英语沙龙：谈谈学英语

A correspondent from the Czech Republic asks a powerful question:“How would you encourage English language learners at secondary and postsecondary schools; what do they have to be careful about and what joys can they expect when dealing¹ with a language ofsome 2 billion speakers worldwide?”

In a way, the question answers itself. English enables you to communicate with a third of the world's population, and that has to be a plus on the agenda of anyone with an international outlook. That third, moreover, is hugely diverse. English is present, as a first, second, or foreign language, in every country in the world.

So, in using it as a tool, you have an unparallelled opportunity to explore the individuality of nations and peoples. The metaphor² of the tool is important. English is not a prism, through which you see others. It is a tool which enables you to have a close encounter with others.

Culture is not wholly dependent on language, but it does need language to explain its uniqueness—an experience all travellers have had, as they watch, say, a local folk dance and wonder what it is all about.

However, the metaphor of the tool only goes so far, because you can change the character of the tool to suit your purposes. If you have adopted English as one of your languages, then you are able to adapt it— to take personal ownership of it.

One of the great joys of making headway in a new language is that you can use it to talk about what you want to talk about—and if that means inventing new words, to express your local experience, then do not hesitate to invent them. Just translating the culture of your school and town into English—such as the names of localities and personalities—will immediately add dozens of new expressions. Don't restrict yourself to the words that are already in the dictionaries.

English is yours now. The words and expressions you and your fellows invent today might be in the dictionaries of tomorrow, if they catch on. You're doing nothing that hasn't already been done thousands of times before. New words were added to English within days of the first settlers arriving in America from Britain, and the same pattern has been observed in all countries where a community of users has evolved.

What you find yourselves doing you will see being done elsewhere. So to adopt the motto of the scouting³ movement—be prepared. Be prepared for linguistic⁴ diversity, change, playfulness, and creativity wherever you listen and look on radio and television, in the press,literature, film, pop music, the internet...

Develop a sense of the kind of English that is appropriate to particular circumstances. And make it your major aim to be so in control of your own English that you can vary it to suit the circumstances in which you find yourself. Your goal is not to learn English, but Englishes.The same principle applies to any language, of course, but it is particularly important in the case of English because of its global reach.

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

3 scouting   

守候活动，童子军的活动

参考例句：

• I have people scouting the hills already. 我已经让人搜过那些山了。
• Perhaps also from the Gospel it passed into the tradition of scouting. 也许又从《福音书》传入守望的传统。 来自演讲部分

4 linguistic   

adj.语言的，语言学的

参考例句：

• She is pursuing her linguistic researches.她在从事语言学的研究。
• The ability to write is a supreme test of linguistic competence.写作能力是对语言能力的最高形式的测试。