英美影视作品对英语学习者的有效作用.doc

本科专业学位论文本科专业学位论文 题 目 英美影视作品对英语学习者的有效作 用 学 院 外 国 语 学 院 专业班级 姓 名 学 号 指导教师 答辩时间 2008 年 6 月 THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF ENGLISH FILMS AND VIDEOS ON ENGLISH LEARNERS BY LI CHUNXIA REGISTERED NO 104092009 SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY JUNE 2008 The Positive Impact of English Films and Videos on English Learners Abstract Due to the creation and application of technology the atmosphere of learning English in our country gets heavier Many experts and learners have approved the immense impact of English films and videos on English teaching and begin to put into practices gradually To English learners in common situations it is only limited in the classes under the teachers instruction However in fact learners can make good use of English films and videos to study by themselves and learn what they want so as to improve their English This thesis as to self access students in the universities and colleges mainly states the basic characteristics of English films and videos the details of the positive impact and how to play the positive role of English films and videos in which it introduces how to choose the English films and videos and the effective ways to learn The main theme of paper is to explain the positive impact of English films and videos on learning English and advocate English learners to make good use of this material in self studying actively to improve their own English Key Words English film and video positive impact English learner self access 英美影视作品对英语学习者的有效作用英美影视作品对英语学习者的有效作用 摘摘 要要 由于科技的创新和应用 国内学英语的气氛越来越浓 许多专家和学者都已经认 可英美影视作品对英语教学的巨大作用 并开始逐渐应用于实践 对于学者来说 一般情 况下只是局限于课堂 在老师的指导下进行学习 而事实上 学者可以有效地利用英美影 视作品这一资源进行自主学习 自由地发挥 从而提高自身的英语水平 本篇论文就是以 高校里自主学习英语的人为主要对象 主要阐述了英美影视作品的基本特点 其有效作用 的具体体现和学者在自学过程中如何发挥英美影视作品的有效作用 其中将介绍如何选择 英美影视作品和学习利用的有效方法 该文旨在说明英美影视作品对学英语的有效作用 倡导英语学习者在自主学习过程中积极有效地利用这一资源来提高自身的英语水平 关键词 关键词 英美影视作品 有效作用 英语学习者 自主学习 CONTENTS Introduction 1 1 Present Situation and Characteristics of English Films and Videos 2 1 1 Present Situation of English Films and Videos 2 1 2 Characteristics of English Films and Videos 3 1 2 1 Culture 3 1 2 2 Authenticity 3 1 2 3 Interest 4 2 Embody of English Films and Videos Positive Impact on the English Learners 5 2 1 Arouse Learners Interest in Learning English 5 2 2 Increase the English Learners Vocabulary 6 2 3 Improve the English Speaking and Listening Ability 7 2 4 Strengthen Learners to Know More about Culture of English Countries 8 2 5 Improve Learners Cross culture Communication Ability 9 3 How to Make Use of English Films and Videos Positively 9 3 1 How to Choose English Films and Videos Correctly 9 3 1 1 Standard Usage and Great Quantities of Language 10 3 1 2 Healthy and Close to life Content 10 3 1 3 Clear and Original Pronunciation 11 3 1 4 Choose Films and Videos from Easy to Hard 11 3 2 The Ways to Make Use of Films and Videos Positively for English Learners 12 3 2 1 Know about the Cultural Background of English Films and Videos before Watching 12 3 2 2 Put down the Important and Useful Phrases and Sentences on Time 13 3 2 3 Learn to Dub the Excellent or Classical Sections of English Films and Videos 13 4 Conclusion 14 Bibliography 16 1 Introduction During the last two decades the connection between China and other countries has become more and more frequent People have realized the necessity of learning English No matter English teaching or self access it has been strengthened greatly But the fact is that many learners have found that when they learn English in the beginning they have much interest and passion However because of the lack of conditions and atmosphere for learning English they can t freely present their ability of what they have learned They are forced to learn and feel it harder to learn At last they have to give up As to this situation connected to the Internal characteristics of learning English we should seek an effective way to inspire learners interest in learning English improve the memory efficiency and release the tiredness in the process of learning English so that they can communicate with others by use of what they have learned It is easy to learn English by putting the knowledge into practices In our daily life we often learn English with English teacher in the class such as listening practice by listening to tape materials retelling and discussing the topics with others in English All these are very unnatural and unoriginal We just do them step by step However with the advanced technology and appliance of multi media it has provided many ways and opportunities to learn foreign language English films and videos as a kind of special language learning material not only make the learners to keep in touch with the original English but directly and actively present the background of the target language And also the learners interest will be inspired in a real environment of learning the target language which includes the cultural knowledge and social skills Besides learners can learn much about the history of foreign countries and improve their actual abilities for application In fact many people are very interested in films and videos They don t pay much attention to what they can learn from them but the plots or stories of them But now for English learners they should pay more attention to the important knowledge which is helpful for them to learn English English learners also should learn how to learn English by self studying even the 2 teachers instructions are very important This paper is to state the characteristics of the English films and videos the positive impact on English learners and the ways for learners to self study by English films and videos The most important thing is that learners will realize the positive effect of English films and videos When they learn English by themselves they will find pleasure in putting what they have learned into practice It is important to have correct ways to make use of English films and videos for learning English to improve their English 1 Present Situation and Characteristics of English Films and Videos 1 1 Present Situation of English Films and Videos English film and video is a traditional method but novel teaching material Traditional is because it existed early in 1980 and was used as teaching material for English majors in our country Novel is because with the fast development of multi media technology today the quality of film and video is much higher the content is much closer to life and the production is more skilled From video to VCD DVD and WDVD film has brought people into a newer and more active watching and listening world which can satisfy not only the language teaching but also the English learners by themselves Besides now in the 21st century English films and videos have been widely popular with people especially in English teaching in our country Learners are easily attracted by English Films and videos which can make you pay attention to learning And also the practices of English teaching by films and videos have proved that as a kind of teaching method or teaching contents English films and videos have advantages that records broadcast and the other teaching media can t be compared with They can comprehensively stimulate learners listening and speaking and make them feel the real English speaking environment Nowadays more and more people have realized the importance of English found English films and videos as effective sources for learning English and put into practices gradually 3 1 2 Characteristics of English Films and Videos 1 2 1 Culture The film and video itself can create the best lively language environment with all aspects and fields of culture Learners can keep in touch with the social historical natural geographical and custom knowledge of English countries Film and video first is a kind of popular media to exchange the culture of different countries It is the condensation and finest of real life containing all kinds of daily life so it can present all aspects of life to us actively and directly From people s behavior and words in film and video learners can know the concepts and ideas of people in the English speaking countries the custom such as what we should do or not and the laws ruling in their countries Different films and videos reflect the different periods of history and it can increase the knowledge of significant events and people For example the film Forest Gump represents many historical events like Black Movement Sex Liberation KKK Republic and so on As a result we can know the film and video much better and learn more After all when people s act in the films and videos is different from our own countries and we can feel the differences which make us to pay more attention to them The basic knowledge of learning language is to know much background of target language while films and videos are one of the best materials for learners to learn 1 2 2 Authenticity The authenticity of films and videos refers to the context including the language situation and culture Any film and video always makes use of the real language and contents coming from daily life in order to promote the development of the story contrast the complex relationship of people and emphasize on the historical background Of course the most real language is obviously different from the texts of learners reading books The authenticity of language mainly embodies on the rational sentence frame fast but normal speed and the application of special language varieties such as dialect slang and formal words We can imagine if we don t talk with English people face to face we can t feel the real pronunciation and intonation of the language Even though the film and video which is based on significant events in the history or 4 what happened in the daily life is only the producers recreation of real life yet it still plays an important role in learners learning English In fact it also will be meaningless if the language learning is away from the historical background and social changes Instead representing the life can make people understand foreign countries social value more easily and find common ground as soon as possible From the sceneries of films and videos learners have the real atmosphere of the speaking language It can increase learners ability to use the language by watching films and videos People s words in the film and video are in different ways and learners can put them into practices to improve their English level 1 2 3 Interest Films and videos have a good effect on watching and listening They can inspire learners interests and make them feel they are in real situations even in different countries Learning English by watching films and videos is easily accepted by learners They can learn what they can t learn from their classes and many newer things that they haven t known Besides it is a combination of art and performance with great art infection on learners When learners are watching films and videos they easily dip themselves into the scenery It is actively arouse learners interests They change their feelings to the change of situations Learners can guess what will happen with the development of the film which make learners pay more attention to the content of the film Every actor has his or her own ways to perform and the performance is mixed together in order to increase the dramatic effect on the film As usual learners learn English by reading texts listening to tapes and remembering the important words and phrases However by watching English films and videos learners can learn the pronunciation intonation words and phrases together with impressive pictures or moves It is also easy for them to remember the important points by imitating in the situation of films and videos It is hard for learners to learn English well under pressure but easy to learn by themselves in a relaxed situation Nowadays we have advanced ways to make use of films and videos and its importance has been proved in the practices Learners interests have been increased and English has improved 5 2 Embody of English Films and Videos Positive Impact on the English Learners It has been a long time since that many learners English learning weren t improved by the old mode Students are listening while teachers are teaching Nowadays we emphasize on the comprehensive abilities of English speaking and listening and of course the old teaching mode can t meet the demands of English teaching In recent years we have found an effective way to improve English not only in the classes but also for the learners self learning As everyone knows teachers are important instructors for English learning But at the present time we have many ways to learn with the advanced technology so learners should learn to study independently In that situation learners can randomly learn and see what they want Learn under their own steam they study and master the important things more easily Watching English films and videos is one of the best ways to learn English Connected with the characteristics of films and videos the positive impact on English learners embodies five aspects as follows 2 1 Arouse Learners Interest in Learning English A linguist called Jamesky has said that everyone has the ability of learning languages So only if the learners are in the language environment they could learn well the language in a short time However interest is one of the most important things for learning English It is the best teacher and guider for learners And in fact learners who don t learn English well always have little interest That s because in the traditional teaching method teachers play dominant roles in the teaching process They do not care about their audiences feelings On the contrary the students have to be compelled to get the knowledge points from their leader teacher whether they are enjoyable or not So later they will be puzzled and worried as they meet English troubles Gradually they will have no interest in learning English and then give up In any way now we have better ways to learn English watching English films and videos 6 English films and videos are a kind of special electrical teaching media which combines sound with images and connects language information to special scenery delivering all many different aspects of information to the audience Besides the information is very colorful and active That will increase the effect of learning English and delivering all the information correctly English films and videos have original language and active pictures which has positive impact on learners Especially when learners are studying by themselves they can learn what they want to learn and feel it relaxed to adjust Step by step it will arouse their interest and inspire them to study more Once the interest is founded learners will be eager to get more knowledge of English and then will study actively As a result they will get good returns At the same time learners will try their best to catch all the information reflected from the films and videos To some important words and sentences they just have much desire to write down and put into practice English films and videos have advantages that other materials can t be compared with It is easy to arouse the learners interest by its features Above all it is the basis of learning English 2 2 Increase the English Learners Vocabulary Learning language is different from learning other subjects It needs a language environment to foster learners feeling about English In our daily life learners can t join in this situation because of restrictions So it is important and necessary to build up a natural communicative scene for learners While English films and videos are the comprehensive production of technology art and language to show the age color and social appearance by human activities customs and behaviors so the real aspects of life can be reflected from the films and videos From people s talking learners can learn many original words and sentences that are the direct harvest of English films and videos showing to the audience actively Besides the original phrases and sentences are the useful knowledge that learners can t learn from their texts For example in Friends Rose said He could never get a woman like that in a million years In this sentence a million is just to explain exaggeratedly that Chandler doesn t know how to deal with the relationship between women and men and he won t get that woman forever However when learners first see it they will have 7 difficulty in understanding it After learning it they will of course know more than before about the expressions of certain words and actively put them into practices That will help them to learn English more efficiently Another example when we meet the old friends whom we haven t seen for a long time we can say I haven t seen you in centuries These words stand for the meaning of great long many and so on They are very easy but flexible So there is much for learners to learn The language of English films and videos is the most common language of life in English countries So when you talk with foreign people learners can learn many words and sentences from English films and videos effectively that are used frequently But in fact many people don t know the real meaning of words or when they put them into Chinese they can t find the exact expression They should dip themselves into the films and videos when watching and write down the important things It also depends on their accumulation day by day and learning step by step Hence watching English films and videos is helpful for learners to increase their vocabulary with learners efforts and English level can be improved gradually 2 3 Improve the English Speaking and Listening Ability In learning English the most difficulty for learners is to improve the English speaking and listening ability And in classes learners receive language information mainly by listening to teachers instruct