Scientific EnglishScientific English

江博明Bor-ming JAHN

Course description

This course is mainly designed to help students in scientific writing. It includes a brief review of English grammar, analysis of common errors in pronunciation and scientific writing, presentation of essential ingredients for effective scientific paper writing, exercise in two-way translation on current issues in science, particularly in earth sciences, practice in writing a curriculum vitae, etc. Based on a topic approach students will improve their skill of English expression in scientific reading and writing, as well as in oral communication.

About your teacher

• Graduated from NTU-Geology in 1963 (BSc.)

• Left Taiwan for graduate studies in the U.S. in 1965

• Returned to Taiwan from France in 2003 (curious?)

• NTU Chair professor (Jan. 2003 – Jan. 2006)

• NTU-AS Joint-appointment professor (Aug. 2004 – present)

• MSc - Brown U (1967); Ph.D. - U of Minnesota (1972)

• Post-doctoral research - NASA-Johnson Space Center & Lunar Science Institute, Houston (≈ 4 years; 1972-1976)

• Associate & full professor at Université de Rennes, France, for 27 years (1976-2003)

• Published ≈ 170 articles (only 1 in French & 0 in Chinese) – enough experience to teach scientific writing

• Present post - Director (and distinguished research fellow), Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica

• Research interest – geochemistry, petrogenesis, tectonics, continental evolution.

About the course

• First semester (September, 2007 – January, 2008)

• Every Tuesday – 16h30 to 18h20 (session of 2

hours per week, for 18 weeks)

Evaluation of course work:

• Class attendance and participation: 20%

• Written assignments (2 times): 20%

• Quiz (2 times): 20%

• Mid-term exam: 20%

• Final exam: 20%

Suggested references Youngs, Robert L. & 王秀華 , 2005, Scientific Writing in

English for Chinese Authors, 308 pp. (ISBN

9571138800). Available at Eslite (诚品 ).

Langosch, Sydney L., 1999, Writing American Style,

Barron’s, 200 pp. (available at Costco, NT$ 305)

Kirkman, John, Good style writing for science and

technology. E & FN Spon, London, 221 pp. (ISBN

0419171908)

Yang Jen Tsi, An outline of scientific writing. World

Scientific, Singapore, New Jersey, London, Hong Kong,

160 pp. (ISBN 9810224664, pbk)

CNN Listening, Live ABC, BBC World

Week 1: Introduction• What is scientific writing?

Scientific writing includes a broad array of

academic writing with unique requirements and

formalities, and is directed to a unique

readership. This type of writing includes:

– description of research – interpretation and significance of results– language must be clear and understandable

• Purposes:

To improve your skill of English expression

– in scientific reading and writing – in oral communication

It is surely axiomatic that the aim of scientific or

technical writing is to transmit information accurately,

quickly and economically from one person to another.

But why do so many scientists and engineers make their

writing so heavily unreadable?

Obviously, their subject matter is sometimes complex

and conceptually difficult; but frequently the

« unreadability » stems from use of a style that makes

the reader’s task much heavier than it need be.

« Style » matters - direct, effective and readable.

• Analysis of common Chinese problems in English expression

– pronunciation

– grammatical errors

• English pronunciation = no easy rules

– ow : we bow before the king; you wear a bow-tie; a

bowl of rice; bowling; cow, a queen dowager, how,

low, now, know-how.

– ou : loud, have a bout with someone, cough-couch,

double, doubt, mouse.

– au : author, caught, caution, daughter, fault, gauge,

laugh, taught, drought, draught (= draft beer).

– o : move, woman, women, hot, top, ton, tone, gone,

tomb, tome, bomb

– h : hand, hear, hint, horn, hurt, hungry-angry, (muet): hour

– ch-sh : English, not Englich

– talk-walk, work-walk; word-world; pseudo, psychology-psychiatry

– idea, determine, olivine; folk-fork

– indicted war criminals;

– receive, reception, receipt

– short debts make long friends; deeply indebted to you for...

– iron, iron oxide; ion, cation, anion

– g : never “ju” like in “ju-ma-pao”.

• «Chinese» problems in English oral expression:

– Difficult sounds

Ex: thickening (sickening), 3 (tree, free, three), measure,

measurement

– Placement of accent (sometimes, but not so often as the French)

Ex: interpret-interpretation, contribute-contribution, image-

imagine, attribute (v in second, n in first)-attribution, even-event,

…

– Frequent cut-off of vowel or consonant

(very severe problem in Taiwan and China)

Vowel cut-off

icetop (isotope), ecgite (eclogite), omfcite

(omphacite), aptite (appetite, apatite, uptight)

Consonant cut-off (Cantonese style)

not at all, good luck, outside, inside-out, call-in,

W, w, quartz

– Mixing of « l » and « r » (terrible for the Chinese

and even worse for the Japanese)

Ex: Clinton, clay minerals, plate tectonics,

flattening, flight-fright, apply-application, flesh-

fresh, player-prayer, close-cross, class-classic

(Japanese: I rike to show, I rike to eat lice, …)

The sounds and allophones of Taiwan English(Karen Steffen Chung, 2003)

In class we often refer to "Taiwan English”. Although there are variations in the way each person who is educated in Taiwan speaks English, there is a fairly consistent pattern of pronunciation to be discerned. This is certainly due first of all to the particular pronunciation style of one's English teachers, starting in junior high school, or now starting in elementary school; many students also learn English at a commercial "cram school" (buxiban). This pronunciation style is reinforced by one's peers and other English speakers from Taiwan who one comes in contact with.      In theory, General American is now the standard for English education in Taiwan, but Taiwan English sounds very 'un-American' in many ways.

Taiwan English

Taiwan English - 2 Some foreign accents of English, especially European ones such as French or Swedish, are often considered "charming", "quaint" or "cute". The first basic requirement of a "charming" foreign accent, however, is that it be clear and easily intelligible to other speakers of English, native and otherwise. Once intelligibility suffers too much, there is little charm to be found in a foreign accent; one only will feel tired when trying to understand it. Incorrect grammar and imprecise vocabulary choices worsen the situation. Ultimately, other people may prefer to avoid talking with speakers with too strong a foreign accent rather than work hard to understand them. In order to avoid making other people work too hard to understand you when you speak, it is certainly desirable to learn to speak as clearly and accurately as possible. This does not mean giving up your Chinese identity; you cannot do this so easily anyway!

Taiwan English - 3Excuse me, is this seat taken? No, it’s not. Thank you. Nice weather isn’t it? Yes, it’s nice and warm.

It’s been cold for so many days. This is my first time to jog this month. Do you like jogging?

Well, not really. You should try it. Jogging is my life. Look at my jogging shoes. They are made in England.

And I bought them in Hong Kong. They are really good. Oh, if you want to learn how to jog,

You need a good pair of shoes like mine. While I look at those men, they are really slow. They are walking,

not jogging. Who are you talking about? The man with long hair.

His head look funny. Oh, that’s my brother. Oh, I am sorry. I mean the person next to him.

The one in the stupid green sweater and black pants. Well, the man you are talking about is a P.E. teacher.

And by the way, he is also my husband.

Taiwan English - 4Consonants

I like to do

Consonants (cont.)

Vowels

(11) /au/ Ex., downtown

Stress and timing

• Reading assignment for week 1:

Why Earth Sciences

Earth Science: Make it Happen

Not so long ago, we had the first view of our planet from

space. We were startled to see how beautiful and how fragile

our home appeared, “a pale blue dot” said Carl Sagan, very

different from the other planets in our solar system. Our

home — blue with water, white with clouds, green with life —

is a planet unique in our solar system and probably rare in

the universe.

Entertainment

Funny English Notices Around The World!

In a Tokyo Hotel• Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please.

• If you are not a person to do such thing is please not to read notis.

In a Bucharest hotel lobby• The lift is being fixed for the next day.

• During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.

In a Belgrade hotel elevator

• To move the cabin, push button for wishing

floor. If the cabin should enter more persons,

each one should press a number of wishing

floor. Driving is then going alphabetically by

national order.

In a Paris hotel elevator

• Please leave your values at the front desk.

In a hotel in Athens• Visitors are expected to complain at the office

between the hours of 9 and 11 A.M. daily.

In a Yugoslavian hotel• The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the

job of the chambermaid.

In a Japanese hotel• You are invited to take advantage of the

chambermaid.

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from

a Russian Orthodox monastery

• You are welcome to visit the cemetery where

famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists,

and writers are buried daily except Thursday.

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant

• Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.

On the menu of a Polish hotel

• Salad a firm's own make; limpid red beet soup

with cheesy dumplings in the form of a finger;

roasted duck let loose; beef rashers beaten up

in the country people's fashion.

Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop• Ladies may have a fit upstairs.

*(get surprise, angry)

In a Bangkok dry cleaner's• Drop your trousers here for best results.

Outside a Paris dress shop• Dresses for street walking.

Au revoir