選題：語言學與外語教學

ChapterTwoChoosingatopic:WritingaboutlinguisticsandTEFLCriteriaoftopicsforgraduationthesisChoosingatopictowriteaboutisprobablythemostimportantandmostcrucialpartoftheentirethesisprocess.Adequatelyrestrictingandfocusingthetopicusuallyresultsinahighqualitythesis.Agoodtopicshouldbeinteresting,significant,researchable,andmodest.Topic,questionandthesisstatementHowtochooseatopicChooseasubjectareaaccordingtotherequirementofourdepartment.Identifyaresearchinterestorresearchtopic.Narrowthetopicdownasmuchaspossible.Reviewtheliteratureontopicascompletelyaspossible.Statetheprobleminaquestionform.Translateorturnyourresearchquestionintoathesisstatement.e.g.以下為過于籠統(tǒng)的題目TheBodyLanguageinNonverbalCommunicationTheInterculturalCommunicationTheWesternCultureTheCultureofAmericaEnglish-ChineseTranslationTheoriesEnglishTeachinginMiddleSchoolOnNon-IntelligenceFactorstoForeignLanguageLearningTopic,questionandthesisstatementSubjectareas:BritishandAmericanliterature;EnglishLanguageandLinguistics;EnglishLanguageTeachingandLearning;TranslationTheoriesand/orPractice;LanguageandCulture.Eg.TeachingEnglishasaForeignLanguage(TEFL)Topic,questionandthesisstatementi.e.Topic,questionandthesisstatementWhenyouhaveatopic,turnyourfocusintoaquestionandturnyourquestionintoathesisstatementTopicreferstoabroadrangeorgeneralfieldofinterest.

QuestionindicatesaparticularpartoraspectofatopicthatisnarrowenoughtoinvestigateandwriteaboutThesisstatementisthethesisinathesis.Itmeansanassumptionaboutyourtopic,anapproachtoit,anattitudetowardit,apropositiontobeexaminedTopic,questionandthesisstatementExamples:Topics:Americanliteratureofthe1920sCommunicativelanguageteachingapproachTheuseoftextbooksinlanguageclassroomsMetaphorLinguisticsTaboosQuestions:WhatarethemajortrendsofAmericanliteratureofthe1920s?Hascommunicativelanguageteachingapproachaffectedactualclassroomactivities?HowdoestheuseoftextbooksinlanguageclassroomsaffectEnglishlanguageteaching?Whataretheeffectsofmetaphoricaluseoflanguageincommunication?Dolinguistictaboosserveanyfunctions?Topic,questionandthesisstatementExamples:Thesisstatements:MostAmericanliteratureofthe1920sdepictsagrowinganxietyregardingthedehumanizingeffectsofindustrialization.CommunicativelanguageteachingfacilitatestheteachingofreadinginEnglishclassrooms.AlthoughtextbooksplayacentralroleinEnglishlanguageclassrooms,therearecrucialdifferencesinthewaysinwhichtextbooksarecreativelyused.Metaphoratdifferentlevelsaddlotsofpowerandglorytothelanguageincommunication.LinguisticsTaboosusedunderappropriatecontextsfulfilldifferentcommunicativefunctions.FormulatingathesisstatementThesisstatement(proposition命題，主題)；assumptionaboutthetopic;approachtoit;attitudetoitthecontrollingideasthatdeterminesthedesignofyourgraduationthesisasinglesentencewiththetopicasthegrammaticalsubject;attheendoftheintroduction

FormulatingathesisstatementWorkingthesisstatement(changeable)→finishedthesisstatementWorkingthesis

statement:twopartsatopicpart→statethetopicacommentpart→makeanimportantpointaboutthetopic

e.g.Recentstudiesofdepression/suggestthatitismuchmorecloselyrelatedtophysiologythanscientistshadpreviouslythought.

ThecurrentAmericanfarmcrisis/canbetracedtothreemajorcauses.FormulatingathesisstatementAsuccessfulworkingthesishasthefollowingCharacteristics:Itshouldbepotentiallyinterestingandengaging.Itshoulddevelopanexplicitthesis.Itshouldcerateanargumentative(arguable)thesis.

Initslanguage,itshouldbeasspecificaspossible.

Itmustlimitandfocusatopicenoughtomakeitmanageable.FormulatingathesisstatementInthedraftingstage,yourexplicitpropositionmighttakethefollowingform:

Thepresentthesisattemptstoexplain(argue,demonstrate,analyze,andsoon)that_____________becauseof(1)____________,(2)_______________,and(3)______________.FormulatingathesisstatementAnarguablestatementshouldhavethreecharacteristics:Itshouldattempttoconvincereadersofsomething,changetheirmind,orurgethemtodosomething.Itshouldaddressaproblemforwhichnoeasysolutionexistsoraskaquestiontowhichnoabsoluteanswersexist.Itshouldpresentapositionthatreaderscoulddisagreewithrealistically.FindinganapproachTheapproachreferstotheprincipalideathatyoumightdevelopinyourthesis.Therearefivemajorapproaches:

1.examineoranalyze(researchsubject);2.evaluateorcriticize;3.compareorcontrastthingsorideas;4.establishrelationshipsamongideas;5.arguefororagainstsomethingortrytopersuadereaderstoagreewithyou.WritingaboutlinguisticsandTEFL

SuggestedtopicsoflanguagestudiesMicro-linguistics:phonology（音位學）,phonologicalpatternsofEnglishSyntax:negationstudy,tautology（同義反復）studies,functionalapproachtosentencetypesSemantics:typesofmeanings,senserelations,componential（成分）analysisGeneralstylistics(文體學):Englishinnews,law,adsorscience,metaphorical（比喻的）useofEnglishLanguageandculture:taboosandeuphemism,addressterms(稱謂語),greetings

WritingaboutlinguisticsandTEFL

SuggestedtopicsofTEFLTeaching:teachingtheories,teachingmethodology,teachingtechniques,languagetesting(測試)theories,testingtechniques，evaluationoflanguagetesting,task-basedlanguageteaching（任務教學法）,CAI（計算機輔助教學ComputerAidedInstruction)inEnglishteachingLearning:learner’sautonomy（自主學習）,personalityandlanguagelearning,learning(reading,listening)strategiesorskills,discourseanalysis（語篇分析）

SuggestedThesisTopics:1.AStudyonHowSoundAffectsSenseinPoetry2.TheRoleofMotherTongueinELT3.TheUseofBodyLanguageinEnglishTeaching4.AComparativeStudyonAssociativeMeaningofVocabularyBetweenEnglishandChinese5.IntegrationofAlienLanguagesandAmericanEnglish6.PragmaticFailureinCross-CulturalCommunication7.TabooisNoLonger“Tabooed”8.TeachingApproachesandLearningApproachesinEnglishClass9.TheLanguageofAdvertisement10.OnEnglishTeachingMethodsinPrimarySchoolSuggestedThesisTopics:11.OnSpokenEnglishTeachinginJuniorMiddleSchool12.OnEnglishWritingTeachinginMiddleSchool13.OnAmbiguityofEnglish14.AffectiveApproachinEnglishTeachinginJuniorMiddleSchoolintheBackgroundofNewCourseReform15.TheCommunicativeApproachtoEnglishTeachingAppliedtoMiddleSchoolClasses16.OnArousingStudents’InterestinEnglishLearning17.TheEffectofIndividualLearner’sPersonalFactorsonSecondLanguageAcquisition18.OnStudyoftheOralAnxietyinForeignLanguageLearning19.OnDevelopingLearners’AutonomyinEnglishTeaching20.OnEnglishEuphemisticExpressionsSuggestedThesisTopics:21.OnCooperativeLearningintheTask-BasedClass22.OntheImportanceofImprovingStudents’PronunciationandIntonation23.FactorsAffectingRuralStudents’EnglishListeningComprehensionandCountermeasures24.TeachingForeignLanguageinAccordancewithStudents’Personalities25.RolePlayinginEnglishClassroom26.TheApplicationofNonverbalCommunicationinEnglishTeaching27.TheInfluenceofMotherTongueonForeignLanguageLearning28.ApplicationofBodyLanguageinthePrimaryEnglishTeaching29.OnEnglishListeningTeachinginMiddleSchool30.TheApplicationofTextRetellinginEnglishTeaching

SuggestedThesisTopics:31.TheApplicationofBalancedApproachinEnglishTextTeachinginMiddleSchool論平衡法在中學英語課文教學中的運用32.RhetoricalFeaturesofAdvertisingEnglish33.ArousingStudents’EnglishLearningIntereststoDevelopStudents’EnglishCommunicativeCompetence34.OntheFeasibilityofLaunchingOralEnglishActivitiesinBaokangNo.1HighSchool35.OntheEffectofInteractiveTeachingMethodintheEnglishClassroomSettinginJuniorSchool36.TheInfluenceofFiguresofSpeechontheUnderstandingofWordMeaning37.TheDifferentThinkingPa