首页
登录
职称英语
American no longer expect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to
American no longer expect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to
游客
2023-12-23
41
管理
问题
American no longer expect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to command the English language with skill and gift. Nor do they aspire to such command themselves. In his latest book, Doing Our Own Thing. The Degradation of language and Music and why we should like, care, John McWhorter, a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English.
But the cult of the authentic and the personal, "doing our own thing", has spelt the death of formal speech, writing, poetry and music. While even the modestly educated sought an elevated tone when they put pen to paper before the 1960s, even the most well regarded writing since then has sought to capture spoken English on the page. Equally, in poetry, the highly personal, performative genre is the only form that could claim real liveliness. In both oral and written English, talking is triumphing over speaking, spontaneity over craft.
Illustrated with an entertaining array of examples from both high and low culture, the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable. But it is less clear, to take the question of his subtitle, why we should, like care. As a linguist, he acknowledges that all varieties of human language, including non-standard ones like Black English, can be powerfully expressive-there exists no language or dialect in the world that cannot convey complex ideas. He is not arguing, as many do, that we can no longer think straight because we do not talk proper.
Russians have a deep love for their own language and carry large chunks of memorized poetry in their heads, while Italian politicians tend to elaborate speech that would seem old-fashioned to most English-speakers. Mr. McWhorter acknowledges that formal language is not strictly necessary, and proposes no radical education reforms-he is really grieving over the loss of something beautiful more than useful. We now take our English "on paper plates instead of china". A shame, perhaps, but probably an inevitable one. [br] According to Mc Whorter, the decline of formal English ______.
选项
A、is inevitable in radical education reforms
B、is but all too natural in language development
C、has caused the controversy over the counter-culture
D、brought about changes in public attitudes in the 1960s
答案
B
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3299039.html
相关试题推荐
Americanshavefourprimaryavenuesformakingfriends:atwork,atschool,
Americanshavefourprimaryavenuesformakingfriends:atwork,atschool,
Americanshavefourprimaryavenuesformakingfriends:atwork,atschool,
Americanshavefourprimaryavenuesformakingfriends:atwork,atschool,
Americanshavefourprimaryavenuesformakingfriends:atwork,atschool,
Americanshavefourprimaryavenuesformakingfriends:atwork,atschool,
[originaltext]Americanbusinessmenfrequentlyusesocialsituationstomake
[originaltext]Americansuseavarietyofstrategiestoavoidsilence.Theykeep
[originaltext]Americansuseavarietyofstrategiestoavoidsilence.Theykeep
[originaltext]Americansuseavarietyofstrategiestoavoidsilence.Theykeep
随机试题
消防控制室对消防电话的控制和显示功能的描述中不正确的是()。A.消防控制室应
氯丙嗪抗精神病作用机制主要是A.阻断中枢多巴胺受体 B.激动中枢M胆碱受体
心理学家格塞尔的双生子爬梯实验,说明了()对幼儿学习技能的重要作用。 A.遗
1981年党的十一届六中全会作出的《关于建国以来党的若干历史问题的决议》,对毛泽
甲将一幅名画出售给乙,约定1个月后交付。但丙愿出更高的价格,甲遂将画卖给丙,并当
在我国选用的BPRS—般是18项版本,并按照()类因子进行记分。 (A)2
依托考昔的适应证是A.治疗骨关节炎急性期和慢性期的症状和体征、急性痛风性关节炎、
(2011年真题)债权人委员会是对破产程序进行监督的机构。下列关于债权人委员会的
承包人向发包人提交工程最终结清支付申请的时间是()。A.缺陷责任期终止后 B.
糖皮质激素诱发和加重感染的主要原因是A.抑制炎症反应和免疫反应、降低机体的防御功
最新回复
(
0
)