SEnglish Language & CultureSample Presentations

David FengCommunication University of China, BeijingAcademic years 2012/13 and 2013/14

These are a small selection of all presentations given to students at the Communication University of China. They were either enrolled in the English Language & Culture or Academic English courses, or both.

This sample not necessarily for use in educational and research institutions.

Welcome1.1

Here is what you will learn this semester:—

✔ ✘Writing correct English and avoiding “Chinglish”

Remember: English likes to be easier! There is no need for an excess of “polite language”.

Grammar in EN & CN3.1 & 3.1.1

Mind Maps...

Letters(Post / Mail)

Remember that there are three major Englishes:—

• British English (used in the British Isles, and in most other current and previous Commonwealth nations outside of the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand);• Australian English (used in Australia and New Zealand);• American English (used mostly in the United States and Canada).

In China, American English is becoming increasingly popular, although in the earlier years, British English was more in widespread use.

• In British and Australian English, as a rule, we write things differently — here we write colour, centre, prioritise, sulphur and travelled instead of color, center, prioritize, sulfur and traveled in American English.• To mention a quarter of a litre, the US uses .25, whereas other parts of the English-speaking world tend to include zero (here: 0.25).• The Brits tend to be more polite; if they want to say Yes, they might say I should think so. Americans and Australians are more direct: here, a simple yep! or yeah mate! might do.• In British and Australian English, dates are written day-month-year, so what’s 1996 年 12 ⽉月 29 ⽇日 in China would be 29 December 1996 (for short: 29/12/1996) in the UK and Australia and December 29(th), 1996 (for short: 12/29/1996) in the US.

Avoiding Faults in Conversation18.1

2. Don’t use words you can avoid.

The following words in English are known to be superfluous — as in, words that you can avoid if you can — because they’re used too often. These include, but are not limited to, the following:—

• you see• you know• if you see what I mean• do you get the point

We Don’t Say It This Way When Overseas!

“I very like this food.”

This is also a problem as it appears a direct translation from Chinese to English. What was intended was the expression I like this food very much, but because to like _____ very much in English has a different word order in Chinese, Chinglish appears when you translate 我⾮非常喜欢某个东⻄西 (where the Chinese for very comes first).

To correct this, remember in English you always say I like this food very much — as in the thing that you like comes between the very and the like, and that you reverse the order of the two.

Academic English4.1

Exercise:Say the following in both social and academic English…

他⼜又犯病了，总是吃完饭就叨叨。

Exercise 4.A1 | Correcting Chinglish in Groups

Get together in a group (maximum 3 persons) and correct the following Chinglish.

Time allotted: 10-15 minutes for 8 questions

9

Parking permit required

10

Please wait behind the line

8 English Language and CultureWelcome

REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK

Question 1:

"You get used to a certain way of life over there," Curtis said, "and adjusting to things here now is difficult. You're trying to get your feet under you and keep up with everyone else; you're trying to figure out what is going on and the stuff you missed."

What is being described here? Elaborate in detail.