Part Four
Americans 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, see the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English.
Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new, but this is not yet another criticism against the decline in education. Mr Mcwhorter's academic speciality is language history and change, and he sees the gradual disappearance of "whom", for example, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss the case-endings of Old 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 1960's 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 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 educational 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.
16. According to Mcwhorter, the decline of formal English
[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
17. The word "talking" （Line 6, Paragraph 3）denotes
[A] modesty [B] personality [C] liveliness [D] informality
18. To which of the following statements would McWhorter most likely agree?
[A] Logical thinking is not necessarily related to the way we talk.
[B] Black English can be more expressive than standard English.
[C] Non-standard varieties of human language are just as entertaining.
[D] Of all the varieties, standard English can best convey complex ideas.
19. The description of Russians' love of memorizing poetry shows the author's
[A] interest in their language. [B] appreciation of their efforts.
[C] admiration for their memory. [D] contempt for their old-fashionedness.
20. According to the last paragraph, "paper plates" is to "china" as
[A] "temporary" is to "permanent." [B] "radical" is to "conservative"
[C] "functional" is to "artistic" [D] "humble" is to "noble"
Unit12 （2005） Part 4
重點詞匯：
1. degradation（惡化，退化）即de向下+grad=step級，步+ation名詞后綴→逐步向下→退化。Ageing is accompanyied by a slow degradation of his mental faculties. 他隨年紀(jì)增長，智力逐漸衰退
2. linguist （語言學(xué)家；通曉數(shù)國語言者）即 lingu= tongue舌頭+ist→玩轉(zhuǎn)舌頭的人→語言學(xué)家。bilingual 兩條舌頭→雙語者；multilingual 好多舌頭→通多國語言者。She’s an excellent linguist. 她精通數(shù)國語言
3. controversialist （善辯者，好辯者） 即 controversialist＝contra反+versus轉(zhuǎn)+list。 形容詞：controversial 有爭議的
4. conservative （保守的）Old people tend to be conservation in their attitudes. 老年人的看法往往保守Conservative Party （英國）保守黨 [聯(lián)想記憶] moderate 溫和的 radical 激進的
5. counter-culture （反正統(tǒng)文化） 指1960～70年代美國青年中形成的一種文化思潮，表現(xiàn)為反傳統(tǒng)生活方式和道德觀念
6. case-ending 詞格尾綴 case 指語法中的格
7. elevated（高雅的，高尚的） an evelvated highway 高架路 elevated thoughts 崇高的理想 動詞：elevate 提高
8. genre （［文學(xué)藝術(shù)等的］ 類型，流派） The novel and short story are different genres.長篇小說和短篇故事是不同的類別
9. spontaneity?。ㄗ匀?，自發(fā)[動作]）形容詞：spontaneous 自然的，自發(fā)的 a spontaneous gaiety of manner 天真愉快的神態(tài) The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous. 火山爆發(fā)是自發(fā)的
10. illustrate?。ㄅe例說明） 即 il=on+lustr=bright 光明 + ate（v.）→進入光明→說明。A well- illustrated magazine.有精美插畫的雜志 To illustrate my point,I have done a comparative anyalysis.為說明我的觀點，我作了對比分析
11. chunk （相當(dāng)數(shù)量） I’ve completed a fair chunk of my article. 我已經(jīng)把文章的一大部分寫完了
12. elaborate?。ň闹谱鞯模涸斒觯┘磂+labor勞動+ate→勞動出來→精工細作。an elaborate plot 精心策劃的陰謀 You understand the situation; I needn’t elaborate any further. 你了解形勢，我無需贅述
13. grieve over （對…感到傷感、悲痛）grav,grief=heary沉重，憂愁。 It’s no use grieving over past errors. 為以往的錯誤懊悔于事無補
難句解析：
① 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.
該句子的主干是John McWhorte sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline。主語前的介詞短語in his latest book做狀語，book后有一個較長的書名充當(dāng)其同位語。主語和謂語之間為主語的同位語，對主語補充說明。
本句的難點是對兩個同位語的把握。
② Mr.McWhorter’s academic speciality is language history and change, and he sees the gradual disappearance of “whom” ,for example, to be natural and no more regranttable than the loss of the case-endings of Old English.
本句是一個并列句，包含兩個以and連接的分句，其中第二個分句比較復(fù)雜：賓語是the gradual disappearance of “whom”,后面是插入語for example, 接著是to be natural and no more regranttable，這一部分作上述賓語的補足語，最后是比較結(jié)構(gòu)no more… than（象…一樣不…）。
③ 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.
句首的連詞while表示“雖然”，兩個even都表示讓步，同時加強了前后兩部分的對比；since then 意思是“從那以后”，then指的是the 1960s。
本句的難點是對連詞以及時間副詞的理解。
④As 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
該句子的主干是he acknowledges that all varieties can be expressive，謂語acknowledges后面是that引導(dǎo)的賓語從句。從句中主謂之間插入了介詞短語including non-standard ones like Black English。破折號后面分句對前面話語進行補充說明。
本句是個典型的長難句，結(jié)構(gòu)比較復(fù)雜。閱讀這種句子的正確方法是：從前向后，抓住獨立的謂語部分從而區(qū)分出主句和分詞狀語，再根據(jù)從句的連接詞區(qū)分主句和從句，層層理解，插入語在哪個層次就放在哪個層次當(dāng)中理解。
試題解析：
本文是一篇書評，選自The Economist ，這篇文章從語言史以及語言和社會文化關(guān)系的角度來探討究竟什么導(dǎo)致了英語的衰敗以及非正式英語大行其道的必然性。在文章的結(jié)尾處作者對這一無可避免的時代趨勢流露出了些許的哀嘆。
16. 【正確答案】 [B]
這是一道細節(jié)題。題干問：“根據(jù)McWhorter，正式英語的衰落 ……”。 本題可以定位在第2自然段，歸納該段的話題可知，該語言學(xué)家強調(diào)“語言的變化是自然的”，選項［B］正確。其實，在全文的最后一句又呼應(yīng)了這一觀點。選項［A］“在教育的根本改革中是不可避免的”，選項［Ｃ］“導(dǎo)致了關(guān)于反正統(tǒng)文化的爭論”和選項［D］“引起了在20世紀(jì)60年代大眾態(tài)度的改變”，三個選項是原文片語表達斷章取義的表述。
17. 【正確答案】 [D]
這是一道詞義題。題干問：“單詞”talking“（第三自然段第六行）的意思是 ……”。 本題考察的仍然是句群含義的歸納能力。解讀原文第3段可以看出作者談?wù)摰闹饕掝}為英語語體的變化問題，所以選項［D］“非正式”是“talking”一詞的內(nèi)涵。其實，作者本文談?wù)摰闹行木褪怯⒄Z語言語體的非正式變化趨勢的問題。選項［A］“適度”，選項［B］“個性”和選項［Ｃ］“生動”，三個選項的干擾性都比較強，由于三個選項中都包含原文強調(diào)的重要概念。但是如果代入原文無法在段落或更高的層次上構(gòu)成意義和邏輯上的一致性和連貫性。
18. 【正確答案】 [A]
這是一道細節(jié)題，問Mr. McWhorter的看法，準(zhǔn)確理解第三段末句便能確定答案為選項［A］“邏輯思維與我們談話的方式?jīng)]有必然的聯(lián)系”正確。選項［B］“黑人英語比標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英語有更強的表達力”，選項［Ｃ］“所有非標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的人類語言僅僅是娛樂性的”和選項［D］“在所有變體中，標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英語是最能表達復(fù)雜思想的”，三個選項是原文片語表達斷章取義的表述，或者不是該語言學(xué)家的觀點。
19【正確答案】. [B]
這是一道細節(jié)題。題干問：“文中提到俄國人喜歡背誦詩歌，目的是為了說明作者 ……”。本題考察考生對作者寫作目的的把握，在第5自然段中作者提到了俄國人和意大利人對正式用語的強調(diào)，并認為他們的語言是“something beautiful”。選項［B］“欣賞他們的努力”是正確的。［A］“對他們的語言感興趣”，選項［C］“羨慕他們的記憶力”和選項［D］“蔑視他們的守舊”，三個選項是原文片語表達斷章取義的表述，或者不是該語言學(xué)家提及此例證的目的。
20. 【正確答案】[C]
這是一道詞義類比題，問文章中“paper plates（紙碟子）”之于“china（瓷碟子）”的關(guān)系猶如“什么”于“什么”之間的關(guān)系。理解文章，尤其末段末三句可知，紙碟強調(diào)的是實用，一次性功用，而瓷碟不僅實用而且具有藝術(shù)美，C“功用性”與“藝術(shù)性”兩者的語義關(guān)系與它們對應(yīng)齊整，故為正確答案。A“臨時”“永久”；B“激進”“保守”；D“謙遜”“高尚”都是干擾項，應(yīng)排除。
全文翻譯：
美國人已不再期待公眾人物在演講或?qū)懽髦心苓\用技巧和文采來駕馭英語，而公眾人物自己也不渴望這樣。語言學(xué)家麥荷特喜好爭論，他的觀點混雜著自由派與保守派的看法。在他最近的書《做我們自己的事：語言和音樂的退化，以及為什么我們應(yīng)該喜歡或在意？》中，這位學(xué)者認為60年代反文化運動的勝利要對正式英語的退化負責(zé)。
責(zé)備放縱的六十年代不是什么新鮮事，但這次算不上是對教育衰落的又一場批判。麥荷特先生的學(xué)術(shù)專長在于語言史和語言演變。舉例來說，他認為“whom”一詞的逐漸消失是自然的，并不比古英語中詞格尾綴的消失更讓人惋惜。
然而，“做自己的事”這一對事務(wù)真實性和個人性的崇高信條，已經(jīng)導(dǎo)致了正式演講、寫作、詩歌及音樂的消亡。在20世紀(jì)60年代以前，僅受過一般教育的人在下筆時都會尋求一種更高雅的強調(diào)；而那之后，即使是關(guān)注的文章也開始逮住口語就寫在紙面上。同樣的，對于詩歌來說，非常個性化和富有表現(xiàn)力的創(chuàng)作風(fēng)格成為了能夠表達真實生動含義的形式。無論作為口語還是書面語的英語，隨意言談勝過雅致的言辭，自我發(fā)揮也壓過了精心準(zhǔn)備。
麥荷特顯示先生從上層和下層文化中列舉了一系列有趣的例子，從而說明他記錄的這種趨勢是確鑿無誤的。但就書中副標(biāo)題中的疑問：為什么我們應(yīng)該、喜歡或在意，答案卻不夠明確。作為語言學(xué)家，麥荷特認為各種各樣的人類語言，包括像黑人語言這樣的非標(biāo)準(zhǔn)語言，都具有強大的表達力――世上沒有傳達不了復(fù)雜思想的語言或方言。不像其他大多數(shù)人，麥荷特先生并不認為我們說話方式不再規(guī)范就會使我們不能夠準(zhǔn)確的思考。
俄羅斯人深愛自己的語言，并在腦海中存儲了大量詩歌；而意大利的政客們往往精心準(zhǔn)備演講，即使這在大多數(shù)講英語的人們眼里已經(jīng)過時。麥荷特先生認為正式語言并非不可或缺，也沒有提出要進行徹底的教育改革――他其實只是為那些美好事務(wù)而不是實用品的消逝而哀嘆。我們現(xiàn)在用“紙盤子”而非“瓷盤子”裝著我們的英語大餐。真是慚愧啊，但很可能已無法避免。
Americans 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, see the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English.
Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new, but this is not yet another criticism against the decline in education. Mr Mcwhorter's academic speciality is language history and change, and he sees the gradual disappearance of "whom", for example, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss the case-endings of Old 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 1960's 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 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 educational 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.
16. According to Mcwhorter, the decline of formal English
[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
17. The word "talking" （Line 6, Paragraph 3）denotes
[A] modesty [B] personality [C] liveliness [D] informality
18. To which of the following statements would McWhorter most likely agree?
[A] Logical thinking is not necessarily related to the way we talk.
[B] Black English can be more expressive than standard English.
[C] Non-standard varieties of human language are just as entertaining.
[D] Of all the varieties, standard English can best convey complex ideas.
19. The description of Russians' love of memorizing poetry shows the author's
[A] interest in their language. [B] appreciation of their efforts.
[C] admiration for their memory. [D] contempt for their old-fashionedness.
20. According to the last paragraph, "paper plates" is to "china" as
[A] "temporary" is to "permanent." [B] "radical" is to "conservative"
[C] "functional" is to "artistic" [D] "humble" is to "noble"
Unit12 （2005） Part 4
重點詞匯：
1. degradation（惡化，退化）即de向下+grad=step級，步+ation名詞后綴→逐步向下→退化。Ageing is accompanyied by a slow degradation of his mental faculties. 他隨年紀(jì)增長，智力逐漸衰退
2. linguist （語言學(xué)家；通曉數(shù)國語言者）即 lingu= tongue舌頭+ist→玩轉(zhuǎn)舌頭的人→語言學(xué)家。bilingual 兩條舌頭→雙語者；multilingual 好多舌頭→通多國語言者。She’s an excellent linguist. 她精通數(shù)國語言
3. controversialist （善辯者，好辯者） 即 controversialist＝contra反+versus轉(zhuǎn)+list。 形容詞：controversial 有爭議的
4. conservative （保守的）Old people tend to be conservation in their attitudes. 老年人的看法往往保守Conservative Party （英國）保守黨 [聯(lián)想記憶] moderate 溫和的 radical 激進的
5. counter-culture （反正統(tǒng)文化） 指1960～70年代美國青年中形成的一種文化思潮，表現(xiàn)為反傳統(tǒng)生活方式和道德觀念
6. case-ending 詞格尾綴 case 指語法中的格
7. elevated（高雅的，高尚的） an evelvated highway 高架路 elevated thoughts 崇高的理想 動詞：elevate 提高
8. genre （［文學(xué)藝術(shù)等的］ 類型，流派） The novel and short story are different genres.長篇小說和短篇故事是不同的類別
9. spontaneity?。ㄗ匀?，自發(fā)[動作]）形容詞：spontaneous 自然的，自發(fā)的 a spontaneous gaiety of manner 天真愉快的神態(tài) The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous. 火山爆發(fā)是自發(fā)的
10. illustrate?。ㄅe例說明） 即 il=on+lustr=bright 光明 + ate（v.）→進入光明→說明。A well- illustrated magazine.有精美插畫的雜志 To illustrate my point,I have done a comparative anyalysis.為說明我的觀點，我作了對比分析
11. chunk （相當(dāng)數(shù)量） I’ve completed a fair chunk of my article. 我已經(jīng)把文章的一大部分寫完了
12. elaborate?。ň闹谱鞯模涸斒觯┘磂+labor勞動+ate→勞動出來→精工細作。an elaborate plot 精心策劃的陰謀 You understand the situation; I needn’t elaborate any further. 你了解形勢，我無需贅述
13. grieve over （對…感到傷感、悲痛）grav,grief=heary沉重，憂愁。 It’s no use grieving over past errors. 為以往的錯誤懊悔于事無補
難句解析：
① 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.
該句子的主干是John McWhorte sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline。主語前的介詞短語in his latest book做狀語，book后有一個較長的書名充當(dāng)其同位語。主語和謂語之間為主語的同位語，對主語補充說明。
本句的難點是對兩個同位語的把握。
② Mr.McWhorter’s academic speciality is language history and change, and he sees the gradual disappearance of “whom” ,for example, to be natural and no more regranttable than the loss of the case-endings of Old English.
本句是一個并列句，包含兩個以and連接的分句，其中第二個分句比較復(fù)雜：賓語是the gradual disappearance of “whom”,后面是插入語for example, 接著是to be natural and no more regranttable，這一部分作上述賓語的補足語，最后是比較結(jié)構(gòu)no more… than（象…一樣不…）。
③ 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.
句首的連詞while表示“雖然”，兩個even都表示讓步，同時加強了前后兩部分的對比；since then 意思是“從那以后”，then指的是the 1960s。
本句的難點是對連詞以及時間副詞的理解。
④As 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
該句子的主干是he acknowledges that all varieties can be expressive，謂語acknowledges后面是that引導(dǎo)的賓語從句。從句中主謂之間插入了介詞短語including non-standard ones like Black English。破折號后面分句對前面話語進行補充說明。
本句是個典型的長難句，結(jié)構(gòu)比較復(fù)雜。閱讀這種句子的正確方法是：從前向后，抓住獨立的謂語部分從而區(qū)分出主句和分詞狀語，再根據(jù)從句的連接詞區(qū)分主句和從句，層層理解，插入語在哪個層次就放在哪個層次當(dāng)中理解。
試題解析：
本文是一篇書評，選自The Economist ，這篇文章從語言史以及語言和社會文化關(guān)系的角度來探討究竟什么導(dǎo)致了英語的衰敗以及非正式英語大行其道的必然性。在文章的結(jié)尾處作者對這一無可避免的時代趨勢流露出了些許的哀嘆。
16. 【正確答案】 [B]
這是一道細節(jié)題。題干問：“根據(jù)McWhorter，正式英語的衰落 ……”。 本題可以定位在第2自然段，歸納該段的話題可知，該語言學(xué)家強調(diào)“語言的變化是自然的”，選項［B］正確。其實，在全文的最后一句又呼應(yīng)了這一觀點。選項［A］“在教育的根本改革中是不可避免的”，選項［Ｃ］“導(dǎo)致了關(guān)于反正統(tǒng)文化的爭論”和選項［D］“引起了在20世紀(jì)60年代大眾態(tài)度的改變”，三個選項是原文片語表達斷章取義的表述。
17. 【正確答案】 [D]
這是一道詞義題。題干問：“單詞”talking“（第三自然段第六行）的意思是 ……”。 本題考察的仍然是句群含義的歸納能力。解讀原文第3段可以看出作者談?wù)摰闹饕掝}為英語語體的變化問題，所以選項［D］“非正式”是“talking”一詞的內(nèi)涵。其實，作者本文談?wù)摰闹行木褪怯⒄Z語言語體的非正式變化趨勢的問題。選項［A］“適度”，選項［B］“個性”和選項［Ｃ］“生動”，三個選項的干擾性都比較強，由于三個選項中都包含原文強調(diào)的重要概念。但是如果代入原文無法在段落或更高的層次上構(gòu)成意義和邏輯上的一致性和連貫性。
18. 【正確答案】 [A]
這是一道細節(jié)題，問Mr. McWhorter的看法，準(zhǔn)確理解第三段末句便能確定答案為選項［A］“邏輯思維與我們談話的方式?jīng)]有必然的聯(lián)系”正確。選項［B］“黑人英語比標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英語有更強的表達力”，選項［Ｃ］“所有非標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的人類語言僅僅是娛樂性的”和選項［D］“在所有變體中，標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英語是最能表達復(fù)雜思想的”，三個選項是原文片語表達斷章取義的表述，或者不是該語言學(xué)家的觀點。
19【正確答案】. [B]
這是一道細節(jié)題。題干問：“文中提到俄國人喜歡背誦詩歌，目的是為了說明作者 ……”。本題考察考生對作者寫作目的的把握，在第5自然段中作者提到了俄國人和意大利人對正式用語的強調(diào)，并認為他們的語言是“something beautiful”。選項［B］“欣賞他們的努力”是正確的。［A］“對他們的語言感興趣”，選項［C］“羨慕他們的記憶力”和選項［D］“蔑視他們的守舊”，三個選項是原文片語表達斷章取義的表述，或者不是該語言學(xué)家提及此例證的目的。
20. 【正確答案】[C]
這是一道詞義類比題，問文章中“paper plates（紙碟子）”之于“china（瓷碟子）”的關(guān)系猶如“什么”于“什么”之間的關(guān)系。理解文章，尤其末段末三句可知，紙碟強調(diào)的是實用，一次性功用，而瓷碟不僅實用而且具有藝術(shù)美，C“功用性”與“藝術(shù)性”兩者的語義關(guān)系與它們對應(yīng)齊整，故為正確答案。A“臨時”“永久”；B“激進”“保守”；D“謙遜”“高尚”都是干擾項，應(yīng)排除。
全文翻譯：
美國人已不再期待公眾人物在演講或?qū)懽髦心苓\用技巧和文采來駕馭英語，而公眾人物自己也不渴望這樣。語言學(xué)家麥荷特喜好爭論，他的觀點混雜著自由派與保守派的看法。在他最近的書《做我們自己的事：語言和音樂的退化，以及為什么我們應(yīng)該喜歡或在意？》中，這位學(xué)者認為60年代反文化運動的勝利要對正式英語的退化負責(zé)。
責(zé)備放縱的六十年代不是什么新鮮事，但這次算不上是對教育衰落的又一場批判。麥荷特先生的學(xué)術(shù)專長在于語言史和語言演變。舉例來說，他認為“whom”一詞的逐漸消失是自然的，并不比古英語中詞格尾綴的消失更讓人惋惜。
然而，“做自己的事”這一對事務(wù)真實性和個人性的崇高信條，已經(jīng)導(dǎo)致了正式演講、寫作、詩歌及音樂的消亡。在20世紀(jì)60年代以前，僅受過一般教育的人在下筆時都會尋求一種更高雅的強調(diào)；而那之后，即使是關(guān)注的文章也開始逮住口語就寫在紙面上。同樣的，對于詩歌來說，非常個性化和富有表現(xiàn)力的創(chuàng)作風(fēng)格成為了能夠表達真實生動含義的形式。無論作為口語還是書面語的英語，隨意言談勝過雅致的言辭，自我發(fā)揮也壓過了精心準(zhǔn)備。
麥荷特顯示先生從上層和下層文化中列舉了一系列有趣的例子，從而說明他記錄的這種趨勢是確鑿無誤的。但就書中副標(biāo)題中的疑問：為什么我們應(yīng)該、喜歡或在意，答案卻不夠明確。作為語言學(xué)家，麥荷特認為各種各樣的人類語言，包括像黑人語言這樣的非標(biāo)準(zhǔn)語言，都具有強大的表達力――世上沒有傳達不了復(fù)雜思想的語言或方言。不像其他大多數(shù)人，麥荷特先生并不認為我們說話方式不再規(guī)范就會使我們不能夠準(zhǔn)確的思考。
俄羅斯人深愛自己的語言，并在腦海中存儲了大量詩歌；而意大利的政客們往往精心準(zhǔn)備演講，即使這在大多數(shù)講英語的人們眼里已經(jīng)過時。麥荷特先生認為正式語言并非不可或缺，也沒有提出要進行徹底的教育改革――他其實只是為那些美好事務(wù)而不是實用品的消逝而哀嘆。我們現(xiàn)在用“紙盤子”而非“瓷盤子”裝著我們的英語大餐。真是慚愧啊，但很可能已無法避免。