背誦為王第四冊(cè)第11課
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英語(yǔ)拼寫
英語(yǔ)拼寫對(duì)以英語(yǔ)為母語(yǔ)的人和不以英語(yǔ)為母語(yǔ)的人來(lái)說(shuō)一樣令人頭痛。我的一位學(xué)生曾經(jīng)說(shuō)，英語(yǔ)的拼寫肯定是魔鬼的幫手發(fā)明的。
我們是不是需要一次拼寫改革？乍一看，肯定的回答才合乎情理。改革將使每個(gè)人學(xué)英語(yǔ)更容易，使在現(xiàn)代英語(yǔ)誕生之前就已經(jīng)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化的、早已過(guò)時(shí)的英語(yǔ)拼寫更適應(yīng)現(xiàn)代需要。
拼寫的改革并非易事。首先，花費(fèi)會(huì)很高。其次，如果單詞的拼寫要反映其發(fā)音，那么我們應(yīng)該采用何種發(fā)音呢，英國(guó)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)發(fā)音、美國(guó)發(fā)音還是兩者的折中？一旦做出了決定，是否所有說(shuō)英語(yǔ)的人都能接受這些改變呢？拼寫改革可能會(huì)引發(fā)一場(chǎng)有關(guān)語(yǔ)言的大爭(zhēng)論。
最后還有很重要的一點(diǎn)要考慮。語(yǔ)言的演變是適用所有語(yǔ)言的自然法則，口頭語(yǔ)比書面語(yǔ)的演變發(fā)生的更快。書面語(yǔ)比口頭語(yǔ)趨于保守，能減慢演變的速度，書面語(yǔ)在不同的口頭語(yǔ)之間起著連接統(tǒng)一的作用。
拼寫改革將削弱書面語(yǔ)的穩(wěn)定性，從而破壞其統(tǒng)一性。如果這樣的話，英語(yǔ)將不再是國(guó)際間交流的語(yǔ)言了。
Lesson11 English Spelling
English spelling is a "headache" for native and non-native speakers alike. As a student of mine once commented, English spelling must have been invented by one of the devil's helpers.
Do we need a spelling reform? At first, the logical answer is yes. A reform would make the language easier for everybody. It would modernize the old-fashioned spelling which was standardized before Modern English was "born".
A spelling reform is not a simple matter. First of all, it would be very expensive. Second, if spelling is supposed to reflect pronunciation, then what pronunciation should we use - R.P., American English, or some compromise? Once the decision is made, will all the speakers accept the changes? A spelling reform could start a linguistic war!
Finally there is another important consideration. Change is the natural law for all languages. It occurs more rapidly in speech than in writing. Writing slows down the speed of change, because it is more conservative than speech. Writing also acts as a unifying link among the spoken varieties.
A spelling reform would weaken the stability of the written language and thus undermine its unity. If this happened, English would no longer be a language for international communication.
conservative 保守的, 守舊的
English spelling is a "headache" for native and non-native speakers alike. As a student of mine once commented, English spelling must have been invented by one of the devil's helpers.
Do we need a spelling reform? At first, the logical answer is yes. A reform would make the language easier for everybody. It would modernize the old-fashioned spelling which was standardized before Modern English was "born".
A spelling reform is not a simple matter. First of all, it would be very expensive. Second, if spelling is supposed to reflect pronunciation, then what pronunciation should we use - R.P., American English, or some compromise? Once the decision is made, will all the speakers accept the changes? A spelling reform could start a linguistic war!
Finally there is another important consideration. Change is the natural law for all languages. It occurs more rapidly in speech than in writing. Writing slows down the speed of change, because it is more conservative than speech. Writing also acts as a unifying link among the spoken varieties.
A spelling reform would weaken the stability of the written language and thus undermine its unity. If this happened, English would no longer be a language for international communication.
conservative 保守的, 守舊的
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