This is an open forum. Everyone is welcome to chime in---English or Chinese.
We Americans often have a hard time following folks who do not speak English the way we do. The language barrier has more to do with English skills than accents. As a matter of fact, we are quite receptive to foreign accents. After all, America is supposed to be a melting pot, and in many ways it is.
Everyday Joes and Janes use a ton of idioms and expressions in their daily communication. Idioms and expressions are shortcuts, if you will, to getting communication partners to understand each other better, faster. In other words, they hold the key to improving conversational English.
Picture this. You run into yours truly, who looks more Caucasian than Han Chinese. During a subsequent pleasant exchange, you find that I have no problem catching up with your idiomatic Chinese. Won’t you feel good? I certainly will.
Likewise, if you manage to impress your American conversation partner (interlocutor) with your idiomatic English, I bet you will enjoy greater personal and professional successes. I know, you don’t spend all day hanging around the water cooler. But, small talks matter in social life. Gossips, sorry, small talks are fertile in idiomatic English. “My two cents” is an idiom/expression, by the way.
Without further ado, why don’t I give you the floor? Let our pleasant exchanges begin.
Then i remembered thr book cover of The Spy cane in from the cold-
That book was on display when i was a middle -schooler back then-the Le Carre book-Ronald Regan was the President then-Mrs Thatcher was the Prime Minister-
I like his Brighton Rock a lot. As for Le Carre, I started with his Smiley's People series and I called it a day after his Russia House. Le Carre's English is superb. His most under-rated novel is A Small Town in Germany.
Frankly, I don't like the term "Chinglish" because
it might easily sound derogatory to some folks, particularly those who are nurturing strong nationalistic sentiments. After all, putting it in historical perspective, English itself is "Latinish."
This is an open forum. Everyone is welcome to chime in---English or Chinese.
We Americans often have a hard time following folks who do not speak English the way we do. The language barrier has more to do with English skills than accents. As a matter of fact, we are quite receptive to foreign accents. After all, America is supposed to be a melting pot, and in many ways it is.
Everyday Joes and Janes use a ton of idioms and expressions in their daily communication. Idioms and expressions are shortcuts, if you will, to getting communication partners to understand each other better, faster. In other words, they hold the key to improving conversational English.
Picture this. You run into yours truly, who looks more Caucasian than Han Chinese. During a subsequent pleasant exchange, you find that I have no problem catching up with your idiomatic Chinese. Won’t you feel good? I certainly will.
Likewise, if you manage to impress your American conversation partner (interlocutor) with your idiomatic English, I bet you will enjoy greater personal and professional successes. I know, you don’t spend all day hanging around the water cooler. But, small talks matter in social life. Gossips, sorry, small talks are fertile in idiomatic English. “My two cents” is an idiom/expression, by the way.
Without further ado, why don’t I give you the floor? Let our pleasant exchanges begin.
---LYJiang
Cats and Dogs back then..
Now i can detect a sense of humor-back then-, people were thrilled too..-:))..
Oh Brother-oh Bother-:))..
1963..the cover-;))..
accent!
比如我就很容易把leg的e发成lag的a。这样就会造成对方直接听不懂：）
所以，英语的提高需要全方位的，听说读写都要跟上。
还有黑人呢，山民呢，他们发音均与洋基相去颇远，我们可以判定他们发音不正确？华裔移民不必妄自菲薄，不必处处追求完美。实用口语跟做文章不同，在此不详论了。小羊开宗明义就强调最要紧的是尽量说得地道（道地）。全方位是最理想，但也是最不符现实。物有本末，事有终始，情有轻重。试想一下，发音正确了，唯是满口Chinglish, 好么？当然，没有人会呆说不顾发音。只是、Chinglish 是最先最要冲破的关隘。大家继续讨论，越辩越明。不过，可否举些现实例子呢？
。但发音，如英语里的bite，bat，bet这三个词，中国人如果不注意发音，读错，很容易被听错，这是语音，而不是口音的问题了。
这是我一直想提高的。中国人只有一个类似的ai（爱）的发音，就很容易把这个音，带进去，老外听不懂。
表达也是如此，如果选词不是按照一般英语里的约定俗成去表达，确实也很难让人理解了。
现在跟原读读新概念是个好方法，既学了发音，也学了表达，提高了语感，反复读新概念，就是一个提高的过程：）
赞一个，你把更多的文字写在内容框里啦！：）
這不就更彰显语法的重要么？小羊也说（港式）广东话，港人在英文发音方面，倒没有美风所提到的难题。当然，港人百多年来华洋杂处，幼儿园开始就学英文，有一定的先天优势。不过，正如前说，会话需有环境参考架contextual reference framework, 否则单字单读就不大有意思了。“老外”听不懂“老外”是常有的事，正如中国人听不懂中国人也是常见一样。
所谓先入为主，如果说得较道地，人家会倾耳听的，除非是别有用心者。
例如：Go give it a shot. You might turn things around. 假定 shot 说得像 short, 难道对方就因此而听不懂么？不会，因为语法用辞道地。
And I agree with you on this 100%. A well pronounced Chinglish sentence can sound a mockery.
I actually thought of Graham Greene-
Then i remembered thr book cover of The Spy cane in from the cold-
That book was on display when i was a middle -schooler back then-the Le Carre book-Ronald Regan was the President then-Mrs Thatcher was the Prime Minister-
The Cold War was still alive and kicking-
Princess Diana was the shy young bride........
I like his Brighton Rock a lot. As for Le Carre, I started with his Smiley's People series and I called it a day after his Russia House. Le Carre's English is superb. His most under-rated novel is A Small Town in Germany.
it might easily sound derogatory to some folks, particularly those who are nurturing strong nationalistic sentiments. After all, putting it in historical perspective, English itself is "Latinish."