most similar with pidgin and Creole their ancestors used. In Black English, the only duty of the verb in the sentence is to indicate the time concept of one or a few verbs, and other verbs can be expressed in verb stem. Sometimes when the context gives essential temporal support, the tense can be totally regretted. For example, in the following section of black sermons, the Preacher has made it clear that he is talking about the past, because both the life and devotion of Jesus have already happened: “The man Jesus,he come your sins! He the thieves and here. He die to walk the earth. He you from go among try to Save the unrighteous. The master say whoever will let him come!”

夜上海论坛 In addition, the singular verb of third person in Present Tense is not ended with “s”, for example, “She work in the factory”.

夜上海论坛 Black English has two Perfect Tenses: “Remote Perfect aspect” which is constituted by the “been” and “Immediate Perfect aspect” constituted by “done”. At this point, Black English and West African languages is extremely similar. [6]

夜上海论坛     (i) The “been” in “remote perfect aspect” has a certain meaning of action in past tense. And this kind of perfect tense could be divided into two forms: I been know him(momentary action), I been knowin’-him.(ongoing action).

    (ii) “Immediate Perfect aspect” uses the auxiliary verb “done”. In modern Black English, following sentence are commonly used:

夜上海论坛     ① I done go.

    ② I done went.

③ I done gone.

夜上海论坛     These three are used in different situations:

    ① Used in the Immediate Present sentences.

夜上海论坛     ② Used in the Simple Past sentences.

    ③ Used in the semi adjective structures.

夜上海论坛 2.2.2 Relative usage of “be”

The usage of“be”in Black English is also very special. If one action, thing or state does not happen frequently, the“be”in this sentence will be deleted. For example, “he in the house -watchin’ TV”. The abbreviation of the copula such as “is” and “are” can also be deleted. In addition, when in a passive sentence the passive voice is not expressed so clearly by the speaker, “be” can also be deleted, for example, “the factory built in 1958”. However if the action happens frequently, “be” can be used as the predicate verb in the sentence“they be out in the yard every night.”

夜上海论坛 When“be” and“do” work together means this kind of thing happens frequently in the Interrogative sentences and Emphatic sentences. For example, “Do you be playing all day?” (Do they play all day?) “Yeah, the boys do mess around a lot.”(Yeah, the boys do mess around a lot.) Famous linguist William Labov researched a lot in the Black English and concluded that: all the“be”which can appear in the forming of abbreviation can be deleted in Black English. [7]113Actually, the usage of “be”is far more complex than this conclusion which is easily got from the above descriptions. 

2.2.3 Negation

There are three different versions of negation in Black English: “ain’t”, “don’” and “dit’n”, which can be written as “ain’t”, “don’t” and “didn’t”. While the special usage of “ain’t” is a feature of Black English. Ain not is a negative form in past tense: I ain’t see. In a sentence, the negation always repeated: I ain’t see nothin’ like that no place. The meaning is equivalent of: I did not see anything like that anywhere. (I’ve never seen this kind of thing in any place.) When the predicate is not active verb, ain’t become the only symbol of negation. For example, I ain’t afraid of nothing. He ain’t gonna get no money out of it. Besides, it can be combined with "ing" and make up the present continuous tense. For example, we ain’t kidding and we ain’t quitting, we ain’t turning back. 

夜上海论坛 The function of “ain’t” in Black English is same with the “haven’t” in Standard English. Therefore the “We haven’t contacted each of her since last Christmas.” can be evolved to “We ain’t contacted each of her since last Christmas.” Sometimes, “ain’t” can replace the phrase “didn’t” in simple negation sentence. So in Black English, sentences can be like following forms: “She ain’t email me yesterday.” The young boy insisted, “I ain’t steal his wallet.” “I ain’t run like that in years.”

Multi-negation means there is not only one symbol of negation. Under this regulation, the pronoun needs to add some mark of negation.

夜上海论坛 For example: “She ain’t see any thing/ anyone at the railway station” can be changed into “She ain’t see nothing/ nobody at the railway station”. If the subject is “nobody” but not “he” or “Janet”, it will add negative determiner at the beginning of the sentence. This is called “negative inversion” by linguists. As a result, it is very common to hear that “Didn’t nobody say nothing to the peoples!”

3. The Influence on American Culture

夜上海论坛 An important contribution of Black English is the influence on the American Culture. The familiar “negro spiritual”, the unusual rhythms and the famous performance in movie and literature —all these originated with the slaves. It is said that what is the best and most original in American popular culture has its roots in Black English. Important black speakers, singers, actors and writers are too numerous to list.

夜上海论坛 3.1 The Influence on American English

夜上海论坛 He Ruigao expresses his opinion in his article Black English that there are some differences in certain aspects of language between Black English and American English. And he believes that after all, Black English is a variant of English, so the differences are only in some degree rather than fundamental, and do not affect the people’s contacts.

It is clear that there is a strong relationship between Black English and American English, while the distinct characters of Black English are not fully explained and its origins are still a matter of debate. One theory is that Black English arose from one or more slave creoles that arose from the trans-Atlantic African slave trade and the need for African captives to communicate among themselves and with their captors.  According to this theory, these captives’ language developed into what are called pidgins, simplified mixture of two or more languages. As pidgins are from closely contact between members of different language communities, the slave trade would have been exactly such a situation. Not until the time of the American Civil War did the language of the slaves become familiar to a large number of educated whites. As the time passes, the Black English gradually plays an important role in the United States and U.S. Culture.

3.1.1 The Forming of Black English

In the slave society, there are so many different languages that the natives on two sides of the river cannot understand each other. But the safest way for them to keep their authority is to trade with the different nations on both sides of the river. The famous writer, Cotton Mather, claimed to have been very familiar with his slaves’ speech, and his imitative writing shows features presented in many Creole languages and even in modern Black English. By the time of the American Revolution, varieties among slave creoles were not quite mutually intelligible.

Not until the time of the American Civil War did the language of the slaves become familiar to a large number of educated whites. In Army Life in a Black Regiment (1870), Thomas Wentworth Higginson detailed many features of his soldiers' language. Shana Poplack has also provided corpus-based evidence from isolated enclaves in Samaná and Nova Scotia lived by descendants of migrations of early Black English-speaking groups. All of these researches suggest that the grammar of early Black English is closer to that of contemporary British dialects than modern urban Black English to current American dialects. We can find that the modern language is a result of divergence from mainstream varieties, rather than the result of creolization from a widespread American creole. 

夜上海论坛 3.1.2 The Relations with the American English

In United States, blacks worked in this land with the identity of slaves and inherited some habits from the African culture and language, and thus gradually formed a black American society with unique culture. While the communication between the black slaves and the slavers became a major hub linking the two cultures, and produced a subtle influence to American English, which mainly reflected in English words borrowed, as well as the meaning of the word twists and turns, and the absorption of idioms. Its pronunciation is, in some respects, common to Southern American English, which is spoken by many African Americans and many non-African Americans in the United States.

夜上海论坛 There is little regional variation among speakers of Black English.89 In order to understand the United States and American culture, and to acquire its development, Blacks melt their culture, such as language, literature and art, with those of the United States. Later, Black English is not only for Black people, it is still widely used by a number of regional dialects. Even in literature works, authors often use Black English to show the hero's nationality, identity and upbringing.

Not only the phonetics and grammar of Black English prove the influence to American language, but we can also achieve it from the assertion of Black English. For example, “the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice” means “she is very mature and favorable”. Another example, “you aren’t got a pot to piss in on a window to throw I tout of” means that you are very pool. “If I tell you a hen hip snuff, look under its wing and find a whole box” means that all you said is true. “You never miss yo water till yo well run dry” means that “you will never feel the importance of water until you are very thirst”.[10]6-7 The representative assertion is very lively and meaningful, suggesting the wisdom of the Black English.

夜上海论坛 3.2 The Influence on American Art

When Blacks live in Africa, they have the hobby to sing and dance during laboring. But then they are later taken away as slaves by the colonists to the southern United States plantation. They work in the fields wearing shackles and live in the primitive hut in the deserted swamp and jungle. But due to this kind of suffering, they create a valuable oral literature including hymns and blues and other Black Art, which has made an outstanding contribution to the culture to the United States.

夜上海论坛 3.2.1 The Integration with Music 

    It is generally believed that music of blacks has some distinctive forms from American music like American Ragtime, Blues, Jazz, Musical and Country music. Ragtime was first played by a black Anonymous piano, which was very popular in the late 19th century to early 20th century. It uses segmentation rhythm, trying to evolve from the popular dance music of blacks, and then Ragtime music appears. Scott. Joplin is one of the Ragtime representatives, and his performance of “Maple Leaf pull tone” has been a smash hit, which is so famous that all of the Ragtime pianist would play in their shows.

Blues is from field horn and songs with a strong feeling of African tradition and its tunes are always sad. The most famous Blues singer is Bessie Smith, known as Blues Queen. When Ragtime, Blues and other tunes with rich colors of Africa's influence add together with the elements in Europe, the Jazz comes into being.  

With the integration of grammar, the ways people sing a song become various in American. Many young people jump into the swim of “rap” and “hip-hop”, which is considered as a really fashion style to express one song and the soul. While among the most famous masters, more than 90 percent are black people, such as the episode in Prison Break.

The word “rap” meant “blame” in the middle of 18th century and was always used in phrase in the 19th, “to take the rap” meant “to take the blame”. After the civil war, black people used it to blame white people and requested the equality with them. And finally it replaced the word “conversation” to be popular among the white teenagers. There are many simplifications of words in “rap” which become totally different with American English. For example, the “er” in the end of word is changed into “a”, “nigger” into “nigga”.[11]185 Besides, the “ks” or “cks” in the end of a word can be replaced by “x” because they have the same pronunciation. All of these examples prove that it has become a new version of grammar in American English. For example, the “re” or “e” which can’t be heard during a speedy song are always omitted such as “more” and “mo”, “for” and “fo”, or the number “4”. The omission of “g” in “ing” is another new grammar in American English.

Some words also change its pronunciation. For example, in the word “through”, “gh” never being pronounced is know to all, since we pronounce “th” // in stead of // there is no difference in pronunciation with the word “true”.

In the “rap”, the Black English has many distinct characters and its lyrics tend to be more fashion and creative. Most of these new word are very short or the abbreviation of some long words so that even the local Americans can not understand. In order to keep its character of fashion, “rap” uses word on the point of fashion. Therefore, the characteristics of Black English are the foundation of “rap”, which makes it no longer a simple style of music but a diverse style.

3.2.2 The Integration with Film 

Film is an integrated form of art, with combination of test technology, art and commerce, and the thought of images it brings to the human mind is revolutionary. Because it's easy to be accepted, the film is destined to be a mass media on hundreds of millions people when it appears. In a short century, Hollywood becomes a symbol of American mass culture, and the influence on American society is immeasurable.

夜上海论坛 Film expresses and promotes the life style and values of Americans. During the war era, it boosts moral e of the soldiers. While in the Depression era, it could replace the cash of the American dream and reflected the public's ideals and dreams. In this case, blacks also express their dream to achieve the equality in the American society through the film, such as Shaw shank Redemption, the Pursuit of Happiness and Death Pact and so on. Because of the success of these works and the influence on future, some later generations continued to collect and summarize the classic dialogue in these black films, and to commemorate the black culture for future generations to study at the same time.

There are two characteristics of grammar which can be easily found in the black films.First is the invariant of “be”, and second is the multi-negation of“ain’t”.The invariant of“be”is used before verb, adjective, noun and passive voice in Black English.

(i)Your gas bill be high, don’t it? (Your gas bill is usually high, isn’t it?)

(ii) My boss be in his office by 8am. (My boss is usually in his office by 8am.)

夜上海论坛 (iii)It don’t be dogged. I grease it and oil it. (It isn’t usually dogged, I grease it and oil it.)

Laurel Avenue (1993) is a story about a family’s effort to counter drug, faction and violence in order to achieve the “American Dream”. In the film, when Rashhawn’s uncle blamed on his sailing drug, he said that “What the hell I be giving you money fuh[for ]?” while his word can also be translated to “Do you know why I always give you money ? ”

夜上海论坛 It is worthy to mention that this kind of grammar in the film is also very popularized by young Latinos. Therefore, the Black English users have crossed the racial boundaries and expanded to the crowd who are favor of hip hop culture.

The multi-negation of “ain’t” can be fully realized in the most influential black filmmaker Spike Lee’s masterpiece Do the Right Thing. The story happened in Brooklyn, New York, and demonstrated an explosion caused by the ethnic problems. There are a large number of unique performances of Black English in the dialogues:   “Ain’t no brothers on the wall? I ain’t run like that in years. Don’t call me no bum. Jade don’t come here no more, all right? Don’t call me nothing.”

夜上海论坛 Although many so-called “not standard”regulations of Black English have been criticized for a long time, its expression is an important means to promote Black Culture of the Hollywood directors and become a beautiful view in American films.

3.3 The Influence on American Literature

In the destiny of black, there must be a clearly visible way, on which they have worked with effort to win dignity and literary. Through their effort, it exhibited such a road as well as those marks in relation to life along the way: once in Black history, unforgettable pain is essential for the experience to the results today. Black Literature, in the United States and the world, has been mainly as slaves, especially in countries outside Africa.

The Black English writer Toni Morrison was born in black family, and later achieved today’s scholars and writer’s identity by reading. In 1993, because of her “making the important part of American society much more vigorously through the rich poetic imagination and expression”, she won the Nobel Prize for Literature, and became the only black women writer in history to be honored.

夜上海论坛 Not only the Black Literature but also the American Literature has these characters of Black English in their works.

夜上海论坛 The Sound and the Fury (1929) is written by a famous American writer William Faulkner (1897-1962). The first part, “April 7th, 1928”, describes the conversation and action between the children in the farm waiting for the coming of procession.

“I skeered I going to holler,” T.P said.

“Get on the box and see is they started.”

“They haven’t started because the band hasn’t come yet.” Caddy said.

夜上海论坛 “They ain’t going t have no band.” Frony said.

夜上海论坛 “How do you know?” Caddy said.

“I know what I knows,” Frony said.

“You don’t know anything,” Caddy said.

“She went to the tree.”

“Put me up,” Versh.

“Your paw told you to stay out that tree,” Versh said.

“That was a long time ago,” Caddy said,

“I except he’s forgotten about it, besides he said to mind me tonight. Didn’t he say to mind me tonight?”

“I’m not going to mind you, T .P and Frony are not going to either,” Jason said.[12]4

夜上海论坛 The children in this conversation turn out to be totally different between T.P, Frony, Versh and Caddy, Jason. The dialogue of the first three people has some characters of Black English. For example, “be” in the sentence “I (am) skeered (that) I (am ) going to holler” which is the distinct signal of Black English. On the contrary, the conversation of Candy and Jason do not omit this part as Jason says that “I’m not going to mind you,TP and Frony are not going to either”. And the singular verb of third person even does not have any difference with first person or any one else in the sentence “I know what I knows”. In addition, the mixture of // and // of the word “git” in the sentence “got on the box” is very common in Black English. It turns out that T.P, Frony and Versh are children of black in the farm, while Caddy and Jason are children of the farmer.

On the other hand, many black people like Frederick and William, not only struggle to learn the culture, but also use the pen as a weapon after the flight. They took active part in the abolitionist movement and expressed positive public opinions. Slave owner always treat Black people as the inferior race, so Black people’s ability to carry out literature itself is a powerful evidence of that lie, let alone the rich ideological content in their articles. And all of these proof that Black people is an excellent nation with a historical cultural tradition on the literature and their language also plays an irreplaceable role in the development of American literature.

4. The Practical Significance of Black English

In1863, 2 years before the war ended, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in the Confederate states. Shortly after the war ended in 1865, the thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution freed all slaves. A few years later, the fourteenth and fifteenth Amendments gave the former slaves full civil rights, including giving African-American men the right to vote.[13]77

In politics, more blacks are voting, and more are getting elected. Since 40 years ago, the Black middle-class group has risen from scratch and grown in their standard of living. There are no difference in professional skills and educational background with the white middle class. Outstanding representatives of Black people appear in many areas of the United States, such as the Black mayor, governor, ministers and members of Congress, and all of them are no longer surprise to us. The much more important thing is that Democratic candidate Barack Obama won the U.S. presidential election in 2008 to become the first real chance to win the presidency in the Black.

Blacks are also trying to improve their financial position by going into professions or starting their own business. There are now more than 600,000 black-owned companies in the U.S. and blacks are more numerous than ever in the professions-as teachers, doctors, lawyers, judges and ministers.

In 1952, Ralph Ellison, a black author, wrote a book about blacks in the U.S. called the Invisible Man. Since the 1960s, blacks have become more visible on TV and in movies and magazines. Networks, filmmakers and advertisers now realize that black consumers want to see their race represented. Today, blacks in significant numbers work as newscasters, TV actors and actresses, and movie stars.

夜上海论坛 Huang Weifeng says in his African American English on a Number of Historical Issues that, “Only when the racism in American society has been completely eradicated from the mind, the Black Cultural expressions of Black English can really be recognized.”81

5. Conclusion

“Black English” is widely used as the name because it is used by Black people. In fact, its user of this language is far beyond our imagination. In addition to the external community in the black population, it is also used by lower middle and low classes in America. It has profound impacts on American culture and communication in various aspects, especially with the continuous improvement of their political, economic and cultural status, and Black English has been paid more and more attention. In view of this, the paper starts to explore the formation and characteristics of its existence and development. It is said that the view of helping people understand the Black Culture correctly, the concept of eliminating the racial discrimination and enhancing the awareness to protect national culture plays an important role to cultural exchanges and cultural diversity.

夜上海论坛 The above discussion of Black English is by no means comprehensive but it can serve our purpose to improve the regulation and state of Black English. The significance of studying the nature of Black English is really multifaceted. While the most direct one is the significance for lingu istic research. The attitude to the question that whether Black English is a dialect or a language determines the methods of research. This paper argues that Black English is essentially a separate system and its significance to the American Culture. It should be researched as an independent study of language. [17]34

Undoubtedly, the Black English makes Black people more dramatic in the movies. The syntax rules and special vocabulary of Black English, which are incompatible with the mainstream of English, become the foundation of their culture with their bold dance and passive music. Although most black people using Black English live in the southern United States and the countries, those well-educated middle-class blacks also use Black English in some informal gatherings.

夜上海论坛 With the black music, novels and movies continuously mix into the mainstream of American society, the syntax rules and special vocabulary of Black English begin to be accepted by American English and become parts of the American culture. Because of the worldwide spread of English and increasingly prosperous Black Culture, the Black English will be more widely active in screen as a mature variation of English and an important way to display the diverse culture of the United States.

Acknowledgements

夜上海论坛 My initial thanks go to my tutor, Wu Qing, who patiently supervised my dissertation and was at times very willing to offer me illuminating advice or suggestions. Without her help, I could not have finished this dissertation.

夜上海论坛 I am also indebted to other teachers and my classmates who have not only offered me their warm encouragements but also shared with me their ideas and books.

夜上海论坛        My greatest personal debt is to my grandparents and parents, who have cultivated a soul of sensitivity, hospitality, and honesty out of me, and offered a harbor of happiness and sweetness for me.

夜上海论坛 The remaining weakness and possible errors of the dissertation are entirely my own.

References

. New York: New Press, 2003.

夜上海论坛 [2] Roger Porter. Past and Present [M]. James. Mill Company, 1971.

[3] 侯维瑞. 英国英语与美国英语[M]. 上海外语教育出版社, 1992.

[4] 斯密瑟曼. 交谈与证实: 黑美洲的语言[M]. 美国纽约出版社, 1977.

夜上海论坛 . Blackwell, 2002.

[6] 方久华, 熊敦礼. 美国黑人英语语言特点探讨[J]. 华中科技大学学报, 湖北武汉, 2007.

[7] 拉波夫. 在社会环境里研究语言[M]. 中国社会科学出版社,1979.

夜上海论坛 [8] Baker, Houston A., Jr. Blues. Ideology and Afro-American Literature: a Vernacular Theory [M].University of Chicago Press, 1984.

夜上海论坛 [9] Baugh, John, Beyond Ebonics. Linguistic Pride and Racial Prejudice [M].New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

[10] 杰克•丹尼尔. 黑人英语中的影响[M]. 英国伦敦出版社, 1973.

夜上海论坛 [11] 蔡昌卓. 美国英语史[M]. 北京大学出版社, 2002.

夜上海论坛 . McGraw-Hill, 1929.

[13] 张卫平. 美国制度与文化[M]. 中国人民大学出版社, 2006.

[14] 黄卫峰. 对现代英语词汇学的两处质疑[J]. 云梦学刊, 2003.

[15] 侯维瑞. 英国英语与美国英语[M]. 上海外语教育出版社, 1992.

夜上海论坛 [16] 张卫平. 美国制度与文化[M]. 中国人民大学出版社, 2006.

[17] 葛咏涛. 美国文化风云人物[M]. 四川大学出版, 2007.

 

诚 信 承 诺

夜上海论坛 我谨在此承诺:本人所写的毕业论文《论黑人英语对美国文化的影响及其现实意义》均系本人独立完成,没有抄袭行为,凡涉及其他作者的观点和材料,均作了注释,若有不实,后果由本人承担。

 

                承诺人(签名): 徐珊珊     

第3篇

夜上海论坛 关键词:权力距离 不确定性规避 个人主义-集体主义 男性度-女性度

夜上海论坛 一、Hofstede的文化心理模式与写作

荷兰跨文化合作研究所的霍夫斯特德(Hofstede,1980)做过一项著名的跨文化比较研究,他曾对IBM公司在40个国家、地区中的10余万雇员,用20种语言进行了一项长达7年的研究,发现这些国家在文化上的差异主要表现为4个方面:即“权力距离”、“不确定性回避”、“个体取向与集体取向”、“男性化与女性化”。这4个方面也就是民族文化差异的4个维度,每一种文化的特点都可以用它在这4个维度上的强弱来表示。

1.“权力距离”(power distance) ,指一种文化对社会地位差别和等级重要性的看重程度。也可视为上级对下级,管理者对被管理者的影响力和控制力的大小。在权力距离大的文化中,整个社会是一个等级较鲜明的组织系统;而权力距离较小的文化则会使人们有较为平等的观念。

2.“不确定性规避”(uncertainty avoidence),指社会大众面对不确定性和模糊情境所产生恐惧感的强弱,及是否采取措施消除这种恐惧感。不确定因素规避指数高的文化信赖权威,避免分歧和不确定;而不确定因素规避指数低的文化乐于冒险和接受新奇、陌生的事物。

3.“个人主义-集体主义”(inpidualism-collectivism),指一种文化依赖和忠于个人自我的程度。个人主义倾向的社会,注重自我需要的满足,追求多样化的生活和自我价值的实现;而集体主义倾向的社会则重视集体的利益及个人对集体的责任。

4.“男性度-女性度”(masculinity-femininity),指一种文化是看重自信、成就和财富拥有,还是更看重社会支持、生活质量等其他方面。男性度指数高的社会崇尚成就和野心及其他阳刚行为;男性度指数低的文化中,工作和成就则是次要的,提倡的是人与人的相互依赖与和谐相处,同情弱者,重视人与自然的和谐。

夜上海论坛 文化属于社会结构的概念,是社会形态的组成部分,文化模式就是一个社会中所有文化内容(包括文化特质与文化丛)组合在一起的特殊形式和结构,因此,文化模式反映的是一个社会的结构、形态、运行等总的社会意识。语言作为文化的载体,必然负载着一个民族的文化心理模式。美国应用语言学家罗伯特.凯普兰(Robert Kaplan,1966)便发现,语言和写作是文化现象,每一种语言都有其独一无二的修辞习惯,篇章的组织方式反映了人的思维模式。他总结了五种文化不同的段落组成类型,其中英语的段落模式与汉语的段落模式便有很大的不同,英语篇章的组织和发展是"直线型"(linear),即直截了当地陈述主题,进行论述;汉语学生典型作文方式呈"螺旋型"(circular/spiral),即不直接切入主题,而是在主题外围"兜圈子"或"旁敲侧击",最后进入主题。卡普兰有关思维模式和写作的研究导致了对比修辞研究的发展。文化和心理模式的研究成为探讨第二外语写作的重要角度。本文便想从霍夫斯特德的四种文化思维模式来透视中国学生英语论文与英语母语论文的差异。

夜上海论坛 二、中国人的文化心理模式

1.中国文化中较大的权力距离

中国经过长期的封建社会和儒家礼教的熏陶,整个社会都笼罩在“三纲五常”的等级观念中。上下级甚至父子、兄弟之间都有不同的权力等级。虽然“君叫臣死,臣不得不死;父叫子亡,子不得不亡”等封建观念已然过时,但“长兄如父、官大一级压死人、师道尊严”这些上下观念依然深入人心。较大的权力距离使得中国文化中的人们比较尊重上级、长者或已有的权威,习惯顺从和接受。与之相比,英语国家封建社会的历史都较短,文化在很大程度上继承了古代希腊文明的民主议会制度,说英语人数最多的美国和澳洲又都是年轻的大陆,英语文化的权力距离相对较小,人们崇尚平等,敢于提出自己的观点。

夜上海论坛 2.中国文化中较高的不确定性规避指数

不确定性和标新立异往往与社会等级化的程度成反比。在即成的、稳定的社会组织系统中,不确定性自然不受青睐。因此,中国文化的不确定性规避指数也相应较高,人们对尚未被社会舆论或权威确定的事物往往采取规避态度,不太喜欢竞争和冲突,追求有秩序的社会生活,力求将可能发生的不确定性降低到最低限度。另外,中国作为四大文明古国,处肥沃之地,以居住地为根,衍出“家本位”,更导致人们对不确定和模糊情境的较强恐惧;而多数英语国家探险和迁移的传统使得英语文化中的人们较喜欢探索未知的领域,敢于冒险和面对挑战。

3.中国文化强调集体主义

夜上海论坛 在英语文化中,个人主义(inpidualism)包含着自我认知、自我实现、自我控制、自我突破等优秀品质(Waterman,1984)。但在中国文化中,个人主义常有自私、不考虑集体利益、特立独行等负面内涵。中国的文化更重视互相依赖和共享的集体利益。自我的价值实现、成就的追求会受到有意识的压抑和贬低,以求得同集体中其他成员的和谐。

4.中国文化的女性主义倾向

根据霍夫斯特德的界定,男性主义的文化崇尚成就和野心;而女性主义文化提倡的,人与人的相互依赖、重视的是人与自然的和谐相处。虽然中国有男尊女卑思想,且对物质和金钱非常崇拜,表面上看是一个男性度高的社会;但本质上,对追求成功、重视成就、崇尚力量、速度、高大等男子气概并不认同。相反,中国的儒家精神倡导“修身、齐家、治国、平天下”,强调道德规范自觉能力,人的价值通过“内省”、“克己”来表现,形成中国人内倾的性格。 林语堂先生在其成名作《中国人》上,把中国人的性格概括为,“老实温厚,遇事忍耐,消极避世,超脱老滑,和平主义,知足常乐,幽默滑稽,因循守旧。”虽然有些偏颇,但也真实反映了中国文化的女性主义倾向。

夜上海论坛 从以上四种文化维度的内涵和数据上都可以看出,中国文化与英语文化在价值取向上有很大差异。这些差异不仅体现为跨文化交际中的障碍,对第二外语写作也会产生一定的负迁移作用。Connor(1997)在《对比修辞——第二语言写作中的跨文化层面》一书中提到,霍夫斯特德的四种文化维度可以用来进一步从心理学的角度探讨跨文化写作的差异。 Nelson & Carson(1995)和SU-YUEH WU也都分别对中国和北美学生英文写作中的各自的“集体主义”或“个人主义”倾向进行过研究。本文想通过将中国学生用英语写的学术论文与英语母语学者用英语写的学术论文进行对比,从霍夫斯特德的四个文化维度角度来找寻差异的原因,以改进我国学生的英语论文水平。

转贴于 三、中国学生的ESL学术论文和英语母语学者学术论文的对比

1.引用时附带的尊称

夜上海论坛 英文母语论文中每逢引用名家或其他作者的原文时,往往只加上“According to(根据xxx的话)”、“As xxx says(如xxx所说)”,或直接在引号后注上所引的出处。英语母语的论文很重视将别人的话加上引号,标明出处。但标明本身即意味着尊重,很少再附加其他的尊称。但中文的论文在引用名家之言时,仅仅说明出处似乎远不能表达对作者的尊重,“xx先生”、“xx教授”、“xxx翁”、“著名xxx家”等标签常常可见。中国学生的英语论文中在引用时也相应地有“the well-known(famous/great/experienced(知名的/著名的/伟大的/资深的))”等恭维性修饰词,或“其观点对xx领域做出重要贡献(奠定了xx的基础)”等推崇性句子,以表明其所引话语的权威性。这种对权威的恭维明显是受中文传统的影响。而这种传统可能是源于中国较大的权力距离造成的习惯思维。在权力距离大的社会中,直接提到长者的名讳是十分无礼的,甚至有砍头之罪。这种传统流传下来,便造成了习惯性的附加尊称,在用第二语言写作时,也难以避免。

夜上海论坛 2.引用成语或俗语的频率

夜上海论坛 这里所说的成语或俗语是指已在语言中固定下来的表达法,这些引用在英语论文中并不得到欣赏,被称为“cliché”(陈词滥调),英语的论文中喜欢使用某些自创的隐喻,或灵活使用一些惯用语,却很少照搬已有的成语或俗语(在统计的5篇文章中,这种“cliché”的数量为零)。而中文论文却把这些固定成语、谚语或格言看作是全篇必备的“华彩乐章”,一种文采的体现。因此中文中的引用不仅仅包括英语中常用的“观点回顾”(literature review),更重要的是用名家之言、古诗、古谚使自己的话更有说服力。这种应用成语俗语的习惯也常常被沿用到中国学生的英语写作中,动辄“as the old saying”(古语云)等。然而,这种引用在英语中却有“拉大旗,作虎皮”之嫌。对成语、名家的引用也反映了不同文化对权威的态度以及对不确定性的规避程度。中国文化不确定性的规避指数较高,权威之言意味着被社会广泛认可,因此,引经据典可以尽量避免分歧,减少可能发生的不确定性。相反,英语文化喜欢竞争与冲突,因此,自己的观点尽量用自己独特的表达方式,避免步人后尘。英语文章不仅不喜欢使用“陈词滥调”,对自己的观点还常常从不同角度反证其可能性。而中国学生的论文则追求自圆其说,尽量减少不确定性。

夜上海论坛 3.结论中第一人称复数和第一人称单数的使用频率

从数据上看,中文的5篇论文与英语的五篇论文使用第一人称复数(we/us/our)的频率似乎相当,但实际上,5篇英语文章的结论都在700-1000词左右,而汉语的结论则都在200-300字左右,中国学生的英语论文的结论也很短,都在200词左右。在这样的字词总数比例下,第一人称复数在汉语文章中的使用频率就远远高于在英语文章中的使用频率。英语文章结论中使用较多的是第一人称单数(first singular pronouns)和个人的观点(personal anecdotes)。在有的文章中达到12次之多,如

夜上海论坛 By way of concluding, I would like to make four comments.

I have now stated that…

夜上海论坛 I have suggested that…

夜上海论坛 I consider it important to …

I want to make it clear that…

My second/third comment relates to

I have pided…

I have outlined…

夜上海论坛 I believe that…

夜上海论坛 My concern here is …

第一人称单数和个人观点的使用体现了文章作者对自我的展示和肯定,体现了英语文化中的个人主义倾向和男性主义倾向。他们认为个人的经历最有说服力,只有自己相信自己,才能说服读者。而中文论文却相比之下,对自己的观点比较谦虚,常常出现“以上各点信手写来,全是一孔之见,还望行家不吝指正”(李观仪,2003)等谦辞,以保持学术界的和谐。这种对和谐的追求体现了中国文化的集体主义和女性主义倾向。中国学生的英语论文对自己的观点评价不够自信,更多使用的是第一人称复数,也显然受此影响。

夜上海论坛 四、结语

第4篇

关键词:英语教学 英美文化 英语语言

夜上海论坛 中图分类号:G623 文献标识码:A 文章编号:1672-3791(2012)11(b)-0150-01

语言是文化的一种表现形式,是文化的载体,体现语言使用者的民族文化特性。学习语言,要充分理解与掌握这种语言背后所体现的文化内涵。如果只是单纯的学习语言,不考虑这种语言的文化内涵,就不能保证沟通的顺畅。在这种情况下,就要求英语教学不应只注重语言知识传授,更应该考虑所教语言承载的文化内涵,使语言与文化相结合,在这种结合中培养学生的跨文化交际能力。因此,在英语教学中,应尝试在传授学生英语语言的同时,注意提高学生的英语文化修养。

1 注意传授文化内涵,提高学生英语文化修养

比如:COUNTRY、NATION、STATE 都是国家的意思,为什么美国就一定要说成是THE UNITED STATES而不是THE UNITED COUNTRY?这是因为COUNTRY是强调领土意义上的国家,NATION 是强调民族意义上的国家,而STATE则是强调政权意义上的国家。所以,同为国家的意思,三个词的文化内涵是不一样的,用法也就大不相同。

夜上海论坛 为了能将跨文化意识培养融合在语言知识和技能培养,除了讲解课文相关的语言点外,还要根据时间和学生的兴趣以及教学重点,充分利用和挖掘教材中的文化内涵。比如说,在讲解“weather”这个词时,英语论文可有意识的举这样的例子:“weather the storm”(战胜暴风雨),“while it is fine weather, mend your sail”(修帆趁天晴),这些都是英语中的习语,学生会觉得比较有兴趣去学习和记忆,这时教师可以进一步引导学生注意到这些习语都是和海洋及航海有关的,而且英语中存在着大量的与海洋及航海有关的习语,这样就会启发学生联想已有的地理知识,顿悟原来英国是个岛国,所以英语才有这个特点。如此一来,学生无论对英国、英语还是“weather”这个词,都会留下深刻印象,既学到了语言知识,又加深了对英国国家概况的了解,为跨文化交际打下良好的基础。再如,课本上英美国家的人初次相识时,往往谈论天气、球赛等与个人无关、不会引起麻烦的话题。他们从不像中国人那样,初次相识,就向对方打听“在哪里工作”“单位效益如何”“今年贵庚”“结婚了没有”“孩子多大了”等问题,因为如果问这些问题会被别人认为侵犯他们的隐私权。

2 利用课内外活动,为学生创造“说”英语的机会

传统的教学以教师的讲授为主,教师处于主导地位,学生只是简单、机械地背诵句型,缺乏言语交际练习。因而由于缺乏练习口语的机会,在真正的言语交际活动中就会因紧张、不适应而出错。因此,在课堂教学中,应尝试让学生走上讲台进行模拟对话,成为学习的主体,在实践中转换英语文化思维。比如,通过每次课课前的值日报告,模拟语境,让学生把课本中的语言文化信息转化为自己的直接经验储存起来。这样就可以避免在实际运用中,如在接电话时,明明知道应该说“WHO IS IT?”,却脱口而出“WHO ARE YOU?”这样的尴尬。

夜上海论坛 此外,还可以利用多种教学手段引导学生学习跨文化知识,如广播、报刊杂志、多媒体等。现代化图像、声光传媒工具的灵活使用可以极大地丰富教学手段,活跃课堂气氛,激发学生学习英语文化的意识。比如,可以把像《走遍美国》这样声情并茂的教学片引入课堂。《走遍美国》围绕一个典型的美国三代人家庭的生活展开,剧中布满了理解、烦恼和欢欣等情感,体现出了片中人物的价值观、伦理观、道德观和人生观,具有浓厚的人情味和隽永的意趣。它很巧妙地体现了“跨文化交际”的特点:细述形形的美国生活,使学生通过对美国文化和生活的体验,学到活生生的美国英语。课堂中,教师还可以给学生介绍英文小说,歌曲等。

3 利用多媒体技术,提升英语学习兴趣

为了提升学生对英语学习的兴趣和广泛了解英美社会的人文环境,还可利用多媒体技术,定期给学生们放英文电影。学生可以通过电影了解异国的生活方式、信仰体系、社会价值、道德标准等表层和深层的文化。了解了一部电影就了解了一个国家的一段历史、一代人甚至是几代人的生活及那个时期的文化,因此电影鉴赏是我们了解一个国家文化的重要途径之一。

为学生播放的电影必须是有教育意义且能吸引学生的,学生在欣赏故事情节的同时,要积极开展讨论,引导学生关注且理解跨文化差异。如对美国好莱坞主流意识形态的影片《泰坦尼克号》的赏析,不能只看JAKE和ROSE的爱情,应该引导学生透过这条主线全面的看20世纪初的美国社会:在灾难面前,普通人显示了人类直面死亡的勇气和尊严。如,船上的乐师们为安抚人心而克尽职守的为旅客们演奏乐曲,直到“曲尽人亡”;一对老夫妻相依为命,不为求生白费力气,安静得躺在床上等待末日来临;英国绅士为保持体面,坚决不穿救生衣;神父面对死亡仍坚持布道等等。《泰坦尼克号》把危险中每一种人的表现都描绘得淋漓尽致。其中的金钱与爱情、贫与富、是对本世纪初资本主义社会的阶段文化的一个突出反映。

夜上海论坛 最后,在教学中要合理处理汉语文化与英语文化的关系。不仅要结合自己所用教材内容及学生兴趣特点进行适时适量的异域文化知识扩充,还应进行文化间对比与分析,与汉语文化知识及表述方式进行比较,让学生意识到“跨文化交际总是两种文化接触,冲突,协调的动态过程”。留给学生辨证思考的空间。

参考文献

[1] 何自然.语用学与英语学习[M].上海:上海外语教育出版社,2008.

第5篇

关键词 商务英语 培养方案 差异性

中图分类号:G424 文献标识码:A

1 商务英语概况

商务英语是以英语为载体商务知识为核心的一种专门用途英语(English for Specific Purposes 即 ESP)。本文拟对对外经济贸易大学和广大外语外贸大学商务英语专业人才培养模式差异性进行比较,希望通过比较能对商务英语专业设置合理的培养方案提供一些参考

2 差异性比较

2.1 培养目标差异性比较

夜上海论坛 (1) 培养目标。

对外经济贸易大学:本专业旨在培养具有扎实的英语知识和技能,掌握较宽广的人文与社会科学以及国际商务基础理论知识,具有较强的跨文化交流能力,适应各类企事业单位从事国际商务活动需要的高素质专门人才。

广东外语外贸大学:培养具有扎实的英语语言基础、娴熟的英语交际能力、良好的文化素养、系统的商务知识、宽阔的国际视野、善于跨文化交际,适应经济全球化竞争,能胜任国际商务管理、国际贸易、国际金融等部门工作的国际商务专业人才。

(2) 具体要求。

夜上海论坛 对外经济贸易大学:①掌握扎实的英语知识与技能。②掌握国际商务基本理论,熟悉国际贸易相关专业知识和政策法规。③必须选修一门第二外语且达到学校要求的学习标准。④掌握比较宽广的中西方政治、经济、历史、文化知识。⑤熟练掌握必要的计算机应用技能。⑥掌握获取专业学术信息的科学方法,具备独立从事英语研究的基本能力。

夜上海论坛 广东外语外贸大学:①具有扎实的英语语言基础和熟练的听、说、读、写、译能力,通过英语专业八级考试。②熟悉英语国家文化,具备较强的跨文化商务交际能力。③系统掌握国际商务的基本知识和技能。④具有第二外国语的初步应用能力。⑤掌握文献检索、资料查询的基本方法,具有初步科学研究能力,用英语撰写与国际商务相关的毕业论文。

夜上海论坛 可以看出,两所学校在培养目标和具体要求上都大同小异,都强调了对学生语言技能,商务知识,跨文化交际能力和二外水平的培养。

夜上海论坛 2.2 课程设置比较

英语语言类课程:北京对外经济贸易大学:56%, 广东外语外贸大学63%。

夜上海论坛 英语文化类课程:北京对外经济贸易大学:17%, 广东外语外贸大学8%。

商务类课程:北京对外经济贸易大学:27%, 广东外语外贸大学29%。

夜上海论坛 (1) 英语语言类课程。

夜上海论坛 北京对外经济贸易大学:综合英语、 英语听说、 英语语音、 阅读指导、 英语写作、 第二外语、语言学导论(英)、 传意学导(英)、 英语文体学、英语公众演讲、 交替口译(一)(英)、英语论文写作、高级商务英语听说、商务英语写作。

夜上海论坛 广东外语外贸大学:综合英语、商务英语、英语写作、商务英语 写作、高级英语阅读与写作、高级英语阅读与写作、英语听力、英语口语、商务英语听说、英汉口译、英汉笔译。

(2) 英语文化类课程。

夜上海论坛 北京对外经济贸易大学:英美文学导论(英)、欧洲文化(英)、 美国文化(英)、欧美戏剧鉴赏(英)、散文(下转第165页)(上接第147页)分析、跨文化交际导论(英)、个人商务交际技能(英) 、 跨文化商务交流(英)。

夜上海论坛 广东外语外贸大学:英语国家社会与文化、英美文学和跨文化商务交际。

(3)商务类课程(略)。

可以看出,两所学校在英语语言类和文化类课程比例上差异性较大,笔者认为这种差异受地域性特征影响。北京作为政治文化中心,相应加重了英语文化课程培养学生的跨文化交际能力。而广东外语外贸大学坐落于国际贸易中心广东省,在商务英语专业下细分为四个方向,以服务于国际贸易不同需求。

夜上海论坛 2.3 师资结构比较

2008年,对外经贸英语学院成功申报了商务英语国家级教学团队,教学主要围绕语言技能、商务知识、跨文化交流、人文素养四大模块展开。

而广东外语外贸大学商务英语学院设有五个研究中心,分别为商务翻译研究中心,法律语言学研究中心,商务英语研究中心,国际商务研究中心以及跨文化商务研究中心,约有1/3的既掌握语言又掌握商科知识的复合型教师。

3 加强高校商务英语专业建设的一些思考

面对这种新的复合型人才需求形式,高校商务英语专业要找到合适的专业定位,逐步改善目前的专业建设情况。

夜上海论坛 3.1 培养模式市场化

商务英语专业培养模式应以市场为导向,结合地方经济文化的特性。通过本文对对外经贸和广东外语外贸大学比较也可以看出两所高校在培养模式上地域性差异特征。

3.2 人才国际化

从对外经贸和广东外语外贸大学培养目标可以看出,商务英语专业作为服务于全球化和国际化的应用型学科,更应以培养国际化人才为目标,加强学生外语水平,计算机应用能力和专业知识等硬件方面的培养,也应注重学生国际视野,人文素养,人际交往等方面的教育。

3.3 课程系统化

专业课程体系是教学计划的主要内容,也是应用型人才培养的关键。商务英语专业课程设置上要合理处理语言类课程和商务类课程关系,学生知识结构和能力培养的关系。笔者认为商务英语专业课程设置应包括语技能,商务知识,跨文化交流,人文素养,计算机及实习课程等方面内容。

3.4 教学案例化

作为哈佛商学院MBA教学的代名词,案例教学化在我国也得到不断应用和推广。案例教学法对加强商务英语教学的实用性和实践性,培养学生的交际能力和实际解决问题的能力都具有重大的指导意义。

3.5 教师复合化

在高校发展中,面临的一个问题就是如何培养英语和商务专业知识“双精通”型教师。针对对这种状况,必须制定出切实可行的教师培训和实践锻炼方案,为教师实践能力的培养和业务素质的提高提供强有力的支持。

第6篇

关键词:  文化意识;课堂活动;文化目标;文化超越

一、英语教学中文化导入的重要性

夜上海论坛 语言与文化的相关研究由来已久。英语论文 作为语言的载体,文化始终在英语教学中占有极其重要的地位。近年来,外语教学中的跨文化交际研究十分活跃,大多集中在理论研究上。胡文仲(1997)为跨文化交际提供了研究方向,建议从词汇、语篇结构、文体特点、语用规则、讲话顺序等九个方面进行研究分析;何自然(1997) 就英语学习中出现的“离格”现象进行了细致科学的分析,提出语言教育者应对此予以宽容。以上学者从不同研究视角向我们展示了中西文化的差异以及这种种差异在语言教学中反映。还有一批资深英语教师从教学实践的角度分析了影响学生学习质量的文化因素,其关键在于不理解两种文化在语用方面的差异,只从语言本身出发自然在使用时不知所措。北京大学的高一虹教授将语言文化的研究又推进了一大步,在她著名的《语言文化差异的认识与超越》一书中,不仅向我们展示了语义、语法、语篇、语用、体态语和语言态度层面的文化差异,还倡导各方学者应该在此基础上对中西文化差异的本质进行更深入的思考,不仅要了解、接受、欣赏这样的差异,在头脑中首先建立逐渐清晰的文化定型,再在由浅入深的认识过程中,产生批判性思维,最终实现文化超越(高一虹,2000) 。众多学者的理论研究引起我对常规课堂教学的反思。诚然,我们完全可以借助我们已经为英语专业学生开设的文化必修课程(英美文化概况、中西文化对比等等) 来促进学生对文化主题的认识,提高他们的文化差异意识。然而,更重要的是应该让学生在日常的学习中不知不觉感受到文化之间的差异并通过对不同文化的了解促进他们的英语学习,同时有效地培养他们跨文化交际的能力。为了实现这个目标,我开始尝试在课堂教学中自然而然地把文化和所涉及的教学内容联系起来,使学生在获得语言知识的同时,加深他们对于文化差异的认识,增强语感,培养他们应用语言的能力,并以此为基础,增强学生跨文化交际的意识。要做到这一点,除了在教学大纲中增加文化内涵、制定文化教学目标之外,我还设计了任务型的教学任务来实现这些目标,并分析了活动实施后的效果以及对未来教学的启示。

夜上海论坛 二、文化目标的制订与实现目标的途经

夜上海论坛 在多年的教学实践中,我们都会观察到很多学生和外国人交流时产生的交际障碍以及随之出现的尴尬场面。(胡文仲,1994) 比如一次下课后在楼道碰巧听见一名我班学生(大二) 和外教的对话:

外教:Hey , Lucia , you look so pretty in the blue scarf !

学生:Thank you. My friend bought it for me from Shanghai . Do you like it ?

外教:Oh , yeah. I like it .

夜上海论坛 学生:Well , if you like , I can ask my friend to buy one for you.

看到外教脸上诧异的表情,我深深感到我们的教学中太欠缺文化意识的引导和输入,从而导致学生在交际过程中产生这样问题。Seelye 在著名的“Teaching Culture , Strategies for Intercultural Communication”一书中讨论了在第二语言教学中融入文化指导的意义和方法。他们提出了六个与此相关的具体目标:

夜上海论坛 Generating student interests ;

夜上海论坛 Probing the relevance of social variables ( age ,sex , social class , religion , race , or ethnicity) ;

Exploring the connotations or reactions of the target culture ;

Exploring the situational variables and conventions that shape behavior ,

Understanding that people act the way they do because they are using options of behavior allowed by society ;

How to evaluate a generalization about a culture in terms of the evidence that sustains it . (Seelye , 1997)

借助于这六个基本目标,从专业英语教学的实际出发,针对我观察到的学生在语言交际中的问题,我制定了适合英语专业二年级学生的文化教学目标,涉及到了西方文化的多个层面。同时,我还设计了一些与教学内容相关,可以在课堂上实施的文化活动来实现这些目标,希望能通过这些活动不仅使学生对西方文化有一定的认识,还要让他们明确中西文化观念上的明显差异,以尽量避免在语用过程中应用不当的错误。

目标一:设计教学活动使学生熟悉英语国家的地理特征。

在日常教学中,有不少课文涉及到国外的某些著名城市,旅游景点等等。我发现对于这些地方的地理方位及特点等知识的欠缺直接影响着学生对语言的理解,有时即便是理解了,在运用时也不恰当。在这类课文的教学中,我鼓励学生查阅各种资料,同时也为他们提供一些相关的图片等资料,然后设计以“旅游“为主题的交际活动(如“在纽约带团”) ,让学生分组在布置成各旅游景点的教室中进行“旅游”,各个“景点”还分别指定了“导游”给大家介绍该地独特的地理环境和风土人情。

目标二:设计教学活动帮助学生了解中西方

国家不同的行为方式,体会不同的人文环境中人们的价值观,预测他们对相同事物的不同看法,并学会解决文化交际冲突的办法。

夜上海论坛 在教学中我常常发现学生对英语国家人们的行为方式,价值观不够了解。体现在做活动的时候,总是用中国人的思维方式在虚构英语环境中模仿本族人处理问题。为了解决这一弊端,我设计了两种教学活动:一种是引导学生在阅读有关书籍,观看英文影视的基础上,帮助他们了解西方人的思维方式及价值观;另一种是在此基础上,以编演短剧的方式让学生把了解到的文化差异表现出来,比如编排一些体现文化冲突的小故事(见“示例一”) 。

目标三:设计教学活动促进学生对英语词句中的文化内涵的认识。

为了实现这一目标,我选取了一个学生非常喜欢的话题:英文歌曲。学生通常都喜欢唱英文歌,可经过调查发现,其实他们对歌曲并不很理解,一部分原因就在于他们并不清楚歌曲所表现的文化内涵。于是我就产生了一个想法:精选一首英文歌曲和一首中文歌曲,设计有关的课堂活动启发学生在理解字面意义的基础上,挖掘歌词中隐藏的中美文化内涵,然后进行对比,从歌词的角度领悟不同文化所体现的不同的价值观(见“示例二”) 。

夜上海论坛 目标四:设计教学活动激发学生对英语国家文化的兴趣。

夜上海论坛 Brown (1986) 指出:一个成功的语言学习者应该是一名成功的文化学习者。要帮助学生达到这一目的,英语教师必须首先激发学生对英语国家文化的兴趣。硕士论文 我采取的方法是给学生创造一种环境,使他们有机会接触以英语为母语的人士,切身感受外国人对事物不同的看法,在交流中加深彼此的了解。我利用曾在美国教授中文的便利条件,邀请一些在中国学习中文的留学生来和学生们座谈,一起参加课堂文化活动。这种方式极大地促进了英语文化教学。

目标五:设计教学活动帮助学生认识英语国家的社会文化结构。

我们的一些教学内容涉及到英美国家的社会的各个层面,如法律、商业、教育、宗教等等。我帮助学生查阅有关资料并结合影视手段使学生对这些社会结构有一定的直观认识,在此基础上,设计辩论等课堂活动让学生讨论中国在这些社会层面的不同特点,从而加深学生对英美社会的认识,并布置课外作业让学生写出对他们触动最深的中外不同的社会现象。此外,还鼓励学生排演课本剧展示课文中出现的“美国陪审团”的操作规程,让学生们“自设法庭”模仿解决一个刑事案例,以此了解西方法律的相关知识。

目标六:设计教学活动促使学生探讨并理解英语国家的教育观。

毫无疑问,作为各类文化的重要因素,教育是不可忽视的教学内容。基于中外不同的教育体制和教育思想,我以小测验的形式(见附录一) 把这些差异展示给学生,然后启发他们思考不同的教育思想所带来的不同的教育效果,鼓励他们探讨各方面利弊,从而比较深刻地理解英美国家的教育观。启发学生思考不同文化背景下的教育理念产生的不同教育结果。

三、任务型的文化教学活动示例分析

如上所述,对于每个文化教学目标都有与教学活动直接相关的任务型教学活动,下面将选取与“目标二”和“目标三”对应的教学活动加以分析,体现目标实现的具体过程。

示例一

夜上海论坛 目标二:设计教学活动帮助学生了解中西方国家不同的行为方式,体会不同文化环境中人们的价值观,预测他们对相同事物的不同看法,并学会解决文化交际冲突的办法。

有效活动设计:如何解决交际中出现的文化冲突。

活动介绍

夜上海论坛 人与人交往的方式因文化而异。两个不同民

夜上海论坛 族的人在交流中很容易产生误解。这个活动的目

夜上海论坛 的就是在某些特定的场景下帮助学生了解美国人

夜上海论坛 与人交往时的习惯和原则。美国人自主意识很

夜上海论坛 强,他们乐于尊重他人的意愿,即便是在待客之

夜上海论坛 时;而中国人热情好客,总是尽其所能地接待客

人。医学论文 此外,中国人总是情愿为朋友做事,将之视为

夜上海论坛 交友之道;而美国人却认为,如果过份热情帮助朋

友做本是他们份内的事,会使朋友误解为别人在

夜上海论坛 怀疑他们的办事能力。这些文化观念上的差异特

别容易引起文化冲突,我因此设计了两个相关场

夜上海论坛 景促使学生发现这些文化差异并思考如何避免这

样的冲突。

活动目的

1. 使学生了解美国人的待客方式。

夜上海论坛 2. 让学生比较中美两国不同的待客方式。

3. 使学生了解并体会美国人与朋友交往时

对朋友自主性的重视。

4. 帮助学生了解在跨文化交际中应注意的一些文化差异。

活动步骤

夜上海论坛 1. 将活动指示页发给学生,让他们先独立完成任务。

夜上海论坛 2. 将学生分成4 - 5 组,讨论短文场景,交流对问题的看法。

3. 引导学生讨论两则事例中的文化主题,总结不同国家在交友方面的差异。

夜上海论坛 4. 鼓励学生集思广益,找出解决文化冲突的办法。

5. 让各组修改故事细节,使之符合各国文化习惯。

夜上海论坛 6. 各组汇报讨论结果,全班交流。

活动指示页.

Task sheet 1

夜上海论坛 Read the following situation and then choose the answer to the questions below. More than one answer is possible.

夜上海论坛 Why Not Let Me Serve Myself ?

夜上海论坛 Doreen , an American teacher who was working in a college in Beijing was invited to one of her Chinese colleagues’home to have dinner. In the dinner , the hostess frequently urged Doreen to eat more and drink more. Sometimes the hostess stood up and used a pair of ”public”chopstick to pick up all kinds of food to put in the guest’s plate. Gradually , Doreen felt bad because she actually couldn’t eat that much and some of the food she didn’t like at all ! Then she said politely , ”Thank you , I can serve myself. ”But the Chinese hostess never stopped. Doreen was confused and didn’t know why.

夜上海论坛 1. Why did the hostess frequently put food into her guest’s plate ?

夜上海论坛 She wanted her to eat in order to get some compliments about her cooking.

She wanted to show her hospitality in such common way as most Chinese do.

夜上海论坛 She didn’t want to see any food left .

She wanted to be polite by providing as much as

夜上海论坛 she could as a hostess.

2. Why was Doreen confused and felt uneasy ?

She hated some food in her plate.

夜上海论坛 She expected the hostess to let her serve herself .

夜上海论坛 She wanted to choose the food by herself .

She didn’t like the food the hostess cooked.

活动指示页2

夜上海论坛 Task sheet 2

夜上海论坛 Read the following situation and then choose the answer to the questions below. More than one answer is possible.

夜上海论坛 I Can Manage it Myself !

夜上海论坛 Sophia , a new foreign teacher in a college of Beijing , just finished marking of her students’final

paper. She was expected to fill in students’scores on another piece of paper provided by Chen , the department secretary , whom she had already been very familiar with. When she got to the office to ask for the sheet of paper to fill in the scores , there were many people there so she put the students’test paper on Chen’s table and decided to come over later. She met another American teach in the corridor and they talked for 10 minutes. And when she came back to the office , Chen smiled at her and said , ”Oh , Sophia , don’t worry , I have helped you fill in the students’scores here and you needn’t do that . You can go home now. ”Sophia felt not happy at all and she didn’t understand why Chen had done what was supposed to be her job.

1.Why was Sophia unhappy ?

夜上海论坛 A.Because Chen didn’t do it perfectly.

B.Because Chen did that without her permission.

C.Because she could do it herself and Chen’sbehavior may imply her incapability of her job.

夜上海论坛 C.Because Chen was not her friend.

2.Why did Chen do that for Sophia ?

A.Because she thought they were friends and she should help her with such a little thing.

B.Because she liked Sophia very much.

C.Because she had nothing to do at that moment .

D.Because she felt obliged to help friends when she could.

任务参考答案: Task 1 : 1. B , D 2. B , CTask 2 : 1. C 2. A , D

示例2

目标三:设计教学活动促进学生对英语词句中的文化内涵的认识。

夜上海论坛 有效活动设计:通过对中英文流行歌曲的歌词的分析探究不同的价值观。

活动介绍

夜上海论坛 不少中国学生喜欢美国流行歌曲。可当我问他们为什么喜欢这些歌曲时发现他们并不太理解大部分歌曲所要表达的文化内容。诚然,作为音乐欣赏,对歌词的鉴赏也许并不很重要,然而同样作为音乐爱好者,我认为理解外语歌曲的深刻内涵可以帮助我们提高欣赏水平,给我们带来更多的收获。尤其作为英语学习者,从歌词中挖掘文化内涵本身就是一个非常有意义的活动。不同国家的流行歌曲往往传达着不同的文化氛围和价值观。利用学生们喜欢的歌曲启发他们思考这些问题可以激发他们的学习兴趣,达到理想的教学效果。

夜上海论坛 活动目的

夜上海论坛 1. 让学生欣赏他们喜欢的中英文流行歌曲。

2. 使学生了解不同国家歌曲的主题。

3. 帮助学生领会歌词所表达的不同生活价值观。

4. 启发学生对比歌词中传达的中美文化的内涵:中国文化中团体精神和美国文化中的个人主义。

夜上海论坛 活动辅助材料和手段: 两首录制好的中文和英文歌:罗大佑的“黄色的脸”和Mariah Carey 的“Hero”。质量良好的放录机。

活动步骤

夜上海论坛 1. 将学生分成3 - 4 组。

夜上海论坛 2. 播放Mariah Carey 的“Hero”,让学生尽量写下他们听到的词句。

3. 再次播放“Hero”,让学生分组讨论歌曲的内容,然后各组向全班报告讨论结果。

4. 播放两遍罗大佑的“黄色的脸”,让学生分组重复以上步骤。

夜上海论坛 5. 把准备好的歌词发给学生,提醒学生注意画线词句,再次讨论歌词内容。

夜上海论坛 6. 发给学生活动指示页,让他们讨论上面所提问题。

7. 再次播放两首歌曲,要求学生讨论出歌词中所包含的文化意义。

夜上海论坛 8. 各组总结讨论结果,全班进行交流。 活动指示页

Read the questions below concerning the two songs you are listening and then discuss your answers in groups .

夜上海论坛 What are the themes of the two songs ? Whatdifferences have you found in these two songs ?

What do the words underlined mean to you ?

夜上海论坛 What different cultural values are showed there ?

What kind of the value do American people have ? How is it different from Chinese value showed

in“YELLOW FACES”? How do you think of thevalues ?Do you agree ?Why or why not ?

歌词页

HERO

夜上海论坛 There’s a hero

If you look inside your heart

You don’t have to be afraid

夜上海论坛 Of what you are

夜上海论坛 There’s an answer

夜上海论坛 If you reach into your soul

夜上海论坛 And the sorrow that you know

夜上海论坛 Will melt away

夜上海论坛 And then a hero comes along

夜上海论坛 With the strength to carry on

And you cast your fears aside

And you know you can survive

So when you feel like hope is gone

夜上海论坛 Look inside you and be strong

夜上海论坛 And you’ll finally see the truth

夜上海论坛 That a hero lies in you

It’s a long road

黄色脸孔

词曲:罗大佑

眼睛内的心上的人飘的云

眼睛看的心情的人飘的云

夜上海论坛 HEI TUMBA LA LE TUMBA HEI HEI TUMBA TUMBA

LA LE TUMBA HEI

HEI TUMBA HEI TUMBA TUMBA TUMBA LA LE HO

夜上海论坛 一样的手, 一样的血,

一样在艳阳普照下点点生存

假如你张开的双眼

夜上海论坛 给我一点心照的诺言

夜上海论坛 给一张风吹雨淋后依然黄色的脸

眼睛内的心上的人飘的云

夜上海论坛 眼睛看的心心上人飘的云

听说那是一个相同的梦

夜上海论坛 听说那是一个相同的心

文化教学实践活动效果分析

实践证明,以上的“任务型文化教学活动”职称论文 深受学生欢迎,课堂气氛相当活跃。更为重要的是,通过课堂教学中有意识的文化导入,学生们开始有意识地吸收目的语国家的文化知识,消化其文化内涵,最终学会在跨文化交际中利用所学知识解决实际沟通中的矛盾和问题。具体而言,学生们的进步,以及对未来的教学的启示主要表现在下面几个方面:

夜上海论坛 1. 广泛汲取目的语国家的文化知识

通过结合教学的课堂互动活动,学生对西方社会文化的各个层面有了进一步了解。他们了解了西方国家特别是英美各国的地理特征、社会政治结构、教育理念等基本知识,比如学生通过“纽约带团”的活动了解了纽约各地的风景及人口结构;通过“自设法庭”了解了美国陪审团的操作规程。课后学生们普遍认为这样的教学活动生动形象,让他们在“玩”中不知不觉地掌握了相关国家的文化知识。

2. 深入理解目的语国家的文化内涵

了解各种文化内容只是文化教学的初级目标,我们所设计的活动中还有一部分是启发学生在英语学习的过程中深入思考英语国家的文化内涵,在理解语言的基础上,挖掘语言之外的引申含义。“英语歌词探秘”(示例二) 极大地激发了学生的学习积极性,课堂讨论气氛非常活跃,学生们讨论出中西方不同的文化主题,并大呼这样的英语课“过瘾”。除此以外,由于很多学生都有出国深造的打算,因此,以了解西方国家的教育观为目的的教学活动,使学生对将来出国有充分的思想和心理上的准备,便于他们尽快适应新的学习环境。一些刚刚出国留学回来的学生的反馈,也说明这样的教学使他们受益匪浅。

夜上海论坛 3. 利用跨文化比较的初步知识思考解决实际问题

深入理解西方文化的内涵还不是我们的最终目标,在英语专业的教学中,我们还要培养学生的交际能力,培养他们利用掌握到的文化差异思考解决实际交际中的问题。示例一明显体现了这一目标的实现过程。此类教学活动,在启发学生探究同一事物在不同文化中具有不同的价值观念和处理方法的基础上,鼓励他们商讨解决交际中出现的矛盾和困难,真正实现文化超越。学生们反映这样新颖的教学活动把他们带入了一个从未涉足过的领域,让他们在发现文化奥秘的同时,锻炼了解决交际问题的能力,许多学生说,他们在和英语国家的人交流的时候“心里有底了”。由于头脑中的文化意识增强了,与外国人交往时也更有信心了,学会了在交际中首先去了解人家对事情的观念和感受,不是一味地按着自己的文化思维处理问题。这些令人欣慰的教学效果也使我对文化教学更加自信。

4. 文化教学和英语学习动机的相互影响效应

在英语专业教学中进行文化导入的同时,我惊喜地发现,学生们的学习积极性也大大提高了。原来不善于发言的学生变得爱发表意见了;原来稍显死板的课堂教学也变得活跃起来。几乎每一个单元的课学生们都会自动地挖掘其中的文化含义,积极讨论与中国文化的差异。与此同时,由于英语学习有了更为深厚的文化背景,语言技能的训练也有了更接近目的语的土壤,原来枯燥的学习变得智趣盎然。反过来,学生学习兴趣和动机的提高也鼓舞着我更加深入地探索文化教学的方法和途径,更加积极地有意识地导入文化知识,并启发学生在了解文化内涵的同时产生批判性思维,不是简单地接受老师灌输的知识,而是经过详尽的思考消化所学到的知识,在解决问题的过程中使这些知识巩固、升华,实现真正的文化超越。

五、结语

毋庸置疑,文化是外语教学的重要内涵,语言学习的过程同时也是文化学习的过程。Brown 曾经指出, 文化是联系语言和思想的有机整体(Brown ,1986) 。在英语教学的过程中,我设计的任务型的文化教学活动有效实现了文化教育的各个目标,取得了初步效果。但正如高一虹分析的那样,我们还必须警惕在教学过程中容易出现的文化定型现象,避免由此产生的文化交际中新的困难以及对传统文化和西方文化的片面吸收。文化超越是一个漫长的过程,在未来的教学中,这将是我们下一个新的目标。

参考文献

[ 1 ] 胡文仲,1997 “, 试论外语教学中的跨文化交际研究”《, 外语与外语教学百期论文选萃》,上海:上海外语教育出版社。

夜上海论坛 [ 2 ] 何自然,1997 “, 跨文化交际中的语言‘离格’现象刍议”《, 外语与外语教学百期论文选萃》,上海:上海外语教育出版社。

夜上海论坛 [ 3 ] 高一虹,2000《, 语言文化差异的认识与超越》,北京:外语与教学出版社。

[ 4 ] 胡文仲(主编) ,1994《, 文化与交际》,北京:外语与教学出版社。

[ 5 ] Seelye , H. N. ( 1997 ) . Teaching Culture : Strategies for Intercultural Communication. Third Edition Chicago : National Textbook Company.