土梅专栏你为何想学英语

1、2、Why do you want to learn English?Have you ever really asked yourself why you want to learn a new language? Let's for the moment1 forget about the obvious: additional job skill, immigration, travels, studies aboard, academic necessity, etc. Of course, these reasons are valid2 and motivate3 us t

2、o bury our heads in thick language textbooks and repeat after a monotonous4 voice on an audiocassette. But I believe we acquire a new language in order to effectively communicate with people not of our country and culture. Since 1997, I have been part of a successful conversational English training

3、program, Patrick English Network (PEN). The success of PEN lies in our belief that to fully embody5 a language, we must understand and embrace the culture of the language. Therefore we created an “ edutaining” (educational and entertaining) curriculum6 that includes not only lessons on spoken Englis

4、h and listening comprehension but also fun activities such as singing, dancing, movies,and games,to enhance7 our students' knowledge of American culture. Although most students support the emphasis on culture study, they often consider the listed activities to be a “ waste of their time.” “ Sing

5、ing and dancing are fun. But maybe we can do? Hmm? Fifteen minutes a day. That's enough.” “ Why is that?” I ask. “ Because it doesn't help us with our English.” “ Then what would you rather do?” “ More free talk with foreign teachers.” The whole class shouts. I ask, “ And what would you like

6、 to speak to the foreigners about?” A student stands up. “ Doesn't matter. Anything. We want to make friends with them.” The entire class then nods in agreement. “ Make friends.” This conversation transpires8 in almost every class I teach. As always, I ponder the students' response only to a

7、rrive at the same question. “ How to make foreigners want to speak to and be friends with you?” Though physical language is indeed an important tool of communication, what solidifies9 a healthy interpersonal10 relationship is a spiritual language.Think about it this way. We are all surrounded by peo

8、ple who speak the same language as we do. But are we friends with every single one of them? No. Why? It certainly isn't because of an actual language barrier11. Instead it is our personal differences or a lack of a common ground that keeps people apart. Now ask yourself, how did you choose your

9、friends? I'm sure it isn't because they speak the same dialect or language as you. You like your friends for the person they are. And the same logic12 should apply to everyone, including foreigners or Americans. How to make friends with people from a different culture? The rules are as follo

10、ws: RULE 1:Appreciate the Person Most Americans like to be recognized as individuals as someone special with unique characteristics and personalities. Therefore, never say, “ You're from America so I want to be your friend.” Also don't imply that the reason why you approached them is because

11、 you wanted someone to practice your English with. That turns people off13. Instead try saying,“ You seem like a real nice and interesting person and I would like to get to know you better.” This way, they are much more inclined14 to be friendly because you see them as a three dimensional15 person a

12、nd appreciate them for who they are in the inside.And by doing so,you not only learn about America and practice your English,but also gain a real friend in the process. RULE 2:Quit Calling Us Foreigners Please refrain from16 calling a foreigner a foreigner especially in his face17. The word makes pe

13、ople feel like an outsider, and even unwelcome, suggesting separation and insurmountable differences, widening an already existing gap in the situation. When Americans travel, they rarely say, “ I'm foreign to your place.” They tend to say, “ I'm new in town. I'm new here.” The reason is

14、 because new and unfamiliar things can become old and familiar. But can foreign things become native? Aha? You catch my drift18. RULE 3:Just Do It Some students like to be told about American culture but are less interested in spending the time and the effort to actually experience it. As Americans

15、always say, “ Get your hands dirty.” Until you have first hand and hands on experience, you'll never really know anything. Right? So whenever you have the opportunity to participate in American culture, don't just sit there and watch. Get up and get involved! RULE 4:Find that Common Language

16、 Now I must stress the importance of finding a common language. By that I don't mean English, Chinese, German, French, etc. I mean finding something you have in common with another person on a spiritual and philosophical19 level: likes, dislikes, worldviews, ways of thinking, and attitudes towar

17、d life. And to start, you must first enhance your knowledge of the particular culture from which your potential new friend comes from. It's paramount20 to keep in mind that people want to talk to you because of who you are and what you have to say, not because you speak a particular language or

18、dialect. After all, the most important purpose for learning a language is to communicate with other PEOPLE. 你为何想学英语？你曾问过自己，为什么想学另外一门语言吗？我们暂时别提那些显而易见的原因，什么额外的工作技能、移民、旅行、出国学习、学术需要等。当然，这些原因是确实的，激发我们的学习积极性，埋头于厚厚的语言教科书，并跟着盒式录音带重复单调乏味的语声。但我认为，我们掌握另外一门语言是为了能有效地与来自别国的、不同文化背景的人交流。自从1997年来，我一直参与做一个很成功的张士柏英语网（

19、PEN）的项目对话英语培训课程。张士柏英语网的成功就在于，我们深信只有理解和领会了一门语言的文化背景，才能充分体现这门语言。因而我们开创了一门寓教于乐的课程，不只包括口语和听力理解，还有诸如唱歌、跳舞、看电影、做游戏等有趣的活动，以加深我们的学生对美国文化的了解。尽管多数学生赞成侧重文化的学习，但他们常认为上述活动是在“浪费他们的时间”。“唱歌和跳舞是很有趣。但或许我们可以，嗯，每天做15分钟？这就够了。”“为什么呢？”我问道。“因为它对我们的英语没有帮助。”“那么，你更愿做什么呢？”“和外教进行更多的自由对话。”全班的人喊道。我问：“那么你们想和外国人谈些什么呢？”一个学生站起来说：“那没关

20、系，什么都可谈。我们想跟他们交朋友。”这时全班的人都点头称是。“交朋友。”在我教的几乎每个班里都会发生这样的对话。像往常一样，我总把对学生们反应的思考归结为一个问题：“怎样才能使外国人想与你交谈并和你交朋友呢？”尽管实际形态的语言确实是一个重要的交流工具，但使有益的人际关系得以加强的是精神形态的语言。这样来想一想吧，我们周围都是和我们说着相同语言的人，但我们和他们每个人都是朋友吗？不。为什么？这肯定不是因为实际的语言障碍。事实上，这是因为我们每个人的差异或是缺乏共同基础导致人们的隔离。现在，问问你自己，你是如何选择朋友的？我敢肯定不是因为他们跟你说一样的方言或语言。你喜欢你的朋友是喜欢他这个人

21、。这一逻辑同样可运用到每个人身上，包括老外或老美。那如何与来自另一文化的人交朋友呢？规则如下：规则1：欣赏他人大多数美国人喜欢被人看作一个有着独特个性和特点的人。因此，千万不要说，“因为你来自美国，所以我想和你交朋友。”而且，也不要暗示你之所以接近他们是因为你想跟人练习英语。那会使人厌烦。但你可以试着说：“你看来真是不错，而且令人感兴趣，我愿意进一步和你加深了解。”这样，他们会更愿意对你友好，因为你把他们看成是立体的真实的人，而且欣赏他们的内在品性。这样做，你不仅了解了美国人、锻炼了你的英语，而且在此过程中还得到了一个真朋友。规则2：别叫我们老外请不要称外国人为老外，尤其是别当面这样叫。这个词

22、让人感到像个局外人，甚至是不受欢迎的，意味着隔离和不可逾越的差异，扩大当时已经存在的差距。美国人旅行时，他们很少说，“我对你们这儿很陌生。”他们往往说：“我刚到这个城市，刚到这儿。”个中原因是新的和不熟悉的事物可以变成旧的和熟悉的。但是外来物能变成土生土长的吗？啊哈，你明白我的意思了。规则3：付诸行动有些学生喜欢别人给他们讲美国文化，却少有兴趣花时间、精力实际去体验它。就像美国人常说的：“把你的手弄脏。”只有当你有了第一手体验并亲身实践过，你才能真正有所了解。对不对？所以，不论何时你有参与美国文化的机会，不要只坐在那儿看，起来参与其中吧！规则4：找共同语言现在，我必须强调找一共同语言的重要性。我指的并不是通常意义上的英、中、德、法等语言。我说的是寻找你与他