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The problem and confusion of English learning in China mainly come from the invasion of American English, whose pronunciation is based on a totally different phonetic system, and almost appears to be for a different language. Although few learners of English in China have ever learnt this set of phonetic symbols systematically, many people claim to be the speakers of American English, simply because they in all cases pronounce the "R" sounds. |
中國英語學(xué)習(xí)在發(fā)音方面的混亂主要是美語的侵入所致。美語的發(fā)音規(guī)則與英語區(qū)別很大，幾乎可以稱之為一種不同的語言。雖然國內(nèi)很少有人系統(tǒng)地學(xué)習(xí)過美語發(fā)音，但卻有許多人自認(rèn)為所講的是美語，這僅僅是因為他們會發(fā)幾個卷舌“R”化音。 |
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American English is indeed getting popular in China and some other countries but it differs very much from Queen's English in pronunciation and intonation. The relationship of Queen's English to American English is somewhat akin to bel canto songs and popular ones. The former is governed by many rules not existent in the latter. In terms of pronunciation, the former gives much emphasis to the positions of the different vowels (front, middle, back), the changes of mouth shape and their different sound lengths, while in the latter there is no strict regulation in these respects. In terms of intonation, the former gives much emphasis to the word stress, the sentence rhythm, and the rise and fall of language melody, while the latter usually keeps a very flat tone and an unclear rhythm. |
目前，美語在中國和許多其它國家的確正趨于流行，但它不論從語音還是語調(diào)上都與英語普通話有很多區(qū)別。英語和美語好比美聲與通俗。在發(fā)音方面，前者具有很多后者所沒有的規(guī)格和要求。比如，元音的不同發(fā)音位置（前、中、后），口型的變化，長短音的區(qū)別以及雙元音的音長標(biāo)準(zhǔn)等，而后者在這些方面卻沒有什么清規(guī)戒律。就語調(diào)而言，前者更強(qiáng)調(diào)單詞重音、句子節(jié)奏和語流起伏；而后者的輕重對比平淡，節(jié)奏變化不明，多保持一種平白不變的調(diào)子。 |
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Good teachers of English should be able to explain to their students these basic differences between the two types of English and let them decide which type they prefer to learn. Otherwise, students will easily feel confused about the two and be at a loss as to which one to follow. As a result, they would choose to keep their mouths shut and just learn to cope with written examinations. This is the actual situation of English teaching and learning in China, where 99 percent of the English learners have no good command of the phonetic alphabet, and speak English with a mixture of many unauthentic accents, which sound neither fish nor fowl and neither English nor American. |
好的老師首先要告知學(xué)生英美兩種不同發(fā)音的基本區(qū)別，讓他們自己決定要學(xué)哪種。否則，學(xué)生們終其一生都會對這兩種不同的發(fā)音而感到迷惑，分不清到底應(yīng)該學(xué)什么，怎么學(xué)。結(jié)果，大多數(shù)學(xué)生最終選擇了閉口不說，不得不學(xué)也只是為了應(yīng)付考試。目前中國英語學(xué)習(xí)的基本現(xiàn)狀是，99%的英語學(xué)習(xí)者沒有標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英語語音和語調(diào)的概念，他們的發(fā)音聽起來不倫不類，既不像英語也不像美語。 |
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Most teachers of English are used to encouraging their students to open their mouths and speak English by telling them that it makes no difference whether or not their pronunciation is standard, so long as they can make themselves understood. As its consequence, schools of "Crazy English" and classes of different types of oral English meet a booming demand in China, where students are not systematically taught on English pronunciation and intonation. The worse is that what they are teaching is American pronunciation, which misleads students and leaves them at a loss between the English and American pronunciations. As a matter of fact, most teachers of English in China have neglected the simple truth that without a definite standard of pronunciation well-rooted in students' minds, they would be shy and refuse to open their mouths. |
多數(shù)老師為鼓勵學(xué)生開口講英語，會告訴他們“發(fā)音不標(biāo)準(zhǔn)沒關(guān)系，只要敢張嘴就行”。結(jié)果，像“瘋狂英語”以及各種名目的英語口語教學(xué)在中國應(yīng)運(yùn)而生，這些學(xué)校從不系統(tǒng)地教授學(xué)生標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的英語語音。更糟糕的是，許多學(xué)校教授的竟然是美語，以致于誤導(dǎo)并使學(xué)生迷茫于英語和美語兩種不同口音之間，不置可否。實(shí)際上，大部分中國老師都忽視了一個簡單的事實(shí)，那就是“心中沒有明確標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，學(xué)生們怎能敢張嘴”。 |
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So far as pronunciation is concerned, no language can develop well unless it is strictly governed by a rule, and no person can master a language unless he has a rule firm in mind. |
就發(fā)音而言，任何語言若沒有嚴(yán)格的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，都不能健康發(fā)展，任何人若心中沒有明確的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，都不可能學(xué)好一門語言。 |
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Your choice between the Queen's English and the American English is analogous to your preference between the classic music and the popular one. It is a matter of aesthetic orientation. Nevertheless, statistics show that most well-educated or high profile people in the world prefer the classic, while most of young students and migrant workers in China like the popular version. Moreover, it is commonly believed that people who speak Queen's English in America will be better respected while those who speak American English in England will be considered to have received little education. It's true that the highbrow tone finds few singers, but still one should consider which kind of tones he should choose to sing in his limited life, which type of accents is worth the much time and money he would invest on learning English, and which type of accent can eventually help him different and outstanding from most of the others. While 99 percent of the learners follow the trend learning American, what should he learn? |
是喜歡英語普通話還是美語，如同是喜歡古典音樂還是通俗音樂，這是個審美取向的問題，無可厚非。但調(diào)查顯示，世界上大部分受過教育的高端人士都喜歡古典音樂，而在中國大多數(shù)年輕學(xué)生和民工都喜歡通俗音樂。英美人普遍有一種共識：在美國講英語普通話的人往往更為人們所尊重，而在英國和歐洲國家講美語的人則會被認(rèn)為受教育程度不夠，甚至?xí)艿狡缫??！扒吆凸选?，毋庸置疑，但學(xué)習(xí)者應(yīng)該明辨，在我們寶貴且有限的青春年華里，哪一種語音和語調(diào)應(yīng)成為我們的選擇和追求，值得我們花費(fèi)如此之多的精力和財力去學(xué)習(xí)，哪一種語言和語調(diào)能夠幫助我們與眾不同，出人頭地。當(dāng)99%的人都在隨大流學(xué)美語時，我們應(yīng)該學(xué)什么？ |
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In conclusion, if you decide to learn English, be sure to learn and speak the pure, standard, elegant and internationally received Queen's English. |
綜上，要學(xué)就學(xué)純正的、規(guī)范的、高雅的，要學(xué)就學(xué)與國際接軌的 “英語普通話”。 |
