Unit11 Should English Be the Law

Pre-reading Material

1. The Development of Modern English

In the early part of the Modern English period the vocabulary was enlarged by the widespread use of one part of speech for another and by increased borrowings from other languages. The revival of interest in Latin and Greek during the Renaissance brought new words into English from those languages. Other words were introduced by English travelers and merchants after their return from journeys on the Continent. From Italian came cameo, stanza, and violin; from Spanish and Portuguese, alligator, peccadillo, and sombrero. During its development, Modern English borrowed words from more than 50 different languages.

The most important development begun during this period and continued without interruption throughout the 19th and 20th centuries concerned vocabulary. As a result of colonial expansion, notably in North America but also in other areas of the world, many new words entered the English language. From the indigenous peoples of North America, the words raccoon(浣熊) and wigwam(棚屋) were borrowed; from Peru, llama(美洲驼) and quinine(奎宁,在医药上来治疗疟疾); from the West Indies, barbecue(烧烤餐) and cannibal; from Africa, chimpanzee and zebra; from India, bandanna, curry（咖哩）, and punch; and from Australia, kangaroo and boomerang（飞去来）. In addition, thousands of scientific terms were developed to denote new concepts, discoveries, and inventions. Many of these terms, such as neutron（中子）, penicillin, and supersonic, were formed from Greek and Latin roots; others were borrowed from modern languages, as with blitzkrieg（闪电战） from German and sputnik（人造卫星） from Russian.

In Great Britain at present the speech of educated persons is known as Received Standard English. （So RP is the so-called standard pronunciation in England）. A class dialect rather than a regional dialect, it is based on the type of speech cultivated at such schools as Eton(伊顿公学) and Harrow and at such of the older universities as Oxford and Cambridge. Many English people who speak regional dialects in their childhood acquire Received Standard English while attending school and university. Its influence has become even stronger in recent years because of its use by such public media as the B(ritish) B(roadcasting) C(orp.).

An important development of English outside Great Britain occurred with the colonization of North America. American English may be considered to include the English spoken in Canada, although the Canadian variety retains some features of British pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary. The most distinguishing differences between American English and British English are in pronunciation and vocabulary. There are slighter differences in spelling, pitch, and stress as well. Written American English also has a tendency to be more rigid in matters of grammar and syntax, but at the same time appears to be more tolerant of the use of neologisms(新词). Despite these differences, it is often difficult to determine—apart from context—whether serious literary works have been written in Great Britain or the U.S./Canada—or, for that matter, in Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa.

The influence of the mass media appears likely to result in standardized pronunciation, more uniform spelling, and eventually a spelling closer to actual pronunciation. Despite the

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likelihood of such standardization, a unique feature of the English language remains its tendency to grow and change. Despite the warnings of linguistic purists, new words are constantly being coined and usages modified to express new concepts. Its vocabulary is constantly enriched by linguistic borrowings, particularly by cross-fertilizations from American English. Because it is capable of infinite possibilities of communication, the English language has become the chief international language.

2. Introduction to Robert D. King (1936-)

Born on November 25, 1936, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Robert D. King also attended public schools there. In 1954 he went to the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and majored in mathematics. After spending his senior year at the Technische Hochschule Stuttgart (West Germany) as an exchange student, he returned to Georgia Tech to complete a B.S. in mathematics and an M.S. in applied mathematics. After serving for six months in the U.S. Army as a reservist on active duty, King worked for IBM in Atlanta and Orlando/Cape Canaveral. He returned to Georgia Tech as an instructor in German and research associate in machine translation, subsequently going to the University of Wisconsin for graduate study in German literature and Germanic linguistics. Since 1965 up till now, King has been working in The University of Texas.

King’s current research and publication interests are three: the Yiddish language, especially in relation to what it tells us about Jewish history; the politics of language in general; and, third, the language politics of India in particular. His most recent publications include a book, Nehru and the Language Politics of India (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1996), and an article \"Does One Nation Equal One Language?\" appeared in the April, 1997, issue of The Atlantic Monthly. Two books he has been working on are Mame Loshn: The Yiddish Language and Jewish History, and Leave Language Alone, Dammit! The latter deals with language conflicts in contemporary America. The thread running through the two works is the relationship among language, ethnicity, nationhood, and politics in the largest sense of the word.

3. Introduction to the Text

Rising concerns about bilingualism and the adjustment of immigrants to American culture have led a number of people to call for \"English-only\" laws to require the use of English--and English alone--in official documents and transactions of the U.S. government. Robert D. King, however, argues in Should English Be the Law that English-only laws will not help the United States and in fact might be harmful. In King's view, the primary function of declaring official national languages is to promote national unity. But English is the virtual national language of the United States, even though no law has so declared it. Attempts to make English the official national language will do little to promote national unity, and might even damage it. Finally, King argues that the United States, like some other multilingual nations, has a sense of \"unique otherness\" that would unify it even in the absence of a common official language.

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Intensive Reading Of The Text

Text

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We have known race riots, draft riots, labor violence, secession, anti-war protests, and a whiskey rebellion, but one kind of trouble we've never had: a language riot. Language riot? It sounds like a joke. The very idea of language as a political force-as something that might threaten to split a country wide apart-is alien to our way of thinking and to our cultural traditions. 2.

This may be changing. On August 1 of last year the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that would make English the official language of the United States. The vote was 259 to 169, with 223 Republicans, 160 Democrats, and one independent voting against. The debate was intense, acrid, and partisan. On March 25 of last year the Supreme Court agreed to review a case involving an Arizona law that would require public employees to conduct government business only in English. Arizona is one of several states that have passed \"Official English\" or \"English Only\" laws. The appeal to the Supreme Court followed a 6-to-5 ruling, in October of 1995, by a federal appeals court striking down the Arizona law. These events suggest how divisive a public issue language could become in America-even if it has until now scarcely been taken seriously. 3.

Traditionally, the American way has been to make English the national language-but to do so quietly, locally, without fuss. The Constitution is silent on language: the Founding Fathers had no need to legislate that English be the official language of the country. It has always been taken for granted that English is the national language, and that one must learn English in order to make it in America. 4.

The tradition of American politics began to change in the wake of the anything-goes attitudes and the celebration of cultural differences arising in the 1960s. A 1975 amendment to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 mandated the \"bilingual ballot\" under certain circumstances, notably when the voters of selected language groups reached five percent of more in a voting district. Bilingual education became a byword of educational thinking during the 1960s. By the 1970s linguists had demonstrated convincingly-at least to other academics-that black English was not “bad” English but a different kind of authentic English with its own rules. Predictably, there have been scattered demands that black English be included in bilingual-education programs.

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5.

It was against this background that the movement to make English the official language of the country arose. In 1981 Senator S.1.Hayakawa, long a leading critic of bilingual education and bilingual ballots, introduced in the U.S. Senate a constitutional amendment that not only would have made English the official language but would have prohibited federal and state laws and regulations requiring the use of other languages. His English Language Amendment died in the Nine-seventh Congress. 6.

In 1983 the organization called U.S. English was founded by Hayakawa and John Tanton, a Michigan ophthalmologist. The primary purpose of the organization was to promote English as the official language of the United States. Official English initiatives were passed by California in 1986, by Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, and South Carolina in 1987, by Colorado, Florida, and Arizona in 1988, and by Alabama in 1990. the majorities voting for these initiatives were generally not insubstantial: California's, for example, passed by 73 percent. 7.

It was probably inevitable that the Official English (or English Only-the two names are used almost interchangeably)movement would acquire a conservative, almost reactionary undertone in the 1990s. Official English is politically very incorrect. But its cofounder John Tanton brought with him strong liberal credentials. He had been active in the Sierra Club and Planned Parenthood, and in the 1970s served as the national president of Zero Population Growth. Early advisers of U.S.English resist ideological pigeonholing. In 1987 U.S.English installed as its president Linda Chavez, a Hispanic who had been her position, citing \"repugnant\" and \"anti-Hispanic\" overtones in an internal memorandum written by Tanton. Tanton, too, resigned, and Walter Cronkite, describing the affair as \"embarrassing,\" left the advisory board. One board member, Norman Vousins, defected in 1986 alluding to the \"negative symbolic significance\" of California's Official English initiative, Proposition 63. The current chairman of the board and CEO of U.S.English is Mauro E.Mujica, who claims that the organization has 650,000 members. 8.

The popular wisdom is that conservatives are pro and liberals con.True, conservatives such as George Will and William F.Buckley Jr. have written columns supporting Official English. But would anyone characterize as conservatives the present and past U.S.English board member Alistair Cooke, Walter Cronkite, and Norman Cousins? One of the strongest opponents of bilingual education is the Mexican-American writer Richard Rodriguez, best known for his eloquent autobiography, Hunger of Memory (1982). There is a strain of American liberalism that defines itself in nostalgic devotion to the melting pot. 9.

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For several years relevant bills awaited consideration in the U.S.House of Representatives. The Emerson Bill (H.R. 123), passed by the House last August, specifies English as the official language of government, and requires that the government \"preserve and enhance\" the official status of English. Exceptions are made for the teaching of foreign languages; for actions necessary for public health, international relations, foreign trade, and the protection of the rights of criminal defendants; and for the use of \"terms of art\" from languages other than English. It would, for example, stop the Internal Revenue Service from sending out income-tax forms and instructions in languages other than English, but it would not ban the use of foreign language in census materials or documents dealing with national security. \"E Pluribus Unum\" can still appear on American money.U.S.English supports the bill. 10.

What are the chances that some version of Official English will become federal law? Any language bill will face tough odds in the Senate, because some western senators have opposed English Only measures in the past for various reasons, among them a desire by Republicans not to alienate the growing number of Hispanic Republicans, most of whom are uncomfortable with mandated monolingualism. Texas Governor George W. Bush, too, has forthrightly said that he would oppose any English Only proposals in his state. Several of the Republican candidates for President in 1996 (an interesting exception is Phil Gramm) endorsed versions of Offcial Englissh, as has Newt Gingrich. While governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton signed into law an English Only bill. As President, he has described his earlier action as a mistake. 11.

Many issues intersect in the controversy over Official English: immigration (above all), the rights of minorities (Spanish-speaking minorities in particular), the pros and cons of bilingual education, tolerance, how best to educate the children of immigrants, and the places of cultural diversity in school curricula and in American society in general. The question that lies at the root of most the uneasiness is this: is America threatened by the root of most the uneasiness is this: is America threatened by the preservation of languages other than English? Will America, if it continues on its traditional path of benign linguistic neglect, go the way of Belgium, Cabada, and Sri Lanka-three countries among many whose unity is gravely imperiled by language and ethnic conflicts? 12.

History teaches a plain lesson about language and governments: there is almost nothing the government of a free country can do to change language usage and practice significantly, to force its citizens to use certain languages in preference to others, and to discourage people from speaking a language they wish to continue to speak. Quebec has since the 1970s passed an array of laws giving French a virtual monopoly in the province. One consequence-unintended, one wishes to believe-of these laws is that year kosher products imported for Passover were kept off the shelves, because the packages were not labeled in French. Wise governments keep their hands off language to the extent that it is politically possible to do so.

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We like to believe that to pass a law is to change behavior; but passing laws about language, in a free society, almost never change attitudes or behavior. Gaelic (Irish) is living out a slow, inexorable decline in Ireland despite enormous government support of every possible kind since Ireland gained its independence from Britain. The Welsh language, in contrast, is alive today in Wales in spite of heavy discrimination during its history. Three out of four people in the northern and western counties of Gwynedd and Dyfed speak Welsh. 14.

I said earlier that language is a convenient surrogate for other national problems. Official English obviously has a lot to do with concern about immigration, perhaps especially Hispanic immigration. America may be threatened by immigration; I don't know. But America is not threatened by language. 15.

Language, as one linguist has said, is \"not primarily a means of communication but a means of communion.\" Romanticism exalted language, made it mystical, sublime-a bond of national identity. At the same time, Romanticism created a monster: it made of language a means for destroying a country. 16.

America has that unique otherness of which I spoke. In spite of all our racial divisions and economic unfairness, we have the frontier tradition, respect for the individual, and opportunity; we have our love affair with the automobile; we have in our history a civil war that freed the slaves and was fought with valor; and we have sports, hot dogs, hamburgers, and milk shakes-things big and small, noble and petty, important and trifling. \"We are Americans; we are different.\" 17.

We are not even close to the danger point. I suggest that we relax and luxuriate in our linguistic richness and our traditional tolerance of language differences. Language does not threaten American unity. Benign neglect is a good policy for any country when it comes to language, and it's a good policy for America.

Notes:

1. race riots: riots resulting from racial animosity (仇恨)种族骚动

2. draft riots: riots resulting from conscripting men into military service征兵骚动

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3. secession: n. formally leaving an organization. 4. anti-war protests: anti-war demonstrations

5. language riot: riot resulting from making English the official language of the United States

6. is alien (to): is strange (to); is unnatural (to) 与…相反的；与…不同的 e.g. a) When I first went to New York, it all felt very alien to me. b) Sorrow is alien to him. 他从来没有经历过悲伤。

c) The idea of sending children off to boarding schools was totally alien to most people several years ago, but it has become quite popular now.

7. the appeal to the Supreme Court: the turning over of the case to the Supreme Court appeal(to): n.&v. an earnest request

e.g. a) She made one last appeal to her father for permission to go to the party. b) The appeal for funds for the orphanage was highly successful.

c) The children appeal to their mother to know what to do on a rainy day. (v.) d) an appeal to a higher court for a reversal of the decision Or: attraction

e.g. a) Television has a great appeal for most young people.

b) Blue and red appeal to me but I don't like grey or yellow. (v.)

8. ruling: n. decision, judgment判决

e.g. The court's final ruling on the case was that the companies had acted illegally. 9. strike down: legally cancel; overthrow; kill e.g. a) strike down a law

b) The racists attempted to strike down the opposition of the blacks by threatening to storm. c) One pedestrian was unfortunately struck down by lightning.

10. how divisive a public issue language could become in America: language could become a very divisive public issue in America.

11. be taken seriously: be considered to be important and worth a lot of attention; take sth/sb seriously e.g. a) The police have to take any terrorist threat seriously. b)These young actors take themselves so seriously.

12. the American way: the American custom/customary behavior

way n.: method; aspect e.g. a)He wants his own way all the time.他总是一意孤行。b) Do it your own way. He has more power in many ways than the President.

13. be silent on language: give no view on language; be silent on/about: give no opinion on e.g. The minister was silent on/about his plan for the future. 14. in order to make it in America: in order to be very successful in America make it (to the top): be very successful

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e.g. a) She's very ambitious but, I don't think she'll ever really make it (to the top). b) The charts showed we had made it, and big.图表显示我们成功了，大大地成功了。 15. in the wake of the anything-goes attitudes and the celebration of cultural differences arising: because of attitudes promoting and accepting any kind of thought or cultural differences \"Anything Goes\": a title of a song written by Cole Porter, 1934. It means that one person

can do whatever she/he wants. e.g. He blamed the ever-increasing crime rate on the media, and the anything-goes attitudes of the sixties. go v. be acceptable

e.g. a)My parents don't worry too much about what I am up to, and most of the time anything goes. b)Just remember that I'm the boss and what I say goes. (=You have to accept what I say.) 16. bilingual ballot: ballot using two languages

17. selected language groups: groups of people chosen according to their languages 18. Bilingual education became a byword of educational thinking: Bilingual education became

an integral part educational discussion. 19. scattered demands: demands which come from various locations but are few and somewhat

random 20. The sentence \"It was...that the movement... arose\" is an emphatic sentence. 强调句 21. U.S. English: an organization whose purpose is to promote English as an official language of the United States 22. Official English initiatives: proposals made by voters/citizens to make English an official language of the United States 23. In 1987 U.S. English installed as its president Linda Chavez: In 1987 U.S. English made Linda Chavez its president

install v. settle (sb) in an official position, esp. with ceremony

e.g. Every four years, an American President is installed into office in January. 24. overtones n. (often pl.) implications; hints

e.g. a) Although the concert was supposed to be an event to raise money for charity, it had strong political overtones. b) Feminists have criticized the TV commercials for its sexist overtones.

25. the advisory board: the board which gives advice

26. allude to: refer(indirectly)to; mention

e.g. a)Though she didn't say Mr. Smith's name, it was clear she was alluding to him. b) His wife's death made him very sad; don't allude to it when you meet him.

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27. CEO of U.S. English: It means chief executive officer of U.S. English

28. The popular wisdom is that conservatives are pro and liberals con: Most people think that conservatives are supporters and liberals are opponents. popular wisdom: conventional/received wisdom

e.g. The popular wisdom has it that women are more emotional than men, but in my experience it just often isn't the case.

pro and con: for and against but when it is used as noun, it means \"advantage and disadvantage\". e.g. a) Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament? b) We considered all the pros and cons very carefully before deciding to buy a bigger house. 29. But would anyone characterize as conservatives the present and past U.S. English board members Alistair Cooke, Walter Cronkite, and Norman Cousins? But would anyone describe the present and past U.S. English board members Alistair Cooke, Walter Cronkite, and Non-nan Cousins (three public figures usually considered to be liberal in their views) as conservatives?

characterize someone as sth: describe someone as typical of sth; describe someone by stating his/her main qualities

e.g. a) In her essay, she characterized the whole era as a period of radical change. b) I would characterize Captain Hill as a born leader of men. 30. a strain of: a particular type or quality of

e.g. a) There's a strain of eccentricity(古怪) in that family. b) A strain of puritanism（严格的道德及宗教观念）runs through all her work.

31. specifies English as the official language of government: states that English is the official language of government 32. Exceptions are made for the teaching of foreign languages: make an exception破例，作为例外 e.g. a) You will make an exception of my son's case, won't you? b) You must all be here at 8 a.m.; we can make no exceptions. 33. What are the chances that some version of Official English will become federal law? =What is the probability that some form of Official English initiatives will become federal law? 34. among them a desire by Republicans not to alienate the growing number of Hispanic Republicans, most of whom are uncomfortable with mandated monolingualism（单一语言制）: among the various reasons, a desire that Republicans not separate themselves from the growing number of Hispanic Republicans, most of whom are uncomfortable with officially requiring that only English (and not Spanish) be used. 35. force its citizens to use certain languages in preference to others: force its citizens to use certain languages rather than others

in preference to: rather than e.g. He studied chemistry in preference to physics at university.

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36. discourage people from speaking a language: prevent people from speaking a language discourage ... from: prevent ... from

e.g. a) Her parents discouraged her from majoring in drama courses because they thought she'd never get a job. b)What discourages me from going camping is all the insects. 37. Wise governments keep their hands off language to the extent that it is politically possible to do so: Wise governments don't interfere politically with language if at all possible.

keep one's hands off: refrain from; avoid 38. living out a slow, inexorable decline: experiencing a slow relentless decline 39. a means of communion: Here communion means a close understanding of each other 40. We are Americans; We are different: We are Americans. We have our own traditions and history. We are different from people of other countries.

Text Structure Analysis

Part 1: PP 1 to PP2 Its main idea is... Part 2: PP3 to PP9 Its main idea is... Part 3: PP10 to PP14 Its main idea is... Part 4: PP15 to PP17: Its main idea is...

Key:

Part1: The author made a brief introduction to a language riot and making English an official language is a divisive issue.

Part2: People’s attitude towards the status of English changed and the movement to make English an official language arose.

Part3: There is almost nothing the government of a free country can do to change language usage and practice significantly.

Part4: America has its unique otherness and Americans should luxuriate in their linguistic richness and traditional tolerance of language difference.

Topics For Discussion

What is the main idea of this essay?

Exercises From The Course Book

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Vocabulary And Structure

A. Fill in each of the blanks in the following sentences with one word from the list below. Remember that there are some extra items. Change the word form where necessary. fuss conservative partisan neglect undertone controversy endorse legislate credential chance empirical forfeit

1. The _____ surrounding D. H. Lawrence’s novel The Rainbow was fuelled by traditional attitudes toward sex.

2. What are the _______ that male chauvinism will ever be thoroughly got rid of in society?

3. There was an unmistakable _____ of racialism in the politician’s speech delivered last week.

4. Contrary to our expectation, they hoped the problem would be solved without ______ and without the need to go to court.

5. The government report stresses very firmly that teachers must not take a _______ line in history lessons.

6. Some old people have rather ______ ideas; however, some have very progressive ideas. 7. Several senior ministers will be at the conference to _____ the party’s candidate in the by-election.

8. If he is perceived otherwise, the candidate will ______ the domestic support and meet his end in the election.

9. After the introduction of the _______ concern was expressed about the flood of patients requiring abortion.

10. After working at a high school for five years, she went to East China Normal University to improve her teaching.

B. Fill in each of the blanks in the following sentences with a phrase from the indicated paragraph. Change the word form where necessary.

1. It is humorously said that Americans have their ______ the automobile. (para. 16)

2. The courts _____ local segregation laws because they violated the federal constitution. (para.2)

3. Airport security was extra-tight _____ yesterday’s bomb attacks by some terrorists. (para.4) 4. _______ holds that women are more emotional than men, but in my experience it often just isn’t the case. (para.8)

5. After carefully weighing up all the ______ we decided to buy a bigger house in the suburb. (para.11)

6. To the public’s surprise, there was _______ superstition in the scientist’s thesis based on his recent findings. (para.8)

7. Some bands, once they ______ in the record business, forget about their fans. (para. 3) 8. She never referred to the incident, but often ________ it by hinting. (para.7)

9. The typical Chinese greeting of inquiring whether the other has had his meal is ______ to

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the English. (para.1)

10. On many issues John and Mary have found themselves _______. (para.10)

C. Fill in each blank in the following sentences with the proper form of the word given in the brackets.

1. Many Scots would like their country to _______ (secession) from the United Kingdom. 2. The environmental group is demanding a complete _______ (prohibit) against the hunting of whales.

3. ________ (predict), after the initial media interest, the refugees now seem to have been forgotten.

4. With her cropped hair and her mannish clothes, she ______ (typical) the sort of feminist often feared by men.

5. The relationship between technology and development is a complicated one. At times the negative features of technology seem to ______ (weigh) the positive features.

6. New York has a huge number of _____ (immigration) who constitute the shifting population of the city.

7. Religious _____ (tolerate) can be of importance in preventing ethnic conflicts.

8.When it comes to abortion the Congress is split between ______ (abortion) and anti-abortionists.

9. The question is often asked: Does television adequately reflect the ethnic and cultural ______ (diverse) of the country.

10. _________ (conversation) are fighting to stop the fields around here from being built on.

D. Error detection and correction.

1. Considering the number of (A) ethnic groups that (B) make up the U.S. population, it is not surprising(C) that Americans have a variety of different holidays, many of those origins(D) are uncertain.

2. The president appears to be (A) in earnest(B) when he promised to try to balance(C) the national budget(D).

3. Anyone(A) who has influenza may transmit(B) the germs to the other(C) by coughing or sneezing; it is a communicable(D) disease.

4. In a day’s work(A) a police officer often deals with a wide panorama of(B) problems from the pursuing of suspecting criminals(C) to the rescuing of a trapped kitten(D).

5. The Joint Declaration between China and Portugal is a significant(A) agreement that(B) will bring to an end(C) Portugal(D) nearly 450 years rule over Macao.

6. For(A) there is(B) successful communication, there(C) must be attentiveness and involvement in the discussion itself(D) by all those present.

7. They pointed out(A) the damage which(B) they supposed that(C) had been done by last night’s storm(D).

8. For him to be re-elected(A), what is essential is not that his policy works, but that(C) the public believe that it is.

9. Only when he realized(A) that there would be more difficulties ahead than he expected he came to(D) me for help.

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10. A more sophisticated(A) analysis shows that an expansion rather than(B) a boycott of wood product is that(C) we really ought to be after(D).

E. Choose an appropriate word from the following list to fill in each of the following blank. Each word can be used only ONCE. Change the word form where necessary.

demand and contrary than country two never well language are constitution with recognize but because India independence four time split Is there no hope for language tolerance? Some __1__ manage to maintain their unity in the face of multilingualism. Examples are Finland, with a Swedish minority, __2__ a number if African and Southeast Asian countries. ___3__ others could not be more unlike as countries go: Switzerland and India.

German, French, Italian, and Romansh are the __4___ of Switzerland. The first three can be and __5___ used for official purposes; all ___6____ are designated “national” languages. Switzerland is politically almost hyperstable. It has language problems (Romanish is losing ground), ___7___ they are not major, and they are ___8___ allowed to threaten national unity. ___9___ to public perception, India gets along pretty well ___10___ a host of different languages. The Indian constitution officially __11____nineteen languages, English among them. Hindi is specified in the __12____ as the national language of India, but that is a pious postcolonial fiction: outside the Hindi-speaking northern heartland of __13____, people don’t want to learn it. English functions more nearly _14____Hindi as India’s lingua franca.

From 1947, when India obtained its __15___ from the British, until the 1960s blood ran in the streets and people died ___16___ of language. Hindi absolutists wanted to force Hindi on the entire country, which would have __17___ India between north and south and opened up other fracture lines as __18___. For as along as possible Jawaharlal Nehru, independent India’s first Prime Minister, resisted nationalist ___19_ to redraw the capricious state boundaries of British India according to language. By the __20___ he capitulated, the country had gained a precious decade to prove its viability as a union.

Translation

A. Translate the following paragraphs into Chinese.

The appeal to the Supreme Court followed a 6-to-5 ruling, in October of 1995, by a federal appeals court striking down the Arizona law. These events suggest how divisive a public issue language could become in America-even if it has until now scarcely been taken seriously. The popular wisdom is that conservatives are pro and liberals con. True, conservatives such George Will and William F. Buckley Jr. have written columns supporting Official English. But would anyone characterize as conservatives the present and past U.S. English board members.

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History teaches a plain lesson about language and governments; there is almost nothing the government of a free country can do to change language usage and practice significantly, to force its citizens to use certain languages in preference to others, and to discourage people from speaking a language they wish to continue to speak.

B. Translate the following sentences into English.

1、在关于第二语言学习的争论中，很多问交叉在一起，比如教学法，文化背景，学生的个别差异等等。(in the controversy over, intersect）

2、在中国，大多数学校有一条规定，要求教师上课必须讲普通话。（legislation, require） 3、大多数青年人都在努力学习外语，为的是能在社会的竞争中获得成功。（make it） 4、对英语是否有必要立为美国的官方语言一直分为两派，即保守派对自由派。（legislate, conservatives versus liberals）

5、它向高级上诉，认为对他的惩罚过严；最后他的上诉获胜，减刑一半。（appeal to） 6、培养学生的非智力因素，提倡素质教育，体现了当代的教育思想。（a byword of） 7、美国总统的权利被1991年的修正案所削减了.(amendment)

8、这本听力教科书里的教材都是真实英语，对英语学习着有很大帮助。（authentic English, helpful to）

9、埃里思（Rod Ellis）写了很多有关第二语言学习的著作。他在第二语言学习的研究中享有很高的知名度。（be prominent in） 10、语言的实质是种族冲突，因此它会给国家带来的威胁，必须加以重视。(threaten to )

Key To Exercises From The Course Book

Key To Vocabulary And Structure

A.1. controversy 2.chances 3. undertone 4. fuss 5. partisan 6. conservative 7. endorse 8. neglected 9. legislation 10. credentials B.1. love affair with 2. struck down 3. in the wake of 4. Popular wisdom 5. pros and cons 6. a strain of 7. have made it 8. allude to 9. alien 10. facing tough odds C.1.secede 2. prohibition 3. Predictably 4. typifies 5. outweigh 6. immigrants 7. tolerance 8. pro-abortionists 9. diversity 10. Conservationists D.1.D. many of which 2. A. to have been 3. C. to another 4. C. suspected criminals 5. D. Portugal's 6. B. there to be 7. C./ 8. D. it does 9. D. did he come to 10. C. what E.1. countries 2.and 3.Two 4. language 5. are 6. four 7.but 8.never 9. Contrary 10. with 11. recognizes 1 2. constitution 13. India 14.than 15. independence 16. because 17. split 18. well 19. demands 20. time

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Key To Translation

A.

1995年10月，也就是向最高上诉这前，联邦上诉法庭以6对5票通过一项裁决，废除了亚利那州的这项法规。这些事件暗示语言在美国可能成为引起公众分歧的问题，即使至今这点还没有受到重视。

普遍认为保守主义是支持派，自由主义专栏者是反对派。这种说法可以说是对的。象乔治.威尔和威廉.巴科利，他们写了很多文章，支持官方英语。但是不是任何人都会把现在和过去美国英语委员会都描述为保守主义者呢？

关于语言和，历史给了我们一个很清楚的教训：一个自由国家的无法有效地改变语言的规律与应用；无法迫使它的公民使用某些语言而不用另一些语言；无法要求人们不要讲他们希望继续讲的语言。 B.

1.Many issues intersect in the controversy over second language acquisition, such as teaching method, cultural background, and individual learners' differences.

2. In China, most schools have legislation that requires all the teachers to give lessons in Putonghua. 3. Most young people are now studying foreign languages very hard in order to make it in the challenge of society. 4. There have always been two viewpoints, conservatives versus liberals, about whether to legislate that English be the official language of the United States or not. 5. He appealed against the severity of the punishment to the Supreme Court. He won his appeal in the end and the sentence was halved. 6. Developing students' non-intelligence factors, or advocating quality-oriented education, is a byword of current educational thinking. 7. In the United States, the Presidential power was reduced by a constitutional amendment in 1991. 8. All the materials in the listening textbook are in authentic English, which is helpful to learners. 9. Rod Ellis has written many books on second language acquisition, and he has been prominent in research in it.

10. A language riot is in essence an ethnic conflict. Therefore, it will threaten to split a country and should be

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taken seriously.

Enhancement Study

Translation Techniques and Practice Writing Skills

Further Reading

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