主讲人：Ian Hunter [[英]

讲座题目：The Subtleties of the English Language

时间：5月23日（周三）下午3：30-5：30

地点：逸夫楼134

主讲人简介：Ian Hunter，男，英国苏格兰人，工程学士毕业，喜欢尝试不同的职业，足迹遍布全球46个国家，对英语这一全球性语言具有深刻的洞察力。2009年来到中国大学执教，擅长设计有意义的口笔语任务来启发学生并提高学生综合运用语言的各项技能。目前担任《中国应用语言学》期刊文字编辑；正研究中国EFL学习者的错误分析。

Lecturer: Ian Hunter

Lecture Title: The Subtleties of the English Language

Words for poster:

The categorising, analysis and correction of errors in English language has become an issue that is increasingly complex and sensitive, especially in academic writing. In both native English speaking countries and the rest of the world, focus on basic literacy, fluency, motivation and individuality, together with modern ‘quick and simple’ written communication, such as texts and email,  has softened the distinction between the acceptable use of English language and errors.

Lack of focus on errors is less serious for learners of English as their first language since they will acquire many of the subtleties of language use experientially in a range of developmental interactional environments, including via cultural semiotical signs and formulaic acquisition. However in EFL environments such as China, the consequences of lack of appreciation and use of such experiential language drivers are highly noticeable. Too many errors go unnoticed, corrections are misunderstood, and fossilised errors become institutionalised and taught to new waves of learners. Ambiguity abounds, false rules manifest and unnatural clichés and language develop.

As Chinese scholars and universities walk on the world stage, ever more prominently, a fresh approach is required to apply timely and effective top-down problem-solution strategies to the high level of unnoticed errors.

The current, often decade long, cycle from research proposal to implementation of recommendations in teaching, together with the incremental, overly-focused and often theoretical nature of such research, is unlikely to provide a solution anytime soon. However, the solution of the problem does begin with holistically understanding and modelling how the English language is natively owned and produced, followed by a creative approach to applying elements of this model to error solutions, teaching methods and materials. The purpose of this lecture is to examine the problem, to better understand the gap between native and second language learning and to suggest creative approaches, so as to allow diverse non-language function learning tools to be implemented, so as to narrow this gap by closer simulating native language learning and to allow error remedies to be relatively quickly implemented, monitored and evaluated.

21st century solutions for a 21st century world.

Self-intro of Ian Hunter:

A native English speaker born in the UK, Ian has forged an unusually varied and successful career path. After graduating from an engineering scholarship, he travelled worldwide as a plant and project engineer in the oil industry. This was followed by a career in factory management in England, resulting in him achieving the position of Group General Manager, in charge of several manufacturing factories across the UK, whilst at the same time developing his own property company. However, in an attempt to repay society his good fortune, Ian returned to university several times, enabling him then to have careers as a physiological counsellor, charity manager, magazine editor, junior court judge and finally an English teacher, via Cambridge University CELTA.

Ian has travelled to 46 countries, giving him a clear perspective of English as a World Language. He has developed comprehensive practical English abilities and knowledge, as a result of diverse studies and the experiential development of his English skills, such as when conducting court proceedings, international business, counselling, writing articles or empowering the poor.

2011 is Ian’s third year of teaching English in Chinese Universities. His focus is on teaching ‘real life’ English skills, using a motivational task based teaching style with meaningful productive tasks each class. Ian is also a copy editor with The Beijing Journal of Applied Linguistics and is interested in conducting SLA research. With his research partner, he is currently investigating error analysis, from the perspective of the experiential gap between native speakers and second language learners, and in the classification and justifications of the most subtle aspects of choice and order of English words.

欢迎广大师生参加！

外国语学院

2012-05-21