Part A Speech Communities

Par B What’s in a Name? Our Crazy Language

Unit 1

Preview questions:

Lexical Items:

Passage learning:

Main ideas of paragraphs:

Exercise:

Part A

1. Read this article as quickly as possible and then tell us which style the passage is.

A. Description B. Exposition C. Argumentation. D. Narration

2. What language is used by more people in the world than any other language?

3. What language is used most widely in the world?

4. How many countries do you know that have English as their native language?

5. Must the people who speak the same language belong to the same country?

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Lexical Items: exception, rely, be composed of, in time, classify, to……extent, specialize, means, the former, the latter, acceptance

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There is no denying that English is a useful language. The people who speak English todaymake up the largest speech community in theworld with the exception of speakers of Chinese. Originally they were small tribes ofpeople living in northern Europe who left theirhomelands and settled in England. Isolated in their island community, the various tribes usedlanguages which became more and more similarto each other and less and less like the other languages of Europe. Eventually, the language

had enough uniformity to be used by all speakersin England. The people were united into a speechcommunity through their shared language. In time, people moved from the small island to many parts of the world, taking their languagewith them and thus still remaining members ofthe English speech community wherever they settled. A speech community is similar to other kindsof communities. The people who make up the community share a common language. Often

they live side by side, as they do in a neighbor-hood, a village, or a city. More often they forma whole country. Many nations are composed ofa single major speech community, for example, Italy, Sweden, and Japan. National boundaries,however, are not always the same as theboundaries of a speech community. Some nations (for example, Russian and India) are made up of many speech communities. Some speech communities (for example, Arabic, Spanish, and English) extend across national

boundaries. A speech community, then, is anygroup of people who speak the same languageno matter where they happen to live. We may say that anyone who speaks English belongs to the English speech community.Forconvenience, we may classify the speakers intotow groups: one in which speakers use English as their native language, the other in which the speakers learn English as a second language forthe purposes of education, commerce, and so on.In the former group we, obviously, would

include England, Canada, the United Sates, Australia, and New Zealand. Naturally, not allpeople in these countries speak English natively,but a large majority do. In the latter groups we would include among many others, India, Denmark, Kenya, Turkey, Ethiopia, and the Philippines. Not all these countries use Englishfor the same purpose or to the same extent, buteach uses English for important social and commercial activities. English serves as a functional alternative

language in several areas of public activity forthe many nations of the world, which use it asan international second language. Because ofits widespread use geographically, and becauseof the large number of people who speak it, ithas been adopted as the language of aviation and air traffic. English has continued as one of the important languages of commerce, as thesphere of political and economic influence ofthe English-speaking nations has extendedbeyond the boundaries of England. The use

of English in international diplomacy is strengthened by its acceptance as one of the official languages of the United Nations. And as a final example, English is the language of the majority of published materials in the worldso that education, especially specialised higher education, has come to rely heavily on an understanding of English. In no sense does English replace the cultural heritage and emotional ties of the first language, but for many speakers throughout the world,

it provides a means of communication with people of similar training and interests whowould otherwise not comprehend them. Learning a second language extends one’svision and expands the mind. Looking at theworld or oneself through a different languagesystem shows the limits of one’s own perception and adds new dimensions to familiar objects or events. A second languageteaches us different ways of labeling and organizing our experiences. The history and

literature of a second language record the real and fictional lives of a people and their culture;a knowledge of them adds to our ability to understand and to feel as they feel. Learning English as a second language provides another means of communication through which the window of the entire English speech community becomes a partof our heritage.

deny.

1.否认，否定 say sth that is not truee.g. She denied this to be the case.

2. 拒不给予某人所求或所需之物 prevent sb from havinge.g. He gave to his friends what he denied to his family. 他宁可给朋友也不给家里人。3. 声称对某事毫无所知。 refuse to acknowledgee.g. He denied the signature.

“There is no denying that English is a useful language” 不可否认 , 英语是一种有用的语言 .

句型 There is no + v.-ing == It’s impossible to do

动名词在以 there 为引导的句子中做主语 , 往往为否定句 , 表示”不可能……” “无法……”

e.g. There is no going there in such weather. There is no telling what he will do.

历史的车轮不可阻挡 . There is no holding back the wheel of history.

exception 例外 , 特例 . sth or sb that is not included.

e.g. You allow no exceptions? Everyone who applies for the job must take an examination without exception.

Phrases: with the exception of 除了……之外 == excepte.g. With the exception of Harry, all the students were anxious to go. He enjoyed all the novels with the exception of these two.

isolate （尤用于被动语态）1. To keep entirely apart from 使隔离，孤立e.g. When a person has an infectious disease, he is usually isolated from other people.

2. To separate 分离，离析e.g. Scientists have isolated this virus causingthe epidemic. （流行病）

isolated : adj. 孤立的， 单独的 An isolated building

isolation : n. 隔离，脱离，孤立

in time e.g. We were in time to catch the train.

( 及时 , not late)

I don’t think he will come in time because he has something else to do.

( not late)

Fred and Jim didn’t like each other at first, but, in time, they became good friends.

( after a while)

You will learn in time how to do the job.

( in the course of time)

In time what is unknown will be known.

( in the end)

In time, he will succeed in getting his degree.

( in the end )

“……, taking their language with them and thus still remaining members of the ……”分词短语做状语 , 相当于一个平行谓语或一个独立的句子 .

e.g. They passed me in the street, talking and laughing.

她站在阳台上 , 注视着大街上来来往往的车辆 .

She stood on the balcony, watching the movement of the cars on the street.

be composed of : be made up of/ consist of

e.g. The cake is composed of flour, butter, eggs, sugar and water.

A car is composed of different parts.

The cricket team is composed of ten players.

请将上列各句用 consist of 替换 .

Compare---- boundary & border ( 查书 )boundary: dividing line ; line that marks a limit 分界线border: the official line that separates two countries, or the area to this line 国界 , 边境e.g. The boundaries of human knowledge are constantly being extended. 人类知识的范围在不断扩展 . You need a passport to cross a country’s border. 你越过一国边境时需要护照 .( 举几例进行练习 )

classify: to arrange or place into classes: divide according to class 分类e.g. Men working in a library spend a lot oftime classifying books. In the post office, mail is classified according to the place it is to go.Phrases: classify sth/sb into 将……分成 e.g. We classify the students of the English classes into six grades according to the results of the exam. For convenience, these things can be classified into two categories.

to … extent : to … degree

e.g. We all like this novel to the same extent as you.

I enjoy watching TV, but not to the extent that she does. She watches TV three hours every evening.

相关短语 : to a certain extent; to the same extent; to a large extent

function: a special duty of a person or purpose of a thing.

e.g. The function of a chairman is to lead and control a meeting.

The brain has a very important function; it controls the nervous system of the body.

fulfil/operate a function 运转、行使职能A university should fulfil its social function oftraining the rising generation. 大学应当尽到其教育青年一代的社会职能。

functional practical, useful 起作用的，实用性的，功能性的

e.g. 机能紊乱　 functional disorder 　

实用英语 functional English

实用建筑 functional architecture

官能性心脏病 functional heart disease

adopt 1. To take over and have or use as one’s own 采纳， 采用2. To choose someone as a candidate 挑选某人作为候选人3. To take sb into one’s family.esp. a child 收养e.g. The government has adopted this new tax plan. She has been adopted as Labour candidate. Having no children of their own, they decided to adopt an orphan.

specialize: to study in detail; to give special attention ( ∽ in)

e.g. After he had worked as a doctor general practitioner for some years, he decided to specialize in heart disease.

He specializes in biological chemistry as a student at Columbia University.

Make a sentence: 他专攻现代语言。

He specializes in modern language.

“In no sense does English replace………...,” 带有否定意义的词或状语至于句首，主谓需倒装。

无论任何条件任何时间，我们决不会首先使用核武器。 Under no circumstances and at no time shall we be the first to use nuclear weapons.从来没有像今天这样有众多的女性获得法学学位。 Never have so many women received law degrees as today.

means: a method or way ( of doing)

e.g. The quickest means of travel is by plane.

All possible means have been tried.

Phrases: by means of = by using; through by no means = not at all

e.g. These goods are by no means satisfactory. By no means am I pleased with this behavior.

比较　 extend/ expand/ enlarge/ lengthen/ increase( 本项需替换例句 )

1.extend: 具体意义上的扩大空间或时间，或抽象意义上的扩大范围和影响

e.g. We’ll extend the road as far as the railwaystation. ( 延伸公路 ) He intends to extend his study to cover other detailed parts of the problem. （扩大研究范围）

2.expand: 程度的发展，金属膨胀

e.g. Our foreign trade has expanded greatly inrecent years. Metals expand when heated and contract when cooled. 热胀冷缩

3.enlarge: 扩大某物的数量、体积、尺寸e.g. You should remember as more words aspossible to enlarge your vocabulary. The magnifying glass enlarges the image five times. 放大照片　 enlarge photos

4.lengthen: 延长时间　 e.g. As summer approached, the days lengthened. They lengthened the runway for the sports meeting.

5.increase: 增加数量、提高程度e.g. They increased the price of petrol by 20% The library had increased in the totalnumber of books.

“as” 的用法： (1) prep. “ 作为…” e.g. As a scientist, he was dedicated to the truth. As a worldwide language, English plays a dispensable role in modern society.

(2) conj. 当…　 when; 像、如…　 like; 由于…　 because of e.g. He pretended not to see me as he passed by. （时间）　　　

When in Rome, do as Romans do. （方式）入乡随 I suggest you see that movie as it enjoyed great fame in the world. （原因）(3) 引出宾语补语、主语补语e.g. Chinese food is considered as the healthiest in the world. He is treated as the most distinguishedprofessor in our university.

此外的宾补搭配还有：　 accept…as regard…as define…as refer to…as describe…as

主补搭配有：　 serve as; adopt as; continue as; use as e.g. Eggs serve as a necessary ingredient to make cakes.

1.Find out the topic sentence of the first paragraph..

2. Give a brief account about the history of English language development.

The second sentence

1.Which sentence is the topic sentence?

2.What’s called a speech community?

The last one.

A community in which people share a common language.

From this paragraph, what do you know about the English speechcommunity?

It is a community in which peoplespeak English. Some speak Englishnatively while others speak it as a second language.

1.Find out the topic sentence

2.What are the functions of English?

The first one.

aviation/ air traffic/ commerce/ diplomacy/ published materials

Why is it significant to learn a second language?

Learning a second language can extendone’s vision and expand the mind. It teaches us different ways of labeling andorganizing our experiences. It providesanother means of communications.

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Par.1 The English language was originally formed on the basis of the language of small tribes from northern Europe. And, in time, these tribes were united into the English speech community.

Par.2 A speech community is any group ofpeople who speak the same language no matter where they happen to live.

Par.3 The English speech communityincludes those who use it as their nativelanguage and those who use it as a second language for the purposes of education, commerce and other activities.

Par.4 English serves as an international second language in many areas.

Par.5 Learning a second language extends one’s vision and expands the mind.

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1.Match the words in column A to the meanings in column B. Column A Column B in a sense 决不 rely on 开始 be composed of 在某种意义上说 come to 除……以外 by no means 由……构成 serve……as 背井离乡 leave one’s homeland 依赖 with the exception of 起……作用

2.Put the following phrases into English:

逐行的面对面 逐字的一点一点地手拉手臂挽臂

推心置腹地一对一对地

逐步的

line by lineface to faceword by wordlittle by littlehand in handarm in armtwo by twoheart to heartstep by step

3.Make sentences by using the sentencepatterns in this text.

(1) 不可否认 , 他的计划已赢得公司大部分人的支持 .There is no denying that his plan has won theapprovals of most people in the company.

(2) 说不准我们是否能按期完成任务 .There is no saying whether we can finishthe job according to the schedule.

(3) 并没有把所有的东西都拿走Everything had not been taken away. / Not everything had been taken away.

(4) 我们把言语群体定义为使用同一种语言的任何人群 , 是不受地域限制的 .Speech community is defined as any group of people who share a common language, with no regional restrictions.

Compare: adopt/ adapt1. We have ____ the same sort of assembly methods they use in Japan. adopted 我们采用了日本使用的那种组装方法。2. I found it difficult to ____ living in the country after living in a large city.adapt to 我感到自己在大城市生活过之后很难适应乡村的生活。3. We have ____ the assembly system they use in Japan to suit our circumstance here.

adapted 改编

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