Some of the advantages of bilingualism include better performance at tasks involving “executive function” (which involves the brain’s ability to plan and prioritize), better defense against dementia in old age and—the obvious—the ability to speak a second language. One purported advantage was not mentioned, though. Many multilinguals report different personalities, or even different worldviews, when they speak their different languages.
It’s an exciting notion, the idea that one’s very self could be broadened by the mastery of two or more languages. In obvious ways (exposure to new friends, literature and so forth) the self really is broadened. Yet it is different to claim—as many people do—to have a different personality when using a different language. A former Economist colleague, for example, reported being ruder in Hebrew than in English. So what is going on here?
Benjamin Lee Whorf, an American linguist who died in 1941, held that each language encodes a worldview that significantly influences its speakers. Often called “Whorfianism”, this idea has its sceptics, but there are still good reasons to believe language shapes thought.
This influence is not necessarily linked to the vocabulary or grammar of a second language. Significantly, most people are not symmetrically bilingual. Many have learned one language at home from parents, and another later in life, usually at school. So bilinguals usually have different strengths and weaknesses in their different languages—and they are not always best in their first language. For example, when tested in a foreign language, people are less likely to fall into a cognitive trap (answering a test question with an obvious-seeming but wrong answer) than when tested in their native language. In part this is because working in a second language slows down the thinking. No wonder people feel different when speaking them. And no wonder they feel looser, more spontaneous, perhaps more assertive or funnier or blunter, in the language they were reared in from childhood.
What of “crib” bilinguals, raised in two languages? Even they do not usually have perfectly symmetrical competence in their two languages. But even for a speaker whose two languages are very nearly the same in ability, there is another big reason that person will feel different in the two languages. This is because there is an important distinction between bilingualism and biculturalism.
Many bilinguals are not bicultural. But some are. And of those bicultural bilinguals, we should be little surprised that they feel different in their two languages. Experiments in psychology have shown the power of “priming”—small unnoticed factors that can affect behavior in big ways. Asking people to tell a happy story, for example, will put them in a better mood. The choice between two languages is a huge prime. Speaking Spanish rather than English, for a bilingual and bicultural Puerto Rican in New York, might conjure feelings of family and home. Switching to English might prime the same person to think of school and work.
So there are two very good reasons (asymmetrical ability, and priming) that make people feel different speaking their different languages. We are still left with a third kind of argument, though. An economist recently interviewed here at Prospero, Athanasia Chalari, said for example that: Greeks are very loud and they interrupt each other very often. The reason for that is the Greek grammar and syntax. When Greeks talk they begin their sentences with verbs and the form of the verb includes a lot of information so you already know what they are talking about after the first word and can interrupt more easily.
Is there something intrinsic to the Greek language that encourages Greeks to interrupt? People seem to enjoy telling tales about their languages’ inherent properties, and how they influence their speakers. A group of French intellectual worthies once proposed, rather self-flatteringly, that French be the sole legal language of the EU, because of its supposedly unmatchable rigor and precision. Some Germans believe that frequently putting the verb at the end of a sentence makes the language especially logical. But language myths are not always self-flattering: many speakers think their languages are unusually illogical or difficult—witness the plethora of books along the lines of “Only in English do you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway; English must be the craziest language in the world!” We also see some unsurprising overlap with national stereotypes and self-stereotypes: French, rigorous; German, logical; English, playful. Of course.
In this case, Ms Chalari, a scholar, at least proposed a specific and plausible line of causation from grammar to personality: in Greek, the verb comes first, and it carries a lot of information, hence easy interrupting. The problem is that many unrelated languages all around the world put the verb at the beginning of sentences. Many languages all around the world are heavily inflected, encoding lots of information in verbs. It would be a striking finding if all of these unrelated languages had speakers more prone to interrupting each other. Welsh, for example, is also both verb-first and about as heavily inflected as Greek, but the Welsh are not known as pushy conversationalists.【英语专业八级2018】
1. According to the author, which of the following advantages of bilingualism is commonly accepted?
2. According to the passage, that language influences thought may be related to ________.
3. What is the author’s response to the question at the beginning of Para 8?
4. Which of the following statements concerning Para 9 is correct?
5. In discussing the issue, the author’s attitude is ________.
问题1选项
A.Personality improvement.
B.Better task performance.
C.Change of worldviews.
D.Avoidance of old-age disease.
问题2选项
A.the vocabulary of a second language
B.the grammar of a second language
C.the improved test performance in a second language
D.the slowdown of thinking in a second language
问题3选项
A.It’s just one of the popular tales of national stereotypes.
B.Some properties inherent can make a language logical.
C.German and French are good examples of Whorfianism.
D.There is adequate evidence to support a positive answer.
问题4选项
A.Ms. Chalari’s theory about the Greek language is well grounded.
B.Speakers of many other languages are also prone to interrupting.
C.Grammar is unnecessarily a condition for change in personality.
D.Many unrelated languages don’t have the same features as Greek.
问题5选项
A.satirical
B.objective
C.critical
D.ambivalent
第1题:B
第2题:D
第3题:A
第4题:C
第5题:B
第1题:
【选项释义】
According to the author, which of the following advantages of bilingualism is commonly accepted? 根据作者的说法,以下哪项双语的优点是普遍接受的?
A. Personality improvement. A. 性格的改善。
B. Better task performance. B. 更好地完成任务。
C. Change of worldviews. C. 世界观的改变。
D. Avoidance of old-age disease. D. 避免老年病的发生。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词advantages和commonly accepted可以定位到文章第一段第一句“双语的部分优势包括在涉及“执行功能”的任务中表现更好(better performance at tasks involving “executive function”)(这涉及大脑的计划和优先次序的能力),更好地抵御老年痴呆(better defense against dementia),以及显而易见的说第二语言的能力(the ability to speak a second language)”,说明普遍接受的双语的优点其中之一是在任务中表现更好。因此B选项“更好地完成任务。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“性格的改善。”和C选项“世界观的改变。”,文章说的是在使用不同语言是会展现不同的性格和世界观,而不是改变性格和世界观,属于曲解原文;
D选项“避免老年病的发生。”,文章说的是预防老年痴呆,但不能完全避免,属于过度推断。
第2题:
【选项释义】
According to the passage, that language influences thought may be related to ________. 根据这篇文章,语言影响思想的说法可能与________。
A. the vocabulary of a second language A. 第二语言的词汇量
B. the grammar of a second language B. 第二语言的语法
C. the improved test performance in a second language C. 第二语言的考试成绩的提高
D. the slowdown of thinking in a second language D. 用第二语言思考的速度减慢
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词可以定位到文章第四段,本段首先指出“这种影响并不一定与第二语言的词汇或语法有关”,接着举例说明:“用外语测试时,人们陷入认知陷阱的可能性要小,因为用第二语言工作减慢了思维速度(working in a second language slows down the thinking)”。因此D选项“用第二语言思考的速度减慢”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“第二语言的词汇量”和B选项“第二语言的语法”,文章说的是这种影响并不一定与第二语言的词汇或语法有关,属于反向干扰;
C选项“第二语言的考试成绩的提高”在文中没有提及,属于无中生有。
第3题:
【选项释义】
What is the author’s response to the question at the beginning of Para 8? 作者对第八段开头的问题的回答是什么?
A. It’s just one of the popular tales of national stereotypes. A. 这只是民族成见的流行故事之一。
B. Some properties inherent can make a language logical. B. 一些固有的属性可以使一种语言符合逻辑。
C. German and French are good examples of Whorfianism. C. 德语和法语是沃尔夫主义的好例子。
D. There is adequate evidence to support a positive answer. D. 有足够的证据来支持肯定的答案。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】本段首先提出“希腊语中是否有某种内在的特点让希腊人更容易打断彼此吗?”的问题,接着举例说明人们对于某些语言的特点有一些固有的看法和传言,对该问题的回答在第九段:“威尔士语也同希腊语一样是以动词开头且富于词尾变化,但威尔士人在交谈时却并不争先恐后”,说明作者认为希腊语的这种特点会导致希腊人习惯打断彼此这一点其实没有切实的依据,和前面的例子一样是一种固定看法和传言。因此A选项“这只是民族成见的流行故事之一。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“一些固有的属性可以使一种语言符合逻辑。”,由第八段第二句“人们似乎喜欢在谈到自己语言的固有特征,以及它们会如何影响其使用者时讲到一些传说”可知,作者并不认同这种观点,属于反向干扰;
C选项“德语和法语是沃尔夫主义的好例子。”,沃尔夫主义讲的是语言和世界观的问题,与第八段讲的问题无关,属于出处错位;
D选项“有足够的证据来支持肯定的答案。”,作者是否定语言的某种固有特点会导致某种行为的,属于反向干扰。
第4题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following statements concerning Para 9 is correct? 以下关于第九段的说法哪个是正确的?
A. Ms. Chalari’s theory about the Greek language is well grounded. A. 查拉瑞女士关于希腊语的理论是有根据的。
B. Speakers of many other languages are also prone to interrupting. B. 许多其他语言的使用者也容易插话。
C. Grammar is unnecessarily a condition for change in personality. C. 语法不是改变性格的必要条件。
D. Many unrelated languages don’t have the same features as Greek. D. 许多不相关的语言都没有希腊语的特点。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据关键词定位到文章第九段最后一句“威尔士语也同希腊语一样是以动词开头且富于词尾变化,但威尔士人在交谈时却并不争先恐后”,说明不同的语法特点不一定会导致人们不同的行为的表现,也就是说语法不一定是改变性格的必要条件。因此C选项“语法不是改变性格的必要条件。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“查拉瑞女士关于希腊语的理论是有根据的。”,由第九段第二句“问题在于,全世界许多与希腊语不相关的语言也是以动词开头的”可知,查拉瑞女士的理论是没有根据的,属于反向干扰;
B选项“许多其他语言的使用者也容易插话。”在文中没有提及,属于无中生有;
D选项“许多不相关的语言都没有希腊语的特点。”,由第九段第三句“世界上许多语言有大量的词形屈折变化,而且动词中也包含大量的信息”可知,其他许多语言和希腊语有着同样的特点,属于反向干扰。
第5题:
【选项释义】
In discussing the issue, the author’s attitude is ________. 在讨论这个问题时,作者的态度是________。
A. satirical A. 讽刺性的
B. objective B. 客观的
C. critical C. 批判的
D. ambivalent D. 矛盾的
【考查点】观点态度题。
【解题思路】本文首先指出使用双语存在部分优势,接着提出许多使用多种语言的人在说不同的语言时表现出不同的性格,甚至不同的世界观这一观点,然后在下文探讨了双语对人们思维和行为的影响,作者的论述方式是通过引用、举例等,不包含自己的主观情感,也没有批判某一种观点。因此B选项“客观的”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“讽刺性的”,C选项“批判的”和D选项“矛盾的”在文中均无法体现,属于无中生有。
【文章来源】《经济学人》(The Economist)2013
【参考译文】
双语的部分优势包括在涉及“执行功能”的任务中表现更好(这涉及大脑的计划和优先次序的能力),更好地抵御老年痴呆,以及显而易见的说第二语言的能力。不过,其中一个传说中的优势并没有被提及。许多使用多种语言的人在说不同的语言时表现出不同的性格,甚至不同的世界观。
这是一个令人兴奋的想法,一个人可以通过掌握两种或两种以上的语言来拓宽自我。通过显而易见的方式(接触新朋友、文学等等),自我确实得到了拓宽。然而,这与所说的——正如很多人提到的——在使用另一种语言时体现一种不同的个性并不是一回事。例如,《经济学人》的一位前同事说使用希伯来语时比英语更粗鲁。那么这是怎么回事呢?
1941年去世的美国语言学家本杰明•李•沃尔夫认为,每种语言都蕴含着一种世界观,这种世界观对其使用者产生了重大影响。这一观点常被称为“沃尔夫主义”,有人对此持怀疑态度,但仍有充分的理由相信语言塑造了思维。
这种影响并不一定与第二语言的词汇或语法有关。值得注意的是,大多数人都不是平衡的双语者。许多人在家里从父母那里学会了一种语言,在以后的生活中,通常是在学校里学会了另一种语言。因此,双语者在他们不同的语言中通常有不同的优势和劣势,而且他们的第一语言并不总是掌握得最好的。例如,用外语测试时,人们陷入认知陷阱(用一个似是而非的答案回答测试问题)的可能性比用母语测试时要小。这在一定程度上是因为用第二语言工作减慢了思维速度。难怪人们在说第二语言时感觉不一样。也难怪他们在使用从小受教所说的语言时感觉更放松、更自然,也可能更自信、更怪异或更直率。
那么从小使用两种语言长大的“婴幼”双语者呢?即使是他们,在两种语言中通常也没有完全平衡的能力。但是,即使是对一个两种语言能力几乎相同的人来说,还有一个在两种语言中感觉不同的重要原因。这是因为双语主义和双文化主义之间有一个重大的区别。
许多双语者并没有双文化背景。但有些人也有。对于那些拥有两种文化背景的双语者,他们在使用两种语言时感觉不同应该说是不足为奇的。心理学实验已经证明了“启动效应”的力量——一些不被注意到的微小因素可以在很大程度上影响行为。例如,让人们讲一个快乐的故事,会让他们心情更好。两种语言之间的选择是一个巨大的启动效应。说西班牙语而不是英语,对于一个在纽约的双语和双文化的波多黎各人来说,可能会激起对家人和家乡的情感。而切换到英语可能会让同一个人想到学校和工作。
所以有两个很充分的原因(能力不平衡和启动效应)让人们在说不同的语言时感觉不同。我们还剩下第三种论证。一位经济学家阿斯纳西亚•查拉瑞最近在普洛斯彼罗接受采访时说:希腊人很吵,他们经常打断对方。原因在于希腊语的语法和句法。当希腊人说话时,他们以动词开始他们的句子,动词的不同形式包含了很多信息,让人们在听到第一个单词时就已经知道他们要说什么了。因此,他们往往就更容易被打断。
希腊语中是否有某种内在的特点让希腊人更容易打断彼此吗?人们似乎喜欢在谈到自己语言的固有特征,以及它们会如何影响其使用者时讲到一些传说。一群法国知识分子曾相当自鸣得意地提议,法语应该是欧盟唯一的法律语言,因为它被认为是无与伦比的严谨和精确。一些德国人认为,经常把动词放在句末会使语言特别符合逻辑。但是,语言神话并不总是自吹自擂的:也有很多人认为他们的母语异常地不合逻辑或难以理解——有太多的书中提到“只有在英语中,人们才会说“你只能在车道上停车,在公路上行驶。英语大抵是世界上最疯狂的语言吧!”不足为奇,我们也会看到很多人重复一些本国的或自己的老生常谈:法语刻板严谨,德语逻辑性强,英语风趣曲默。当然如此。
既然这样,学者查拉瑞女士认为,有关语言与性格之间的因果关联,至少可以提出一条具体可信的建议:由于希腊语先讲动词,而且又包含着大量的信息,因此谈话容易被打断。问题在于,全世界许多与希腊语不相关的语言也是以动词开头的。世界上许多语言有大量的词形屈折变化,而且动词中也包含大量的信息。如果所有使用具有这种特征语言的人,在说话时都易于相互打断,那么这将是一个惊人的发现。然而,仅举一例,威尔士语也同希腊语一样是以动词开头且富于词尾变化,但威尔士人在交谈时却并不争先恐后。