1、1浅谈幽默与英语教学摘 要:课堂教学活动主要依赖语言,语言学习需要宽松愉悦的言语环境,因此,言语幽默必须运用于英语教学。基于言语幽默的语用功能,本研究通过举例证明:言语幽默的语境可以恰当地应用到英语词汇教学中(尤其名词) ,可给学生留下语义的深刻印象,以利于学生对英语词汇记忆及英语文化的认识,也利于英语课堂教学的开展。关键词:幽默;英语教学幽默一词源于古希腊语X ,意为“湿气”或“体液” ,其用于美学中,以说明人们对现实生活所持的一种态度,逐又发展成行为或言语“有趣或可笑而意味深长”的现代含义。言语幽默是一种能力,即在现实生活或艺术创作中再创喜剧性效果的能力,又即对自己或他人缺点进行喜剧性批评
2、的才能。言语幽默在人际交往中产生着积极的语用效果。马克.吐温曾说“快乐是幽默之源” ,言语幽默体现说话人的自信与乐观,而听话人则获得愉悦。1.幽默与英语词汇教学学习词汇的最好方法是将其溶入上下文或语境。在具体的上下文或语境中,学生可从中确定单词的多种意义并掌握单词的交际用法。言语幽默的语境可以恰当地应用到英语词汇教学中(尤其名词) ,可给学生留下语义的深刻印象,以利学生对词汇的认识和记忆。现以举例说明:A woman came to our bank to cash a check. “Do you have 2identification?” I asked.“Yes, ” she said
3、. “A strawberry mark on my left knee.”Explaination: The woman is in the bank. Within this context, it is clear that what “I” refer is the ID of the woman, but not some special proof which she gives, that is, a strawberry mark on her left knee. Obviously the woman just makes a joke with “me”. While p
4、resenting this verbal humor to the students, if they laugh, it proves that they have mastered the words meanings. 在讲 identification 这个词义时可采用此幽默,同学们会将这个单词的两个释义都记下。而讲 monitor 时 ,我巧妙地说“班长同学是班主任监控班级的显示器” ,有异曲同工之妙;在教 family 这个单词的时候,笔者的解释:“Father And Mother I Love You”,为什么是爸爸妈妈我爱你们呢?因为是“家庭”啊;教envelop 时,可以
5、在黑板上写下这样一句话:丈夫出门在外,写一封信回家安慰老婆,这样就能把 envelop 的意思和发音都牢牢记住。2.幽默与英语文化教学任何语言都反映其相应的和独特的文化背景,掌握一门语言必须了解其相应的文化,其中的文化语境必然体现其相应的文化(如人名、地名和典故) 。英语教学将文化融入言语幽默可轻松地呈现文化背景知识,吸引学生的注意力,引发他们的想象力,并对所学的语言产生浓厚的兴趣。在进行英语词汇教学或文化教学时,都可以创设合理的言语幽默情景语境,使学生在逼真的环境中吸取知识。现以举例说明:3Three men die on Christmas Eve and go to heaven, wh
6、ere theyre met by Saint Peter. “In order to get in, ” he tells them, “you must each produce something representative of the holidays.”The first man digs into his pockets and pulls out a match and lights it. “This represents a candle of hope.” Impressed, Peter lets him in.The second man pulls out a t
7、angle of keys and shakes them. “These are bells.” Hes allowed in“So, ” Peter says to the third man, “What do you have?”The third man proudly shows him a pair of red panties.“What do those have to do with Christmas?” asks Peter.“Theyre Carols”Explaination:The special time is “on Christmas Eve”; the e
8、vent is that three dead men want to “go to heaven”; the people are Saint Peter and the three men; all these elements compose the situational context of the verbal humor. Only under this context can the latter dialogues be meaningful and interesting. Through the teachers interpretation, students will
9、 get clear who Saint Peter is and why he has the right to decide whether one can enter heaven or not. They will be 4interested to learn the related culture about Christmas, such as its celebration activities, the special food, gift giving, Christmas music, the legendary, the Christianism, so on and
10、so forth. While understanding that “Carol” means “Christmas Carol” which is a cheerful song or it can also be a girls name, students will understand this discourse and affected by the third mans wittiness and get the humorous effect.语言的学习离不开对文化的理解,中国学生学习英语的时间很长,但在英语语言应用和实践仍存在障碍,其中一个重要原因就是对语言所表达的文化理解
11、不够。西方人喜欢幽默,他们常常拿英语语言本身开玩笑,并且借用各种修辞手法来达到幽默效果,如双关、押韵、比喻、突降等等。把这样的幽默作为语言学习材料,会使学生的语言水平在轻松愉快的氛围中不知不觉地得到提高。在西方,幽默感被视为成功人士最具魅力的个性之一。没有幽默感的人,简直就是没魅力、愚蠢的代名词。由此可知,幽默与西方人的社会文化生活息息相关,中国人要学好英语就必须学会欣赏西方人的幽默,从而更多地了解西方的文化,进而融入整个世界。可以从圣经和古典神话开始入手,学习各种语言知识点的同时也了解了西方的文化;同时还给学生介绍了一些比较流行的幽默肥皂剧如老友记 等,让学生在欢笑中接触到西方社会生活中的点
12、点滴滴,也了解到中西方文化之间的差异。3.结语5课堂气氛是影响教学效果的重要因素,言语幽默具有快速的情绪感染力和弥漫性,能有效地激活课堂气氛,可以创造轻松的心境,让学生集中精神,引发学生对学习内容的兴趣,促进师生关系的和谐。言语幽默的运用需要教师的智慧, 对言语幽默在英语教学中的运用应提供更多有效的策略以利于语言学习。参考文献:1波维尔. 安德森. 幽默与教学的关系J. 汪培伟 译. 外国教育动态, 1987(5): 54-57.2陈春华. 会话幽默的语用分析J. 解放军外国语学院学报, 1999(1): 21-24.3陈平文. 语境理论研究综述J. 语文学刊(基础教育版) , 2007(1): 127-33.4刘敏. 以言致笑论幽默交际中的致笑言语行为D. 上海外国语大学, 2004.5卢家嵋. 情感教育心理学M. 上海: 上海教育出版社, 1993:4.6M. 鲍门. 幽默教学: 一门表演的艺术J. 卢真全 译. 外国中小学教育,1989(6):19-22.