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| 2011/06/01 23:39:57瀏覽1072｜回應2｜推薦7 | |
最近讀到一篇由 L.G. Alexsander 寫的好文章, 文章就以 ”How to learn English” 為名, 學習觀點與本人想法非常吻合。 他首先提出“ 學習一種語言就是學習一種技能, 而不只是獲得知識“ (Learning a language means learning a skill, not acquiring knowledge.) 通常我們要測驗某人外語的好壞, 係指某人外語能力表現, 而不是某人懂英語多少。( You test your command of a foreign language by your ability to perform in it, not by how much you know about it.) 英語能力的表現指的是了解, 說,讀以及寫而言。(Performance refers to your ability to understand, speak, read and write.) 知識主要是指文法規則及字彙(Knowledge refers mainly to grammar rules and vocabulary.) 所以, 儘量不要去讀對你而言顯得太難的東西(Avoid reading anything that you know is too difficult for you.) 閱讀應為愉悅之事, 所以應讀自己能力所及的內容(Reading should be a pleasure, so the texts should be within your range.) 透過大量閱讀, 你將累積大量字彙, 自然不需經常查字典了(If you read enough, you will find you acquire a large vocabulary without needing to turn to the dictionary all the time.) 但善用字典仍是重要的學習之路(The most important thing to do with a dictionary is really to use it, above all when you are reading.Use it till you know your way round it and enjoy what it offers you.) 如果你讀論述性文章, 應記下正反觀點。（If you are reading an argument, make notes on the points “for” and “against”.) 一旦你記下這些筆記, 你可以利用這些筆記作些英語發表, 這可以加深你對所讀內容的印象。（Once you have these notes, use them to give a little talk in English which attempts to recreate what you just read. ) 另一方面, 你也可以使用筆記的內容, “對自己講其內容“ 當作心智的練習( Alternatively, use the notes to ‘say the text to yourself’ as a mental exercise.) 很快你就會發展出不僅讀英文, 更可用英文思考的習慣, 而能用外語思考則是能說得流利的不二法門。( You will get into the habit of not only reading in English, but thinking in English as well.Thinking in foreign language is an indispensable requirement of fluency.) 作者提倡廣泛閱讀, 但不要只讀那些談論語言及語言學習的書, 要讀一般性的雜誌, 不管是國內或國際的。關於實際做的重要作者則強調：”The best way to give up smoking is stop smoking cigarettes,etc. The best way to eat less is to start eating less.The best way to read an article is to read it.” 而最好的練習則是寫你讀過的文章之摘要（Writing a summary of something you have read is excellent practice.) 絕不要死讀文法, 他寫道：“ It’s totally pointless learning grammar for its own sake. Any communicative or practical use of English is better than studying grammar for its own sake...Whatever you do, don’t study grammar in isolation.) 至於句子結構則是串聯想法與事件關係的主要方式(Sentence structure is the way we show the relationship between ideas and events.) 勤於讀報是增進英文的最好方法之一(Reading a newspaper is the very best thing you can do to improve your English), 但不要急躁一時, 更別好高騖遠, 每天讀一些, 按部就班, 自然水到渠成(Don’t set yourself too much reading so you become discouraged. Read a little from a newspaper every day. It will put you in touch with a whole range of subjects in good modern English.) 但是作者確認為我們的母語對學習新語言有妨礙(I would say you have to discount your native language. Interference from your native language is the biggest barrier to acquisition.) 因此, 我們必需拋棄原本在母語中根深蒂固的舊習, 重新接納外語的新習慣, 這樣方能精通。就是因為這種做法非常困難, 適足以解釋為何全世界會產生那麼多蹩腳的英語(像Frenglish, Spanglish,Chinglish,) 這些都是因為受到太多母語影響之故。這些干擾出現在英語中許多處：像發音, 重音, 語調, 文法, 字彙, 以及思考方式, 解決問題的方式, 即使國家間產生的誤解也經常是這類干擾所直接產生的。(You have to unlearn the habits you have acquired in your native language in order to master the habit you need to speak a foreign language. This is very difficult and accounts for the different foreign varieties of English you hear round the world.---Even misunderstandings among nations are often the direct product of this kind of interference.) 在學習外語中, 聽力乃是相當重要的一環。那也說明自學不易的眾多理由之一。( Listening comprehension is the key to the command of any foreign language. That’s one of the reasons why it’s so difficult to learn on your own.) 其實英語發音是非常重要的, 你想把英語說得清析又有自信嗎？每個人也想把英語說得像操母語者一般, 然而對英語係第二外國語者(ESL, English as Second Language)這始終是大問題。(Everybody wants to be able to speak English like a native speaker, but English pronunciation is always a big problem to ESL learners.) 差的英語發音問題很大, 因為即使你的文法很棒, 差的發音仍會使人們困擾, （Bad English pronunciation may confuse People even if you used advanced English grammar.) 我們可以選擇用簡單的英文字, 或簡單的文法結構, 卻無法用“簡單發音“( We can use simple words and simple grammar structures that make people understand you but we cannot use “simple pronunciation.” ) 換言之, 即使外國人聽懂你的意思, 但也不會愉悅的。 談到解法部份。So how to speak English clearly and confidently? There are three ways: Practice, Practice and Practice! 由字到句, 按部就班, 但是如果要自己練功, 打通任督二脈, 有套軟體可以採用, 叫 WordHacker。這套電腦軟體包含18100個字, 發音非常標準, 各位可以試試!
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