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Файл:Academic English Theoretical and Practical Training of Graduate Students. Учебное пособие по практикуму английского языка для студентов 4 курса
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PART 2. POLYGLOTS
SECTION 1. ACADEMIC READING
TEXT 1.
Read about some amazing language learners. Pay attention to the phrase in
italics and explain them. Give the written summary of 10 sentences using
these expressions.
GREAT LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti (1774-1849), who spoke seventy-two
languages, once learned a language overnight in order to hear the confession of
two condemned prisoners the following morning. Modern linguists laugh at this
story, but they admit that there are some phenomenal polyglots out there, those
who have achieved quite staggaring feats of language learning.
The greatest is probably Francis Sommer. Sommer grew up in Germany and
used to amuse himself by inventing languages. While still a schoolboy, he learned
Swedish, Sanskrit and Persian. On a visit to Russia, he mingled with the
international community and picked up all the major (about a dozen) European
languages. By the late 1920s, after emigrating to the United States, where he
worked as a research librarian, he had mastered ninety-four languages. David
Perlmutter, Professor of Linguistics at the University of California, says, 'People
like Sommer are amazing examples of human achievement.'
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Many polyglots wince at being called superhuman. 'It's more like a musical
talent than anything else,' says Kenneth Hale, a linguistics professor, who speaks
about fifty languages. 'I didn't do very well as a student. I wanted to learn
languages, and I let everything else slide.' Their motivation, they say, is the sheer
delight of mastering a new form of expression. 'When I found I could speak Navajo
at the age of twelve,' says Hale, 'I used to go out every day and sit on a rock and
talk Navajo to myself.'
David Perlmutter, Professor of Linguistics at the University of California,
likens the process of language learning to a puzzle. He says, 'Each new language
is like a fantastic puzzle and you want to learn how to do it. Sometimes it's easy
because if you know English plus German, it's easy to learn Dutch. If you know
Spanish and one other Romance language, Portuguese comes quickly.'
Stephen Wurm, linguistics professor at the Australian National University
at Canberra, benefitted from the fact that he came from a multilingual family. He
knows forty-eight languages and believes the ideal way to learn a language is to
have it spoken to you from the age of two. 'The members of my family all came
from different backgrounds and spoke several languages,' he says. 'When I was
growing up, my father, who was a linguist himself, insisted that each member of
the family speak to me in only one language. So my father spoke to me only in
English, his father in Norwegian and his mother in Finnish. My mother spoke to
me only in Hungarian and her mother only in Mongolian. That way I never got
confused. Then I travelled with my father to his postings in Germany, Russia,
China, Argentina and Turkey, so that by the age of six, I spoke ten different
languages.'
Some master linguists confess that they live in fear of garbling their various
languages. Towards the end of his life, Sommer said he had given up learning new
languages because he was experiencing information overload. 'I am afraid to cram
any more words into my head,' he said. Similarly, Kenneth Hale says sometimes
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he starts speaking in one language and finds himself unconsciously drifting into
another. 'Unless I'm attentive and really on the ball, I can mix up languages like
Miskitu and Sumu, both of which are spoken in Central America and are very
similar.'
The greatest of today's polyglots is Ziad Fazah. Fazah, a Lebanese in his
forties who has been living in Brazil for over twenty years, is fluent in fifty-six
languages. Apart from Arabic, his mother tongue, and French and English which
he learned at school, Fazah taught himself all the languages. He began with
German and later moved on to Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese and Japanese.
Fazah's abilities have had some unexpected uses. When police in Rio picked
up an illegal alien babbling unintelligibly, they turned to Fazah. 'I soon realised he
was from Afghanistan and spoke a dialect called Hazaras,' Fazah said. On another
occasion, the US Consulate grew suspicious of Fazah's ability to speak Chinese
and Russian. They feared he was a terrorist or a spy, and asked the Brazilian police
to bring him in for questioning. After two hours, however, he was released.
TV fame also arrived unexpectedly to him. In recent years he has appeared
on TV programmes in Spain and Greece, where his linguistic abilities were tested
by people from Thailand, Hungary, Korea, Japan, China and other countries. He
passed with flying colours. While this earned him a reputation as a phenomenon,
he is still a few languages behind the lagandary Cardinal Mezzofanti. Unlike the
Cardinal, Fazah cannot claim to learn languages overnight. But he can apparently
learn 1,000 words a month – a gift that language students around the world would
envy and admire! Accoding to Fazah, Mandarin Chinese is the hardest language
to learn. His dream is to create a universal language that would be written as it is
spoken (10, c.8-9).
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1. Define the phrases from the text, then match them with the phrases
below.
1) pick up (inf)
2) let sth slide (inf)
3) sheer delight
4) master
5) garble (inf)
6) information overload
7) cram
8) on the ball (inf)
9) babble (inf)
10) unintelligibly
a) speak in a way that is impossible
to understand
b) put too much into a small space
c) neglect sth or allow it to get worse
d) very attentive/aware
e) speak too quickly and not clearly
f) become an expert
g) too much to remember
h) learn without consciously
studying
i) say sth in a confused
way/nonsensically
j) pure pleasure
2. Complete the sentences with the words from Exetcise 1 and discuss the
ideas.
1) It's easy to …foreign languages … if you don't use them regularly.
2) You have to be really …to understand foreign idioms.
3) The best way to …new vocabulary is by reading a lot.
4) It’s impossible to …a foreign language completely.
5) For most students, more than ten new words per lesson equals … .
6) Many language learners find that native speakers speak … - they use lots of
idioms and colloquial expressions.
7) When babies … , they are imitating the langauge.
8) If you know three or more languages, you are more likely to … your words.
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3. Complete the mini-dialoques using the words from the box
delight ♦ slide ♦ ball ♦overload ♦ garbled ♦ crammimg ♦ picked ♦master
1) A: How is your German nowadays?
B: It's terrible. I've really let it __________.
2) A: I didn't know you could speak Tai!
B: I can't really. I just __________ up a few words while I was there on holiday.
3) A: How long did it take you to _________ the grammar?
B: Years! I used to spend a lot of time _________ information from grammar
books until I had complete infornmation _________.
4) A: Have you heard from Simon?
B: He left a __________ message which I can't understand.
5) A: What do you enjoy most about being able to speak russian?
B: The sheer _________ of being able to talk to people I meet there.
6) A: I can't believe how quickly she's learnt the language.
B: Yes, she is very on the __________.
4. Fill in the correct preposition (from, to, in, about, for, with), then answer
these questions. Check any new expressions in the dictionary.
1) Do you think you'll succeed …passing your next exam? 2) If you could improve
your English by watching DVDs, by living in an English-speaking country or by
studying from books, which would you opt …? 3) Do your problems in English
stem … poor grammar, or are there other problems? 4) Do you feel you are lacking
… vocabulary? 5) Even at advanced level, some students’ spoken English is
riddled … errors. 6) What distinguishes your first language …English? 7) What
types of classroom exercises appeal … you? 8) Is pronunciation worth bothering
… or are you happy to keep your accent? 9) Are you nervous …giving
presentations in English? 10) How can your vocabulary benefit … using the
media?
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TEXT 2.
Read the text. Find the answers to the following questions:
Which
languages
did he learn as a child?
is he studying at university?
does he like best?
is he planning to learn next?
did he wish he had been able to speak
when he was a child?
did he wish he had been able to speak
when he was a child?
did he find the most difficult?
He's English, but he can speak eleven languages. Alex Rawlings has been
named the UK's most multilingual student, in a competition run by a dictionary
publisher. The German and Russian student from London, who is only 20 years
old, can speak 11 languages fluently. In a video for the BBC News website he
demonstrated his skills by speaking in all of them, changing quickly from one to
another. Rawlings said that winning the competition was 'a bit of a shock'. He
explained, 'I saw the competition advertised and I heard something about a free
iPad. I never imagined that it would generate this amount of media attention.'
As a child, Rawlings' mother, who is half Greek, used to speak to him in
English, Greek, and French, and he often visited his family in Greece.
He said that he has always been interested in languages. 'My dad worked in
Japan for four years and I was always frustrated that I couldn't speak to the kids
because of the language barrier.' After visiting Holland at the age of 14 he decided
to learn Dutch with CDs and books. 'When I went back I could talk to people. It
was great.'
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He taught himself many of the languages with 'teach yourself' books, but
also by watching films, listening to music, and travelling to the countries
themselves.
Of all the languages he speaks, Rawlings says that Russian, which he has
been learning for a year and a half, is the hardest. He said, 'There seem to be more
exceptions than rules!'
He added, 'I especially like Greek because I think it's beautiful and, because
of my mother, I have a strong personal link to the country and to the language.'
'Everyone should learn languages, especially if they travel abroad. If you
make the effort to learn even the most basic phrases wherever you go, it instantly
shows the person you're speaking to that you respect their culture. Going around
speaking English loudly and getting frustrated at people is tactless and rude.'
The next language Rawlings hopes to learn is Arabic, - but 'only once I've
finished my degree and got some more time on my hands.For now I need to
concentrate - on my German and Russian, so I can prepare for my finals.'
SECTION 2. LISTENING
Listen to Mark Spina talking about his experience as a language learner.
Make notes about the following:
the number of languages he speaks
where and how he learned them
special techniques he uses
how he feels about languages
problems he has.
Complete the sentences:
1) Can you tell us a little about your level of … and … in the languages?
2) I speak Russian … but it is a little …
3) The biggest motivator was …and …
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4) You might be speaking in one language and suddenly … causing…
5) Is there …you could offer those poor souls, who are trying …?
6) Knowing how to …and … doesn’t mean you can …
7) Don’t be afraid to …
8) I went to France after …
9) To my … I couldn’t speak the language or understand anything.
10) All I could do was …!
SECTION 3. ACADEMIC SPEAKING
1. Look at the questionnaire. Do statements 1-12 apply to you? Mark each
statement:
√√
strongly agree √ agree X disagree XX strongly disagree.
Compare your answers. Are you a good language learner? What could you
do to improve?
Questionnaire:
Are You a Good Language Learner?
A. Good language learners find a style of learning that suits them.
- I'm always watching videos or reading articles in English and that helps me a
lot.
- I'm quite analytical, so I have a tendency to focus on the grammar and on being
accurate.
- I'm an extrovert and I enjoy talking to people. I learn a lot just by speaking
and listening.
B. Good language learners are actively involved in the language learning process.
- I'm always looking for opportunities to use and learn the language outside
class.
- As a rule, I'm happy to take risks with language and experiment with new ways
of learning.
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- I can usually identify where I have problems, so generally I focus on
improving those areas.
C. Good language learners try to figure out how the language works.
- I'm inclined to be very analytical. Like a detective, I'll look for clues that will
help me understand how language works.
- I have a good ear for language, so nine times out of ten I'll just know if
something is wrong. I use my instinct and when I don't know, I guess.
- I'm prone to making mistakes with grammar, so I'll often compare what I say
with what others say. This helps me to check that I'm using correct grammar
and vocabulary.
D. Good language learners try to overcome their feelings of frustration
or lack of confidence.
- When I started, I tended to get frustrated because I kept making mistakes.
Now, I've learnt not to be embarrassed.
- At first, I would spend hours studying grammar rules, but I didn't have the
confidence to speak. So I set myself goals to improve my pronunciation and
speak as much as possible.
- I realise that learning a language takes time and dedication, and I just need to
keep practising (3, c.11).
2. Discuss the Following Issues
1. How many languages would you like to speak? Which ones and why?
2. Do you know any basic phrases in any other languages?
3. Have you ever travelled to another country and felt that there was a real
language barrier?
4. What other languages would you like to be able to speak? Why?
5. Whould you like to be a poliglot? Why? Give examples of benefits/drawbacks
of being a polyglot.
6. What jobs require several languages?
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7. In your opinion, what personal qualities are necessary to become a polyglot?
8. Do you think it would be a good idea to have a universal language that would
be written as it is spoken?
9. Why do you think English has become a 'lingua franca', used by people around
the world to communicate? What factors contributed to its rise as a global
language?
10. Can you name a dead language?
11. Can you name a country where the official language is different from the
everyday language? Do you think this is a problem?
12. What type of talent do polyglots have?
13. Why do they keep learning languages?
14. How is learning a new language easy?
15. What are polyglots likely to worry about?
16. What bonuses and problems can they experience because of their talent?
17. Do you know any other poliglots (except those mentioned in the texts
above)? Make a short presentation about one of them.
3. Read and render the following article
POLYGLOTS HAVE 'DIFFERENT BRAINS'
www. news.bbc.co.uk
Thursday, 6 April 2006
New research has shown that people with a gift for other languages could
actually have different types of brains from other people. Neuroscientists at
University College London say that polyglots have more 'white brain matter' in a
part of the brain which processes sound. Their brains could also be less
symmetrical than others.
It is hoped the research, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, could be
used help to identify reasons for language difficulties.
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