专门化和语境化是解决新时代我国高校外语教育主要矛盾的途径——改革开放40周年我国高校外语教育的回顾与反思

Contextualization and Specification:A Sensible Approach in Tertiary English Education of New Era

回顾改革开放40年来我国高校的英语教育,我们不难发现开展与中小学英语教学一样的同质化教学,实施打基础、培养学生听说读写语言能力和去语境化的跨文化交际能力或通用化的素质教育是这个时代的主要特征。在"一带一路"和"双一流"建设背景下,我国高校外语教育的主要矛盾已转变为国家要求培养大学生在各自学科领域内的国际竞争力与目前高校这种同质化和去语境化的英语教学不能充分满足这个要求之间的矛盾。我们认为用专门化和语境化的专门用途英语去解决这个矛盾将是从现在起我国高校英语教学的努力方向。

Reflection on the 40 years of Chinese tertiary English education reveals that college English teaching(CET)has implemented teaching English for general purposes(EGP)consistently,the same as primary and secondary schools,with the focus on improving students’general English proficiency.Against the background of the construction of the world-class universities/disciplines and the Belt and Road Initiative,the chief challenge facing tertiary EFL teaching English is to meet the national requirement for developing university students’international competitive competence in their respective disciplines.Yet the decontextualized CET could not satisfactorily address the challenge.Hence,teaching English for specific purposes might be a sensible approach in tertiary English education.