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不同的文化有着自己独特的思维方式,对中国学生而言,写好英语作文除了具备一定的词汇量和语言基础知识外,还必须注意不同思维模式的差异性。英语通常用一个段落表达一个意思,段落中心意思往往由作者直接说出来,被称为作者责任型 (writer responsibility) ;而汉语段落中心一般深而不露,要靠读者自己去归纳。汉语中常常是一个段落包含多个意思,甚至还有用多段说明一个意思的,因此被称作读者责任型 (reader responsibility) 。学生在写作时往往凭自己的直觉和汉语思维模式进行段落的展开,很少注意所写的方式是否符合英美人的行文习惯。Robert Bander认为这是因为语言文化思维差异的影响所致。那么如何才能在实际写作中摆脱固有的汉语思维模式呢?我们可通过同一内容不同形式的行文方式加以比较,辨别其差异性。
一、曲折型与统一型
汉语的语篇思维模式多以迂回式形式为主,其表现为侧重情感,遵循思维的自然流向,波澜起伏,曲折入题。而英语语篇的思维模式表现形式常常为一个段落一个意思,其叙述通常围绕主题进行,以辅助句的形式来支撑主题,突显中心意思,表达直截了当,用事实说话。如:
I have been studying English for several years. Though I have made a lot of efforts, and spent much time on it, I haven’t made very obvious progress. I think it is because we have few opportunities to practice what we have learned. How can I memorize it if we learn a new word without any chance to use it? But if we use it in real life many times, things will be quite different. For example…
该段文字主要论述了学英语付出了许多努力但回报甚微的情况,后过渡到记忆单词靠使用,接下来讲如果能在实际生活中使用遇到的单词,情形就会不一样。这样一直在不停地变换话题。也许在举例后,又会对产生的情形加以分析,这是典型的受汉语思维的影响所造成的行文模式。段落顺着汉语“起承转合”的轨迹延伸,不能直奔主题,从而使论述的内容游离于段落中心之外。虽然读上去无任何语法结构上的毛病,但给人以松散的感觉。这是许多学生在实际写作中常犯的毛病之一。
如何改变学生在写作中固有的汉语思维模式呢?教师可通过不同段落对比的方式来阐明英美人行文的思维模式。如根据该段落的内容可运用下面的段落进行对比。
It’s not easy to learn English to a Chinese. Although I have been learning English for several years and made a lot of efforts, I haven’t made obvious progress. One of the reasons, I think, is that we have few opportunities to practice what we have learned. For example, to learn a new word and to memorize it we need to have more opportunities to practice it in real life. If we use it in real life many times, things will be quite different.
该段落突出了一个中心,即中国人学英语不容易,用段落主题句点明其中心思想,将主题句放在句首,然后根据主题展开论述。这样有利于作者控制段落发展方向和范围,使段落内容集中,达到段落的统一和完整。用此形式可以降低汉语思维模式对写作的影响。因此教师在指导学生写作时,应告诫学生紧紧围绕段落的主题去展开,切忌东一榔头西一棒的现象。
二、情感型与理性型
汉语思维模式重直觉,表达迂回曲折,靠意义贯通所形成的语境来组织语言,习惯于陈述观点和看法;英语思维模式重理性,主要通过语言形式手段来反映语言结构关系,论述问题时习惯用事实说话。如:
Taking part in sports can also help improve study efficiency. It can give you a rest after a day’s work. It can make you relax when you feel tired and broken-down. It can relieve the pressure you have in studies. If you take part in sports regularly, your study efficiency will be surely improved.
该段落主要论述了参加体育活动与学习之间的关系。其行文完全按照汉语的思维模式进行,这种一个接一个罗列看法的写作使人读了觉得空泛,造成“东拉西扯”的感觉。对照下面的一段按英语思维模式所写的段落,则效果就不一样。如:
Taking part in sports can also help improve study efficiency. One study shows that people who take regular exercise suffer less from anxiety and are able to work better. According to medical report, 83 percent of the freshmen who had trouble with studies were in bad physical shape. And when they were put into a physical fitness program, their grades picked up more or less.
该段落首先提出主题,然后用一系列的细节展开论述,把原段落中空洞的口号式句子转化为说明段落中心的细节,使之得到了较好的改进。
三、意合型与形合型
汉语思维模式倾向于思维的自然流向,完全遵循事情发生的先后顺序和时间顺序,主要靠语义的贯通来表明语言结构之间的逻辑关系;而英语思维模式则主要通过语言的形态和语言的形式手段 (如连词、代词) 的连接来表示结构关系。如:
A student acquires knowledge mainly from textbooks and in class. When he graduates from school he can do nothing. Everything is different from what teachers told him. He would be disappointed and frustrated. He may even be afraid to face the world. Our schools have turned out people of no use.
该段落主要论述了教育的一些失误之处。虽然整个段落无任何语法的错误,但给人以松散的感觉,其主要原因是缺乏必要的连接形式,致使段落衔接不紧。这也是学生在实际写作中极易忽视的问题。而英文的段落则主要靠话语联系语进行衔接,从而体现英语形合的特点。如:
As he acquires knowledge mainly from textbooks and in class, a student finds himself capable of doing nothing when he graduates from school. For everything in life is different from what teachers told him, he would be disappointed and frustrated. As a result, he may even be afraid to face the real world. Obviously our schools have turned out people of no use.
经过改写的段落除了使用了As a result外,还使用了介词for和副词obviously等,既阐明了原因又作出了结论,其效果不言而喻。
通过上面的几点论述和段落的比较,我们知道不同的思维模式在英语写作中可能会产生不同的效果。了解不同的思维模式在行文中的特点,有助于在写作中写出更符合英文习惯的文章,使之写出的文章有较浓的英文味。
(作者:张海生,江苏省海安县实验中学)
一、曲折型与统一型
汉语的语篇思维模式多以迂回式形式为主,其表现为侧重情感,遵循思维的自然流向,波澜起伏,曲折入题。而英语语篇的思维模式表现形式常常为一个段落一个意思,其叙述通常围绕主题进行,以辅助句的形式来支撑主题,突显中心意思,表达直截了当,用事实说话。如:
I have been studying English for several years. Though I have made a lot of efforts, and spent much time on it, I haven’t made very obvious progress. I think it is because we have few opportunities to practice what we have learned. How can I memorize it if we learn a new word without any chance to use it? But if we use it in real life many times, things will be quite different. For example…
该段文字主要论述了学英语付出了许多努力但回报甚微的情况,后过渡到记忆单词靠使用,接下来讲如果能在实际生活中使用遇到的单词,情形就会不一样。这样一直在不停地变换话题。也许在举例后,又会对产生的情形加以分析,这是典型的受汉语思维的影响所造成的行文模式。段落顺着汉语“起承转合”的轨迹延伸,不能直奔主题,从而使论述的内容游离于段落中心之外。虽然读上去无任何语法结构上的毛病,但给人以松散的感觉。这是许多学生在实际写作中常犯的毛病之一。
如何改变学生在写作中固有的汉语思维模式呢?教师可通过不同段落对比的方式来阐明英美人行文的思维模式。如根据该段落的内容可运用下面的段落进行对比。
It’s not easy to learn English to a Chinese. Although I have been learning English for several years and made a lot of efforts, I haven’t made obvious progress. One of the reasons, I think, is that we have few opportunities to practice what we have learned. For example, to learn a new word and to memorize it we need to have more opportunities to practice it in real life. If we use it in real life many times, things will be quite different.
该段落突出了一个中心,即中国人学英语不容易,用段落主题句点明其中心思想,将主题句放在句首,然后根据主题展开论述。这样有利于作者控制段落发展方向和范围,使段落内容集中,达到段落的统一和完整。用此形式可以降低汉语思维模式对写作的影响。因此教师在指导学生写作时,应告诫学生紧紧围绕段落的主题去展开,切忌东一榔头西一棒的现象。
二、情感型与理性型
汉语思维模式重直觉,表达迂回曲折,靠意义贯通所形成的语境来组织语言,习惯于陈述观点和看法;英语思维模式重理性,主要通过语言形式手段来反映语言结构关系,论述问题时习惯用事实说话。如:
Taking part in sports can also help improve study efficiency. It can give you a rest after a day’s work. It can make you relax when you feel tired and broken-down. It can relieve the pressure you have in studies. If you take part in sports regularly, your study efficiency will be surely improved.
该段落主要论述了参加体育活动与学习之间的关系。其行文完全按照汉语的思维模式进行,这种一个接一个罗列看法的写作使人读了觉得空泛,造成“东拉西扯”的感觉。对照下面的一段按英语思维模式所写的段落,则效果就不一样。如:
Taking part in sports can also help improve study efficiency. One study shows that people who take regular exercise suffer less from anxiety and are able to work better. According to medical report, 83 percent of the freshmen who had trouble with studies were in bad physical shape. And when they were put into a physical fitness program, their grades picked up more or less.
该段落首先提出主题,然后用一系列的细节展开论述,把原段落中空洞的口号式句子转化为说明段落中心的细节,使之得到了较好的改进。
三、意合型与形合型
汉语思维模式倾向于思维的自然流向,完全遵循事情发生的先后顺序和时间顺序,主要靠语义的贯通来表明语言结构之间的逻辑关系;而英语思维模式则主要通过语言的形态和语言的形式手段 (如连词、代词) 的连接来表示结构关系。如:
A student acquires knowledge mainly from textbooks and in class. When he graduates from school he can do nothing. Everything is different from what teachers told him. He would be disappointed and frustrated. He may even be afraid to face the world. Our schools have turned out people of no use.
该段落主要论述了教育的一些失误之处。虽然整个段落无任何语法的错误,但给人以松散的感觉,其主要原因是缺乏必要的连接形式,致使段落衔接不紧。这也是学生在实际写作中极易忽视的问题。而英文的段落则主要靠话语联系语进行衔接,从而体现英语形合的特点。如:
As he acquires knowledge mainly from textbooks and in class, a student finds himself capable of doing nothing when he graduates from school. For everything in life is different from what teachers told him, he would be disappointed and frustrated. As a result, he may even be afraid to face the real world. Obviously our schools have turned out people of no use.
经过改写的段落除了使用了As a result外,还使用了介词for和副词obviously等,既阐明了原因又作出了结论,其效果不言而喻。
通过上面的几点论述和段落的比较,我们知道不同的思维模式在英语写作中可能会产生不同的效果。了解不同的思维模式在行文中的特点,有助于在写作中写出更符合英文习惯的文章,使之写出的文章有较浓的英文味。
(作者:张海生,江苏省海安县实验中学)