Lesson 1 Travel Language.docx
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Lesson 1 Travel Language.docx
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Lesson1TravelLanguage
TravelLanguage
KarstenSchmidt
1.TheAcademieFrancaisehasfordecadesbeenthewatchdogovertheFrenchLanguage.Afewyearsago,FrenchsensitivitytotheinfluxofEnglishwordsbecamesogreatthatalawforthepurificationofFrenchwasadopted.Thelawcoverseventechnicalapplications.Forexample,intheory,itisnowcompulsoryinFrancetorefertotheBoeing747asagros-porteur,leasingascredit-bail,etc.Thelistisverylonganddetailedandappliestoallfacetsoflife.Mr.Chirac,theFrenchPresident,mightwellexpandonthislistandcomeupwithsomenewFrenchtermsforwordssuchas“internet”or“bytestream”justtonameacouple.Themindbogglesatwhattheworldmightface.
2.Unfortunately(orperhapsnot),theEnglishlanguageisnotsoprotected.Quiteapartfromtheunforgivabledeviationsfromtheking’sEnglishprevalentinAmerica,where“honour”iscommonlywrittenas“honor”and“night”as“nite”,manywell-testedBritishwordshavealsobeengivennewmeanings,makingcommunicationsomewhatdifficult.Forexample,thebootofacarhascometobecalledatrunk—awordreservedinEnglandforthemainpartofatree.Thebonnetisahood,goodoldnappiesarediapers,andababy’smatineejacketisavest.It’sobviousthatthetwocountriesareindeedseparatedbywhatoncewasacommonlanguage!
FromanAmericanpointofview,ofcourse,itcouldbearguedthattheBritishspeakEnglishwithaspeechdeficiency.
3.EvenworseEnglish,however,isinuse.Anyonewhotravelsinforeigncountriesandobservesitonmenusandposters,inhotels,andindeedineverydaylifecantestifythatwhatusedtobetheking’slingohasbecomeintheseplacesbutapoorrelationthereof.Allowmetoelaborate.
4.ThetravelwriterPerrotPhillipshastakenpainstohightlightsomeofhisexperiences,whichIfeelshouldnotbewithheldfromawiderreadership.HereferstoaDutchbulbcataloguewhichpromisedcustomers“aspeedyexecution”andtoanEastBerlincloakroomsignthatrequestedgustesto“pleasehangyourselfhere.”Onehopesthatnobodytooktheadviceliterally.
5.TotheseIcanaddsomeofmyownexperiences,encounteredinlongyearsoftravelingtheworld.Therewas,forexample,theobservationinanOstendnoveltyshopthat“revoltingnewideas”werebeingmarketed,andtheboastofsomeBombaybakersthat“weareNo.1loafers,bestvalueinwholetown.”
6.IrealizedhowfarChristianityhadcomewhenIreadinHongKongthefollowingcallbyadentist:
TheteeththeyareextractedherebythelatestMethodists.
7.IfearitcannotbeansweredwithcertaintywhethertheseactuallyillustrateaprogressiveuseofEnglishoraresimplyreflectionsoflocalusages.Ifeelquitestrongly,however,thattheHaifaMedicalAssociationshouldhavepreventedoneofitsmembersfromclaimingonhisbrassplatethatheisa“SpecialistinWomenandOtherDiseases.”
8.Hotelsseemtorevelintheirmultilingualsigns.Onesupposesthesesignsweredesignedtofacilitatetheuseofmodernservicesinotherwisesterileandbarelyfunctionalestablishments.Nevertheless,theunsuspectingguestsconfrontedinaBrusselshotelwiththefollowinginstructionfortheuseofthelift(elevator)mightwellprefertowalk:
“Tomovethelift,pushbuttontowhishingfloor.Ifthecabinshouldentermorepersons,eachoneshouldpushnumberofwishingfloor.Drivingisthengoingalphabeticallybynaturalorder.Buttonretainingpressedpositionshowsreceivedcommandforvisitingstation.”ThelesssophisticatednoticeinIstanbul(“Tocallroomservice,pleasetoopendoorandcallROOMSERVICE”)atleastdoesnotconfronttheguestwithelectropnicsthatmightnotalwayswork.
9.InTurkey,thedelightin“straighttalk”expressesitselfintheby-now-famousAnkarabrochurewhichadvises,“VisitourrestaurantwhereyoucaneatMiddleEastfoodsinanEuropeanAmbulance.”AnoteonaSwissmenuthat“ourwinesleavenothingtohopefor”wasequallyinviting.
10.EasternEuropeancourtesieshaveneverlefttheoncegrandhotelsoftheformerAustro-Hungarianemprie.Anoticeinthehotelroomsthat“thehonouredguestsareinvitedtotakeadvantageofthechambermaidsfrom12-14o’clock”might,however,resultinsomeunplannedtrafficjams.ArecentMoscowexhibition’sannouncementdrewattentionto“ashowingof300paintingsbyRussianartists,mostofwhomwereexecutedinlasttenyears”—hardlyawelcomingthoughttotheoccasionalvisitor.
11.ABangkoklaundry’sadvertisementtothevisitingpublic(“Leaveyourclotheshereandenjoyyourself”)couldalsobeseenasaninvitationtoextracurricularactivitiesinthatFarEasterncapitaloffun.
12.InRome,alaundryadvertisedasimilarinvitation:
Ladies,leaveyourclotheshereandspendtheafternoonhavingagoodtime.
13.ItshouldnotsurprisethetravellerthatnightspotsadvertisetheirwaresinEuropeinmanyanddiverselanguages.TheGermanpreoccupationwithMajorcaledaMunichnightclubtocopyatrilingualPalmaannouncementthatdancingwasgoingoninwhatisindeedasurprisingway.Thenoticeread,“Baile!
Baile!
Baile!
”inSpanish,“Tanz!
Tanz!
Tanz!
”inGerman,and“Balls!
Balls!
Balls!
”inwhatwasmeanttobeEnglish.WearesparedtheupperBavarianversionoftheactivity.
14.TheBlackForestGermans,ontheotherhand,areknowntoberatherprudishintheiroutlook,butisitreallynecessarytopostasign:
“ItisstrictlyforbiddenonourBlackForestcampingsitethatpeopleofdifferentsexes,forexamplemenandwomen,livertogetherinonetentunlesstheyaremarriedwitheachotherforthatpurpose.”
15.Iamtoldthatfortheotherwiseunsuspectingtourist,thefollowingsignprovedarealcrowdpuller.ParrotPhillipsclaimsittobetruethatinanAustrianhotelroomhefoundthesign:
Ifservicerequired,givetwostrokestothemaidandthreetothevalet.”
16.ThereareundobtedlymoreandvariedversionsoftheuseofEnglish,unprotectedasourlanguageisfromtheinterferenceofemergingandambitiousentrepreneurs.Nevertheless,IpreferseeingEnglishdevelopasthelinguafrancaaroundtheworldratherthanbeingsuffocatedforthesakeofso-calledpuritybysomeill-advisedlegislativeprocess.
Exercises
I.Answerthefollowingquestionsinyourownwordsorchoosethemostappropriateonefromtheoptionsaccordingtothearticle.
1.Manycountrieshaveshowngreatconcernaboutthepurificationoftheirnativelanguage.Inthisarticlewecanseetheattitiudeoftheauthortowardsthepurificationofhismothertongue,theEnglishlanguage.Whichofthefollowingcharacterizesthetonetheauthorusesinwritingthisarticle?
A.SeriousnessB.ExaggerationC.UnderstatementD.Humor
Canyouquotesomesentencesfromthearticletosupportyourjudgment?
2.Thisarticlecanbedividedintothreeparts.Thefirstpartincludesthefirsttwoparagraphs.Whatisthemainideaofthispart?
3.Frenchscholarsareverykeenonpurifyingtheirlanguage.Whatdoestheauthorthinkoftheirefforts?
Doesheapprecidatethemornot?
Howdoyouknow?
4.TheauthoradmitsthatEnglishisnotaswellprotectedasFrench.EventheAmericanshavedeviatedfromtheBritish,andthus“makingcommuicationsomewhatdifficult.”Butwhydoeshebelievethatthisis“perhapsnot”anunfortunatething?
5.Americansthinkthat“theBritishspeakEnglishwithaspeechdeficiency.”Whatdoes“speechdeficiency”refertohere?
DoestheauthoragreewiththeAmericans’pointofview?
6.Inthesecondpartofthisarticle(para.3topara.15)theauthorgivesanumberofexamplestoshow_____.
7.Theword“lingo”means“aforeignlanguage,”butithasaderogativesense.WhythenshouldtheauthorrefertoEnglishas“theking’slingo”(para3)?
8.Inthesamesentence,theauthorcallstheEnglishusedinforeigncountries“apoorrelationthereof.”Why?
9.Thelastparagraph(para.16)isthelastpartofthearticlewhichgivestheconclusion.Whatistheauthor’sconclusion?
10.WhatdoyouthinkistheattitudeoftheauthortowardtheabuseofEnglishlanguageinforeigncountries?
II.Frompara.4topara.15,theauthorquotesanumberofmisleadingorevenridiculousEnglishpostersandsignsputupindifferentplacesinforeigncountries.HegivessuchEnglishthenicknameof“travellanguage.”HereisalistoftheabusedEnglish,pleasetellwhattheintendedmeaningsofthefollowingquotationsareandwhatthewrongly-conveyedmeaningsare?
Thefirstonehasbeendoneasanexampleforyou.
1.aspeedyexecution(para.4)
intendedmenaing:
fastdeliveryoftheproduct
literalmeaning:
rapidkillingofthecustomer
2.pleasehangyourselfhere(para.4)
intendedmeaning:
literalmeaning:
3.revoltingnewideas(para.5)
intendedmeaning:
literalmeaning:
4.WeareNo.1loafers,bestvalueinwholetown.(para.5)
intendedmeaning:
literalmeaning:
5.theteeththeyareextractedherebythelatestMethodists(para.6)
intendedmeaning:
literalmeaning:
6.specialistinwomenandotherdiseases(para.7)
intendedmeaning:
literalmeaning:
7.Tomovethelift,pushbuttontowishingfloor.Ifthecabinshouldentermorepersons,eachoneshouldpushnumberofwishingfloor.Drivingisthengoingalphabeticallybynaturalorder.Buttonretainingpressedpositionshowsreceivedcommandforvisitingstation.(para.8)
intendedmeaning:
literalmeaning:
8.Tocallroomservice,pleasetoopendoorandcallROOMSERVICE(para.8)
intendedmeaning:
literalmeaning:
9.VisitourrestaurantwhereyoucaneatMiddleEastfoodsinanEuropeanambulance.(para.9)
intendedmeaning:
literalmeaning:
10.Ourwinesleavenothingtohopefor.(para.9)
intendedmeaning:
literalmeaning:
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