跟读练习: Contemporary Topics 1 Unit 2 LINGUISTICS A time to learn - 通过视频学习英语口语

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How many of you have studied a new language, not the language you grew up speaking?

Okay.

Well, today we're going to look at second language acquisition.

That is, learning a second language.

And one question that linguists like myself have tried to answer for many years is,

why is it considerably easier for kids to learn a second language than adults?

And we're going to look at a few different theories about this.

First, we'll look at a theory that says there's a critical period or phase or ideal time in life for language learning.

And then we'll talk about other factors such as the learning environment, attitude, and motivation.

Now, from the show of hands, I see that many of you had your own personal experience with language learning, and I have recently too.

I started studying

Mandarin Chinese, Putonghua, just last year.

And so I've been going to class, you know, listening to language CDs, and I'm learning, but it's tough.

It's tough to learn a new language.

And then today I went into my son's class.

He's in first grade now.

And one of my son's friends, Ji Wei, he goes by Stephen now, he He just moved here last fall from China.

And when he first came into the class, he didn't speak a word of English.

I mean, not one word.

But now he's talking away in English, not always perfectly, but very easily, very fluent.

And I'm like, wow, this is so unfair.

We've both been studying a new language for the same amount of time, but he's learning it so much more quickly.

This is in fact something that linguists are very interested in,

understanding this difference between how kids and adults learn a new language.

Now one explanation is that there's a critical period for language learning.

And this theory was first introduced in the 1960s by a linguist named Eric Leneberg.

And Lenneberg's theory says that during childhood language learning is very easy.

Basically our brains are just ready for language learning.

But later, starting in adolescence and as we get older, our brains change.

We lose this childhood ability and it becomes more difficult to learn language.

And that's why adults have trouble learning a new language.

Well, if you're an adult, that's a bit discouraging, right?

You can look at my son's friend

Steven, who is six years old, and me, who's 29 plus, and say, well, okay, Steven is still in the critical phase.

His brain works perfectly right now for language learning, but you, you're way past the critical phase and your brain's already changed,

so too bad, I'm sorry.

But wait a minute, is this comparison between me and Stephen really fair?

I mean, there's an age difference, but there are a lot of other differences as well.

Can we really say that my lack of progress learning Chinese is only because I've passed the critical phase?

No, no. Many people, including linguist Robert DeKaiser,

would say no. So, you have to look at other factors.

Okay.

Now, one obvious factor in second language acquisition is environment, the place where the person is learning.

So Stephen is here in an all English environment where he's speaking English all day at school, and all of his friends speak English.

Me on the other hand, I'm just taking a class two hours a week.

So, sure, I listen to my Chinese CDs in my car on the way to work,

but other than that, I'm not in an environment where I hear a lot of Chinese.

And I wonder, what if it were the other way around?

What if I went to China and was in school all day hearing Chinese, and Stephen was studying English only two hours a week?

Do you think that would change how well we were each learning the language?

Yeah, I'm sure it would.

So environment plays a significant role in language acquisition.

Another factor in second language acquisition is a person's attitude about learning the new language.

How do you feel about learning?

Now, when I was watching Stephen in the classroom playing with his friends,

it was clear he didn't feel at all embarrassed about his English language abilities.

You know, he can't speak perfectly yet, but when he made a mistake, he didn't care.

Neither did his friends, they just kept on playing.

Me on the other hand, I find it very difficult to speak Chinese when I'm not sure what I'm saying.

I get very nervous and embarrassed and as a result, I don't practice speaking as much as I should.

So clearly a person's attitude about learning is very important in acquiring a second language.

Finally, the last factor we'll look at is motivation.

Why is the person learning the language?

Now, Stephen is probably very motivated to learn English.

All his friends speak it, so he needs to learn it in order to play with them.

I, on the other hand, want to learn Chinese, but I don't need to.

So we're both motivated to learn, but perhaps my motivation isn't quite as strong.

All right, so what do we understand about second language acquisition?

Well, there does seem to be a critical period in childhood when language learning is much easier, but it's important to look at all the factors,

and there are several, including environment,

attitude, and motivation, which help decide if someone's going to be a successful language learner.

As for me, I'm not ready to give up on Chinese just yet.

So what does everyone think about this critical period theory?

Like the big thing is that it's harder to learn a language if you're an adult, right?

Actually speaking from my own experience, I'd say the other factors he mentioned are just as important.

What other factors?

Attitude, environment and motivation.

Those were big for me.

Really?

How so?

Like what was your experience?

Oh, okay.

Well, I came to United States from Russia as a teenager.

And every time I spoke I got so nervous.

I was afraid people would make fun of me.

Oh, really?

I thought kids learned easily.

Well, I was in high school, so little older.

Anyway, I made some friends, I watched a lot of TV, and now I feel pretty comfortable talking to anyone.

Good.

Amen, what about you?

What was it like for you?

Oh, well, to me the critical period explains a lot.

My niece, who is four, came over here when I did two years ago.

And she sounds like you guys.

Really?

She talks like a native speaker and I'm so jealous.

Well, you'll get there.

It's just a matter of time and practice.

100

I mean, for two years you sound good, definitely.

101

Yeah.

102

I wouldn't worry about it.

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FOR YOU

本课的词汇与口语要点

这节口语课以视频“Contemporary Topics 1 Unit 2 LINGUISTICS A time to learn”为素材。视频中反复出现的词有：language, learning, learn, factor, critical。这段视频共有 102 个句子、1139 个单词可供跟读。讲话部分时长为 7:37。说话人语速自然，每分钟约 150 个词，接近日常对话。 88% 的单词属于英语最常用的 3,000 词，词汇容易理解。全部 102 个句子中有 21 个是问句，适合练习疑问语调和简短回答。

视频中的重点词汇

视频中 15 个值得学习的单词，附发音和释义：

单词	发音	释义
acquisition 名词	/ˌæk.wɪˈzɪʃ.ən/	獲得 /获得
motivation 名词	/ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/	動機 /动机, 推動力 /推动力
embarrassed 形容词	/ɪmˈbæɹ.əst/	難為情 /难为情, 尷尬 /尴尬
motivate 动词	/ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/	激发
explanation 名词	/ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/	解釋 /解释, 說明 /说明
ideal 形容词	/aɪˈdi(ə)l/	理想的
introduce 动词	/ˌɪntɹəˈdus/	介紹 /介绍, 紹介 /绍介
jealous 形容词	/ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/	妒忌, 吃醋
unfair 形容词	/ʌnˈfɛɚ/	不公平
classroom 名词	/ˈklɑːsɹʊm/	教室, 課堂 /课堂
acquire 动词	/əˈkwaɪɚ/	獲得 /获得, 取得
teenager 名词	/ˈtiːnˌeɪ̯d͡ʒə/	少年, 青少年
considerably 副词	/kənˈsɪdəɹəbli/	大大, 相當 /相当
amen	/(ˌ)ɑːˈmɛn/	阿門 /阿门
niece 名词	/nis/	侄女, 姪女 /侄女

视频中出现的短语动词

单词	释义
grow up 动词	長大 /长大

值得反复跟读的句子

视频中简短而完整的句子，可以直接用在日常对话里：

How do you feel about learning?
Finally, the last factor we'll look at is motivation.
All right, so what do we understand about second language acquisition?
Amen, what about you?
What was it like for you?

需要注意的发音

说话人用了 32 次缩略和弱读形式，例如 I'm, didn't, we'll。请按听到的简短形式来说。

“sh” 和 “zh” 音: acquisition /ˌæk.wɪˈzɪʃ.ən/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/
长单词——注意重音位置: acquisition /ˌæk.wɪˈzɪʃ.ən/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, considerably /kənˈsɪdəɹəbli/, adolescence /ˌædəˈlɛsəns/

中文母语者容易读错的音：

/v/ — 不要读成 /w/，上齿轻触下唇: motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, motivate /ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/
词尾辅音 — 要读清楚，后面不要加元音: embarrassed /ɪmˈbæɹ.əst/, motivate /ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/, introduce /ˌɪntɹəˈdus/, jealous /ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/, niece /nis/
/r/ 和 /l/ 的区别: classroom /ˈklɑːsɹʊm/, considerably /kənˈsɪdəɹəbli/, learner /ˈlɜɹnəɹ/

如何用这段视频练习

先完整听一遍视频，不要开口，记下不认识的单词。
先用 0.75 倍速逐句跟读，熟练之后再回到正常速度。
录下自己的声音并与原声对比，特别注意 acquisition, motivation, embarrassed 这类单词。

什么是跟读法？

跟读法 (Shadowing) 是一种有科学依据的语言学习技巧，最初开发用于专业口译员的培训，并由多语言者Alexander Arguelles博士普及。这个方法简单而强大：您在听英语母语原声的同时立即大声重复——就像是一个延迟1-2秒紧跟说话者的影子。与被动听力或语法练习不同，跟读法强迫您的大脑和口腔肌肉同时处理并模仿真实的讲话模式。研究表明它能显着提高发音准确性，语调，节奏，连读，听力理解和口语流利度——使其成为雅思口语备考和真实英语交流最有效的方法之一。

影子跟读法: 阅读完整分步指南 →

跟读练习: Contemporary Topics 1 Unit 2 LINGUISTICS A time to learn - 通过视频学习英语口语

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