节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-10-29
难易度:Medium
关键字:temporarily, chili pepper, prevalent, fascinating, maize, linguist
We are on day two of the lesson The Whistlers of Mexico.
We have been learning about the lifestyle of the Chinantec people.
We learned that they are mostly farmers who grow maize and beans as well as
timber, coffee, chili peppers.
And they still make pottery and traditional clothing.
Now if you are interested in buying that clothing, you could probably find it
for sale, but you might not see very many people wearing it.
Well, we still have another section to learn about this whistled language and
the people who use it:
A threatened lifestyle.
The Whistlers of Mexico.
A threatened lifestyle.
Chinantec whistling has ancient roots, but can it survive in a changing world?
Modern inventions like cellphones are replacing whistling as a form of
long-distance communication.
And the Chinantec languages themselves may be in danger.
As Spanish becomes more and more prevalent, even within Chinantec communities,
some fear that traditional languages will disappear.
Linguists are studying this unique and fascinating language while they have the
chance.
Yet they hope that Chinantec whistles will fly over the mountains for years to
come.
All right.
Well, let's go back to the top of this section.
It's called A threatened lifestyle.
If something is threatened, that means it's in danger somehow.
Maybe something bad might happen to it.
Well, we certainly hope that nothing bad will happen to this whistled language.
But there is danger. We read:
Chinantec whistling has ancient roots, but can it survive in a changing world?
This is a very good question that many people ask about traditional cultures
around the world.
That's right.
Can they survive in a changing world?
If you survive, that means you live, you keep going.
Can this culture survive in a changing world?
Many people... actually, many languages are disappearing around the world
because they are not major languages.
They're starting to speak things like Spanish and English and Chinese, but then
these little languages start to disappear.
That's right.
And we learn about one of the threats that face this whistled language... that
this whistled language faces.
We read:
Modern inventions like cellphones are replacing whistling as a form of
long-distance communication.
So you remember before, one of the reasons they use whistling as a language was
because it was very difficult to communicate in this landscape.
But now there are cellphones.
So it's much easier to just call someone.
(Background Noise).
Uh, Gabe, I don't think they're going to whistle on the phone.
I think it would be very difficult to understand.
Oh, no. But Carolyn, I'm just proving that you can still whistle even if you
have a cellphone.
I... I see your point, but uh, I think it might just be easier to speak.
Yeah. Yeah, you might be right.
The article does have a very good point here.
Well, we read here:
And the Chinantec languages themselves may be in danger.
OK. So cellphones are replacing whistling, and these languages could be in
danger or threatened.
And we see why.
As Spanish becomes more and more prevalent, even within Chinantec communities,
some fear that traditional languages will disappear.
All right. These languages might disappear as Spanish becomes more prevalent.
Let's take a look at that word: prevalent.
If something is prevalent, that means it is very common and widespread among at
a certain place or at a certain time.
It is prevalent.
That's right.
So you could say that Spanish is very prevalent in Mexico.
It is a major language.
English is prevalent in the United States.
It's not the only language, but it is the one spoken by the majority of the
people.
But you could also use this to talk about other things, like you might say
wildflowers are prevalent in this field.
OK. They're prevalent in this field.
Or... or maybe pop music is prevalent among teenagers.
They love to listen to all sorts of pop music.
OK. So now you know how to use that word prevalent.
And Spanish is becoming more prevalent.
That's a good thing.
But some of these smaller languages might disappear.
That's right.
And we continue reading:
Linguists are studying this unique and fascinating language while they have the
chance.
Now a linguist is a person who studies languages.
And they are studying this unique and fascinating one.
Fascinating is a word from the Word Bank.
Let's look at it.
If something is fascinating, Gabe, what does that mean?
Well, it means it makes you interested in something; you really want to know
more about it.
It's fascinating.
It's amazing.
You might talk about a culture that you think is fascinating.
Or maybe you saw a video that you thought was fascinating, and you want to share
it with your friends.
Actually, the video we saw about this whistling, I thought, was very
fascinating.
I would agree.
What do you think is fascinating?
We'll continue reading the rest of our lesson here.
Yet they hope the Chinantec whistles will fly over the mountains for years to
come.
They don't want them to stop anytime soon.
No. But let's take a look at that phrase: to do something for years to come.
That means for years in the future.
If it's coming and hasn't come yet, it's in the future.
But you could use this phrase in other ways.
You could talk about doing something for decades to come, or even just doing
something for days to come.
That's right, or for generations to come.
So you can use any sort of time period there.
Well, right now it is time for us to enjoy a review skit.
And then we'll learn with Michelle in the Language Lab.
(Music).
Listen!
(Background Noise).
Do you hear what I hear?
I hear a whistle floating across the rugged peaks.
(Background Noise).
Listen carefully.
You may overhear a conversation.
(Background Noise).
For centuries, the people here have lived in the mountains of Mexico.
(Background Noise).
They established villages, but the rough landscape made traveling and
communicating difficult.
(Background Noise).
But they developed the language composed of whistles.
Whistles for short distances.
(Background Noise).
Medium distances.
(Background Noise).
And long distances.
(Background Noise).
Ouch! Hey, I'm right here!
Most of these people are farmers.
They plant crops, and they make pottery and baskets.
Most of them don't wear traditional clothing anymore.
And usually, the language is only whistled by men.
(Background Noise).
Hey, that's not fair.
Why don't women whistle your language?
Because women are too busy talking.
Hey! You can talk, too!
Yes. Who needs whistling?
That's true.
It's a changing world.
But I hope whistles fly over the mountains for years to come.
(Chinese).
OK. Now get ready to learn more from our teachers.
Well, I've certainly enjoyed learning about the fascinating language that the
Chinantec people use when they are whistling.
And I loved watching that video and seeing someone whistle to communicate like
that.
What do you think are some advantages or disadvantages to having a language like
this?
Well, I think it's great that it can be heard... by many people over long
distances.
But I also think it would be difficult to really express all of your thoughts.
There are only so many whistle sounds you can make.
Right. Well, maybe we would be surprised.
Well, thank you for joining us here.
And of course, we hope to see you next time right here at Studio Classroom.
See you.