【干货】某教学方法分析

以前给教研人员培训时,常会提到要用Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching这本书里提供的一个模型来科学地分析各种语言教学方法。

而我在十多年教学的过程中,结合我自己学习英语的经验,不知不觉总结出了“泛精结合、查听仿生”的语言能力训练方法。

但我一直都没有拿这个模型给自己的这套说辞进行过严谨的分析,那就通过这篇文章做一次尝试吧。


接下来就用前面提到的那个模型来分析一下我所谓的“泛精结合、查听仿生”这个方法。

如果不够严谨,正好也可以借此机会完善一下。

一、分析模型

科学地分析一个语言教学理论或者方法的模型如下图:

源自Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching

二、理念

2.1 关于语言的本质的理论

语言是传递信息的途径之一,其通过人体多感官的联动以声音、表情、肢体语言为主要展现形式传递说话者想要表达的意象。

2.2 关于语言学习的本质的理论

获得语言能力的过程是建立信息与多感官协作的关联的过程,在这些直接关联的基础上,学习者将会获得生成性输出的能力。

三、设计

3.1 目标:

让初学者在没有目标语言环境的条件下,仍然能建立起语言与人类本身的语言运用能力的关联,通过大量跟声音的直接互动,让学习者建立声音与其所传递的准确意象跟发声器官的运作、所有感官的感受、内心的情感之间的直接关联,以便在输出时能条件反射似地调动所有相关的器官、感官和情感以最直接、自然的方式表达想要表达的意象。

主要适用于初学者建立中级阶段以前的语言运用能力(CEFR的A1到B2阶段),在更高级阶段中仍可继续保持该训练习惯,并辅以其它必要的方法以获得更多高级阶段的语言运用能力。

3.2 大纲:

目前并没有固定的训练素材。原则上讲,任何至少带有母语人士录音的素材都可以采用。如果有视频、图片等资料则更佳。

而素材的组织方式需要灵活考虑不同人群、不同需求进行特别设计。因此未来应当会有基于该方法的各种不同课程内容与形式,而不仅仅采用一套大纲以期解决所有人的需求。

3.3 学习者角色:

学习者主要是训练的参与者。通过跟声音直接互动,进行长期的、高标准的训练,持续建立语言跟自身多个感官之间的联动,以获得生成性输出的能力。

3.4 教师的角色:

教师主要是教练的角色。引导学习者进行训练,在训练中提供关于训练情况的即时反馈以便学习者的训练更高效,同时提供心理上的支持以便学习者更容易保持持续的训练。

3.5 教材的角色:

根据不同人群、不同需求提供实用的训练素材,至少有文字与相匹配的录音,其它媒体形式越多越好,以便辅助学习者建立更多感官的关联。

四、步骤 技巧、练习与行为:

为了更有效地建立关联,可以把训练过程分为泛学和精学两类:

4.1 泛学:

用于提升学习广度(占总学习时间的70% – 80%)

学习过程中忽略细节,在可理解的前提下大量输入即可。主要目的是建立大量的视觉、听觉与所传递的信息之间的关联。

4.2 精学:

用于提升学习深度(占总学习时间的20% – 30%)

具体的做法就是用“查、听、仿、生”四个步骤进行精细化练习。在这个步骤里一定要追求精益求精,练习的内容不能多,但要以最高标准进行训练。

4.2.1 查——准确理解

这一步是一切的基础,也是最容易被忽略的一步。在开始练习之前一定要认真查词典,搞清楚要练习的内容究竟在讲什么,每个词都要弄明白。这里最常见的陷阱就是那些自认为认识的单词,所以如果只查自认为的生词的话是远远不够的,把握一个原则,只要有一丝模糊就马上查词典,一定做到100%明确,最好是每个单词都查,这样就很难有遗漏了。

除了查词外,有必要的情况下还需要查相关的语法点、文化背景知识、相关联的其它资讯等等。总之要做到既充分理解字面意思,又理解文字背后的意思,以便后续的训练中与准确的意象建立关联。

4.2.2 听——客观听音

所谓客观就是指不要被曾经习惯的发音所干扰,忘掉以前,听到什么就是什么,不论是不是符合过去的记忆。在听的过程中可以使用一些符号进行标注来辅助听音,但不用学习音标,只要自己明白是什么意思,任何符号都可以。

4.2.3 仿——客观模仿

当能把所有的发音细节听清楚以后,就可以开始张嘴跟读练习了,但也要注意客观两个字。主要体现在那些不符合个人发音习惯或者记忆中的语音知识的地方,要忘掉一切,客观地按照所听到的声音去模仿,把不习惯的发音练成新的习惯。

模仿时除了模仿语音语调之外,更重要的是要找到自己在说话的感觉。第一步的作用就在这里体现出来了,只有清楚地知道自己在说什么的时候,才能更准确地找到自然地说话的感觉。

模仿可以分两个阶段:

  1. 异步模仿:以一个意群为单位播放一遍原声,跟读一遍,跟读时语速先尽可能慢,随着熟练度提升逐渐加快速度直到跟原声速度一样;
  2. 同步模仿:熟练度达到跟原声语速一样时则可以在播放该片段时与原声同时发声,关注原声的节奏与语调变化,类似唱卡拉OK一样,练到跟原声的节奏与语调完全一致为止。

4.2.4 生——生成性输出

生成性输出可以从两个方面来理解:

  1. 在查、听、仿三个步骤完全做到位,把声音跟意象以及自己的发声器官的运作建立顺畅的关联之后,想像真实的语言情景,像一个演技高超的演员一样,真实地说出来,而不是毫无情感地读句子;
  2. 生成性输出同时也是一个自然产生的结果,前三个步骤所建立的直接关联不是靠逻辑思考实现的,人类与生俱来的语言习得机制会让语言学习者在与目标语言大量直接接触的过程中自然获得语言能力。其结果并不仅仅是能让学习者能应用曾练习过的表达,更重要的是可以自然地进行生成性输出。也就是说在已有的能力基础上自动按照语言的规律产生新的表达。

以上通过这个模型把这套训练方法比较全面地进行了分析和梳理。随着今后教学的实践,我还会不断进行完善。尤其是大纲部分是主要缺失的环节,这也将是今后发展中需要大量实践积累与总结的部分。

借学英语来谈谈我对学习的看法

我们外语教学中最普遍的误区就是认为:英语=单词+语法+发音。因此产生了大量的神棍式的单词、语法、发音专家,去片面甚至是畸形地吹嘘各种大法来忽悠学习者,把非常简单的一件事情给变得无比复杂。

老师没学好,不仅用错误的方法继续误导下一代,有些心胸不够开阔的还用各种手段阻止学生用正确的方法学习。

如果达尔文的假设是正确的,那么从原始人到现代人沟通方式是这样进化的:叫喊→口语→文字→规则(语法、语音等)→互联网。由此可见,我们主流的英语学习方法是本末倒置的,能学好语言才怪呢。这也是为什么某教采用最原始的形式——“叫喊”——反而比学校的方法要好一些。

从进化的角度来说,你我都处在人类进化的最前沿。我们的生理条件是历史上各种“家”都不具备的;从当下来看,人一生对自己的大脑的开发程度只有很少一部分。由此可见,我们的潜力是无穷的,什么孔子、老子、孙子,什么牛顿、爱因斯坦,你都完全能比他们更厉害,唯一的障碍就是你自己停滞不前。

“刻苦”这个词是个害人精。我们的教育不断给学生灌输学习的恐怖故事:书山有路勤为径,学海无涯“苦”作舟、头悬梁、锥刺骨、在墙上打洞、到雪地里读书……把学习如此扭曲对你们有什么好处呢?我个人的经验表明,学习一点都不苦!如果觉得苦了请一定记住,你那不叫学习,赶紧STOP!

让我告诉你关于学习的最大的秘密:学习 = 玩。当你感觉自己在学习的时候,并不是最佳的学习;当你感觉自己在玩的时候,那才是真正的最佳学习状态。

如果想让太阳光照到本来照不到的墙面上,我们可以在阳光照得到的地方拿面镜子来反射阳光。但我们能一下就将阳光反射到自己想要的地方吗?如果够幸运,可以(或者常玩这个,技术高超也行)。其它情况下我们就得慢慢调整角度了。在不断调整的过程中,我们开心地玩着,享受这个不断改错的过程。

学好语言的第一步就是爱上语言。因为如果你不爱却非要学,会有以下三大危害:1. 自己很难学好;2. 将来再想学的时候更难学好;3. 学不好不由得你就会散布语言很难学、单词不好记、发音很重要等谣言,害得别人也学不好。

工欲善其事,必先利其器。一个最适合你自己的语言能力获得环境不容易找到,但你可以自己创造。比如我在中学的时候就会随身带着这些:随身听、收音机、小笔记本、笔、电子词典、杂志……我的目标是无论身在何处,都有一个完全浸泡在目标语言中的环境。

人的一生就是一个学习的过程。只要我们永远保持纯净的心灵,不要带偏见,以一颗真诚的心看待任何事物,我们都会有收获。不要停滞不前。如果能永生,即使学得最慢的人最终也会成为圣人。但从现实来看好像我们都不能永生,所以在有限的时间里,尽可能去学习更多的东西,让我们不枉来此世界一趟。

学习时间是自己一点点地挤出来的,如果大块的时间很少的话就利用好零碎时间,养成习惯就好了。我走到哪儿第一件考虑的事就是要带本什么书,这样在路上或者任何在不知不觉中浪费掉的时间都会被我用来学习,并且这样学习的效果其实也特别好。

一个人在下决心做一件事的时候刚开始都很有冲劲,一旦停下来一段时间就会开始自责,骂自己又没有坚持,很多负面的情绪就都来了。其实这个时候是很关键的,要是能马上原谅自己,就不会再去浪费时间想这个问题了。所以要告诉自己:这没什么大不了的,只是暂停了一下而已,我现在就要接着去做!

凤凰网微访谈:赵金海

今年前半年接受了一次凤凰网教育频道的访谈,信口开河,讲了讲对于英语学习、教学等的一些看法,不是学术讲座,难免有不严谨的地方,不过最起码是我最真实的感性认识。转到自己博客上,收藏一下。

原文链接:http://edu.ifeng.com/yurenzhe/special/zhaojinhai/

ifeng

视频:

中国的外语教学落后西方100多年

凤凰网教育:各位网友大家好,欢迎来到凤凰网教育频道为您打造的视频访谈《育人者》节目。本期访谈我们专程为大家邀请到了2008年北京奥运会志愿者外语培训教学总监、教材主编,巴别鱼国际教育的校长赵金海老师,我们请赵老师和我们广大凤凰网的网友打个招呼。

赵金海:大家好。

凤凰网教育:赵老师好。我们今天主要聊的是关于外语学习的热门话题。我们知道随着时间的发展,中国越来越OPEN了,对外语的需求也特别大,但是我们发现国内的应试教育出来的很多学生们在说外语方面有很多的这个误区和弊病。

我本人从小学就已经接触到外语了,但是到了真正开始说的时候,还是说不出来。

赵金海:对,就跟上学一样,在学校学了那么多年,一到社会发现什么都不一样了。 Continue reading “凤凰网微访谈:赵金海”

2013年奥巴马总统就职演讲原文

奥巴马再次就职美国总统了。照惯例,演讲稿又成了很多英语学习者的好资料,虽然我不认为是什么好资料——对初学者而言——尤其是对当下中国英语学习者的实际情况而言,绝大多数英语学习者远达不到学这类演讲稿的水平,全背下来也就是满足一下自己的虚荣心而已。我见过太多激情四射背诵各类经典演讲稿的人了,真正通过背诵演讲稿进而提高了自己英语应用水平的人非常少。因为感兴趣而背我是认同的,但如果误以为背经典演讲是学英语的好方法,那我可就不完全认同了,一定要找适合自己英语水平的资料去学习。

当然了,我也把演讲原文贴到这里,以便那些少数英语水平适配的同学使用。

先贴上宣誓:

I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.  So help me God.

奥巴马总统就职演讲全文

以下引自美国白宫网站 http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/01/21/inaugural-address-president-barack-obama

Inaugural Address by President Barack Obama

 

United States Capitol
11:55 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT:  Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice,
members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:
Each time we gather to inaugurate a President we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution.  We affirm the promise of our democracy.  We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names.  What makes us exceptional — what makes us American — is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Today we continue a never-ending journey to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time.  For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they’ve never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth.  (Applause.)  The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob.  They gave to us a republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.
And for more than two hundred years, we have.
Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free.  We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.
Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce, schools and colleges to train our workers.
Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.
Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.
Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society’s ills can be cured through government alone.  Our celebration of initiative and enterprise, our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, these are constants in our character.
But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.  For the American people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias.  No single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores.  Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation and one people.  (Applause.)
This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience.  A decade of war is now ending.  (Applause.)  An economic recovery has begun.  (Applause.)  America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands:  youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention.  My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it — so long as we seize it together.  (Applause.)
For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it.  (Applause.)  We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class.  We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship.  We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American; she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.  (Applause.)
We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time.  So we must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, reach higher.  But while the means will change, our purpose endures:  a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American.  That is what this moment requires.  That is what will give real meaning to our creed.
We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity.  We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit.  But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future.  (Applause.)  For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn.
We do not believe that in this country freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few.  We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us at any time may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm.  The commitments we make to each other through Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security, these things do not sap our initiative, they strengthen us.  (Applause.)  They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.  (Applause.)
We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity.  We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.  (Applause.)  Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms.
The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult.  But America cannot resist this transition, we must lead it.  We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries, we must claim its promise.  That’s how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure — our forests and waterways, our crop lands and snow-capped peaks.  That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God.  That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.
We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war.  (Applause.)  Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage.  (Applause.)  Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty.  The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war; who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends — and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.
We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law.  We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully –- not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear.  (Applause.)
America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe.  And we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation.  We will support democracy from Asia to Africa, from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.  And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice –- not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes:  tolerance and opportunity, human dignity and justice.
We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths –- that all of us are created equal –- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.  (Applause.)
It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began.  For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.  (Applause.)  Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law  –- (applause) — for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.  (Applause.)  Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote.  (Applause.)  Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity — (applause) — until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country.  (Applause.)   Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia, to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm.
That is our generation’s task — to make these words, these rights, these values of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness real for every American.  Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life. It does not mean we all define liberty in exactly the same way or follow the same precise path to happiness.  Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time, but it does require us to act in our time.  (Applause.)
For now decisions are upon us and we cannot afford delay.  We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate.  (Applause.)  We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect.  We must act, knowing that today’s victories will be only partial and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years and 40 years and 400 years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.
My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction.  And we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service.  But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty or an immigrant realizes her dream.  My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.
They are the words of citizens and they represent our greatest hope.  You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course.  You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time — not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.  (Applause.)
Let us, each of us, now embrace with solemn duty and awesome joy what is our lasting birthright.  With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.
Thank you.  God bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.  (Applause.)
END
12:10 P.M. EST

口语交际任务 – Oral Communication Tasks

从实用的角度来讲,学习一门语言就是为了能通过这个工具来实现不同个体之间的互动,尤其是一门外语能让一个人的互动范围扩大很多。如果能较为全面的列出人们不同个体间通用的那些交际活动,可以使学习一门新的语言的目标更加明确。把这些通用的交际活动转化为学习时的交际任务(Communication Tasks),在学习时围绕这些任务去用各种手段去练习,这样更能使学习一门语言更加高效。(但需要声明:我个人没有为也不喜欢为所谓实用的目的来学习)

在网络上搜到一个列表,收藏下来,对我目前的工作比较有帮助。当然对于语言教学者、学习者都会有一定的指导作用。

原贴地址:http://miguelbengoa.com/elt/2008/03/07/oral-communication-tasks

Here is a suggested taxonomy for oral communication task types, not in any order of importance.
以下是一个值得推荐的口语交际任务类型的分类,不是按重要性排序的 。

  • Providing extended answers to oral questions.
    对口头提问能提供具有扩展性的答复。
  • Asking and answering questions about diagrams or other visual representations of information.
    对于图示或其它视觉化(直观)的信息表现形式进行提问并回答。
  • Asking for information to solve problems or complete a job-related task.
    为解决问题或完成工作相关的任务询问信息。
  • Making requests and observing conventions of politeness.
    提出请求并遵守礼仪方面的惯例。
  • Sustaining short conversations using informal register[s].
    运用非正式主体来维持短小的会话。
  • Managing the various aspects of a conversation [opening, turn taking, nominating a topic, repairing misunderstanding by asking for clarification or by repeating or rephrasing, linking ideas, adjusting the message, & closing].
    掌握会话中的各个方面[开始、话论转换、提出话题、通过请求说明或者重复或者改述来修正误解、连接观点、调整信息和结束]。
  • Passing on messages that can be restructured to distinguish between factual content and interpretation.
    传达出的信息能被重新构建,使得该信息是有实际内容或者是解释说明两者能很清晰地分别开。
  • Sustaining a conversation for a short period of time in order to gather information about a specific situation or to perform a work-related task or function.
    持续进行短时间的会话,来收集关于特定情况的信息或完成工作相关的任务或职能。
  • Using the language of meetings [presenting, agreeing & disagreeing, questioning, interrupting, expressing an opinion, summarizing] to express himself in job-related situations.
    在工作相关的情景下使用会议语言[演示、同意与不同意、询问、打断、表述观点、总结]。
  • Issuing straightforward instructions.
    进行简易的指导
  • Using appropriate natural language [less formal vocabulary, contractions, discourse markers, ellipsis & elision] of spoken modes.
    使用恰当的自然语言[不太正式的词汇、缩略、话语标记、简化与略音]口语模式。
  • Listening to extended semi-formal and informal explanations.
    听扩充性的半正式和非正式解释。
  • Understanding what degrees of urgency or obligation attach to requests.
    理解请求所相连的紧急程度和责任大小。
  • Demonstrating an understanding of regulations by reformulating them in own words
    通过用自己的词语来重新阐述规则来展示出对它的理解。
  • Understanding an audiotape or video-tape on a familiar topic.
    理解有关熟悉的话题的磁带或者录像。
  • Explaining the gist and the step-by-step details of a diagram or graphic with appropriate descriptive language.
    使用恰当的描述性语言来解释一个图表或图形的要点与每一步的细节。
  • Orally paraphrasing text when necessary.
    在必要的时候进行口头释义。
  • Giving an extended explanation involving steps, problem-solution structure, and description of a piece of equipment or a tool or a familiar abstract concept.
    对于一件设备或工具或一个熟悉的抽象概念给出一个有扩展性的解释,包括步骤、问题——方案结构和描述。
  • Listening to lectures and formal presentations with a clear structure.
    听有清晰架构的讲演和正式的演示。
  • Listening to lectures and formal presentations with digressions.
    听会有跑题的讲演和正式的演示。
  • Reading aloud short purposeful texts.
    大声朗读有目的性的短文。

11

语言,作为变乱人类世界的伎俩

我写博客的频率比较低,即使是写,也一般不太愿意写个人的情绪之类的文字。

我总是把自己置身于这个世界之外,观赏着这里面发生的一切。

每当有人将目光转向我,问我的看法的时候,我都会被轻轻地吓到。慌忙用“挺好”、“还行”这类回答来应对,心里祈祷着“不要注意到我,你们接着演吧。”

这时才意识到自己是通过被这个世界里的人们唤作赵金海的肉体而跟这一切连通起来的。人们是能够发现我的。

但我还是不想说太多的话。因为我发现大家在交换自己的观点的时候,很容易就会被困于这个世界里了。思维也有了很大的局限性。我怕我一说得多了,也会被陷于此。

我知道我其实在很大程度上已经陷于此了,只是不想陷得太多。

昨天看到郑渊洁的博客里引用他给小孩们讲写作时说的话:

我们的眼睛每天看外界,你看了很多很多,但你就是不写文章,这其实是另一种憋尿。你就把你对外界的感受都憋在脑子里,不通过写文章释放出来,等于你把大脑当成放“尿”的地方了。时间长了,就脑结石了。

看到这段文字,我再一次意识到,我也拥有这个世界里的一具肉体,而他——赵金海——也有一个大脑。我和他关系很好,也就很关心他的健康。我在通过他来欣赏这个世界,那我也有理由照顾他。在平时生活中就不怎么说话、表达自己的想法,连写博客也经常躲躲藏藏地,尽量避免流露自己的情感。这样下去对他的健康可能会带来很大的影响。所以我决定以后还是多写点文字。在生活中很难做到,至少在这个私人的空间里尽量打开自己的那扇心门。

可是,还是有一些顾虑。

在观赏这个世界的时候,我注意到了:语言文字是这个世界的一大祸害。表面上,它在推动着人类社会的进步。而在背地里,它给人与人之间建立起了一道屏障。

如今这个屏障已经无处不在了。小到夫妻之间、朋友之间,大到国家之间、宗教信仰之间。无数的误解都在悄无声息地而又轰轰烈烈地从各个屏障间产生,让人们在这颗孤零零的星球上热闹非凡,不至于意识到自己其实是多么的渺小、孤独、无助。

圣经创世纪第十一章说耶和华看到人们要建造一座城,并且在那里建造通天塔,就去那城里变乱了人们的语言。那座城被称作巴别城,巴别是变乱的意思。

我觉得有这样一种可能性。圣经里的这一章也是在变乱人们的思想。我猜测耶和华并没有变乱人们的语言。而是去创造了语言。

很可能本来是没有语言的,人与人之间才得以有最直接的交流。语言作为一个工具,也会和其它工具一样,有它的方便之处,也有它的局限性。而耶和华只需要教给人们一种语言,让人们对它产生依赖就可以了。

语言的局限性,使得人们在表达自己的感受时,不能达到最精准。而别人在理解的时候还会产生误差。这样人们之间的分歧越来越大。语言文字也在人们理解的差异中产生变化,进而演变出不同的语言体系。使人们的分歧再次加剧。这样人们要团结起来的可能性就太小了。

在圣经里,把这个细节故意写为人们本来就在使用相同的语言,耶和华去只是变乱了人们的语言。这其实很可能也是变乱的一部分。

故事的真假无所谓,是否有信仰也无所谓。单看这个事情,只是语言文字这一个小小的伎俩就可以带给人类这么大的影响。那么很可能还有很多我们没有觉察到的事物,在影响着整个人类。

这些就是我的担心。我还要使用语言来交流吗?我犹豫不决。但人们貌似都在用它了,并且貌似非常依赖于它了。那我就用它来写下我的想法吧。唉!

看,我已经写下我的想法了。

只是你有没有发现,逻辑又是一个陷阱!

towerofbabel

你可能看过的笑话一则(中英文对照)

翻译一篇大家可能听过或看过的笑话:

A man who absolutely hated his wife’s cat decided to get rid of him one day by driving him 20 blocks from his home and leaving him at the park.

有个男的特别讨厌他老婆的猫,因此有一天他决定扔掉它。他开车把它丢在了离家20个街区以外的一个公园里。

As he was nearing home, the cat was walking up the driveway.

在他快到家的时候,猫已经在沿着他家车道散步了。

The next day, he decided to drive the cat 40 blocks away and try the same thing.

第二天,他决定把它弄到40个街区以外的地方再给扔掉。

As he was driving back into his driveway, there was the cat! He kept taking the cat farther and farther away, but the darn cat would always beat him home.

正当他把车开回自家车道时,猫又已经到那儿了!他一次再一次地把猫送到更远的地方,他这破猫总是能找到回家的路。

At last, he decided to drive a few miles away, turn right, then left, past the bridge, then right again and another right and so on until he reached what he thought was a safe distance from his home and he left the cat there.

最后,他决定先开出几里地,右转,然后左转,过了桥再右转、再右转,就这样直到到了一个他认为离家足够安全的距离之后,把猫丢在那儿。

Hours later, the man calls home to his wife: “Jen, is the cat there?”.

过了几小时后,这个男的给家打电话问他老婆:“Jen,猫在家吗?”

“Yes,” the wife answers. “Why do you ask?”

“在啊,”他老婆说,“怎么了?”

Frustrated, the man answers: “Put that damn cat on the phone. I’m lost and I need directions!”

这个男的很沮丧地说:“让那倒霉的猫接电话。我迷路了,我需要它指路!”

丫咋说——一个实用的英语学习辅助网站

其实网站的名字是“howjsay”,是把“How do you say?”用口语的方式缩写了。我第一反应就是“How 丫 say”,所以我给起了个中文名“丫咋说”,有点粗俗,还请各位包涵。

这是一个查询英语单词发音的网站。使用起来很简单,打开网址:http://www.howjsay.com 之后在中间的输入框中输入一个单词或短语,点“Submit”,就能听到其发音了。

这个网站还提供一个小工具叫CleverKeys,一个类似于电子词典的工具,但不是很好用。下载安装后,在任务栏有一个书本的图标,双击后按以下视频进行设置:

设置完成后可以在任意页面、文档或者程序中选定一个单词,用快捷键Ctrl+L来查询发音。

在iPhone里也有,号称是“世界上最大的iPhone和iPod Touch中使用的英语发音词典”(World’s largest English Pronunciation Dictionary now on iPhone & iPod Touch),不过很可惜它不是免费的。可以点这里查看。

这个网站页面其实很难看,没什么设计,并且广告很多。但是功能确实很实用。

我在高中的时候特别希望有这样的一个查询发音的工具。现在我经常劝我的学生们不要钻研音标,尤其是在初学阶段,直接去听到正确的发音然后去模仿,这样是最高效的。但很多人说不一定所学的东西都能找到标准的录音,那这个网站至少可以解决一下大多数单词的发音问题了。

很多人的认为初学者应该学音标,这其实是一种误人子弟的看法。当自己的口语在中等水平时再学音标就差不多。

最方便的翻墙装备Usejump

其实我就是想正常使用网络,我不用它来煽动什么。尤其我从事的是跟英语教学相关的工作,需要从网络上搜集大量的信息。举个最简单的例子吧,有一套非常著名的英语语音语调方面的教程,叫American Accent Training,简称AAT。在中国,英语的语音语调方面就没有什么值得一提的研究成果,就更不要说类似于这套教程之类的应用了,所以这套教程我经常会推荐给我的学生使用。但是我想不通的是,这个教程的官方网站:http://www.americanaccent.com不知是哪里出了问题了,竟然也被封锁了。你叫我不翻墙怎么办啊!真让人恼火,真想当面问一下这幕后的人,你脑子出问题了吗?

虽然已经有好多人发文推荐过Usejump这个软件了,但我还是想再在这里推荐一下。它可以说是我目前用过的最方便的翻墙装备了。安装后直接用,就跟你装一个普通浏览器一样。该软件使用P2P技术,目前看是很难封锁它的。并且我猜测应该是用的人越多,浏览速度越快吧。所有真希望大家人手一份,无障碍地访问互联网。

网址:http://beta.usejump.com

点这里直接下载

下面我引用其网站上的介绍并粗略翻译一下:

As a revolutionary browser, it will give back power of Internet to its users. Usejump is a secure and fast web browser based on webkit that helps users access information anytime and anywhere beyond filtering and censorship.
作为一个革命性的浏览器,它会把因特网的权力交还给用户。Usejump是一个基于webkit的安全、快捷的浏览器。它帮助用户突破网络过滤与审查,随时随地获取信息。

To make web browsing experience safer and faster by using P2P and encryption technologies based on open standards. Usejump is seeking to be the first truly social network aware browser.
通过使用P2P和加密技术,让网络浏览更安全与快捷。Usejump追求成为第一个真正注重社会化网络的浏览器。

While with flourishing of internet and social networking, everyday peoples build more and more trust and relationship with others, at the same time governments find the internet as direct opposition of their interests. So, here comes the filtering and information censorship. For years and centuries those who have the power ( governments, politicians , etc… ) trying to control the access of people to information by controlling over books, newspapers, medias , news , TV and so on. but today we have opportunity for the first time to stand up against all and say NO.
随着互联网与社会化网络的繁荣,每天各民族间互相建立起越来越多的信任与交情。与此同时,各个政府发现互联网成为了它们直接的敌人。所以,信息过滤与审查诞生了。多少年来,多少个世纪以来,那些掌权者(政府、政治家等等……)一直试图通过控制书籍、报纸、媒体、新闻、电视等等来控制人们对信息的获取。但是今天,我们第一次有了站起来说“不”的机会。

Our mission with the Usejump is to make this possible with the power of internet and technologies that we have in the hand, but is not possible without you as someone how(原文是how,但我猜测应该是who) believe in the spirit of open access to information for anyone, we need you, be there for everyone of us.
我们Usejump的任务就是让它成为可能,利用我们所拥有的互联网与技术的力量。但是不能没有你,信仰信息应该对所有人开放的精神,我们需要你,为了我们每一个人而奋斗。

人的10大守则

在网上看到这篇短文Ten Rules for Being Human,自己觉得很有共鸣。

不知道从什么时候起我给自己写了两句座右铭:I love this world! To Live and To Learn!(我爱这个世界!活着就是学习!)。这些年在我的课堂上、讲座中,还有博客、邮箱签名,甚至给奥运志愿者编写的教材中(后来删了)都出现过这两句话。

我爱“这个”世界,是相对于其它世界的。我算是去过其它世界,虽然对其它世界充满了向往,但目前我不会用离开这个世界的方式去看别的世界,因为我是真的爱“这个”世界的,还想要多看看。

To Live and To Learn!其中故意把两个to首字母大写了,为了跟英文中的名言Live and learn(活到老学到老)来区别。因为我觉得没必要那么沉重,好像要一直努力地学,学到死为止。我这句的中文我自己给定义为“活着就是学习!”。很轻松的,不用刻意去干什么,只要活着,那你就是在学习了。尤其这句,我觉得跟这篇短文很有共鸣。所以就给翻译了一下,放到这里来。

下面是文章:

Ten Rules for Being Human

人的10大守则

by Cherie Carter-Scott

translated by Richard Zhao

  1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it’s yours to keep for the entire period.
    你将会收到一个身体。你可能会喜欢它或者讨厌它,但在你作为人类的期间它将会一直是你的。
  2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, “life.”
    你将会学习很多课程。你已被一个全日制的非正规学校招收,这个学校叫“人生”。
  3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately “work.”
    没有错误,只有课程。成长是一个考验、错误和实验的过程。“不及格”的实验和最终“通过”的实验差不多一样多。
  4. Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
    课程会一直重复下去,直到学会为止。每一课在你学会之前会以各种方式呈现给你。当你学会之后就可以进入下一课了。
  5. Learning lessons does not end. There’s no part of life that doesn’t contain its lessons. If you’re alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.
    学习不会停止。人生中没有任何一部分是没有包含课程的。只要你是活着的,那就意味着还有课程等着你去学习。
  6. “There” is no better a place than “here.” When your “there” has become a “here”, you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here.”
    没有“哪里”会比“这里”更好。当“那里”变成你的“这里”时,你会很轻松地找到另一个“那里”比“这里”更好。
  7. Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
    其他人仅仅是你的镜子。你不会喜欢或者讨厌别人身上的什么东西,除非它反映出的是你身上令你喜欢或者讨厌的东西。
  8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
    你自己决定你自己的人生。你拥有所有必需的工具和资源。怎么用它们是由你来决定。选择权是你的。
  9. Your answers lie within you. The answers to life’s questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
    你的答案就在你自己身上。对于人生的答案都在你自己身上。你需要做的就仅仅是看、听和相信。
  10. You will forget all this.
    你会把这些守则全都忘记。