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Abstract:Teacher plays a key role in language teaching. Teaching language is the first thing that students notice of their English teacher’s English. However, there is a misleading aspect in the use of teaching language. The author picks it out and offers some possible solutions.
Key words:Misleading Aspect English Teaching language Countermeasures
Ⅰ.Introduction
Nobody can deny that teacher plays a key role in passing down the knowledge. This is equally true in English teaching. To an English teacher, whatever he says in English, it will directly and deeply influence students’ knowledge about English. Therefore, a teacher of English must be cautious in teaching and make sure that what he says is not misleading. To an English teacher, the biggest thing that people notice of his English is his pronunciation. However, a great number of English teachers in China have done far from enough to improve their teaching language. What’s worse, some college teachers are even among them. If these teachers teach in a Normal University, the problem will be severer. According to a close observation in English classes both in high school and college, there is a big misleading aspect in English teachers’ pronunciation.
Ⅱ.American English claimed but mixed English in fact
To begin with, more and more teachers and would-be teachers are speaking "American English" which they suppose to be a symbol of fashion and proficiency. American English is so popular and overwhelming that the word "American Englishnism" almost can be created.
English, just like other languages, has a number of dialects and varieties. It is widely believed that nowadays British English and American English are two major varieties. At the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, English colonists arrived in North America. At that time, they spoke Received English based on London English. Later on, in order to accustom to the surroundings of the new land, they "borrowed" many words from local Indians. In the process of developing America, their English was again influenced by other languages. Some of great importance are French, Spanish, Dutch etc. Meanwhile English used in Great Britain was also constantly changing because of great impact from Greek, Latin, and other languages spoken in member countries of Great Britain. It followed that English used in North America and English used in Great Britain became American English and British English respectively which are two major varieties in English.
However, the history is changing and so are international environment, the status of individual country and the position of British English and American English. Since two world wars, the United States of America has made a great progress in economy, politics, military affairs, science, technology etc, while Great Britain is lagged behind relatively. What follows is that America, as the most powerful and influential English-speaking country, has become a trendsetter in linguistics and also a leader in pronunciation.
Doubtlessly, English learners in China are following the trend set by America in pronunciation. More and more American movies, TV programs, radios, videos are permitted to come to China. Through mass media, the number of people is constantly increasing who take to Carpenter, Michael Jackson, Madonna and so on in the past and new stars like ’N Sync, Norah Jones. Chinese students have developed an urge to imitate their pronunciation.
A Most teachers of English are of no exception. Large number of them take it for granted that to speak good American English is simply a matter of adding r to the words which is said to be “a sort of morose grinding of the back teeth.” As for any word with r before a consonant, say card harbor lord farm charming port, they read them like: [tmi], it is all right, because in American English, they are indeed pronounced this way. This can be found expression in Manner’s words " The majority of Englishmen certainly do not pronounce the r... just as certainly the majority of educated Americans pronounced it distinctly." But if words like idea was class religious purpose stomach comma economics Cuba vanilla delicious California because study ridiculous are pronounced: according to Anzaldúa, when American people hear such “American English pronunciation”, they will definitely get hurt. One true case may prove this very well. After hearing an English class delivered by a young teacher in college, an American scholar said to some students there "Can’t you ask your teacher to get rid of that r?" It is supposed that he must have a strong sense of being offended. The inner meaning of his words can be figured out— if the young teacher pronounces r whenever she likes, there must be some words she will mispronounce, but if she tries to abandon r, she will always be right in pronunciation. In fact, some people in America regard such phenomenon as "barbarism". Therefore, it is easy to understand that the American scholar was indeed harassed by this persistent r-sound, which sometimes should not be pronounced, because it does not exist in some cases.
We cannot let this r abuse go on and deteriorate. According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary (the fourth edition), "The rule to follow in the case of the r sound in American English is to sound the r whenever it occurs in the spelling of a word."
Ⅲ.Countermeasures
Above is the biggest misleading aspect in teaching language which Ihave observed since I became aware of them. There must be more and I wish to see. Just as my title implicates, I am going to offer some countermeasures.
From the very beginning, we should decide what kind of English to speak, British English or American English. It is not that one accent is better or more correct than the other, it is simply that what accent we like. We decide. We choose. Whatever accent we choose, as long as we speak pure American English or pure British English, our pronunciation is pleasant. Once we decide, we should stick to it and learn the pronunciation of every English word we use.
Key words:Misleading Aspect English Teaching language Countermeasures
Ⅰ.Introduction
Nobody can deny that teacher plays a key role in passing down the knowledge. This is equally true in English teaching. To an English teacher, whatever he says in English, it will directly and deeply influence students’ knowledge about English. Therefore, a teacher of English must be cautious in teaching and make sure that what he says is not misleading. To an English teacher, the biggest thing that people notice of his English is his pronunciation. However, a great number of English teachers in China have done far from enough to improve their teaching language. What’s worse, some college teachers are even among them. If these teachers teach in a Normal University, the problem will be severer. According to a close observation in English classes both in high school and college, there is a big misleading aspect in English teachers’ pronunciation.
Ⅱ.American English claimed but mixed English in fact
To begin with, more and more teachers and would-be teachers are speaking "American English" which they suppose to be a symbol of fashion and proficiency. American English is so popular and overwhelming that the word "American Englishnism" almost can be created.
English, just like other languages, has a number of dialects and varieties. It is widely believed that nowadays British English and American English are two major varieties. At the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, English colonists arrived in North America. At that time, they spoke Received English based on London English. Later on, in order to accustom to the surroundings of the new land, they "borrowed" many words from local Indians. In the process of developing America, their English was again influenced by other languages. Some of great importance are French, Spanish, Dutch etc. Meanwhile English used in Great Britain was also constantly changing because of great impact from Greek, Latin, and other languages spoken in member countries of Great Britain. It followed that English used in North America and English used in Great Britain became American English and British English respectively which are two major varieties in English.
However, the history is changing and so are international environment, the status of individual country and the position of British English and American English. Since two world wars, the United States of America has made a great progress in economy, politics, military affairs, science, technology etc, while Great Britain is lagged behind relatively. What follows is that America, as the most powerful and influential English-speaking country, has become a trendsetter in linguistics and also a leader in pronunciation.
Doubtlessly, English learners in China are following the trend set by America in pronunciation. More and more American movies, TV programs, radios, videos are permitted to come to China. Through mass media, the number of people is constantly increasing who take to Carpenter, Michael Jackson, Madonna and so on in the past and new stars like ’N Sync, Norah Jones. Chinese students have developed an urge to imitate their pronunciation.
A Most teachers of English are of no exception. Large number of them take it for granted that to speak good American English is simply a matter of adding r to the words which is said to be “a sort of morose grinding of the back teeth.” As for any word with r before a consonant, say card harbor lord farm charming port, they read them like: [tmi], it is all right, because in American English, they are indeed pronounced this way. This can be found expression in Manner’s words " The majority of Englishmen certainly do not pronounce the r... just as certainly the majority of educated Americans pronounced it distinctly." But if words like idea was class religious purpose stomach comma economics Cuba vanilla delicious California because study ridiculous are pronounced: according to Anzaldúa, when American people hear such “American English pronunciation”, they will definitely get hurt. One true case may prove this very well. After hearing an English class delivered by a young teacher in college, an American scholar said to some students there "Can’t you ask your teacher to get rid of that r?" It is supposed that he must have a strong sense of being offended. The inner meaning of his words can be figured out— if the young teacher pronounces r whenever she likes, there must be some words she will mispronounce, but if she tries to abandon r, she will always be right in pronunciation. In fact, some people in America regard such phenomenon as "barbarism". Therefore, it is easy to understand that the American scholar was indeed harassed by this persistent r-sound, which sometimes should not be pronounced, because it does not exist in some cases.
We cannot let this r abuse go on and deteriorate. According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary (the fourth edition), "The rule to follow in the case of the r sound in American English is to sound the r whenever it occurs in the spelling of a word."
Ⅲ.Countermeasures
Above is the biggest misleading aspect in teaching language which Ihave observed since I became aware of them. There must be more and I wish to see. Just as my title implicates, I am going to offer some countermeasures.
From the very beginning, we should decide what kind of English to speak, British English or American English. It is not that one accent is better or more correct than the other, it is simply that what accent we like. We decide. We choose. Whatever accent we choose, as long as we speak pure American English or pure British English, our pronunciation is pleasant. Once we decide, we should stick to it and learn the pronunciation of every English word we use.