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Speaking Chinese in AmericaFOREIGH LANGUAGE TEACHING AND RESEARCH PRESS AIR FORCE ENGINEERING UNIVERTISY Each of us is like everybody else in some ways (universal behaviors), like the people in our culture in some other ways (cultural behaviors), and like no one else at all in still other ways (personal behaviors). Craig Storti (American scholar)Our incapacity to comprehend other cultures stems from our insistence on measuring things in our own terms. Arthur Erickson (Canadian architect)5UNIT 5UNIT Speaking Chinese in AmericaTo talk about a stereotype of Chinese language and culture To further understand the textTo apply the phrases and patternsTo master the paragraph (essay) writing skill 5UNITWarming-up Activities Text Study Language Application Summary 5UNIT Warming-up Activities 1. Some Westerners think that Chinese people tend to avoid saying “no” directly. What are the common ways in which the Chinese express disagreement, rejection or refusal in daily communication? Chinese people generally use expressions like “possibly no” or “Im afraid it wont work” to say “no” to others. This makes them less direct in giving rejections. 2. Are all Chinese so “discreet and modest” that there arent even words for “no”? No. When people with greater authority or power say “no” to those in a lower status (e.g. parents to children), they can be very direct and straightforward, e. g. “absolutely no”. 1. What are the common structures Americans use to compliment each other? (a) What a ! (e.g. “What a nice hat!”) (b) _. (Give one structure and one example) 2. Are there any differences between Chinese and American cultures in how people compliment each other and how they respond to a compliment? Listen to a radio program on compliments in American English. Complete the answers to the following questions according to what you hear. 1. What are the common structures Americans use to compliment each other? (a) What a ! (e.g. “What a nice hat!”) (b) _ (Give one structure and one example) I like your (e.g. “I like your hat.”) I love your (e.g. “I love your shoes.”) 2. Are there any differences between Chinese and American cultures in how people compliment each other and how they respond to a compliment? Yes, the traditional way is to say something to show that we or the object we own is not that good. For example, we may say “哪 里 ” (meaning “it is nothing”). But in modern days, many people have adopted the English way of responding to a compliment. They say “thank you” very often too. China is casting such a huge _ on the United States that many Americans are _ to l e a r n t h e C h i n e s e l a n g u a g e _ retain their competitive edge. “Interest in learning Chinese among American youth and their parents has grown dramatically in the past five years.” Listen to a short passage and fill in the missing information.shadow To be continuedscrambling in a bid to said Vivien Stewart, vice president at the Asia Society, a US group trying to _ between Americans and the peoples of Asia and the Pacific. Chinas dramatic rise to near superpower _ and its telling effects politically, economically, bridge the gapstatus Listen to a short passage and fill in the missing information. To be continued and _ are driving the interest to learn the language, experts say. From_ to high schools, studies by the Asia Society show, there is a “rapid rise” in _ among pupils to study the Chinese language. ”culturallykindergartensListen to a short passage and fill in the missing information. To be continuedinterest The Chinese rich cultural traditions and blossoming economy mean that is now _ all of our students to be better prepared to engage them and _ opportunities together,” said Michael Levine, Asia Societys executive director of education. essential forListen to a short passage and fill in the missing information.seize Questions Previewing1. What does Chinese Americans refer to? 2. What stereotypes of Chinese Americans are depicted in the media? Chinese Americans3. What are the popular columns in the history of the New York Times Magazine? 1. What does Chinese Americans refer to?The term “Chinese Americans” refers to Americans of Chinese descent. It also includes those with partial Chinese ancestry. the United Arab Emirates 2. What stereotypes of Chinese Americans are depicted in the media? Chinese Americans are “foreign” and “unassimilated”. Chinese are alien predators. Chinese Americans are restricted to clichd occupations. Chinese Americans are polite. Chinese Americans as a whole are a model minority. the United Arab Emirates 3. What are the popular columns in the history of the New York Times Magazine?Some of the popular columns in the history of the magazine are “On Language”, “The Ethicist”, “Consumed”, and “The Funny Pages”. the United Arab Emirates Text Study5UNIT Why did the authors mother describe her Sau-sau by using the expression “nominal courtesy” at the dinner? (Para.1)She just pretended to be polite. (ate up the dish in the end; although she didnt want it at first.) When the authors mother offered the lastscallop from the garlic seafood dish, Sau-saus response: (Para.2) Sighed.(Para. 7)Full, Im already full. (Para.5)Byao, zhen byao!(Para.3) What did the authors mother suggest as the right way for the Chinese to respond at the dinner table in America? (Para. 8) They say directly whether they want to have anything or not. They would rather than refuse for the sake of politeness even if they in fact want to eat it. A story about a family dinner to introduce the topic of the essay, i.e. whether Chinese languageand culture are _.Part I (Paras. 1- _)9 indirect and polite How did the article in The New York Times Magazine describe Chinese language and culture? (Para.10) Main Ideas of the PartsIt said that Chinese language and culture were very indirect and polite. As any child of immigrant parents knows, there is a special kind of _ attached to knowing two languages. (Para.12)double bind Why did the authors parents scold her when she answered them with a question? (Paras.13-17)They thought that she was notrespectful if she questioned them. If I consider my upbringing carefully, I find there was nothing _ about the Chinese language I grew up with, no censorship for the sake of _. My parents made everything abundantly clear in their _ demands: “Of course you will become a famous aerospace engineer,” they prodded. (Para.18)discreetpolitenessconsecutive Para. 20Having listened to both Chinese and English, Im suspicious of _ between the two languages, as I notice the reciprocal _ they each present. English speakers say Chinese is extremely difficult because different words can be denoted by very subtle variations in tone. English is often bracketed with the label of _, a language of too many broken rules. comparisons challengesinconsistency In Paragraph 21, the author mentions how an outside observer might view Chinese people by just listening to her mother speak. Why does she discuss this? To support her opinion that to understand the difference between languages and behavior just through literal translation may lead to wrong generalizations. What did the author worry? (Para. 22) See Chinese people from a limited perspective; Lead to actual intolerance and few Chinese in top management positions; The power of language. How does the author feel about the description of Chinese people as being “modest and polite”? (Para. 24)She feels that it is annoying becausesuch a description does not express new ideas, honest emotions or considered thought. Part II (Paras. 10-26)The author examines in detail the American view about Chinese language and culture and rebuts it with stories and observations from her own life. According to the text, how do Chinese people say “yes” or “no” when answering questions? (Para. 28) Saying something specific to what is asked because there is no one word in Chinese for “yes” or “no”. Referring directly to the proposition being asserted or denied. Part III (Paras. 27-31)There is no one word in Chinese for “yes” or “no”, which is not because Chinese people are discreet, but because their answer is specific to what is asked. A story about a family dinner to introduce the topic of the essay, i.e. whether Chinese language and culture are indirect and polite. (Paras. 1-9)Introduction Refutation against the American view that Chinese language and culture are indirect and polite. (Paras. 10-26)IntroductionBody There is no one word in Chinese for “yes” or “no”, which is not because Chinese people are discreet, but because their answer is specific to what is asked. (Paras. 27-31)IntroductionBodyConclusion IntroductionBodyConclusion Speaking Chinese in America Once, at a dinner, my mother whispered to me confidentially: “Sau-sau pretends too hard to be a polite _! Why bother with such nominal _? In the end, she always takes everything.” My mother no longer patient with old taboos and courtesies. recipient courtesy To be continued I read an article in The New York Times Magazine, where the author mentioned that the interwoven _ of Chinese language and culture renders its speech indirect and polite. Chinese people are so “_ and modest”, that there arent even words for “yes” and “no”. configurationdiscreet To be continued If I consider my upbringing carefully, I find there was nothing discreet about the Chinese language I grew up with, no _ for the sake of politeness. Having listened to both Chinese and English, Im _ comparisons between the two languages, as I notice the reciprocal challenges they each present. censorship suspicious of To be continued Even more dangerous is the temptation to view the _ between different languages and behavior in translation. There is no one word for “yes” or “no”, but not _ to be discreet. _, I would say the Chinese equivalent of answering “yes” or “no” is specific to what is asked. gulfIf anythingout of necessity 1. be attached to 与 有 联 系2. on the side 作 为 副 业 ； 作 为 兼 职3. get / come to the point 切 入 主 题4. hedge in with / by 以 限 制 某 人 （ 的 自 由 、 机 会 等 ） ； 包 围 ； 围 住5. be representative of 有 代 表 性 的 ； 代 表 的6. if anything 如 果 有 什 么 不 同 ； 甚 至 正 相 反 ； 甚 至 还 不 如 说 与 有 联 系(an accident / blame / be attached to) Dont worry because it was an accident and no blame is attached to students.be attached to短 语 逆 译短 语 应 用不 要 担 心 ， 因 为 这 仅 是 意 外 ， 学 生 不 应 该受 到 指 责 。意 群 提 示 作 为 副 业 ；作 为 兼 职(make sculptures / on the side)Her husband is a doctor who makes sculptures on the side. on the side短 语 逆 译短 语 应 用她 的 丈 夫 是 个 医 生 ， 业 余 时 间 做 些 雕 塑 。意 群 提 示 切 入 主 题(not have much time / come to the point)We dont have much time, so Ill come straight to the point. get / come to the point 短 语 逆 译短 语 应 用我 们 时 间 不 多 ， 所 以 我 就 直 入 主 题 吧 。意 群 提 示 以 限 制 某 人（ 的 自 由 、 机 会等 ） ； 包 围 ； 围 住(politicians / hedge in with) It is clear that politicians are often hedged in with their own interests.hedge in with / by 短 语 逆 译短 语 应 用很 明 显 ， 政 客 们 通 常 受 到 本 身 利 益 的 制 约 。意 群 提 示 有 代 表 性 的 ；代 表 的(be representative of / dominant / literary themes ) These short stories are representative of the dominant literary themes of the 20th century. be representative of短 语 逆 译短 语 应 用这 些 短 篇 小 说 代 表 了 20世 纪 具 有 主 导 性 的文 学 主 题 。意 群 提 示 如 果 有 什 么 不 同 ；甚 至 正 相 反 ； 甚至 还 不 如 说(losing / if anything / relieve) Xiao Ming didnt seem too disappointed at losing. If anything, he seemed relieved that it was all over. if anything短 语 逆 译短 语 应 用小 明 看 上 去 对 输 掉 比 赛 并 不 是 太 失 望 。 相 反 ，他 好 像 因 为 比 赛 都 已 结 束 而 感 到 如 释 重 负 。意 群 提 示 1. Why + v. / n. / prep. phrase 用 于 含 蓄 地 表 达 观 点 。2. If I consider my upbringing carefully, I find there was nothing discreet / important about sth. / sb. I grew up with. 用 于 表 示 “ 通 过 个 人 经 历而 形 成 的 对 某 人 /事 的 正确 认 识 ” 。3. At this junction, I do agree in part with sth. 用 于 表 示 “ 部 分 认 同 ” 。 何 必 费 劲 讲 究 形 式 上 的 客 套 呢 ？原 句 译 文逆 译 练 习Why bother with such nominal courtesy? 句 型 提 炼 why + v. / n. / prep. phrase句 型 提 炼应 用 提 示用 于 含 蓄 地 表 达 观 点 。 句 型 应 用 (TV program) 典 型 例 句你 可 以 在 电 脑 上 看 电 视 节 目 ， 何 必 费 劲 买 个电 视 机 呢 ？意 群 提 示You can watch TV programs on the computer, so why a television? 仔 细 想 想 自 己 的 成 长 过 程 ， 我 发 现 ，我 从 小 到 大 所 接 触 到 的 中 文 并 不 是 什么 特 别 谨 慎 的 语 言 。原 句 译 文逆 译 练 习If I consider my upbringing carefully, I find there was nothing discreet about the Chinese language I grew up with. 句 型 提 炼 If I consider my upbringing carefully, I find there was nothing discreet / difficult about sth. / sb. I grew up with.句 型 提 炼应 用 提 示 用 于 表 达 “ 通 过 个 人 经 历 而 形 成 的 对某 人 /事 的 正 确 认 识 ” 。 句 型 应 用 (upbringing / grow up with) 典 型 例 句仔 细 想 想 自 己 的 成 长 过 程 ， 我 发 现 ， 我从 小 到 大 所 接 触 到 的 英 文 并 不 是 什 么 特别 难 的 语 言 。意 群 提 示If I consider my upbringing carefully, I find there was nothing difficult about the English language I grew up with. 在 这 一 点 上 ， 我 的 确 在 某 种 程 度 上 同意 纽 约 时 报 杂 志 的 那 篇 文 章 。原 句 译 文逆 译 练 习At this junction, I do agree in part with The New York Times Magazine article.句 型 提 炼 At this junction, I do agree in part with sth.句 型 提 炼应 用 提 示 用 于 表 达 “ 部 分 认 同 ” 。 句 型 应 用 (At this junction / agree in part with / raise)典 型 例 句在 这 一 点 上 ， 我 的 确 在 某 种 程 度 上 同意 女 孩 要 富 养 的 理 念 。意 群 提 示At this junction, I do agree in part with the idea that daughters should be raised in richness and happiness. 生 于 移 民 家 庭 的 孩 子 都清 楚 ， 有 一 种 特 殊 的 两难 境 地 与 说 两 种 语 言 的生 活 联 系 在 一 起 。 a. As any child of immigrant parents knows, there is a special kind of double bind attached to knowing two languages. (Para. 12， L1) 由 于 一 直 同 时 听 着 中英 文 两 种 语 言 ， 故 而我 对 它 们 之 间 的 任 何对 比 总 是 心 存 怀 疑 ，因 为 我 注 意 到 它 们 各自 都 有 对 方 所 没 有 的难 点 。 b. Having listened to both Chinese and English, Im suspicious of comparisons between the two languages, as I notice the reciprocal challenges they each present. (Para. 20, L1) 我 担 心 语 言 的 力 量 ，即 如 果 一 个 人 将 一 件事 说 了 很 多 遍 ， 无 论其 是 否 有 恶 意 ， 这 件事 都 会 变 成 事 实 。 c. I worry about the power of language: If one says anything enough times, it might become true with or without malicious intent. (Para. 22,L4) 1 Do you know of any stereotype of a foreign country, its people, or its language? Have you ever met anyone who either fits or contradicts this image, and in what way?2 If you are going to live in a foreign country for a number of years, what would you prefer to do: to adapt your behavior and manners to the culture of that country, or to stick to the norms of your own culture? Yes. French people are romantic, and the French language is beautiful; Italians are fashionable, and Italy has the best cuisine in the world. I have watched many movies in which French people are indeed romantic, although I have never met any French in person. A common scene in the movies is that a French man gives flowers to his girlfriend or wife, or two persons meet by chance and fall in love quickly.1. Do you know of any stereotype of a foreign country, its people, or its language? Have you ever met anyone who either fits or contradicts this image, and in what way? No I thi k people in different countries orcultures of the world have more similarities thandifferences. For instan e, w all consider such v lues s onesty, diligence and patriotism important qualiti s of being a go d man or agood citizen. Hence, I think there are no essentialdiffer nces betwe n peoples o cultures, andI dont have any st reotype of any foreigncountry, its people, or its language. 2. If you are going to live in a foreign country for a number of years, what would you prefer to do: to adapt your behavior and manners to the culture of that country, or to stick to the norms of your own culture? I will try to adapt my habits to local norms. For example, I will follow their rules of dining, body language and gift giving. I would prefer to maintain Chinese traditions. Modern people value cultural diversity, so, I think people of the foreign country I live in will respect my choice. Watch a video clip and discuss the following question.Video WatchingWhat would you suggest as good ways for people to avoid misunderstandings of foreign cultures? Back Look for information about those cultures; Visit foreign countries, which will enable us to experience their cultures in person and understand them better; Make friends with foreigners who are traveling or are living in our country; Communicating with them in daily life will help us know their customs.What would you suggest as good ways for people to avoid misunderstandings of foreign cultures? 5UNIT Language Application Write a narrative with direct dialog A narrative essay tells a story. Important elements that make up a story include a setting (the location), a theme (the basic idea), a mood (the feeling or atmosphere), characters (people), and a plot (the sequence of events). One way to present these elements is to use dialog. A good narrative essay often employs vivid dialog, through which it can bring characters to life and effectively arouse readers emotional responses. to be continued Write a narrative with direct dialog Dialog is the verbal exchanges between two or more characters. There are two ways to tell the words of the characters. One is direct dialog, in which the exact words spoken by a character are quoted. These words are presented in quotation marks and attributed to the speaker. The other is indirect dialog, in which the words of a character are paraphrased and not put in quotation marks. to be continued When writing direct dialog, we should follow the standard conventions of punctuation and formatting. The basic principles are as follows: 1. Use quotation marks to indicate the exactwords spoken by characters. 2. Begin a new paragraph whenever the speaker changes. 3. Make sure readers always know who is speaking. Dialog tags (e.g. “He said”) are sometimes used to identify the speaker. 4. Use correct punctuation marks and capitalization. to be continued Example:“Clean up your room,” Mother said, “or youre not going to the movie!” Jim shouted, “Thats not fair! Its Bens room too!” “Ben will be home later to take care of his half. Now, are you going to get started?” Mother scolded. “I guess so,” muttered Jim. “Why doesnt Ben ever have to do anything around here?” “He does plenty,” Mother said. Jim said, “I never see him do much of anything but study.” “Well,” answered Mother, “youre never around very much.” Read the following outline and the sample essay. Topic:A person special to me Introduction:My friend Jerry is a special person because he always chooses a good mood, and for him attitude is everything. to be continued Body: He is a natural motivator. He chooses to learn from bad things rather than to be a victim of them. He survived a gunshot injury with optimism. Conclusion:Restate the main idea: Attitude, after all, is everything. to be continued Sample: Each morning when we wake up, we have two choices to start the day: to embrace it in a good mood, or to complain of it in a bad mood. Most people sometimes choose one, and sometimes the other. My friend Jerry, however, is a special person because he always chooses a good mood, and for him attitude is everything. Jerry is a natural motivator. He once worked as a restaurant manager. to be continued Sample: There were several waiters who followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. They wanted to work with him because of his attitude. If anyone was having a bad day, Jerry was always there cheering him up. This really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, “I dont get it! You cant be happy all the time. How do you do it?” Jerry replied, “When something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.” to be continued Sample: “Yeah, right, but its not that easy,” I protested. “Yes, it is,” Jerry said. “Life is all about choices. Its your choice how to live life.” Soon after that, I left the restaurant industry. We lost touch, but I often thought of him whenever I needed to make a choice in life. Several years later, I heard that Jerry was badly hurt in a gunshot incident. to be continued Sample: One morning he left the back door of his restaurant open and was held up
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