《新概念英語(yǔ)》之父談如何提高英語(yǔ)口語(yǔ)能力

L.G.Alexander(1932.1.15-2002.6.17)生于英國(guó)。世界著名的英語(yǔ)教學(xué)專(zhuān)業(yè)，曾任歐洲現(xiàn)代語(yǔ)言教學(xué)委員會(huì)理事。其著作為交際教學(xué)法奠定基礎(chǔ)，其中一些已成經(jīng)典教材。他和何其莘教授主編的《新概念英語(yǔ)》 成為英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)經(jīng)久不衰的經(jīng)典教材。

亞歷山大先生潛心研究英語(yǔ)教學(xué)法，結(jié)合實(shí)際教學(xué)經(jīng)驗(yàn)(他曾在歐洲多所大學(xué)任教)，就廣大教師和學(xué)生廣泛關(guān)注的教學(xué)和學(xué)習(xí)問(wèn)題，提供了專(zhuān)家指導(dǎo)和建議。

What’s the way to practise speaking in a non-English environment?

在非英語(yǔ)環(huán)境中練習(xí)說(shuō)英語(yǔ)能力的最佳途徑是什么?

Lack of opportunity to use the language is every student’s problem. That’s why, in China for example, foreigners are often rapidly surrounded by young people who want to practise theirEnglish. (I know, because it’s often happened to me.) Unfortunately, the visitors have their own agenda, which doesn’t necessarily include being used for English practice!

The only natural way to use English in a non-English speaking environment occurs when you are dealing with foreigners who are visiting your country and who are using English as the medium of communication. (A visitor’s English might be non-native as well.) You will then use English quite naturally when you are entertaining, showing your visitors the sights, etc. Human beings love to exchange information about themselves and their families, so there is always plenty to talk about.

If you don’t come into contact with foreigners for professional purposes, then arrange to meet other local people who want to practise speaking English, just as you do. You collectively decide that you will use English only and help and correct each other as necessary. Do this regularly. Choose a topic in advance, so that members of the group can think about it and prepare some of the vocabulary they will need. Turn it into a pleasant social occasion when you meet at someone's house or go out together as a group. It will do wonders for your spoken English.

缺少機(jī)會(huì)運(yùn)用語(yǔ)言是每一個(gè)學(xué)生所面臨的問(wèn)題。這也是為什么在中國(guó)外國(guó)人能夠很快被想練習(xí)說(shuō)英語(yǔ)的年輕人圍住。(我當(dāng)然知道，因?yàn)轭?lèi)似的事經(jīng)常發(fā)生在我身上。)遺憾的是，來(lái)訪(fǎng)的人都有自己的日程安排，不一定能騰出時(shí)間與中國(guó)學(xué)生練習(xí)英語(yǔ)!

那么在非英語(yǔ)環(huán)境中使用英語(yǔ)的惟一可行辦法是與在你的國(guó)家參觀(guān)訪(fǎng)問(wèn)的外國(guó)人交往：與把英語(yǔ)作為交際媒介的人交往。(外國(guó)人講的英語(yǔ)未必是自己的母語(yǔ)。)這樣，你會(huì)在帶領(lǐng)外國(guó)朋友進(jìn)行旅游消遣活動(dòng)時(shí)，很自然地使用英語(yǔ)。人們喜歡互相交流有關(guān)他們自己及家庭方面的情況，所以總是有很多東西可以談。

如果你的職業(yè)無(wú)法使你接觸到外國(guó)人，那么可以找一些想練習(xí)說(shuō)英語(yǔ)的本地人彼此談?wù)?。大家可以決定只準(zhǔn)許用英語(yǔ)交談，必要時(shí)互相幫助修改錯(cuò)誤。定期做這種練習(xí)。事先選定一個(gè)題目，以便小組中的成員可以事先思考，準(zhǔn)備所需的詞匯。當(dāng)你們相聚在某人家里或者作為一個(gè)集體外出時(shí)，你們之間的談話(huà)就會(huì)變成一次溫馨的社交活動(dòng)。你們的英語(yǔ)口語(yǔ)水平也就會(huì)因此突飛猛進(jìn)了。

Which is more important, fluency or accuracy?

說(shuō)英語(yǔ)的流利程度和精確性哪個(gè)更重要呢?

The idea that there is a clash between fluency and accuracy is quite false: they are equally important. There are times when we concentrate on fluency and times when we concentrate on accuracy. We don’t give or require grammatical explanations with the same high level of intensity all the time. For example, if we are conducting a conversation lesson, our main objective is to build up the student’s confidence and to give the student the opportunity to express him/herself freely. In this situation, fluency takes precedence over accuracy. We tolerate a great deal of error. If, for example, a student says *He go* (for He goes) we might completely ignore the mistake and leave it uncorrected. Our main criterion is that the student is making him/herself understood. We listen. We don’t interrupt. After the student has finished speaking, we praise the student’s effort and give him/her as much encouragement as possible. We correct only those errors (just one or two) that have really interfered with communication.

If, on the other hand, you are drilling students in some aspect of language like always remembering to add ’s to the third person singular in the simple present (He goes, not *He go*) then you want 100% accuracy and you don’t accept anything less. What is acceptable in one situation may be quite unacceptable in another!

那種認(rèn)為說(shuō)英語(yǔ)的流利程度和精確性不能兼容的觀(guān)點(diǎn)很站不住腳：其實(shí)，它們同樣重要。在說(shuō)英語(yǔ)時(shí)，有時(shí)我們講求流利，有時(shí)我們講求它的準(zhǔn)確。此時(shí)，我們對(duì)語(yǔ)法解釋的要求不是一成不變的。比如，在組織一堂會(huì)話(huà)課的教學(xué)時(shí)，主要目標(biāo)是增強(qiáng)學(xué)生們的信心以及給學(xué)生們提供一個(gè)自由表達(dá)的機(jī)會(huì)。在這種情形下，說(shuō)英語(yǔ)的流暢程度比準(zhǔn)確更重要。我們?cè)试S犯很多錯(cuò)誤。比如，如果一個(gè)學(xué)生把He goes說(shuō)成*He go*，我們盡可以忽略不計(jì)，把它放在一邊。我們此時(shí)衡量學(xué)生的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)是看他是否讓人懂得他的意思。我們只聽(tīng)，而不打斷他的講話(huà)。在學(xué)生發(fā)言完畢之后，我們要表?yè)P(yáng)他為此付出努力，盡量給予更多的鼓勵(lì)。我們只糾正確實(shí)影響交流的一兩處錯(cuò)誤。

如果你在著重訓(xùn)練學(xué)生其他方面的技能，比如一般現(xiàn)在時(shí)第三人稱(chēng)單數(shù)加-s(說(shuō)He goes,而不說(shuō)*He go*)，那么你講求的就是語(yǔ)言上百分之百的正確，否則你不會(huì)接受。其實(shí)，任何事物都不是一成不變的，在一種情形中可接受的準(zhǔn)則在另一種情況下則很不可接受。