谷約
中國(guó)的語(yǔ)文老師在講解課文時(shí),喜歡分析文章的中心思想和段落大意,同時(shí)注重分析文章的寫(xiě)作手法和技巧。這種教學(xué)方法有利但也有弊,其弊端在于強(qiáng)調(diào)用收斂性思維讓學(xué)生欣賞和模仿范文的結(jié)構(gòu)和語(yǔ)句,導(dǎo)致學(xué)生對(duì)課文的理解角度單一和公式化,不利于培養(yǎng)他們的發(fā)散性思維和批判性思維。但值得肯定的是,中國(guó)學(xué)生能大量接觸到常用的寫(xiě)作技巧,如開(kāi)門見(jiàn)山、情景交融、首尾呼應(yīng)、承上啟下、托物言志等,也能接觸到各類文體類型,如敘述、描寫(xiě)、抒情、議論和說(shuō)明等。不過(guò),就寫(xiě)作的基本要求和規(guī)范而言,英漢兩種語(yǔ)言之間并沒(méi)有太大的差異,有些寫(xiě)作手法和技巧在兩種語(yǔ)言中是通用的,比如第一人稱敘事法(first person narration)和順敘法(chronological order)。
第一人稱敘事法是以第一人稱“我”的視角把文章內(nèi)容傳達(dá)給讀者,文章中所寫(xiě)內(nèi)容都是“我”的親身經(jīng)歷或者親眼所見(jiàn)、親耳所聞,給讀者一種親切、真實(shí)的感覺(jué),留學(xué)文書(shū)基本都采用這種寫(xiě)法。但申請(qǐng)者需要注意的是,在寫(xiě)作過(guò)程中不能突然引入第二人稱(你、你們等)。有許多留學(xué)文書(shū)從頭至尾是以“我”為中心,比如“我”在某次競(jìng)賽得了一等獎(jiǎng),“我”遠(yuǎn)赴非洲宣傳艾滋病的防治知識(shí),“我”曾經(jīng)如何如何,但是行文到結(jié)尾處時(shí)突然來(lái)一句“真心希望到貴校的實(shí)驗(yàn)室做研究”。這樣一來(lái),第二人稱“貴?!本褪挂黄獢⑹挛恼伦兂闪艘环庑牛@是留學(xué)文書(shū)的大忌,也是申請(qǐng)者易犯的錯(cuò)誤。
順敘法是按時(shí)間的先后順序來(lái)敘述事情,與事情的實(shí)際進(jìn)展情況相一致,可以使文章條理清楚,脈絡(luò)分明。采用這一寫(xiě)法時(shí),申請(qǐng)者要注意兩點(diǎn):①主線要清晰,各段之間的銜接要順暢,不能天馬行空,想到什么寫(xiě)什么;②剪裁得當(dāng),詳略分明,就像一部電影有主角和配角一樣,一篇文書(shū)也要有詳有略,否則就容易出現(xiàn)單一羅列、平鋪直敘的毛病,寫(xiě)成流水賬。
案例分析
下面我們通過(guò)兩個(gè)案例來(lái)談?wù)勗谖臅?shū)寫(xiě)作中如何運(yùn)用第一人稱敘事法和順敘法。
文書(shū)案例1
申請(qǐng)者N想去英國(guó)攻讀會(huì)計(jì)學(xué)。她寫(xiě)的留學(xué)文書(shū)很吸引人,核心結(jié)構(gòu)就是按照順敘法展開(kāi)的。下面是申請(qǐng)者提供的中文內(nèi)容,因版面有限,內(nèi)容有刪節(jié)。
我五歲隨父親到英國(guó)做生意。在那里,我進(jìn)入幼兒園,結(jié)識(shí)了一些英國(guó)小朋友。一年半后,我匆匆道別英國(guó),跟父親回到中國(guó),開(kāi)始了小學(xué)和中學(xué)的生活。那時(shí)候,我經(jīng)常在家里的飯桌上聽(tīng)父親和他的同行談?wù)搰?guó)際貿(mào)易、財(cái)務(wù)、稅收方面的話題,從而了解到做會(huì)計(jì)不僅僅是一個(gè)數(shù)錢、發(fā)工資的簡(jiǎn)單勞動(dòng)。鑒于中國(guó)緊缺具有專業(yè)素養(yǎng)、國(guó)際視野、雙語(yǔ)能力和管理經(jīng)驗(yàn)的會(huì)計(jì)師,我選擇在大學(xué)學(xué)會(huì)計(jì)專業(yè)。在大學(xué)期間,我為完成一個(gè)PowerPoint演示項(xiàng)目,采訪了兩個(gè)正準(zhǔn)備去歐洲投資建廠的中國(guó)公司高管。在同他們的交流中,我了解到全球各國(guó)在理解和執(zhí)行國(guó)際一般公認(rèn)會(huì)計(jì)原則(GAAP, generally accepted accounting principles)時(shí)存在比較嚴(yán)重的差異,給他們的境外投資帶來(lái)了諸多麻煩,這件事讓我萌發(fā)了到英國(guó)深造的念頭。如果再次回英國(guó),我很想去小時(shí)候和父親租住的寓所看看。
全文主線清晰且銜接順暢:在英國(guó)上幼兒園—在中國(guó)讀中小學(xué)—大學(xué)學(xué)會(huì)計(jì)—完成PowerPoint演示項(xiàng)目—決定去英國(guó)讀研—想回到兒時(shí)的英國(guó)住所看看??上О阻滴㈣Γ谏暾?qǐng)者所寫(xiě)的英文稿中,在人稱和敘事順序方面,出現(xiàn)了常見(jiàn)的錯(cuò)誤。下文我們舉例說(shuō)明。
錯(cuò)誤一:I am an enthusiastic and hard-working person. I love fashion. I have at various times worked as a fashion model in automotive shows. I enjoy interacting with people.
評(píng)析:這段文字更像是個(gè)人評(píng)語(yǔ),把記敘文變成了說(shuō)明文或議論文,游離在全文的主線之外,放在哪里都不合適,顯得比較突兀。本段的修改方案有兩種:一是把這部分刪除,二是把主觀評(píng)價(jià)部分刪除,重點(diǎn)放在當(dāng)模特和享受與人互動(dòng)的部分,并展開(kāi)詳細(xì)敘述。當(dāng)然,申請(qǐng)者還要考慮如何把這段經(jīng)歷和整篇文章以及學(xué)會(huì)計(jì)學(xué)的動(dòng)機(jī)有機(jī)結(jié)合起來(lái)。
錯(cuò)誤二:I plan to go back to Plymouth, Englands beautiful west country, to see if the house I used to live in near Southside Street is still in good shape, and I might have the luck to encounter our nice land-lady and my childhood friends at the corner in the Fish & Chips joint. I look forward to that day with high anticipation.
I wish that I could turn my dreams and ideas into realities. I hope that I will be accepted by your university.
評(píng)析:這兩段是文章的結(jié)尾段。倒數(shù)第二段提到想回兒時(shí)在英國(guó)的住所看看,正好與文章開(kāi)頭“我”小時(shí)候跟隨爸爸去英國(guó)形成前后呼應(yīng),已經(jīng)是非常好的結(jié)束語(yǔ)了,最后一段純屬畫(huà)蛇添足,應(yīng)該刪去。提醒申請(qǐng)者要注意的是,文書(shū)不是信件,不應(yīng)引入第二人稱your university。
文書(shū)案例2
許多大學(xué)要求申請(qǐng)者根據(jù)如下題目寫(xiě)一篇Essay:“Describe the world you come from—for example, your family, community, or school—and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.”題目要求申請(qǐng)者敘述一下成長(zhǎng)的環(huán)境,講講家庭、社區(qū)或?qū)W校是如何影響自己,讓自己懷揣夢(mèng)想、胸懷大志的。以下是申請(qǐng)者J針對(duì)這個(gè)題目寫(xiě)的中文原稿,文章雖有瑕疵,但整體質(zhì)量不錯(cuò),可以給正在或?qū)⒁獎(jiǎng)邮謱?xiě)留學(xué)文書(shū)的學(xué)生一些啟發(fā)。因版面關(guān)系,文章有刪節(jié)。
我來(lái)自一個(gè)熱愛(ài)廣播的家庭。小時(shí)候與祖輩生活在一起,受生活條件所限,姥爺?shù)闹胁ㄊ找魴C(jī)是一個(gè)主要的信息來(lái)源。雖然我不太懂里面播出的大部分內(nèi)容,但我會(huì)在一旁靜靜地聽(tīng)著。五六歲時(shí),我回到父母身邊。因?yàn)樗麄児ぷ髅?,每天放學(xué)后我都會(huì)在傳達(dá)室等他們來(lái)接我。傳達(dá)室中笨重的調(diào)頻錄音機(jī)總是開(kāi)著,于是我就在傳達(dá)室中收聽(tīng)廣播。長(zhǎng)大后,我和表哥的聯(lián)系逐漸增多。表哥是一個(gè)廣播迷,因?yàn)樗≡诮紖^(qū),為了收聽(tīng)到音質(zhì)更好的廣播,他在他的小型調(diào)頻收音機(jī)上增加了一條線延伸到窗外。他喜歡聽(tīng)“零點(diǎn)樂(lè)話”節(jié)目,還時(shí)常寫(xiě)信給他們。在初一那年,我有了自己的調(diào)頻收音機(jī),是一個(gè)小型便攜式收音機(jī),我也開(kāi)始收聽(tīng)每周日的“零點(diǎn)樂(lè)話”,那時(shí)已經(jīng)允許聽(tīng)眾打電話給節(jié)目留言。初三那年,我的便攜式收音機(jī)被數(shù)字收音機(jī)取代,每晚我把它開(kāi)啟,放在床頭,通過(guò)數(shù)字鍵就可以準(zhǔn)確地調(diào)到想要收聽(tīng)的節(jié)目。高一時(shí),我的數(shù)字收音機(jī)被手機(jī)取代,晚上我會(huì)用手機(jī)聽(tīng)廣播。高二時(shí),電臺(tái)開(kāi)通了網(wǎng)絡(luò)收聽(tīng)廣播,還有視頻直播,更有廣播回放的功能,可以點(diǎn)播已經(jīng)播過(guò)的節(jié)目。我喜愛(ài)的“零點(diǎn)樂(lè)話”欄目也新增加了郵件和微博這兩種互動(dòng)方式,在白天我也會(huì)登錄節(jié)目的論壇和在線聽(tīng)眾聊天。
從寫(xiě)信到電話留言,再到手機(jī)短信和網(wǎng)絡(luò)留言,從沙沙作響的中波收音機(jī)到清楚許多的調(diào)頻收音機(jī),再到能準(zhǔn)確調(diào)臺(tái)的數(shù)字收音機(jī)和可以回放的網(wǎng)絡(luò)電臺(tái),我認(rèn)識(shí)到這一切的變化都是因?yàn)殡娮蛹夹g(shù)的快速發(fā)展。
看著十多年前姥爺使用的中波收音機(jī),我想他老人家如果還健在的話,就可以上網(wǎng)反復(fù)收聽(tīng)他喜歡的評(píng)書(shū)節(jié)目了。而對(duì)我來(lái)講,我也愿意通過(guò)自己的學(xué)習(xí)收聽(tīng)來(lái)自更遠(yuǎn)的地區(qū)的廣播。
文章運(yùn)用第一人稱和順敘法,以“我”和“我的家人”為主,全文按照“小時(shí)候—五六歲—逐漸長(zhǎng)大—初中—高中”的時(shí)間順序展開(kāi),講述了老百姓的生活,折射出一個(gè)時(shí)代的變遷,同時(shí)又和自己喜歡的電子和媒體技術(shù)專業(yè)緊密結(jié)合,可謂佳作。英文參考范文如下。
I come from a family of avid (熱衷的) radio listeners. I used to live with my grandparents, whose medium-wave radio was their only source of information besides newspapers. My grandpas favorite was a story-telling and ballad singing program. It was a long series that was broadcast once a day with no reruns, so Grandpa had to adjust the radio knob constantly to get the best reception. The reception was not always good, however. Static noise was a nuisance, but that did not stop Grandpa from listening very intently. I knew when he was listening I was not supposed to interrupt.
評(píng)析:申請(qǐng)者開(kāi)門見(jiàn)山地道出文章的中心內(nèi)容是聽(tīng)廣播,同時(shí)又明確提示讀者這篇文章是按照順敘法來(lái)寫(xiě)的。為了避免平鋪直敘,這里生動(dòng)地描寫(xiě)了中波收音機(jī)收聽(tīng)效果不理想的問(wèn)題,為下文的技術(shù)演變做好了鋪墊。
At about age 6, I left my grandparents and returned back to Mom and Dad. My parents were often busy, so I had to wait a long time, sometimes hours, before they would pick me up from school. The school custodian (看門人) would keep a watchful eye on me in his gatehouse while listening to his rather clumsy looking FM radio. At home, in the evening, I would tune in to listen to my favorite childrens stories.
As I grew older, I became close to my cousin, who had a portable FM radio, which he prized more than anything else. Because he lived on the outskirts of Beijing, the signals were weak. He made his own antenna (天線): a wire that went all the way out through the window. His listening habits were different in that he preferred interactive programs involving listener participation and feedback. He would write to the radio talk-show host and be thrilled for days on end when the host mentioned his name in the program.
I had my own radio, very much like my cousins, when I entered middle school. And like my cousin, I too became a regular listener of the same talk-show. The only difference was that now the host would take phone calls or phone messages, making the program much more accessible to the audience.
Then I had a digital radio in my third year at middle school. It was always at my bedside. In the evenings as I wound down, I turned on the radio and marveled at the audio quality, so crisp and so clear.
The digital radio was soon replaced by my cell phone when I entered high school. I used it more as a radio than a mobile phone. I could tune in wherever I went. I continued to listen to the same talk-show host, but instead of calling the host, I text-messaged him like most of the other younger listeners.
My sophomore year at high school saw the explosion of online products offering brand-new listening experiences: Live video streaming, microblogging, podcasting, and chatting all became available to me at my fingertips. I made friends not just from Beijing but throughout the country and sometimes from abroad through online sharing and meetings. The world has indeed become a village.
評(píng)析:上述幾段均具有如下特點(diǎn):①段落首句點(diǎn)明文章在敘述順序上是隨時(shí)間逐漸推進(jìn)的;②行文表現(xiàn)出隨著時(shí)間的推進(jìn),廣播的接收器和聽(tīng)眾的收聽(tīng)方式也在不斷地變化;③申請(qǐng)者在文字方面主要突出“我”對(duì)廣播電子產(chǎn)品和廣播收聽(tīng)體驗(yàn)的熟悉程度,字里行間沒(méi)有任何自我贊美之詞,卻非常巧妙地體現(xiàn)出“廣播伴我成長(zhǎng)”以及“我”對(duì)廣播專業(yè)的知識(shí)和技術(shù)非常在行。
I just wish my grandpa was still alive! He would be impressed with the electronic technologies that have transformed my life and the lives of my generation. My generation has benefitted from technological development; it is up to us to make things even better.
評(píng)析:文章以祖父和廣播技術(shù)開(kāi)始,又以祖父和廣播技術(shù)結(jié)尾,達(dá)到了前后呼應(yīng)的效果。最后兩句寫(xiě)出了自己的夢(mèng)想和抱負(fù)(dreams and aspirations),緊扣自己的學(xué)習(xí)動(dòng)機(jī),非常好地回答了Essay的題目要求。