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Файл:Why Do the English Say So (Почему англичане так говорят). Учебное пособие для дополнительного чтения
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Кафедра грамматики и истории английского языка
Учебное пособие
2013
УДК 811.11
ББК 81.432.1я73
W62
Рекомендовано к печати
Научно-методическим советом ГБОУ ВПО МГПУ
кандидатфилологическихнаук,профессорА.С. Саакян,
кандидатфилологическихнаук,доцентА.А. Ионина,
ассистентС.Г. Иняшкин
профессоркафедрытеориипреподаванияиностранныхязыков
факультетаиностранныхязыковирегионоведения
МГУим.М.В.Ломоносова,докторфилологическихнаук
З.Г. Прошина,
доценткафедрыанглийскойфилологииИИЯМГПУ,
кандидатфилологическихнаукО.В. Вострикова
W62
Why Do the English Say So? (Почему англичане так
говорят?): учебное пособие для дополнительного
чтения / Авторы-сост.: А.С. Саакян, А.А. Ионина,
С.Г.Иняшкин.–М.:МГПУ,2013.–35с.
Данное пособие представляет собой сборник текстов для дополнительного чтения по курсам лингвострановедения, лексикологии,
грамматики и истории английского языка. Пособие предназначено
для аудиторной, атакже самостоятельной работы студентов, изучающиханглийскийязыкввысшихучебныхзаведениях.
©А.С.Саакян,А.А.Ионина,
С.Г.Иняшкин,2013
©ГБОУВПОМГПУ,2013
Учебноепособие для дополнительногочтенияпоанглийскому языку«Почему англичане так говорят?» состоит из трёх частей.Впервойчасти TextsforReadingпредставленытекстылингвострановедческогохарактера,содержащиеинформациюопутях
развитияанглийскогоязыка,егосовременномстатусеиперспективах его дальнейшего развития. Список заимствованных слов
даётстудентамвозможностьдополнитьего,используясвоюлингвистическуюкомпетенцию.Вэтойчастисодержитсярядинтересныхфактовобисторииназванийанглийскихулиц,обанглийской
национальнойпосудеибританскомнациональномфлаге,атакже
отом,почемууангличанлевостороннеедвижение.
Втораячастьданногопособия Whyisitso?WhyDotheBritishSayso?содержитрядкороткихтекстов,объясняющихпроисхождение известных английскихфразеологических выражений,
истинныйсмыслкоторыхподчаснемогутобъяснитьсаминосители языка. Лучшему восприятию и запоминаниюидиоматическихвыраженийспособствуютюмористическиерисунки.
Втретьей частиChronologyпредставленахронология,отражающая исторические события страны и позволяющая студентамещёразвспомнитьэпохуидаты,вкоторыхонипроисходили.
Данноепособиебылоапробированоприизучениианглийскогоязыкастудентами3-гои4-гокурсовИИЯМГПУ.Пособиетакжеможетбытьиспользовановобучениибакалавровимагистров
по направлениям подготовки «Лингвистика», «Педагогическое
образование»,«Филология»приизучениитакихдисциплин,как
«Лингвострановедение», «История английского языка», «Практикаречи»и«Практическаяграмматикаанглийскогоязыка».
Авторы
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Englishhaschangedsomuchinthelast1500yearsthatitwould
now be hardly recognizable to the Anglo-Saxons who brought the
language across the North Sea. Although they would be able to
recognizemanyindividualwords,theywouldnotrecognizetheway
thosewordsareputtogethertomakesentences.OldEnglish,likeOld
German, was a highly inected language, i.e. most words changed
theirendingsorformstoshowtheirrelationshiptootherwordsinthe
sentence according to number(singular,plural), gender (masculine,
feminine, neuter), case (subject, object), tense (past, future) etc.
Some modern English words still inect, but much less so than in
other European languages. The English verb “to ride” inects into
ve forms(ride, rides, riding, rode,ridden) whereas the equivalent
Germanverbhassixteenforms.TheEnglishword“the”hasonlyone
form,whereasotherEuropeanlanguageswouldhaveseveraldifferent
forms. The trend towards simplicity of form is considered to be
a strength of English.Another strength is the exibility of function
ofindividualwords.Lookattheseusesoftheword“round”:
Therewasaround table,(adjective)
Heboughtaround ofdrinks,(noun)
Heturnedround, (adverb)
Heranround theeld,(preposition)
Thecartriedtoround thebendtooquickly,(verb)
Thisexibility,togetherwithaexibilitytowardstheassimilation
ofwordsborrowedfromotherlanguagesandthespontaneouscreation
ofnewwords,havemadeEnglishwhatitistoday,aneffectivemedium
ofinternationalcommunication.Englishhasachievedthisinspiteof
thedifcultiescausedbywrittenEnglish,whichisnotsystematically
phonetic.
4
admiral, algebra, mattress
mosquito, cigar, canyon
piano, violin, spaghetti
yacht, boss, deck
pyjamas, shampoo, bungalow
yoghurt, kiosk
tycoon, karate
bamboo, compound
tomato, chocolate
coca, quinine
coach, paprika
theatre, astronomy, logic
whiskey
vodka, sputnik
sauna
tea, silk
marmalade
anorak
robot
lilac
bizarre
canoe
kangaroo, boomerang
rendezvous, cafe
kindergarten
Axerox,toxerox,Xeroxed.
Ahoover,tohoover,hoovered.
A mackintosh, a sandwich, a submarine, a helicopter, pop,
rock’nroll,anx-ray,anastronaut,ahotdog.
5
Approximately 350 million people speak English as their rst
language.About thesamenumber use itasa secondlanguage.It is
the language of aviation, international sport and pop music. 75%
ofthe world’smail is inEnglish,60%of theworld’s radio stations
broadcastinEnglishandmorethanhalfoftheworld’speriodicalsare
printedinEnglish.Itisanofciallanguagein44countries.Inmany
others it is the language of business, commerce and technology.
TherearemanyvarietiesofEnglish,butScottish,Texan,Australian,
Indianand Jamaican speakersofEnglish,in spiteofthedifferences
inpronunciation,structureandvocabulary,wouldrecognizethatthey
areallspeakingthesamebasiclanguage.
The Domesday Book is listed as Document Number 1 at the
Public Record Ofce inLondon, andis stilla workingmanuscript,
citedregularlyincourt.
Few peopleknow howthe survey wasmade 900years ago, or
whyitissoimportant toourunderstandingofEnglishhistory.Even
fewerpeopleappreciatewhatawealthofinformationandlivelydetail
itcontains.Ittellsus,forexample,whopaidhistaxesinsalt,andwho
inhoney;itsetsdownthenumberofRobert.Malet’smother’spigs.
Itrecordsthatthemakerofbadbeerwouldbepunishedbythedung
stool,thattheCountofMortainexchangedamanorforacastle,and
howonesheriffpaidforhisdaughter’slessonsingoldembroidery...
Commissionedinthewinterof1085byWilliamtheConqueror,
Domesday reveals the secrets of exactly what had happened to the
13,500 settlements of England during the rst nineteen years of
Norman administration, and it is a remarkable tribute to English
continuitythatalmostallthosesettlementsstillexistinsomeformor
anothertoday.
Domesday Book is a rare and remarkable survey which details
landholding and resources in late eleventh-century England. In its
sophistication and in the comprehensiveness of its information, it
remained unequalled until the nineteenth century, and the wealth
6
of information itcontains illuminatesone ofthe mostcrucial times
inourhistory:the conquest andsettlement ofEngland byWilliamI
andhisNormanandnorthernFrenchfollowers.
Thesurveywasessentiallytheproduct of the powerfulwill and
relentlesscuriosity ofWilliamthe Conqueror, butit could nothave
beenmadewithoutthecomparativelyadvancedadministrativesystem
thatWilliaminheritedfromhisAnglo-Saxonpredecessors.
Namesofstreetsanddistrictsareoftenconnectedwiththehistory
of the country and the city. But very often names of streets are so
oldandsochangedthatonlyfewpeopleknowhowthisorthatstreet
gotitsname.PeoplewhoreadbooksbyEnglishwriters,listentothe
radio,seeEnglishlms,can’thelpknowingsuchnamesasTrafalgar
Square,Soho,Piccadilly,CharingCross,etc.
Let’s begin withPiccadilly Circus. Itis a ne street which has
seenmuchhistoryoverthecenturies.ForgenerationsPiccadillyhas
beentheheartofLondon.Nowadaysitis such a focalplace that on
specialoccasions,such as theCoronationoronNewYear’sEve,as
manyas50.000peoplegatherthere.
Actually it immortalized a man who is now forgotten. The
man was a tailor who grew rich by making high collars called
“piccadillies”.HebuiltagrandhousewhichhecalledthePiccadilla
Hall,andthename,slightlychanged,haslivedon.
CharingCross isoneof theoldestspots inLondon.Once there
wasa smallvillage inthat place. Thevillagers were charingwood,
making charcoal ofit. Thatis whythe village was named Charing.
Centuriesago anEnglishQueen diedoutside London. Herhusband
wantedherbodytobetakentoWestminsterAbbeyandburiedthere.
Ateveryplacewherethefuneralprocessionstopped,awoodencross
waserected.The last placewasatCharing andsince thentheplace
hasbeencalledCharingCross.
Areproduction of that last cross canbe seenat theentrance to
CharingCross RailwayStation. Nowadays CharingCross isknown
byitsbookshopswhereonecanbuybooksindifferentlanguagesand
ofnewandoldeditions.
7
Noone,however,canexplain«Soho»convincingly.Thelegend
goes,thatinitieolddaysthereusedtobegreeneldsthereandpeople
aroundwent fox-huntingagreat deal. Whenahunter saw afox,he
calledtothedogs«So-Ho»,“So-Ho”!nowSohoisthedistrictwhere
one can see people of different types, hear them speak different
languages.Itisfamousforitsdifferentrestaurants.
There are some short streets in Soho in which six or seven
restaurants of different national cooking stand one after another in
a line. One can have breakfast in a Greek restaurant, dinner in an
ItalianandsupperinanChinese.Theseareonlyafewexamples,but
allLondon’slongpasthistorycanbetoldbyitsstreets’anddistricts’
names.
Visitors tothe British Isles who are brave enoughto forgetthe
weather and the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic, then need extra
courageto driveon what forthem isthe«wrong» sideof theroad.
Afterthejet-laggedordisorientatedtouristsleavetheairport,theyare
bombardedwithsignswhichremindthemtokeepleft.Butthatdoes
not stop hundreds ofaccidents happenannually with inexperienced
travelerswhosimplydonotknowwhichsideoftheroadtheyshould
beon.
But why should drivers be put ina position where theyhave
toremember thatBritain,as usual, goesitsown sweetwayas the
onlycountry inthe EuropeanUnion that insistson drivingon the
left-handsideoftheroad?Academicshavetriedtogureoutwhy
we should takeone side of the high way while two-thirds of „t
worldchoosetheopposite.ButitseemsthattheEnglishcanclaim
twomillenniaofkeepinglefttoRomaninvaders,wholikedtokeep
theirrightarmfreetograbaswordfromacrosstheirbodiesonthe
lefthip,or,probably,tokeepthewhiphandfreetocrackitoverthe
backsofoxenorhorses.
ThefactthattherestofEuropecrossedontotheotherside,was
Napoleon’s fault, if we are to believe some historians. He was the
man to decidethat Europeshould keepright. Thecustom extended
8
through much ofAfrica and the West Indies as well as part of the
FarEast,suchasMalaysia,IndonesiaandSingapore.Japan,however,
standsoutasa nation thatshares theBritish leanto theleft without
reallyanyneedtodoso.Why,again,isamystery.
Making the change to the right would be impossible for
this country. Sweden was the last nation to do it, in 1967, with
areasonableamountofchaos.Accidentsjumpedby10percentamid
muchblowingofhomesandarm-waving.Imaginethecostandthe
chaosinthiscountrywithits25millionvehicles.Billionsofpounds
wouldbeneededtochangetrafclightsandsigns,motorwayexits
and even white lines. A mass reeducation programme would be
required.
Sowearejuststuckwithit,whichjustmeansthattouristsneedto
takeextracarewhentheyaresteeringtheirhiredcarsaroundMajorca,
IbizaandtheSouthofFrance.Andifanylocalssoundtheirhornsand
accuse you of getting confused, just remind them that they are the
oneswhoaredrivingonthewrongsideoftheroad,thankstobarmy
Bonaparte.
(From “The Times”)
1. is called It is made up of
threecrosses:theredcrossofSt.GeorgeofEngland,thewhitecross
ofSt.AndrewofScotland,andtheredcrossofSt.PatrickofIreland,
allonabluebackground.
2. are the rst thing you see when
approachingsoutheastEnglandfromthesea.Theyaremadeof
OnanedayitispossibletoseethecoastofFrancefromthetopof
thecliffs.
3.(1758–1805)wasanEnglishhero.
He lost his right eye and right arm in sea battles against France.
In 1805 he destroyed the French eet at the battle
wherehewaskilled.Hisfamousship,The Victory, canbevisitedat
Portsmouth.
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4.infact,isthenameofthelargestbellinthisclock,but
mostpeoplecalltheclockBigBen.Theclockisinthetowerof
BigBenweights13tons;itwasmadein1858
and was namedafter The sound of Big Benis
broadcastdailyallover
are inthe south ofScotland.
areintheNorth.But the Lowlandsare notat.They are more hilly
thanmostpartsofEngland.
6.inLondonisabridgeover
It is near and it is the last bridge over the
Thamesbeforethesea.Theroadopensinthe middle to allowships
topass.
7.onthenorth-eastcoastofScotlandisanimportant
shingport,andisnowalsothecentreof
Ithasauniversityandiscalled“thegranitecity”becausemanyofits
buildingsaremadeofgranite.
It was in 1759that JosiahWedgwood –the «Father of English
Pottery» – founded the Wedgwood rm. By 1766, Wedgwood had
prospered sufcientlyto build himself ahouse and a splendid new
factory which he named Etruria. During his lifetime (1730–1795),
J.Wedgwoodinventedandproducedawiderangeoftablewareand
ornamental wares.Wedgwood’s greatest achievement and contributiontotheBritishpotteryindustrywashisdevelopmentandproductionofcream coloured earthenware.Later itwasknownasQueen’s
Ware. Inexpensive and beautiful, this new tableware was within
reach of all peopleand itssuccess was immediateand world-wide.
The most famous commission of all was a dinner and dessert serviceforEmpressCatherineIIofRussia.Theserviceconsistedof952
pieceswhichweredecoratedwithpaintingsof1244differentEnglish
scenes.Finebonechinawasrstmadebythermin1812–1822and
hasbeenmadebythecompanyeversince.Finebonechinaismade
fromthreemainrawmaterials–chinastone,chinaclayandoxbone.
Itis thebone (reduced toa neash)that giveschina itswhiteness,
translucencyandaboveallitsamazingstrength.
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