Unit 15 In a Manner of Speaking

1. Unit 15In a Manner of Speaking P IListening and Speaking Activities Part IIReading Comprehension and Language Activities Part IIIExtended Activities

2. Part II Reading Comprehension and Language Activities • Pre-reading Task • Text • Comprehension work • Language work (A,B,C)

3. Part II Reading Comprehension and Language Activities • Pre-reading Task • To be a good communicator in cross cultural • communication, what elements are • important besides having a good • command of pronunciation, vocabulary and sentence pattern of a foreign language? • Which variety of English do you speak? American, • British or other? Why do you study that special variety?

4. In a Manner of SpeakingBy Bill Bryson One of the most starling surprise for many Americans when they first arrive in Britain is the discovery that their mother tongue, which has been serving them faithfully all these years, is suddenly not up dealing with the intricacies of the English language as practiced in the Britain Isles. It is an unsettling experience to arrive in the UK and find oneself uttering vocal noises—speech is probably too strong a word for It—that are nearly received everywhere as at best quaint and imprecise, at worst as misleading and noisy. Even the most innocuous encounters suddenly become charged with the possibility of confusion. I recall once, when I was still new to the country, arriving at a country pub at lunchtime and asking what sandwiches they had, ”we have roast beef,” said the man behind the bar, bending over to consult a small glass case full of sandwiches,” and we have ham and cheese.” “I will have ham and cheese,” I decided. Turn to p. 281, and listen to the text.

5. In a Manner of SpeakingBy Bill Bryson “Yes,” I agreed. I was with him so far. “So which will it be?” “Ham and cheese,” I replied with a small sense of foreboding. He looked at me as if I was a wise guy.” you want one of each?” “no, just the one.” His face, I noticed, was growing slightly red around the edges.” Yes, but which one?” “The one I just said,” I replied with the uneasy steadiness of someone forced unexpectedly to stand his ground. Eventually, he brought me a plate with two sandwich, one ham and one cheese. Only later did I discover that It was unknown, at least in those days, to combine ham and cheese in a single English sandwich. (Too tasty, probably.)

6. In a Manner of SpeakingBy Bill Bryson • It was Oscar Wilde who said, “the English have really everything in common with the Americans, except, of course, language,” and he could not have been more right. And the fault, if I may say, is entirely theirs. • The British, you see, have always taken a quite—sometimes practically unwitting—pleasure in perplexing foreigners, as anyone who has ever tried to follow a cricket match will know. It is why they take such delight in nonsense verse and off-the-wall humor, why they have a constitutional form of government but no written constitution, why they celebrate Queen’s birthday in June when she was actually born in April and why, above all, they created a language as ineffably illogical and idiosyncratic as English—a tongue in which, need I remind you, “ough” can be pronounced in any of half a dozen ways (as in bough, thought, through, trough, though, and hiccough) .God-be-with-you somehow has mutated into good-bye, and colonel is pronounced, without the faintest hint of self-consciousness or embarrassment, as if it has “r” in it.

7. In a Manner of SpeakingBy Bill Bryson Now you might think that as native speakers of the same language we would have a certain advantage in interpreting English, but no. As soon as the British realized, to their presumed horror, that they had spawned a nation across the sea where the inhabitants could also speak English, they immediately began doing all they could to distance themselves linguistically from their colonial offspring. They started pronouncing lieutenant as “lefftenant,” tomato as” tomato,” and waistcoat as “wesskit,” among much else. (Most Britons think they have been talking life like that forever, but in fact many, perhaps most, of the distinguishing characteristics of British English date only 1700s and early1800s.If you were to resurrect, say, King George III, he would almost certainly sound more Americans than British.)

8. In a Manner of SpeakingBy Bill Bryson They started calling the upstairs floor the first floor rather than the second floor, thus ensuring that North Americans visitors would spend long, bewildered hunting for their hotel room, and pretended not to understand what we meat when we referred to the autumn as fall or used words like gotten, skillet, and restroom. They made sure that when we asked for pants or a vest in a clothing store we would be unexpected items (namely underwear), just as a request for a biscuit or lemon would summon forth, respectively, a cookie and a kind of warm, fizzy linocuts that has never seen a lemon in its life (and which, with the best will in the world, only a Briton could find refreshing).

9. In a Manner of SpeakingBy Bill Bryson Then, to make sure that our confusion was complete, they took to doing odd and unexpected things with their vowels and consonants, lopping whole syllables off words like library and necessary.（making them “libree” and “nessasree”), dispensing with r’ in a whimsical and inconsistent way, and speaking sometimes without moving their lips and sometimes through their nasal passages. In consequence, even the most attentive and experienced foreign listener will often find himself at least half a beat behind in almost any conversation, Only recently I had a long, confused, and ultimately surreal discussion with my English wife of 20 years in which, it turned out, she believed I was saying” Khaki” while I was equally certain she was saying” car key.” This would not happened, as I pointed out to her, had I married a girl from Peoria.

10. In a Manner of SpeakingBy Bill Bryson A once-popular guidebook called an Anglo- American Interpreter went so far as to suggest that” an American, if taken suddenly ill while take visit to London, might die in the street through being unable to make himself understood.” I very much doubt that--- the British don’t want us dead after all, merely muddled—but it is certainly true that there are enough differences in vocabulary to make comprehension a constant challenge. According to a linguistic authority who took the trouble to make a tally, some 4,000 words in common usage have a different meaning in British English than in American English. That doesn’t seem a terribly large number on the face of things, but it is sufficient to cause endless confusion, as an elderly American woman of my acquaintance discovered when she inquired of a passerby in London’s Hyde Park if there was a restroom nearby.

11. In a Manner of SpeakingBy Bill Bryson “Oh, I don’t think so, love,” the passerby replied with sympathetic concern.” But there was a bench just there where you can rest as long as you like.” she added helpfully. The telling feature of all this is that wherever meanings differ between the two countries, the American expression always, in at least some degree, self-explanatory. Even if you had never been in United States, you could make a game stab at figuring out what was meant by sidewalk, doghouse, ground beef, bedspread, eggplant, baby carriage, and garbage truck. The British equivalents—namely, pavement, kennel, mince, counterpane, aubergine ,pram, and dust cart—offer no their meaning. Added to this is the peculiar British habit of never saying quite what they mean. Benjamin Disraeli once memorably demonstrated this quintessential British gift when, upon receiving an unsolicited manuscript from an aspiring author, he replied with the note:” Thank you so much for the manuscript. I shall lose no time reading.” This studied ambiguity—what we call a flight from literalness—remains a characteristic feature of English discourse.

12. In a Manner of SpeakingBy Bill Bryson Be advised that when a British acquaintance says to you,” You must come for the weekend sometime. And do bring the children—they are so adorable!” he will be quite appalled if you actually turn up. British speech is full of phrases—“It’s no trouble at all,” “Of course I don’t mind,” “No, honestly, I was get up anyway”—that mean precisely the opposite mean of what they say. Given such pitfalls, it’s little wonder that Americans often gaffes or fail to catch certain nuances. Just consider the simple word tea, which in Britain can signify a hot drink, an afternoon snack, or even a full evening meal, so that when people say to you,” come for tea,” you have no idea when you are expected and what you might hope to be served where you get there. But never mind, because they didn`t really mean for you come in the first place. See how complicate it is?

13. In a Manner of SpeakingBy Bill Bryson After I married into this curious island race, I spend years to fathom their linguistic ways. I learned that when Britons table a motion they mean shelve it rather than put it forward for discussion, that a courgette is a zucchini and an aubergine an eggplant, that pudding is any kind of dessert, that momentarily means very briefly rather than in a moment (which is why when an American airline pilot announces “We’ll be landing at Heathrow momentarily” all the passengers get a worried look and started packing up their carry-on items). I learned that when someone says to me, ” Bill, you are brick,” they are not really likening me to an inert building material but complimenting me on some manifestation of solidity and reliability, that” Bob’s your uncle” is rough equivalent to presto. I learned all this, and it took years, and I still get confused.

14. In a Manner of SpeakingBy Bill Bryson If by chance you are planning a trip to Britain, I hope this has been more helpful. But if you have any other questions, pleas don’t hesitate to drop by. We’d love to see you. And do bring the children.

15. Comprehension work (Questions for discussion ) • Why do many Americans find themselves linguistically uncomfortable when they arrive in the UK? • According to the writer, who is responsible for the linguistic gap within the same language---- The British? Why? 3. What does the writer mean by “half a beat behind in almost any conversation”? What causes the situation to arise?

16. Comprehension work (Questions for discussion ) 4. What does the writer think of the remark in the guidebook An Anglo-American Interpreter? • How does the writer argue for the superiority of American English in its clarity of meaning? 6. What is the peculiar habit of the British people in their discourse?

17. Language points New Words and phrases in the Text: Teaching Method First Explain the meaning of each word, then give an example of usage. • Consult v. (1) To seek advice or information of consult sb about sth e.g. You’d better consult the lawyer about the case.

18. (2) discuss sth with sb Consult with sb about/on sth e.g. I need to consult with my colleagues on the plan. (3)to refer to; check; look up e.g. consult reference books 2. Dispensev. (1)To give out sth to people e.g. The organization dispenses the free health care to the poor. (2) dispense with sth: get rid of sth e.g. We can dispense with the formalities.

19. 3. Shelve v.(1) to place or arrange on a self e.g. shelve books (2) to put aside e.g. The government has shelved the plan until next year. (3)to dismiss; fire e.g. shelve an official

20. Language work ( A,p.287 ) A Filling out blanks 1. Atificial insemination really came as a startlingidea at first.Many people feared that this technoligy would create moral and legal problems. 2. After years of living in the United States he evetually get himself acquainted with the intricacies of taxation in that country. 3. We are bombarded by numerous advertisements these days.But few of us are aware that many advertisements are misleading. 4. The painter`s insight is presented in his idiosyncratic way of artistic creation.

21. Language work ( A,p.287 ) 5. In front of the photos the Nanjing Massacre,theaudience were appalled by those worst acts of systematic bestiality in human history. 6. ”Genetic Screeening ”can help to identify some parents`harmful genes which can be passed on to their offspring. 7. Those who can not resist the temptation of sales never realize the pitfall that their purchase could be either fake products or things we never use. 8. The jury was fully convinced of the innocence of the accused by his lawyer`s telling speech in his defense. 9. He finally dropping the accounting course because he often got muddled with figures and diagrams.

22. Work with sentences 1. When we talk about learning a language such as English,Japanese or Chianese,we tend to liken the learning process to riding a bicycle.But unfortunately there is a misconception in this comparsion. 2. Despite Congress`s objection,the President stood his ground on the defense budget rise. 3. The city`s sports complex is up to hosting any international games. 4. Some time ago,archaeologists explored an antient temple and discovered some fragments of clay containers that dated from 15th century BC.

23. Work with sentences 5. If dispense with all these urban pleasures and comforts,you will find that the countryside can provide you with the best that life can offer. 6. Many girls go in for slimming by dieting.But some of them go so far as to deny themselves almost all nutritious food. 7. Sometimes the differences between Western and Eastern cultures have been unduly exaggerated.After all we have a lot of things in common as human beings in this world. 8. The boy grew up without security and the guidance of a caring farther and mother.Inconsequence he quickly got into drug-dealing and he himself become a drug addict.

24. Dictation Every human society has a culture.Culture Includes asociety`sarts,beliefs,customs,institutions,inventions, language,technology,and values.A culture produces similar behavior and thought among most people in a particular society. People are not born with any knowlegde of a culture.They generally learn a language by growing in a particular society.They learn mainly through the use of language, especially by talking and listening to other members of the society.They also learn by watching and imitating various behaviors in society.Through learning their society`s culture,members of a society share a common culture and pass it from one generation to the next.

25. Translation 1.他似乎不怎么喜欢干这些事。（take pleasure in） She seems to take little pleasure in doing such things. 2.教授告诉我们风景画的传统可追溯到史前时代。（date from） The professor told us that the tradition of landscape painting could date from prehistoric age. 3.听了这位作家的讲座之后，他决定弃医从文。（take to) After atending the lecture of the famous writer,he decided to give up medicine and tke to literature.

26. Translation 4.让我们免去礼节，直接进入讨论吧。（dispense with） Let`s dispense with the formalities and go directly into the discussion. 5.这些动物跑得非常快，因此他们的捕食方法确实很有效。（in consequence） These animals run extraordinarily fast and in consequence their hunting methods are very efficient indeed.