中国学生英语口语自学误区 

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LEARNING.SOHU.COM 2004-05-03 　
 
　
本文提要：学习英语有许多误区，口语学习误区就是其中之一。本文作者内文•布卢默
（Nevin Blumer）先生以理论与实践相结合为原则，讨论了英语口语自学的四大误区：一、
中国
学生不愿跟与自己水平差不多的中国学生练习口语，以为这样会对自己的口语带来不良影
响，殊
不知与自己在水平上相差太大的人练习口语易使自己丧失信心；二、学英语只能向美国人
学，刻
意模仿美国口音，殊不知只能语音语调正确，用词得当，就是好英语；三、词汇量不大时不
开
口，殊不知只需掌握一定量的词汇，尤其是功能词，就能用英语进行交流；四、只知死背语
法，
殊不知必须根据上下文，不断使用固定句型以达到熟练的程度。针对这些误区的存在，他给
英语
口语自学者提出了一些学习建议：1.自创英语口语学习环境，而不必担心交流的对方不是以
英语
为母语的人；2.每日抽出一定时间接触生动而有意义的英语原文；3.持之以恒，自我鼓励。

　　A good English class is a valuable means for acquiring and practicing
English,
but still the reality is that much of your progress will arise from your
own self-
study strategies. As a teacher for close to 10 years now, I am often asked
for
advice on how best to self-study English for fast results. I suspect
sometimes my
students are looking for that magic shortcut or panacea1 which can deliver
them from
all the "blood, sweat, and tears" that often surrounds the process of
learning a
second language.

　　There is, of course, no magic, but on the other hand, there may also be
no need
to engage in self-torturous2 activities that drain3 your energy. Part of
the self-
torture that students inflict upon themselves results from misconceptions
formed
along the way. I would like in this article to discuss a few of these
misconceptions
and offer some alternative advice for self-studying English. A.H. Whitehead
once
said, not ignorance but the ignorance of ignorance is the death of
knowledge. In
other words, it is important to understand misconceptions before they
inhibit your
self-study.

Misconception Ⅰ

　　If I communicate with a Chinese partner, my English will get worse.
　　There is a common perspective here in Beijing that the only way to
improve your
English is by speaking with a native speaker. It stems from the perception
that
speaking to another second language learner has a negative effect, since
the partner
speaks Chinglish. 　
　　
　　Consequently, many desperately look for native-speaking partners, some
paying a
small fortune for the luxury of speaking with inexperienced expatriates4
who do
little more than chat. Worse yet, opportunities to speak regularly with a
Chinese
partner at little or no cost are ignored out of fear. In short, the "native
speaker
‘s English" craze is somewhat synonymous with the "chinglish"phobia5.

　　The view that communicating with another student somehow damages your
English
rests on the age-old, erroneous6 assumption that language acquisition is a
linear
progression, with the native speaker at the top of the hierarchy7. Perhaps
native
speaker teachers are guilty of feeding this perception by labeling courses,
students, textbooks sequentially in terms of levels (i.e. beginner, pre-
intermediate, intermediate etc); in the arrangement of grammar structures
from
simple to complex; and in reading and listening passages selected by the
number of
words they contain (i.e. easy, moderate, difficult).

　　Linguists who have studied the actual process of learning a second
language know
that developing a second language is * anything but8 a linear process. It
can follow
patterns and steps but these steps and patterns frequently break down.
Language
learning often progresses randomly and chaotically9. We sometimes progress
rapidly,
at other times we learn slowly, there are areas we seem to master easily,
and areas
in which we never seem to * make any headway10. Sometimes the words and
sentences
come easily; sometimes they do not.

　　Moreover, when we talk about the quality of English we must be prepared
to
acknowledge that it is very much a subjective and contextual evaluation. We
know
that formal standard professor may find her English very effective in front
of her
peers, but * next to11 useless with inner city teenagers in New York.
Therefore, can
we still say that her English is better than the teenagers? Obviously, it
would
depend on who was judging. With English, quality is often an issue of
appropriateness as well as grammaticality. 　

　　Researchers who have studied English language learning have found that
people
progress as they practice, and ultimately they self-correct what they say.
It is
unnecessary to have someone correct your English constantly, because
mistakes most
often derive from a lack of English instincts rather than a lack of
awareness or
knowledge of the correct grammar structure. The same student who never
makes a
mistake doing grammar exercises on paper will make them while speaking but
ultimately he will adjust his structures as he continues to use them.

　　Moreover, researchers who have conducted studies of various groups of
learners
have found that learners who communicate with partners of a similar level
tend to
progress faster than learners whose partners‘ levels are much higher or
lower. One
can understand why this is so when a learner communicates with someone at a
lower
level, but why is it also true of those who communicate with someone at a
higher
level?

　　The reasons are mostly psychological. Having a partner whose English is
much
more developed discourages the speaker and the fear of making mistakes
tends to
stifle smooth conversation. However, the researchers found that those who
communicated with partners who were near their own level progressed faster.
Thus, in
fact your classmate who is at the same level of English as you may indeed
be your
finest teacher.

MisconceptionⅡ

　　If I want to learn American English, I should learn form an American
teacher or my English will not be understood when I go to the U.S.A.

　　I have seen many good teachers here in China, both expatriates and
Chinese,
run into problems because of the way many students judge their accents.
Students believe that the best chance of speaking like a native speaker is
by
having that ideal accent. If the teacher has an accent that is not form the
target country that certain students want to go to, they are either
rebuffed12
or rejected.

　　Part of the misconception stems from ignorance of the distinction
between
pronunciation and accent. Pronunciation involves the stress, rhythm,
intonation, and phonetic sounds that facilitate communication. An accent is
the
distinguishable set of sounds that derives from cultural or regional
phonetic
patterns. Accents are essentially habits formed at a very early age and
very
difficult to change after the age of six. This has been verified13 by
researchers who studied the tongue and mouth positions of Israeli children
at
an early age of 5-6, and find that even after heavy immersion14 in American
English for about 10 years, their mouth and tongue positions change very
little
when speaking, and thus their accents change only slightly. In other words,
forget about trying to change your accent in a year or two, it is just not
going to happen. Pronunciation can be changed and improved. Accents are
entrenched15 and need not be changed.

　　There is no shortage of superb English speakers and writers in my
native
country, Canada, who have excellent pronunciation, but heavy accents from
their
countries of origin. In fact, two great Indo-Canadian writers Michael
Ondaatje
and Rohinton Misty both have slight non-Canadian accents in English, but
are *
Booker Prize16 winners. Do we say that their English is substandard,
because
they have accents? No, it would be absurd to make such a suggestion since
their
pronunciation is excellent and no one has any trouble understanding them.
As I
mentioned earlier, pronunciation is not the same thing as an accent.

　　I tell my students to give up their hope of developing an American
accent,
since it is very unlikely to happen unless they stay in America over a very
long period, and even then, the are still likely to retain some part of
their
Chinese accent. An accent is par of your character and heritage.

　　That is not to say that the student shouldn‘t devote time to improving
his
or her pronunciation. A student should focus on those pronunciation aspects
that make their communication more effective, not trying to mold their
accent
into another. Developing pronunciation skills that are universally learnt
is a
much more worthy pursuit of your efforts than trying to copy an accent that
is
unnatural for your tongue and mouth.

　Misconception Ⅲ

　　I need a rich vocabulary before beginning to speak.

　　Often I hear students complain that they become tongue tied, meaning
that
they can‘t find the right words. Students will attribute it to a lack of
vocabulary and memorize more words to compensate. Then they find after a
few
more thousand words that their English improves only slightly. Why?

　　Your memory is a key element to learning a language and no one should
minimize its importance. Without a memory, you wouldn‘t be able to speak.
However, it is also true that a lack of vocabulary is not the culprit17 of
communication problems in many instances. It is important to look at other
issues, before blaming it as the source of these communication
difficulties. I
have observed a great many CET-6 graduates who still have a great deal of
trouble even uttering simple sentences, while other CET-4 students can
speak
with much greater ease. How can that be, you might ask?　

　　The English language is composed of a hierarchy of vocabulary in terms
of
usefulness. Some words have broad and sweeping uses such
as "thing", "get", "place" or "do", while others are useful only for a very
specific context such as "export", "endanger", "identify", or "interrupt".
Research has shown that with approximately 800 (some have even suggested
500)
key words people can communicate very effectively in English, with few
instances of getting stuck. In the times when they were stuck, they could
easily ask for assistance. Now we know that 800 words is far below the
level
most beginner students have even before they begin their GET-4 band level.
Why
can‘t all CET-4 students communicate with ease?

　　We do not need a complicated linguistic answer to this question. When
we
think about it the answer is simple. The quantity of vocabulary has only an
indirect relationship to the quantity and quality of speech. To illustrate,
children learning their first language start out with a limited vocabulary,
they do not know half of the words that a Chinese CET-6 student knows, but
still they are able to make rapid sentences and communicate with ease. This
makes common sense, for we all know that in English we can often substitute
a
simple word for a more complex one. For example, the word "facilitate" can
be
substituted with "help". Thus, the key is to learn the most useful
functional
words in English first and apply them often in a variety of circumstances,
before trying to learn words that are more complex and used much less often.

Misconception Ⅳ

　　I have studied English grammar for too long, so the last thing I need
is
more grammar.

　　Chinese students attribute their lack of communication in English to an
overemphasis on grammar and thus resist grammar practice and reviews in
their
self-study programs. They tend to want oral English vocabulary, phrases,
expressions, and pronunciation practice. Above all, they want an English
environment. However, it soon becomes apparent that students struggle when
they
try to create sentences and their grammar is typically riddled18 with
errors.
Nevertheless, students want to have nothing to do with grammar structures
while
doing self-study. They ignore it completely, and concentrate instead on
other
aspects.

　　A good knowledge of grammar rules and patterns is absolutely necessary
because the transfer of structures from one language to the next is
anything
but smooth. It is true that direct written grammar exercises, where
students
merely manipulate sentence structures to fit a pattern, may be unnecessary
if
you are aware of the pattern already. However, grammar definitely is an
important part of your self-study program when it is used for communicative
purposes.

　　What students often fail to do is to integrate grammar study into the
process of creating English, rather than just manipulating sentences in
exercise books. For example, with the structure "If I were you, I would…"
a
student should be thinking of the occasions he can use this structure and
create as many sentences as possible that might be appropriate. Using
English
requires knowledge of the rules and patterns, just as a painter needs some
conventions and boundaries before he can start his work, but ultimately
both
need a creative process before skill is developed.

　　Advice for the Self-study Learner

　　What then can I offer as advice for a motivated self-study learner? For
starters, if you have no English environment, then create one. Find q
partner
to speak with regularly and do not worry if that partner is from China,
Korea,
Africa, or Europe. It is often better if your regular meetings can center
around a topic or theme. For example, you could both read a different book
and
use the time to talk about the book you are reading. Perhaps you could use
the
time to exchange information about something you both want to learn.

　　You may also wish to * become accustomed with19 the types of clubs and
activities that expatriates here in Beijing like to get involved with and
join
them. English corners are also funny ways to link with others who share
your
desire to learn English. Chat lines in English and * pen pals20 are also
great
ways to interact in English provided that you do not rely on them
exclusively
for your English development. 　

　　Secondly, you need to find a time of the day to expose yourself to
various
kinds of meaningful and interesting English stories, dialogues, programs,
etc.
that can hold your interest. If there is one pattern that shows up in all
the
studies of language acquisition it is this. The quantity and quality of
English
you expose yourself to is a key variable21 in determining the speed of your
progress. The key issue should be to find a variety of interesting English
sources that will not tire you out. Researchers have unanimously concluded
that
English that is meaningful and interesting is recalled and integrated into
a
learner‘s speech far more rapidly than English that is deemed appropriate
by
teachers and textbooks.

　　Finally, pace your energy and keep a positive attitude towards learning
English. Acquiring a second language is a long-term journey that is not
always
smooth. Reward yourself with praise and begin to trust your communication
powers. My students who have treated themselves with self-encouragement
become
more able to communicate and it is their fast progress that further
motivates
them to challenge themselves.

Notes 注释：
　　1. n.万灵药
　　2. a.折磨人的；极端痛苦的
　　3. vt.消耗；使耗尽
　　4. （复数）n.侨民；移居国外者，此处指"以英语为母语、且暂住中国的人"
　　5. n.恐惧症，恐怖症
　　6. a.错误的，不正确的
　　7. n.等级制度
　　8. 决非，决不是
　　9. ad.混乱地
　　10. 取得进展
　　11. 仅次于
　　12. vt.回绝；断然拒绝
　　13. vt.证实
　　14. n.沉浸（于）
　　15. vt.确立；使处于牢固地位；挖壕沟
　　16. 布克奖。1968年由美国布克公司提供资金的一项世界著名文学奖，专门奖励当代最
佳小说
　　17. n.引起不良后果的事物；罪犯
　　18. vt.[常用被动语态]充斥，布满
　　19. 习惯于
　　20. 笔友
　　21. n.变量

　　Nevin Blumer (M.Ed, TESL cert.) is an English as a Second Language
teacher
in Beijing who specializes in oral English and IELTS preparation. He has
been
teaching for almost 10 years, in Japan, Canada and Singapore and has spent
over
2 years in Beijing. His particular interest is in the special problems that
Chinese students have while learning English. One of his recent
publications is
American Culture: A Coursebook.