变化中的英语第二单元要点提示及自测题.pptVIP

变化中的英语第二单元要点提示及自测题 巴州电大 冯晓梅 第二单元要点提示及自测题  I. Unit content in Chinese 　　本单元介绍英语从古英语到标准英语的变化, 介绍英语与日耳曼语族的关系及标准英语与其他英语变体的关系, 解释不同语言之间的结构差异。 II. Main points of the unit The unit is titled English in the Past. So the focus is on the past history of English. While reading the unit, you should make note of the special vocabulary used in describing the language change. At the end of the unit, you should be able to answer the following questions: How does Germanic Language came to Britain? What is meant by Family Relationships among languages? What family does Chinese belong to? What family does English belong to? Why is English so rich in synonyms? Why do English dialects or varieties in different regions of Britain differ from each other? Explain what is meant by the following: Standard English, Received Pronunciation, productive teaching, descriptive teaching, prescriptive teaching. Explain how RP originated. III　Key statements in the unit English has not been at any time in the past the only language spoken in Britain. Nor is it the only language spoken there now. Standard English  When we speak of Standard English we mean the English of writing. Standard English can be spoken with a variety of accents—British or American or Australian or with the accents of Delhi or Hong Kong. Standard English is a variety, a dialect, and it began as a regional variety. It was once the variety used in just one part of England—the South East. Standard English is the language of the written word, it changes more slowly than spoken English. If you recognize a word and know what it means, you have a receptive knowledge of it. If you say it or write it then you have a productive knowledge of it. The vocabulary of English includes borrowings from a great variety of languages. The core of English is Germanic: There are very many borrowings from French and from the Classical languages, Latin and Greek. Changes in vocabulary happen quickly: Grammar resists change. IV. S