Letters in Chinese

李察通訊 Letters in Chinese
https://leecha.blogspot.hk/

2/02/2007

怎樣學好英文?

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這是讀者暉君寫來的問題。

人的左腦,有兩個區域,都是管語言的。語
言區發達,學語言有先天的便利。這一類人,聽
覺敏銳,發音準確,而且對於文法,好像有先天
感覺,興趣濃厚。一兩年之內,掌握一種外文,
兩三年之內,第二種外文,亦同時掌握。

但語言好,僅只是語言好,未必是文學好,
亦未必是智慧高。因為,語言跟邏輯是十分接近
的。邏輯心強烈的人,通常創意很低。而這類人
仕,離開了語言,就無法思考。語言好,反而成
為思維障礙。而且他們自己是永遠不會知道的。
還以為自己思辨能力高,是哲學家。因為無法從
非語言、非邏輯的角度,看到事情的真相。

問題在於,如果自己沒有語言天賦,又想學
好語言,怎辦?李察相信,持續的練習,可以促
進自己的語言區域發展。有一個人的英文,可以
作為典範。他就是王爾德。關於王爾德的資料,
請參看李察的網頁。(leecha.blogspot.com)

(Leechardasks.blogspot.com)
(問到底 No.6563 2007 0201 Thursday)
(明天問題:能源能否無線傳播?)

4 則留言:

匿名 說...

提問:
西方當代文學又是需要怎樣的思考?
(如"The Sea"
"Newton Letter" by John Banville;

"A Pale View of Hills"
"Never let me go" by Kazuo Ishiguro;

"About Grace" by Anthony Doerr;

and so forth.)

Leechard 李察 說...

is there anyone who would like to talk about these authors? ppease drop a few words

匿名 說...

I think I would like to know what's the difference between the thinking ways of both the contemporary authors and the classical authors.

(Years before I read some of the commonest western classical work and I found they tend to laud the loves instead of discussing the temperament of men.

(The abovementioned "Newton letter", "The Sea" and "About Grace" do have many words discuss the temperament of men. I really enjoy these.)

P.S. My name is Yuen Kwok Sum. It may be better if I mention my name.

匿名 說...

Italo Calvino is one of the earliest Western Contemporary writers who seems to me could control the words in his novels. His prima work may be “the invisible cities”, in which many wonderful ideas are rethought and mentioned, especially this:

Marco Polo described a bridge, stone by stone.
“But which is the stone that supports the bridge?” Kublai Khan asks.
“The bridge is not supported by one stone or another,” Marco answers, “but by the line of the arch that they form.”
Kublai Khan remains silent, reflecting. Then he adds: “Why do you speak to me of the stones? It is only the arch that matters to me.”
Polo answers: “Without stone there is no arch.”
From “The invisible cities”

At times I suspected these kinds of words and sentences had some other meanings concealed, as Michael Wood said, “文學心存歷史…心存自己…會引發歷史再度三思。” Are we going to 三思after studying his words?

The next I may talk about Kazuo Ishiguro, a Japanese writer who was born after the WWII. His first novel “The Pale View of Hills” which I admire is about two women and their daughters who lived in different places at different years. But what they met at last was similar – this is the most amazing part. Moreover, this novel gave me all the time the “pale views”, I mean, it was not hot (existing), or cold (dreary or horrible). I like the tone of the narrator as well – “a taste of peace” that meanwhile had something vigorously aspiring to be revealed. (可能我有些詞不達意,故在此以中文重複: 群山淡景的語氣雖淡,如同發生的事平常不過,但一直讀下去,愈來愈感到述事者隱藏了的不少憂慮。不過,故事的發展仍沒有離開過那給人不安的平淡和沉默,這是我讀此小說所得的“pale views”。)
I don’t like other of his novels like “Never let me go” and “When we were orphans”. They can’t attract me though they also have 平淡的語氣。(But one day I’ll try again, I always think/plan that.)

John Banville is somewhat older than Ishiguro and I find some of his first novels are disappointing when comparing to “The Sea” written in 2005. Some of them are boring and the sentences there are not well written. Another one, “The Newton letter”, seems to me describing the sexes for attracting the readers – I suppose it is not necessary to have them occupy so many pages! But in it Banville really has done well in making the narrator and Newton “mingled together” – they have the same traits and doing the same deeds, though they are living in different era.
One of my beloved, “The Sea”, is his best novel though it’s a bit confusing – or I am too stupid to manage some many words describing different things which all (maybe and seem to me) are from the same reason, that can also be said, due to one thing or one girl.
I first know about the main 特點 and of Contemporary novels by reading this, though I didn’t know this name, I knew its existence.

Anthony Doerr is very young and he studied (or still studying) science. In his first novel “About Grace” he used the science to accompany the story in which we can find terror.

在Michael Wood的沉默之子一書,當代小說會探索較黑暗的邏輯,因為掌管人的心靈,人的意志,及至人的言行,都不是物理法則。是什麼,就是作家希望可以從思量和寫作時逐漸找出。

我則覺得恐懼更為正確: About Grace 的男主角害怕的不是自己總有一日會錯手殺死女兒,而是預言他會錯手殺死女兒的夢會成真; “The Sea”的男主角害怕影響他一生的歷史 (這是我猜測的,因為未完看全書); “The Pale View of Hills”的女主角則害怕她遷往英國前所遇到的事…

大師名作坊的書都非常好,而且多為沉默之子(西方當代文學),而不是現代文學 – 它們是太樂觀的動作和言語之子。

But how should we think in order to understand or write a piece of western contemporary work?