Applications of Context Theories to the Teaching of English Reading.doc

毕业论文（设计）AcknowledgementsI am greatly indebted to my supervisor, lecturer Deng Chunyan, who provided me with different sources of information to help me form and develop the idea of this thesis. I owe much gratitude to her kindness and patience in checking my work in great detail.My indebtedness goes to Doctor Tian Minggang, who has taught me how to write English research papers in the correct format, and to those who have taught me my BA courses. Without their enthusiasm and support, this work would not have been possible. My appreciation also goes to my classmates and my friends for their great help and encouragement.AbstractReading is an important way of gaining information in foreign language learning. It has been considered as one of the most basic and useful skill for a foreign language learner. Improving reading comprehension must be put in the first place in language teaching. Therefore, teachers should know how to improve the ability of reading so that it can enhance students English-learning successfully. However, the current situation of the teaching of English reading is far from satisfying in China. Students are trained to be good at memorizing words and analyzing sentence structures, while they will be at a loss when faced with passages or articles. Therefore, researchers have proposed many new theories, such as three influential reading models: the bottom-up model, the top-down model and the interactive model. However, none of these teaching methods was perfect. Later, context theory comes into play. Since it was proved to be effective, more and more teachers try to apply it to their teaching nowadays.This thesis is made up of five chapters. Chapter one, the introduction, is an overview about the current teaching of English reading in China. Chapter two the definition of context is discussed. There are different views of context according to many linguists both at home and abroad. Chapter three is about the classification of context. Since there is not a set rule to the classification of context, this thesis classifies it into three kinds: linguistic context, situational context, and cultural context. Chapter four is the main part of the thesis. It focuses on applications of context theories to the teaching of English reading. The aim of this chapter is to find out how context works in practical teaching. It is illustrated from three points: applying linguistic context theory to English reading, applying situational context theory to English reading, applying cultural context theory to English reading. The last chapter is the conclusion, which takes a retrospect at the whole thesis and emphasizes the significance of context theory to the teaching of English reading. The applications of context theories in the teaching of English reading will improve students reading skills and English competency. As one of the most important fields in foreign language teaching, reading can also be better and efficiently taught if it is placed within context.Key words: Teaching of English reading Context theories Linguistic context Situational context Cultural context摘要在学习外语的过程中，阅读是获取信息的有效途径。所以，阅读技能被认为是学习外语最基本和最有用的技能之一。在传授一门新语言时，必须把提高阅读能力放在第一位。因此，教师应该懂得如何提高学生的阅读能力，从而增强学生学习英语的能力。但是，中国目前英语阅读教学的情况仍存在着很大的缺陷。学生被训练成记忆单词和分析句子结构的能手，却不能正确地理解整篇文章。针对这种状况，研究人员们提出了许多新的阅读学习理论，例如：自下而上模式，自上而下模式以及交互式模式这三种影响较大的阅读模式。但是，这三种模式都存在着不足。后来，出现了语境理论。实践证明，语境理论对英语阅读教学是行之有效的。因此，现在越来越多的教师尝试着把语境理论引进课堂教学。本文分为五个章节。第一章简要介绍我国英语阅读教学的现状。第二章列举了国内外某些语言学家对语境的定义和看法。第三章谈到了语境的分类。本文把语境分为：语言语境，情境语境和文化语境。第四章是文章的重点，主要阐述了语境理论在英语阅读教学中的应用。这一章论证了语言语境，情境语境和文化语境这三个方面分别在英语阅读教学中的应用。最后一章是本文的结论部分。对文章作了整体回顾，并强调了语境理论对英语阅读教学的意义。从语境角度进行英语阅读教学，不但能有效提高学生的阅读技能，同时也能全面提高学生的语言能力。关键词：英语阅读教学 语境理论 语言语境 情境语境 文化语境ContentsAcknowledgements.iAbstract in English.iiAbstract in Chinese.ivChapter 1 Introduction .1Chapter 2 Definitions of context .32.1 Foreign linguists views on context 32.1.1 View of Malinowski .3 2.1.2 View of Firth .42.1.3 View of Halliday 52.2 Chinese linguists views on context .6Chapter 3 Classifications of context .63.1 Linguistic context.73.2 Situational context .73.3 Cultural context.8Chapter 4 Applications of context theories to the teaching of English reading 84.1 Applying linguistic context theory to English reading.94.1.1 Inferring meanings of new words.94.1.2 Predicting the content of reading material.114.2 Applying situational context theory to English reading .124.2.1 Teaching grammar within situational context .134.2.2 Understanding the text within situational context.144.3 Applying cultural context theory to English reading .154.3.1 Culture-loaded words learning.164.3.2 Cultural background knowledge learning.17Chapter 5 Conclusion .18References.2020Applications of Context Theories to the Teaching of English ReadingChapter 1 IntroductionAs one of the most important parts in English teaching, reading has drawn much attention and the development of reading ability has always been one of the key objectives in English teaching, it is demanded greatly in all kinds of graded tests. What is reading? Reading is a process of mentally interpreting written symbols. It involves a series of factors that a reader brings to the text (Chun Huan, l992). Reading is an important way of gaining information in foreign language learning. It has been considered as the most basic and useful skill for a foreign language learner. Improving reading comprehension must be put in the first place in language teaching. Therefore, teachers should know how to improve students ability of reading and enhance students English-learning successfully. However, the current situation of English reading teaching is far from satisfying in China, which has been dominated by a teacher-centered, examination-oriented, grammar and vocabulary-based method. Teachers spend most time in explaining words, grammar, and translating each sentence into Chinese. Actually, this is the traditional method which is called Grammar-Translation Method (GTM). It was thought that reading was a process of translating the foreign language into the target language word by word. Thus, students are considered as passive receivers of whatever the teachers provide. They just do what teacher tells them to do, and have little opportunity to speak in class. Even given chances, they never want to express themselves spontaneously. They have to listen to teachers speaking all the time and just feel sleepy. They will never enjoy such a reading class and just hope the bell could ring soon. Obviously, the result is not as good as it should be. Taught in this way, students are trained to be good at memorizing words and analyzing sentence structures, while they will be at a loss when faced with passages or articles. For example, in reading a text, many students always complain that they cannot understand a text, in which there is no new word at all. So this way of teaching was proved wrong later. Instead, researchers have proposed many new theories, among which appeared three influential reading models, namely, the bottom-up model, the top-down model and the interactive model. Accordingly, these three different ways in the teaching of English reading have been put forward. However, after being carried out in reading classes, it was found out that none of these teaching methods was perfect. (Zhang Xueqin, 2006)So later, context theories came into play. Ever since put forward by Malinowski, context has become a key concept in many research fields. Many linguists both at home and abroad have put forward their theories which illustrate the importance of context in learning a foreign language. There are different views on the classification of context among linguists, but this thesis tends to accept the theory that context should be classified into linguistic context, situational context and cultural context. Many teachers nowadays have tried to apply context theories to their teaching, especially teaching reading. This thesis will mainly demonstrate applications of context theories to the teaching of English reading.Chapter 2 Definitions of contextThere are different definitions about context according to its scope. In a narrow sense, context refers to a phrase or even a longer utterance or a text before or after a phrase. But context should be looked upon from a broader sense because the understanding of a text depends on much wider context. (Zhang Xueqin, 2006)According to the Websters New World Dictionary of the American Language, context means “the parts of a sentence, paragraph, discourse etc, immediately next to or surrounding a specified word or passage and determine its exact meaning.” It also refers to “the whole situation, background, or environment relevant to a particular event, personality, creation, etc.” 2.1 Foreign linguists views on contextThe concept “context” was first put forward by Malinowski in 1923, and then many foreign linguists have carried out many researches in this field.2.1.1 View of MalinowskiMalinowski distinguished between context of culture and context of situation.He uses the term “context of situation” to refer to the total environment of a text, including the verbal environment, and the situation in which the text is uttered. He explains that in the reality of spoken or written language, a word without linguistic context is a mere figment and stands for nothing by itself, so in the reality of a spoken living tongue, the utterance has no meaning except in the context of situation.(Malinowski,1923:465)Whats more, he said that in any adequate description it was necessary to provide information not only about what was happening at the time but also about the total cultural background. The reason was that, involved in any kind of linguistic interaction, were not only the immediate sights and sounds surrounding the event but also the whole cultural history behind the participants, and behind the practices that they were engaging in. For this reason, Malinowski put forth another term-context of culture.After further study, he proposes that context should be divided into three kinds: context of utterance, context of situation and context of culture. Omitting any one of these three contexts, it is impossible to understand an utterance (something uttered or expressed; a statement) or a text correctly.Malinowskis view of context has laid a foundation for the later development of this concept.2.1.2 View of FirthJ.R.Firth, the founding father of London School, was greatly influenced by Malinowskis work. He extends the implication of context and believes that not only a sentence or a paragraph above or below is a context, but also the relationship between language and social environment. The former is called context caused by linguistic factor and the latter is regarded as context of situation. He lists a model in his Papers in Linguistics that covers both the situational context and the linguistic context of a text (1957:182). His context of situation includes the following:A. The relevant features of participants, persons, personalities.()The verbal action of the participants;()The non-verbal action of the participants;B. The relevant objects and nonverbal and non-personal events.C. The effect of the verbal action.2.1.3 View of HallidayHalliday gives a different description to the context of situation in terms of a framework of three headings: the field of discourse, which refers to what is happening; the tenor of discourse, which refers to who is taking part; and the mode of discourse, which refers to what part the language is playing. Hollidays view of context as a whole:(1) Verbal context a. The intratextual context: coherence within the text, including the linguistic cohesion that embodies the internal semantic relations;b. The intratextual context: relations with other texts, and assumptions that are carried over therefrom.(2) Non-verbal contexta. Context of situation: the configuration of field, tenor and mode features that specify the register of the text ;b. The context of culture: the institutional and ideological background that gives value to the text and constrains its interpretation.2.2 Chinese linguists views on contextLinguists in China have also made great efforts in studying context. Chen Wangdao published a famous book named On Rhetoric in 1932. In the book, he lists six factors of context, they are “why, what, who, where, when and how.” These six factors are the basic elements of context.He Zhaoxiong (1989:22) illustrates context as two kinds of knowledge: inner-linguistic knowledge and extra-linguistic knowledge. The former refers to linguistic rules, by which people use language to communicate. The latter includes the background knowledge shared by speaker and listener, and the total nonlinguistic information of an utterance, such as the situational context and some related social culture.Professor Hu Zhuanglin and Liu Runqing also probe into the concept of context. They propose that context is based on the presumption that one can derive from or reduce it to observable context.Besides, Professor He Ziran touches upon context when he talks about how to understand the language in use. According to him, context is the environment in which the language intercourse occurs, which includes linguistic context, social-intercourse context and cognitive context.Chapter 3 Classifications of contextBased on different criteria, there are a lot of kinds of classification of context. As early as the 1920s, Malinowski divided context into context of culture and context of situation. According to Firths viewpoint, context should be classified into linguistic context, cultural context and situational context. In China, Pei Wen (2000) thought context can be linguistic and paralinguistic context and cultural context. Wang Dechun (1983) divided it into subjective and objective context.It is apparent that there is not a set rule to the classification of context, different schools have different ideas. Despite that, their views mainly fall into two categories: linguistic context and non-linguistic context. Linguistic context is mostly referred to co-text. Besides, it also includes collocation, even Deictic Context. While non-linguistic context referred to Context of Situation, Common Knowledge, Background knowledge, Cognitive Environment, and Communicative Context. (Cong Rizhen, 2005)In summing up all the theories put forward by different linguists, we can classify context into three kinds: linguistic context, situational context, and cultural context. These three context theories are widely used in English class nowadays.3.1 Linguistic contextLinguistic context or linguistic knowledge is the basis of reading comprehension. It is the internal relations of the units within the language system. It belongs to the environment in the discourse and can be further grouped into the category of language itself. As a result, this context focuses more on language, including the word meaning, the structure of text and so on. Readers sometimes have to construct this context in the condition of concrete expression.3.2 Situational context Situational context is an actual speech situation in which a word, a phrase, a sentence occurs. It includes objective factors, such as time, place, occasion, participants, professional status, educational background and subjective factors, such as the authors viewpoint, self-cultivation, his common sense, emotion and so on.According to Halliday, the situational context consists of three components: scene, manner, and communicator. These elements interact with each other and limit the choice of forms. Everything happens under certain situation. Every utterance should be understood in accordance with the situation.3.3 Cultural contextCultural context is an entire cultural setting in which a word, a phrase, a sentence etc. occurs. It involves such factors as beliefs, custom ideas, value systems, family patterns, mode of thought, etc.In Malinowskis opinion, the cultural context refers to the social and cultural background which language forms can depend on. Language is the carrier of culture, as well as a part of culture. Malinowski argues that “one language must be deep-rooted in a given culture. Conversely, the social culture is unavoidably reflected by context.” (Zhang Xueqin, 2006) In a given context of culture, when people use language to communicate with each other, they must follow certain conventional rules for social communication.Chapter 4 Applications of context theories to the teaching of English readingIn the last chapter, we mentioned three theories about context, namely, linguistic context, situational context and cultural context. Since these three theories made a great impact on teaching, more and more English teachers try to apply them to their teaching today. Next, we will discuss applications of these context theories to the teaching of English reading.4.1 Applying linguistic context theory to English readingIn the teaching of English reading, teachers should instruct their students to improve their reading comprehension through the use of linguistic context theory. Linguistic