Unit Two Text I A

Englishes

The Title

– Do you speak English?– ---- the English language, the language used by English-

speaking people– The English are considered conservative in political

matters.---used collectively to refer to the English people [the English][ 总称 ] 英吉利人 , 英国人 , 英国人民

– He is English. (no article)---used to state one’s nationality

Pre-reading questions

• What does the word Englishes refer to in the title?

• Can you make a guess about the content of the text?

• Read the text rapidly and • 1> write down a one-sentence summary of it• 2> What does the word Englishes refer to in the title? • --------a short piece of exposition• tries to explain:• the existence of a scale of styles in all our use of English• the necessity of having a good knowledge of these styles• Englishes: different English styles

• style: • make a comment about the Shakespeare’s style• (the distinctive characteristics of some single author’s use

of language)• the style of Tang poetry • (in a collective sense, referring to groups of literary figures)• informal style ---in spoken English • (styles of language arranged in order of formality; choice of

words)• formal style: in sermons or proclamations

• scale• wind scale• wage [pay] scales 工资等级• judging divers' performances on a scale of 1 to 10

从 1 到 10 分等级判定跳水者的表演；• a family that ranks high on the social scale 社会地位高的家族

• a scale of styles: hyperformal--formal—normal—informal—hyper

informal• Shut the door, will you? ( informal/familiar)• Would you please shut the door? (neutral/normal)• I wonder if you would mind shutting the door?

(hyperformall)

• Father was somewhat fatigued after his lengthy journey. (formal)

• Dad was pretty tired after his long trip. (informal)

the necessity of having a good knowledge of these styles

• 1> His Imperial Majesty kicked the bucket at two thirty-five hours Greenwich Mean Time.

• to kick the bucket: (informal; slang;)• to die( neutral; in the common core)• to pass away (formal)• 2> Now allow me to propose, to the health of Her Majesty

Elizabeth II, to the Friendship between China and the United Kingdom! Bottoms up!

• bottoms up: slang/ informal/nonstandard• to raise your glasses/ cheers

• Brief introduction to the author• Randolph Quirk (1920-) is a British linguist. In the early 1960s, Quirk

and his colleagues conducted an ambitious project now known as the Survey of English Usage. This was a compilation of a large body of English language data, comprising around one million words as they were used in everyday life. The project was to be the foundation of Quirk’s A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, a widely-used text book around the world. Instead of declaring what was correct grammatical usage, Quirk showed readers that certain percentages of English speakers preferred one usage to another. His other other publications conclude A grammar of Contemporary English and The Use of English, from which the text is an excerpt.

Language Points

paraphrase: …the wider and suppler must be our command over a range of English styles….

• supple: 柔软的，灵活的• a supple tree (Readily bent; pliant)• He admired the graceful, supple movements of the

dancers. (moving and bending with agility; limber)• She gets along well with people because of her supple

nature. (adaptable; flexible)• She has a supple mind (be quick to respond to ideas)

• 2. haphazard: dependent upon or characterized by mere chance ; casually; unsystematic; disorganize

• He has never seen such a haphazard approach to filmmaking as Roberto’s. 杂乱无章的制片方法

• She had a haphazard look of the books on the shelves.• at haphazard/ by haphazard 偶然地 , 碰巧地• 3. worse than uselss: • worse than death 比死还糟 , 非常恶劣• worse than a crime 甚于犯法 , 罪大恶极

• address n. vb.• The envelope is addressed to Jack Johnson.• How shall I address you? （称呼）• He addressed himself to all of us. 他是针对我们大家说的。• The president delivered an address on TV

last night.

• Label n. & vb.• I labeled the parcel for Shanghai.• People label him as a liar.• The bottle is labeled poison.

• No more ---than 与 --- 同样不• He is no more fit to be a minister than a schoolboy

would be. 一个学童固然不宜当部长，他也同样不宜。• He is no more able to play the guitar than I am.• The new edition is no more expensive than the old

edition.• He was no more upset than I was when Mary

moved out of the room.

• condemn: condemn means to criticize or speak negatively of somebody or something.

• The criminal was condemned to a life of prison.• Most people are willing to condemn violence of

any sort as evil.• be condemned to death• to judge or declare to be unfit for use or

consumption, usually by official order:• This house is condemned.

• Nothing but ----only• All that money brought nothing but sadness

and misery to him.• He did nothing but grumble.• The child dreams nothing but go to the zoo.

• Disapprove of---have an unfavorable opinion• I still disapprove of young men wearing their

hair long because it is a sign of slovenliness, to say the least.

• It is not strange that Plomer should disapprove of having a telephone at home, as he thinks it is a pest as well as a time-waster.

• apprehend:• apprehended the murderer • (To take into custody; arrest)• At last I apprehended his meaning. • (To grasp mentally; understand)• Apprehend can imply awareness or consciousness that

comes through the emotions or senses: • “We should not pretend to understand the world only by the

intellect; we apprehend it just as much by feeling” (Carl Jung).

Strike ----as (appear to sb. to be)Your suggestion to hitch-hike to Croyden strikes me

as ridiculous because there is very little to see there.

Kate’s idea about gaining their point indirectly struck me as really great. There is no better way to win the old man over.

What struck me at the first reading was its vivid images.

Unit TwoText I B:

Stop Being Coy

• coy: adj. coyer ， coyest• affectedly and usually flirtatiously shy or modest.• coy tricks 卖弄风情• She is coy of singing. 她唱歌怕羞。 • Coy Shy Bashful Modest• coy 一般暗示假装的通常轻浮的害羞：• “yielded with coy submission” (John Milton). • “羞怯地顺从” （约翰 · 弥尔顿）。

• One who is shy draws back from others, either because of a withdrawn nature or out of timidity:

• Shy 的人见到别人退缩， 或者是出于畏惧的本性或者是出于腼腆：• “The poor man was shy and hated society” (George Bernard Shaw).

• Bashful suggests self-consciousness or awkwardness in the presence of others:

• Bashful 暗示在他人面前害羞或尴尬：• “I never laughed, being bashful./Lowering my head, I

looked at the wall” (Ezra Pound).

• Modest is associated with an unassertive nature, absence of vanity, and freedom from pretension:

• Modest 与谦逊的性格，没有虚荣心以及不自命不凡联系在一起：• Despite her fame she remained the modest, unassuming

person she had been as a student. • Q:How do you understand “coy” in the title “Stop

Being Coy”? How do you translate the title?

• Read the text rapidly to get the main ideas:• Key word: euphemism• ---the act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term

for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive• 'Pass away' is a euphemism for 'die'.• “to join his maker” is also for “die”

• (In the movie “synergy 优势合作” ) Carter Durie: I’m sorry, Bill and Sam have to go. The former sales manager: why you say “go”? They don’t want to go.

Why don’t you say “fire” them?

Group Discussion

• 1> more examples of euphemism (English and Chinese ones)• 2> characteristics of euphemism • 3> Why do people use euphemisms? What kind of people often uses

euphemisms?

• ---to replace words associated with subjects that are “sensitive” or “taboo”

---employed out of politeness• Used by politicians to hide the truth; by advertisers to do the

promotion; by writers…

• Liberate (capture,invade)• African American (Black American)• Poor countries (developing or under

developed countries)• American presence 美国海外驻军(U.S overseas military deployment)

• Deluxe class or premium class (first class of air planes)

• First class ( second class)• Business class (third class)• Tourist class (economic class)• Rest room (toilet)• Plump or well-rounded (fat)• Slim (skinny)

Structure of the text• A piece of argumentative writing: (against euphemisms) • 1. introduction (Para1-2): what euphemisms are.• 2 Body:• 1>euphemisms are overly squeamish and affected (Para 3-4)• 2> some euphemisms are sufficiently offbeat to be funny (Para 5)• 3>understatement is another form of euphemism (Para 6)• 4>euphemisms must be got rid of except some robust ones.

(Para 7)• 3.conclusion:• Euphemisms quickly acquire the “unpleasantness” associated

with the words they replace. (Para 8)

Language Points

• cripple: Cripple refers to person who can not walk.• (Figuratively) To disable, damage, or impair the

functioning of: 削弱，损坏：• a strike that crippled the factory.• be a cripple for life 成终生残疾• He that lives with cripples learns to limp.• 近朱者赤 , 近墨者黑。

• vast quantities of-- lots of• Other expressions with the idea of “many”:• Many a, a great many, a good many, countless,• Numerous, a large number of, large numbers of;• Expressions with the idea of “much”:• A good deal of, a great deal of• For both “many” and “much”:• A lot of, lots of, plenty of, a large quantity of, large

quantities of

• well--- quite; to a considerable extent• Judging by the way he walks, he must be well past

seventy.• He was well aware of how his wife would feel if he took

over on of her chores.• allotment: The act of allotting: 分配，分派：• (in Britain): a small piece of land rented out, especially by a

town council, to people who will grow vegetables on it

Para 2

• Find out the euphemisms used in this paragraph and their corresponding ordinary usage in the previous paragraph.

• immortal:• Nobody is immortal. • (Not subject to death: 不死的 )• The heroes of the people are immortal. (Never to

be forgotten; everlasting:) 人民英雄永垂不朽

• paraphrase: euphemisms are considered overly squeamish and affected….

• ---euphemisms are thought to be extremely disgusting and pretentious…

• affected: adj. （形容词）• Assumed or simulated to impress others:• an affected accent. 做作的腔调• His manners are affected.

• bloody-minded • ----Ready and willing to accept bloodshed or to

resort to violence:• Enemies are bloody-minded. • -----Chiefly British Perversely cantankerous:• 【多用于英国 】 故意作对的，专爱唱反调的：• Our bloody-minded foreman wouldn't give us a tea

break.

• understatement: Restraint or lack of emphasis in expression, as for rhetorical effect.

• 轻描淡写的陈述：在表达上受限制或缺乏强调，如为了修辞作用• Understatement is a form of irony in which

something is said to be less than it is in order to emphasize its full meaning and significance.

• When you describe a boy who is really smart / brilliant, you say “ah, he is not stupid”. It is an understatement.

• Do away with ---abolish, eliminate• They did away with uniforms at that school

years ago. (informal)• There are many old customs and laws that

ought to be abolished. (put the bill, customs to an end )

• Slavery was abolished in the US in 1865.

• Acquire vb. (after a process or though efforts)

• She has acquired a new set of interest.• The ability to use a language can be

acquired only by the act of using the language.

• Paul acquired a fortune in the oil business.

Unit TwoText II

Two Languages or One?

• Do we say “the American Language” or “the American English”? What is the difference between them? What’s the difference between “the British English” and the “American English”? And how about the “Australian English’ “New Zealand English”?

• New Zealand English ：最接近英国语言；基于英格兰东南部的一种方言；吸取了当地土著毛利人的一些词汇 （如 whare 意思是 hut ），以及表示当地特有的动植物的一些词汇（如 kiwi ，鹬鸵：一种新西兰产的无翼属 不能飞的鸟）从而成为新西兰特有的词汇；同时也受澳大利亚英语的很大影响。

• Australian English ：基于英格兰东南部的一种方言；语言特点是把英国英语中的短元音普遍加以延长，把 /au/发成 / / ，将 /ei/发成类似 /ai/ 的音；如beautiful day today, 有时候听上去象“ beautiful die to die” ；有许多澳大利亚词汇到属于正规语言，如 kangaroo, wattle 等等。

• 此外还有 “ Canadian English” “South African English” 甚至包括象” chinglish”

• odd: • 1>odd numbers 奇数 odd-numbered adj.奇数的• 2>an odd name; odd behavior • (Deviating from what is ordinary, usual, or expected;

strange or peculiar)• 3> invited 30-odd guests. • (Being in excess of the indicated or approximate number,

extent, or degree. Often used in combination: 挂零的，零头的：超过所指或大约的数量、范围或程度。常用构成复合词： )

• 4> keep the odd change in his pockets• (Small in amount:零头的：在数目上很小的 )• 5>an odd shoe • (Being one of an incomplete pair or set)• 6>called at odd intervals. • (Not expected, regular, or planned)

• perpetuate: ----to cause to continue indefinitely; make perpetual.

• ------to prolong the existence of; cause to be remembered:

• The new library will perpetuate its founder's great love of learning.

• 这座新图书馆将纪念它的创建人对学习的热爱

• On a massive scale• They’ve been killing chickens on a massive

scale because of the bird flu.• Stay put –remain• Harry’s father told him to stay put until he

came back.• I like to stay put by the fire on a cold day.

• condescend: To descend to the level of one considered inferior; lower to oneself.

• He never condescends to speak to me.• 他从来未曾屈尊与我谈话。• It is said the general condescended to eat with the

soldiers every Sunday.• 据说这位将军每周日都要屈尊与士兵们一同进餐。

• peculiar to 特有的• Language is peculiar to mankind.• customs peculiar to these tribes• split off• It was Lincoln’s duty at that time to prevent the country from splitting off.• Sort out• She spent a happy afternoon sorting out her coins and stamps. 整理，分类• You’d better to send someone over to sort the situation out. 解决，处理

• Leave sb. cold 没有打动某人• This plan left them cold; they regarded it as no concern of

theirs.• Dwell on • She dwells too much upon her past.• Our eyes dwelled on the beautiful sunset.• Overlap• His visit and mine overlapped.• The two words overlap in meaning in some situations.

• momentary :• momentary joy a momentary delay (Lasting for only a moment)• in momentary fear of being exposed.

(Occurring or present at every moment)

• Rudiment n.---earliest form,first step (pl)• Learn the rudiments of chemistry.• A newborn chicken has only the rudiments

of wings.• Rudimentary adj.--basic• A rudimentary knowledge of mechanics

The End!

Thank You!