论文部分内容阅读
摘 要：在外语教学中，阅读时提高语言综合能力的重要性历来得到广泛应用，因此阅读教学一直是英语教学的重要内容。随着《普通高中英语课程标准》的颁布和实施，学生的语篇理解和综合运用英语知识的能力再一次摆在非常重要的位置上来。新英语课程标准中要求学生在做英语阅读时，必须具有较高的阅读理解能力，能从语篇结构和语境的高度出发，深层理解和揣摩作者的观点态度来达到更好地文章理解。为了探讨阅读教学的最佳途径，本文借鉴阅读和语篇分析理论，提出在高中英语阅读教学中运用语篇分析理论改善阅读课效果，以提高学生阅读能力。
关键词：语篇分析 ； 不足 ； 高中英语阅读
I. The Significance of the Study
In the real situation, foreign language teaching in China always has concentrated on grammar and vocabulary, especially in reading class of senior high schools. Teachers always keep explaining the usage of individual words and the structures of sentences. This teaching method only stays at a sentence level. As a result, students who received such kind of teaching only Ⅰmemorize the specific words and sentence structures. But they are incompetent at understanding of the whole passage not even say the whole article.
This thesis tries to prove that discourse analysis can be integrated efficiently in the present teaching of reading in senior high schools of our country. By applying this method, teachers can help students to get to know the relationship between sentences and paragraphs with the analysis of lexical connection. After analyzing the relationship among each paragraph can they get the theme and main ideas of the text. By knowing the important role of the theme in the passage, students can easily change their reading habit from focusing on parts to the whole, which can build up their understandings of the article and improve their reading abilities.
teaching method and developing students’ discourse competence effectively
Ⅱ. The Studies of Discourse Analysis in China and Abroad
2.1 Abroad study condition
In 1952, Zellig Harris wrote an article entitled discourse is the discourse analysis, published in proceedings of Language magazine. Since then, the term Discourse Analysis is known gradually. Groups of researchers have entered the field and carried on the research of the study.
This period of time of study is the embryonic period of words analysis, its characteristic is some sporadic research respectively, has yet to form system, its influence is small. Halide stares at in its Handbook of Discourse Ana to add to is that: the discourse (discourse) is the semantic units. In certain circumstances occur language behavior are discourse as the basic representation. In recent years, some scholars and teachers to discourse analysis into the field of language teaching, publishing a number of discourse analysis textbooks.
From the linguistics and pedagogy theory research discourse problems and the middle school English teaching problems more, all the works have strong theories, such as systemic functional linguistics .
2.2 Domestic study condition
The traditional reading teaching is in the grammar-translation method by the guidance of theory. It is stressed that grammar analysis is to understand the semantics, if language is used exactly as a standard measure of understanding. Students focus on vocabulary and grammar but not the whole passage.
In the passive position, because of lack the deep understanding and association ability, reading speed do not increase the use of ability to keep up communication. From the teacher's point of view, the emphasis on the traditional theory of a letter from the corresponding phonemes, phrases of a sentence
Set of translation relations, language, point to explain the context are often not closely linked, that is closely linked to a comprehensive analysis of discourse context. Since psychologists Nuttal (1982) suggested that reading is ”an interactive process of exchange interaction, and the foreign language reading described as” asking for positive and active discourse ”it was gradually recognized that reading should be active readers and exchange of two-way activity, is an interactive process. Of their information through text coding, and decoding to get the reader through the text's meaning, in the process, readers that students should give full play to the initiative.
A considerable period of time, such as J. GNesfield and Noamchomsky linguists have said: ”The sentence is the highest level of the language unit.” Linguist Halliday (1976) in his book: ”Discourse is a language unit” (”a semantie unit, '). KLPike also pointed out:” Text at the highest level. ”Systemic Functional Grammar as a super sentence to discourse”. So, a sentence can be the same as the research to study and structure of a grammar system. This is the development of linguistics can not be said to be a major breakthrough. That is, it breaks the traditional pure syntax and sentence-based research, advocating Grammar and discourse, or discourse analysis together.
The reading teaching in traditional teacher-centered grammar-translation method guidance, rely on grammar analysis to understand the semanteme, with the mother tongue can be translated into exactly the standard used to measure the understanding. Students concentrate on vocabularies and grammars.
In passive position, and thus lack deep understanding ability and associating capabilities, reading speed, communicative skills also cannot keep up. From the teacher's point of view, because conventional theory emphasizes a letter from phonemes corresponding, the phrase a sentence .To translate relations began, often cannot tightly. Spread explained language points, namely .gripping discourse context for a comprehensive analysis of the context. Since the psychologists Nuptial (1982) proposed that reading is “an interactive processor.
Two-way activity is an interactive process. The author, by discourse information coding, while its readers through the decoding to obtain discourse meanings, in this process, the reader that should give full play to students' subjective initiative.
III. The Theories of Discourse Analysis
3.1 Teaching mode of the Discourse analysis
When mentioning about discourse teaching, we must differ it from traditional reading teaching. Discourse teaching is relative to the traditional reading teaching, that is, vocabulary and sentence teaching for the center. As the traditional teaching way, sentences are as the core of the foreign language teaching, if this way is used in the beginning stage of foreign language learning, it may have some effect, but language is not only some individual words, but by the chaotic connected text form shows. Text is a communication in the process of a series of continuous words, sentences or paragraphs that form the language. It could be a dialogue, also could be a monologue, it includes both written language and spoken English. The final purpose of foreign language teaching is to make the students use proper language to exchange ideas and get information. Thoughts of communication and information happen in a certain situation. This kind of language using the situation includes both language knowledge, also includes cultural background, pragmatic and cognitive and other aspects. Sheehan (1998) think that actual participation discourse communication is the only way to really understand the discourse. Therefore, only by training discourse does the students benefit the reading teaching to get the language abilities, at the same time, students can develop their communicative ability.
Discourse teaching mode from understanding the whole content, language and learned knowledge tour and get some important clues about what you are reading, articles, and then get a general impression to find the center thought, and of the articles on comprehension, from the surface understanding to inferential comprehension of the passages.
To sum up, the current discourse theory of existing in the teaching of the theory and the practice more, but, in an individual body practical teaching, there are many practical problems need to be solved.
3.2 The contents of discourse analysis
In this part, the thesis introduces the discourse analysis method which includes macro-structure analysis and the micro-structure analysis. The former refers to the coherence and genre analysis, the later refers to the cohesion. The cohesion and coherence are the two major features in discourse analysis from the point of microscope and macro scope.
1) Cohesion
Cohesion is the use of all kinds of linguistic devices in order to combine the different components of the surface form with the actual words we can see in the discourse. Halliday and Hasan(1976) states that “the cohesion is a semantic concept which means the meaning relationship that exists within the text”. ”Cohesion is the relating range of possibilities that exist for linking something with the inner relationship.” Cohesion is better defined by Widdowson(1978)as ”the overt linguistically signaled relationship with propositions” .Halliday and Hasan consider that whether couples of sentences can compose a discourse or not depends on the cohesive relationship within sentences and between each paragraph. The classification of cohesion is divided into four kinds by them : reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction.
2) Reference
Reference refers to semantic information relationship which is needed for the interpretation of one item replaced in the discourse. It may be retrievable from the situation, such as: it she he they this those.
3) Substitution and ellipsis
Substitution, in order to avoid repetition, is the one item's replacement by another; ellipsis as the omission of an item sometimes is replaced by nothing. Substitution item may be as a noun, verb, or a clause. The teacher can lead students to understand that cohesion exists between the two sentences through the use of nominal substitution and the meaning of ”one thing” can be known through the second sentence, so the students can understand the meaning of the first sentence by the nominal substitution from the second sentence.
4) Conjunction
Conjunction is a connection, which connect two elements with the inner relationship. The systematic conjunctive relation of sentences and the whole discourse can be got by conjunction. There are four kinds of conjunction, that is
(1) Addition: and, furthermore, similarly, in other words
(2) Adversity: but, yet, although, nevertheless, rather, on the contrary, however.
(3) Causality: because, therefore, so, as a result, consequently.
(4) Temporality: first, next, then, meanwhile, finally, to sum up.
(5) Coherence
A subjective and cognitive point of the reader's evaluation of a discourse is coherence. It stresses the reader's interaction with the discourse, it can be considered as the inner relations among all parts of a discourse which depend on the extent of familiars with the text and the readers' own knowledge structure and the interpretation on the part of the reader. It is the mental phenomenon in the mind of the writer and reader, which is the network of conceptual relation underling the surface discourse. As for the cohesion, the degree of language' stretches is connected to each other largely by the lexical and grammatical dependencies; while, the coherence contributes to its underlying understanding which is perceived by different language users.
Ⅳ. Conclusion
This thesis mainly studies the discourse analysis and the effect of using it in the reading class of high school. After a whole term of the research, it proves that discourse analysis plays a key role in the reading teaching, it really can improve the accuracy of reading comprehension.
First, discourse analysis improves the students' interest in reading. High school students always have little interest in English learning. To be frank, we have to say that traditional grammar teaching always plays a key role in the learning process and it is so boring that students have to recite the principle of grammar and words without situation and background. But this process is hard and few students can find interest in such learning process. Can students learn English well without interest? The discourse analysis reading method really can inspire students to learn English more actively. Only teacher positively creates close to students' real life experience that can stimulate their interest are the students involved in the activities which students can master the skills and techniques just as summarizing, logical thinking, guessing the meaning of new words through answering questions or finishing activities.
Second, the discourse analysis will help students' acknowledge the western culture background and the thinking way. They will acquire much more useful information in the reading comprehension and open their eye sight and enjoy the glamour of the different passages.
Last, it urges high school English teachers a new consciousness of using discourse analysis to replace the traditional, out dated teaching method, improve their teaching ability effectively.
关键词：语篇分析 ； 不足 ； 高中英语阅读
I. The Significance of the Study
In the real situation, foreign language teaching in China always has concentrated on grammar and vocabulary, especially in reading class of senior high schools. Teachers always keep explaining the usage of individual words and the structures of sentences. This teaching method only stays at a sentence level. As a result, students who received such kind of teaching only Ⅰmemorize the specific words and sentence structures. But they are incompetent at understanding of the whole passage not even say the whole article.
This thesis tries to prove that discourse analysis can be integrated efficiently in the present teaching of reading in senior high schools of our country. By applying this method, teachers can help students to get to know the relationship between sentences and paragraphs with the analysis of lexical connection. After analyzing the relationship among each paragraph can they get the theme and main ideas of the text. By knowing the important role of the theme in the passage, students can easily change their reading habit from focusing on parts to the whole, which can build up their understandings of the article and improve their reading abilities.
teaching method and developing students’ discourse competence effectively
Ⅱ. The Studies of Discourse Analysis in China and Abroad
2.1 Abroad study condition
In 1952, Zellig Harris wrote an article entitled discourse is the discourse analysis, published in proceedings of Language magazine. Since then, the term Discourse Analysis is known gradually. Groups of researchers have entered the field and carried on the research of the study.
This period of time of study is the embryonic period of words analysis, its characteristic is some sporadic research respectively, has yet to form system, its influence is small. Halide stares at in its Handbook of Discourse Ana to add to is that: the discourse (discourse) is the semantic units. In certain circumstances occur language behavior are discourse as the basic representation. In recent years, some scholars and teachers to discourse analysis into the field of language teaching, publishing a number of discourse analysis textbooks.
From the linguistics and pedagogy theory research discourse problems and the middle school English teaching problems more, all the works have strong theories, such as systemic functional linguistics .
2.2 Domestic study condition
The traditional reading teaching is in the grammar-translation method by the guidance of theory. It is stressed that grammar analysis is to understand the semantics, if language is used exactly as a standard measure of understanding. Students focus on vocabulary and grammar but not the whole passage.
In the passive position, because of lack the deep understanding and association ability, reading speed do not increase the use of ability to keep up communication. From the teacher's point of view, the emphasis on the traditional theory of a letter from the corresponding phonemes, phrases of a sentence
Set of translation relations, language, point to explain the context are often not closely linked, that is closely linked to a comprehensive analysis of discourse context. Since psychologists Nuttal (1982) suggested that reading is ”an interactive process of exchange interaction, and the foreign language reading described as” asking for positive and active discourse ”it was gradually recognized that reading should be active readers and exchange of two-way activity, is an interactive process. Of their information through text coding, and decoding to get the reader through the text's meaning, in the process, readers that students should give full play to the initiative.
A considerable period of time, such as J. GNesfield and Noamchomsky linguists have said: ”The sentence is the highest level of the language unit.” Linguist Halliday (1976) in his book: ”Discourse is a language unit” (”a semantie unit, '). KLPike also pointed out:” Text at the highest level. ”Systemic Functional Grammar as a super sentence to discourse”. So, a sentence can be the same as the research to study and structure of a grammar system. This is the development of linguistics can not be said to be a major breakthrough. That is, it breaks the traditional pure syntax and sentence-based research, advocating Grammar and discourse, or discourse analysis together.
The reading teaching in traditional teacher-centered grammar-translation method guidance, rely on grammar analysis to understand the semanteme, with the mother tongue can be translated into exactly the standard used to measure the understanding. Students concentrate on vocabularies and grammars.
In passive position, and thus lack deep understanding ability and associating capabilities, reading speed, communicative skills also cannot keep up. From the teacher's point of view, because conventional theory emphasizes a letter from phonemes corresponding, the phrase a sentence .To translate relations began, often cannot tightly. Spread explained language points, namely .gripping discourse context for a comprehensive analysis of the context. Since the psychologists Nuptial (1982) proposed that reading is “an interactive processor.
Two-way activity is an interactive process. The author, by discourse information coding, while its readers through the decoding to obtain discourse meanings, in this process, the reader that should give full play to students' subjective initiative.
III. The Theories of Discourse Analysis
3.1 Teaching mode of the Discourse analysis
When mentioning about discourse teaching, we must differ it from traditional reading teaching. Discourse teaching is relative to the traditional reading teaching, that is, vocabulary and sentence teaching for the center. As the traditional teaching way, sentences are as the core of the foreign language teaching, if this way is used in the beginning stage of foreign language learning, it may have some effect, but language is not only some individual words, but by the chaotic connected text form shows. Text is a communication in the process of a series of continuous words, sentences or paragraphs that form the language. It could be a dialogue, also could be a monologue, it includes both written language and spoken English. The final purpose of foreign language teaching is to make the students use proper language to exchange ideas and get information. Thoughts of communication and information happen in a certain situation. This kind of language using the situation includes both language knowledge, also includes cultural background, pragmatic and cognitive and other aspects. Sheehan (1998) think that actual participation discourse communication is the only way to really understand the discourse. Therefore, only by training discourse does the students benefit the reading teaching to get the language abilities, at the same time, students can develop their communicative ability.
Discourse teaching mode from understanding the whole content, language and learned knowledge tour and get some important clues about what you are reading, articles, and then get a general impression to find the center thought, and of the articles on comprehension, from the surface understanding to inferential comprehension of the passages.
To sum up, the current discourse theory of existing in the teaching of the theory and the practice more, but, in an individual body practical teaching, there are many practical problems need to be solved.
3.2 The contents of discourse analysis
In this part, the thesis introduces the discourse analysis method which includes macro-structure analysis and the micro-structure analysis. The former refers to the coherence and genre analysis, the later refers to the cohesion. The cohesion and coherence are the two major features in discourse analysis from the point of microscope and macro scope.
1) Cohesion
Cohesion is the use of all kinds of linguistic devices in order to combine the different components of the surface form with the actual words we can see in the discourse. Halliday and Hasan(1976) states that “the cohesion is a semantic concept which means the meaning relationship that exists within the text”. ”Cohesion is the relating range of possibilities that exist for linking something with the inner relationship.” Cohesion is better defined by Widdowson(1978)as ”the overt linguistically signaled relationship with propositions” .Halliday and Hasan consider that whether couples of sentences can compose a discourse or not depends on the cohesive relationship within sentences and between each paragraph. The classification of cohesion is divided into four kinds by them : reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction.
2) Reference
Reference refers to semantic information relationship which is needed for the interpretation of one item replaced in the discourse. It may be retrievable from the situation, such as: it she he they this those.
3) Substitution and ellipsis
Substitution, in order to avoid repetition, is the one item's replacement by another; ellipsis as the omission of an item sometimes is replaced by nothing. Substitution item may be as a noun, verb, or a clause. The teacher can lead students to understand that cohesion exists between the two sentences through the use of nominal substitution and the meaning of ”one thing” can be known through the second sentence, so the students can understand the meaning of the first sentence by the nominal substitution from the second sentence.
4) Conjunction
Conjunction is a connection, which connect two elements with the inner relationship. The systematic conjunctive relation of sentences and the whole discourse can be got by conjunction. There are four kinds of conjunction, that is
(1) Addition: and, furthermore, similarly, in other words
(2) Adversity: but, yet, although, nevertheless, rather, on the contrary, however.
(3) Causality: because, therefore, so, as a result, consequently.
(4) Temporality: first, next, then, meanwhile, finally, to sum up.
(5) Coherence
A subjective and cognitive point of the reader's evaluation of a discourse is coherence. It stresses the reader's interaction with the discourse, it can be considered as the inner relations among all parts of a discourse which depend on the extent of familiars with the text and the readers' own knowledge structure and the interpretation on the part of the reader. It is the mental phenomenon in the mind of the writer and reader, which is the network of conceptual relation underling the surface discourse. As for the cohesion, the degree of language' stretches is connected to each other largely by the lexical and grammatical dependencies; while, the coherence contributes to its underlying understanding which is perceived by different language users.
Ⅳ. Conclusion
This thesis mainly studies the discourse analysis and the effect of using it in the reading class of high school. After a whole term of the research, it proves that discourse analysis plays a key role in the reading teaching, it really can improve the accuracy of reading comprehension.
First, discourse analysis improves the students' interest in reading. High school students always have little interest in English learning. To be frank, we have to say that traditional grammar teaching always plays a key role in the learning process and it is so boring that students have to recite the principle of grammar and words without situation and background. But this process is hard and few students can find interest in such learning process. Can students learn English well without interest? The discourse analysis reading method really can inspire students to learn English more actively. Only teacher positively creates close to students' real life experience that can stimulate their interest are the students involved in the activities which students can master the skills and techniques just as summarizing, logical thinking, guessing the meaning of new words through answering questions or finishing activities.
Second, the discourse analysis will help students' acknowledge the western culture background and the thinking way. They will acquire much more useful information in the reading comprehension and open their eye sight and enjoy the glamour of the different passages.
Last, it urges high school English teachers a new consciousness of using discourse analysis to replace the traditional, out dated teaching method, improve their teaching ability effectively.