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语法再思考:我们如何讲话

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Rethinking Grammar: How We Talk 语法再思考:我们如何讲话

We judge people by the way they speak and the grammar they use.  

Listen to several Americans from different regions speak. Don’t worry too much about what they are saying, just listen to their different speaking styles. Can you guess where they are from?

Fran Drescher: “And we were saying, ‘You know what’s this about? Why’s there only one woman?”

James Earl Jones: “I feel wonderful to be back on Broadway.” 

Sarah Palin: “The difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull? Lipstick1.” 

Dolly Parton: “You know I’ll wake up sometimes from a dream and think I’d better get up and write that down or I’ll forget it.” 

Surfer: “Dude you got the best barrels ever dude.” 

John F. Kennedy: “Not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” 

Tom Brokaw: “A moment that will live forever. You’re seeing the destruction of the Berlin Wall.” 

Wendy Williams: “How is it getting up and being there and getting your hair friend and the eye lashes2 and all that stuff.” 

Rosie Perez: “I’m exhausted3.” 

Rhett Buetler: “Everybody kind of relates rodeo with kind of a wild energizing4 experience…something that gets out of control.” 

As you listened to these different speakers, you probably started to form ideas about them. The minute you open your mouth, you are giving clues about yourself—where you grew up, with whom you grew up, and where you went to school.

Non-standard dialects

If you study English in the United States, you are probably learning Standard American English – the kind of English used in books, business, government and school. But there are millions of native speakers who have their own vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation that is different from Standard American English.

Linguists6 call these non-standard dialects.  Basically, a non-standard dialect is a dialect of a language that is not taught in school.

There are dozens of regional varieties of American English.  People disagree about what makes a distinct dialect or accent. But it is clear that a farmer from North Dakota does not sound like a police officer in Boston. And a lawyer from Seattle does not sound like a fisherman from Louisiana.

Some people look down on certain regional accents and dialects. They might describe them as "slang," "ungrammatical" or "broken English." Dr. Richard Epstein is a linguist5 from Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey7. He says it is a mistake to judge people by the way they speak.

“When we hear someone use grammar that we think of as perhaps not standard, it’s very easy to judge them as uneducated and maybe they’re not too bright. But that’s a stereotype8. There are many people who speak non-standardly who are extremely bright.”

African-American Vernacular9

One of the largest non-standard dialects in the United States is what linguists call African-American Vernacular English, or AAVE. It is spoken by some African-Americans, especially those living large cities. A small number of white teenagers also speak AAVE, Epstein says.

AAVE follows the grammar rules of Standard American English with a few exceptions. For example, AAVE speakers might drop the “to be” verb in the present tense. Instead of the standard, “The coffee is cold” some speakers say, “The coffee cold.”

Dr. Epstein explains. 

“So, of course, white folks who don’t know African-American dialect raise their hands up in despair and say, ‘Oh, this is ungrammatical, it’s illogical, how can you possibly have a sentence with no verb? It doesn’t make sense.’

“But of course it makes perfect sense. The verb ‘be’ in the present tense doesn’t really give you any information of any use at all. So in many languages, not just African-American dialect, they don’t have the verb ‘be.’ Or if they don’t have it, they don’t use it.

“So the most logical language of all in our folklore11 is Latin, and Latin also frequently also left out the verb ‘be’ in the present tense. … So there’s nothing illogical or ungrammatical about saying, ‘The coffee cold.’”

Presidential Grammar

It is common for people to change dialects for different social situations. Someone who speaks AAVE at home might speak Standard American English at work.

Sometimes even the rich and powerful adopt non-standard grammar. Former president George W. Bush grew up as the son of a senator and went to Harvard and Yale. But when he was campaigning, he spoke10 like a “regular Joe,” or someone from the working class. Listen to his speaking style at a campaign rally in the southern state of Alabama in 2006.

“For those of you who are stuffin’ the envelopes and puttin’ up the signs and gettin’ on the telephones and turnin’ people out to vote, I wanna thank you in advance for what you gonna do for this excellent governor.”

Notice how the former president dropped the letter “g” at the end of a word. He shortens “going to” to “gonna” and “want to” to “wanna.”

George W. Bush was speaking with a working class Southern accent, even though he grew up in New England. Bush’s critics said that his informal speaking style showed that he was not very smart. Dr. Epstein says President Bush used non-standard grammar to his advantage.

George W. Bush is not alone. Many politicians change their speaking style to try to build a connection with their audience.

Dialect and identity

Dr. Epstein says the way we speak is part of who we are.  He says not everyone who speaks a standard dialect is intelligent. And not everyone who speaks a non-standard dialect is uneducated.

“It’s very clear that we speak the way the people we most cherish and love most, the way they speak. … Our language is a sign of who we are as much as our religion, much more than it’s a sign of our intelligence. There is no link between dialect and intelligence.”

We leave you a song performed by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. In the song, a man and woman disagree about how to pronounce the words “potato” and “tomato.” As a joke they decide to cancel their wedding or “call the whole thing off.”

Neither, Neither,

Let's call the whole thing off!

You like potatoes

And you like "potahtoes"

 You like tomatoes

And you like "tomahtoes"

Potatoes, "potahtoes"

Tomatoes,"tomahtoes"

Let’s call the whole thing off!

Words in This Story

Standard American English – n. The variety of the English language that is generally used in professional communication in the United States and taught in American schools.

non-standard dialect – n. not conforming in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, etc., to the usage characteristic of and considered acceptable by most educated native speakers

variety – n. a number or collection of different things or people

dialect – n. a form of a language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations

bright – adj. smart, intelligent

African American Vernacular English – n. a varietyof American English, most commonly spoken by urban working-class African Americans.

folklore – n. traditional customs, beliefs, stories, and sayings


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 lipstick o0zxg     
n.口红,唇膏
参考例句:
  • Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红,开始往嘴唇上抹。
  • Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。
2 lashes e2e13f8d3a7c0021226bb2f94d6a15ec     
n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 );鞭子;突然猛烈的一击;急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 );煽动;紧系;怒斥
参考例句:
  • Mother always lashes out food for the children's party. 孩子们聚会时,母亲总是给他们许多吃的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Never walk behind a horse in case it lashes out. 绝对不要跟在马后面,以防它突然猛踢。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 exhausted 7taz4r     
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的
参考例句:
  • It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
  • Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
4 energizing e3f2f6cebc209a6ba70f00dcd4da3708     
v.给予…精力,能量( energize的现在分词 );使通电
参考例句:
  • a refreshing and energizing fruit drink 提神并增加体能的果汁饮料
  • The time required after energizing a device, before its rated output characteristics begin to apply. 从设备通电到它开始提供额定输出特性之间所需的时间。 来自辞典例句
5 linguist K02xo     
n.语言学家;精通数种外国语言者
参考例句:
  • I used to be a linguist till I become a writer.过去我是个语言学家,后来成了作家。
  • Professor Cui has a high reputation as a linguist.崔教授作为语言学家名声很高。
6 linguists fe6c8058ec322688d888d3401770a03c     
n.通晓数国语言的人( linguist的名词复数 );语言学家
参考例句:
  • The linguists went to study tribal languages in the field. 语言学家们去实地研究部落语言了。 来自辞典例句
  • The linguists' main interest has been to analyze and describe languages. 语言学家的主要兴趣一直在于分析并描述语言。 来自辞典例句
7 jersey Lp5zzo     
n.运动衫
参考例句:
  • He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
  • They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致,都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。
8 stereotype rupwE     
n.固定的形象,陈规,老套,旧框框
参考例句:
  • He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
  • There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。
9 vernacular ULozm     
adj.地方的,用地方语写成的;n.白话;行话;本国语;动植物的俗名
参考例句:
  • The house is built in a vernacular style.这房子按当地的风格建筑。
  • The traditional Chinese vernacular architecture is an epitome of Chinese traditional culture.中国传统民居建筑可谓中国传统文化的缩影。
10 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
11 folklore G6myz     
n.民间信仰,民间传说,民俗
参考例句:
  • Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
  • In Chinese folklore the bat is an emblem of good fortune.在中国的民间传说中蝙蝠是好运的象征。

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