The Call of the Wild

Here is a link to the original, full-length novel, which was first published in 1903 as a magazine serial over a two-month period. Many famous novels (notably several by Charles Dickens) first appeared in magazine serial format. It was an effective way of getting an audience "hooked" on the story and boost magazine sales while giving the author time to write the rest of the book. If the story was good enough, readers were sure to buy the next issue to see what would happen next. I'm not sure that this was true in Jack London's case, but it's said that Dickens often did not know how his stories would end before they became serialized. Stephen King is the most recent practioner of this method of publishing fiction. His novel "The Green Mile" was printed in six parts, one month at a time.

This photograph of Jack London was taken three years before "The Call of the Wild" was published.

VOA Special English

Voice of America (VOA) is an unparalleled resource for improving your reading, listening, and pronunciation skills. Listening to what you read, as you read it, will accelerate your comprehension. Click here for a direct link. Check out the American History Series and deepen your understanding of how America became what it is today, with all of its complexities and contradictions.

Context and Culture

The dictionary defines context as the verbal or written environment in which a word or group of words occurs, or as the circumstances (setting, situation) in which an event occurs. This environment (surrounding text) helps determine meaning.

We use context to guess (figure out) the meaning of an unknown word according to what we understand the surrounding text (words and sentences) to mean. However, contextual meaning has many different dimensions attached to it.

In an article about Ray Charles, readers will experience many layers of meaning, depending on their background knowledge of the following: Ray Charles; blues and gospel music; race relations in America in 1930, when Ray was born; the way blind people learn how to read with their fingers; the Grammy awards.

If you have zero background knowledge about any of these topics, it is almost impossible to appreciate the many dimensions associated with Ray Charles. Unless you have been steeped (see def. 2) in American history and popular culture, you won't fully understand the meaning of the article, beyond the fact that it's about a guy who was orphaned and blind by the age of 15, who was credited with inventing a new type of music, and who won numerous awards.

Linguistic context draws its meaning from culture, and culture is the sum total of history, art, traditions, customs, religious beliefs, ways of speaking, kinds of food, and the shared experiences of a tribe, community, or nation whose members assign meaning to all of these things, and whose meaning is shared by all members. It is the thing we indentify with, and how we identify each other -- our way of thinking, talking, eating, and interacting with one another.

Language and culture are two interdependent strands, woven together and storing information like the double helix of a DNA molecule. The genetic code of language and culture, like DNA, is carried in these interwoven strands. 

If I could convey one small piece of advice, it is this: immerse yourself in American culture for as long as you are studying in the USA. I'm not saying that you should lose your native cultural identity. I'm suggesting that you learn to think like an American and learn the cultural ways of Americans. As you absorb American culture, I guarantee that you will learn English much faster.That means watching TV, reading American magazines and newspapers, and interacting and speaking with Americans as much as possible. Your experience studying in the USA will be the richer for it. Don't sacrifice your cultural identity, but don't be afraid to wear a new one either, even temporarily. To understand another person (or culture, in this case) sometimes requires you to walk in their shoes.

Neither language nor culture exists in isolation, which is why an understanding of American culture will accelerate your progress in learning English. To understand the environment in which something exists is to understand the thing itself.

Ray Charles

On page 25 of Book A we read a short passage about the late Ray Charles, a giant of American music. Take a listen and watch him perform one of his signature songs, "Georgia On My Mind."

Here is another one of his classic hits, "Hit the Road, Jack."

Fact or Opinion?

You can expect the last paragraph (the conclusion) of a typical academic text to include a summary of the main idea. Sometimes the author will also add his or her opinion to the conclusion. Learn to understand the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are supported by evidence. Facts have a basis in reality and are difficult to argue or dispute. On the other hand, an opinion is a belief or judgment not supported by proof (evidence). Learn to be skeptical of opinions. Which is not to say that you shouldn't respect them. Most of the time, opinions can be reliable, based on the author's experience. Depending on how much you trust the author, his or her opinion could make sense. Just be careful to keep an open mind when an opinion is offered. It could indeed be based on sound judgment based on experience and facts. Or it could simply be hot air. If you trust the source, you can generally trust the opinion. You decide.

Fact: If you take the TOEFL, you'll be expected to understand the difference between fact and opinion.

Opinion: To accelerate your progress, you should read in English for at least 30 minutes a day outside the classroom.

Synonyms and Flash Cards

Synonyms are an important part of the vocabulary-building process. They allow you to say the same thing using different words that mean the same. Synonyms add variety to your speech and writing, allowing nuance, or shades of meaning. Synonyms also help you figure out the meaning of a reading passage, should you run across an unknown word and you don't have time to look it up in the dictionary. Finally, learning the synonym for each new word added to your English vocabulary allows you to double the number of new words that you learn.

The root of synonym is syn, which comes from Greek, meaning the same or together. Other words in English that use the syn root are synchronize, syndrome, synthesize, and synopsis.

When keeping a word list or making flash cards, be sure to include the synonym. Looking up the word in any dictionary should yield a synonym or two. A better source, as I discussedr in class today, is a thesauraus, which is available wherever dictionaries are sold. Owning a thesaurus is highly recommended.

When making flash cards, write everything in English, but include a translation in your native language if necessary. Study your flash cards any time you have a free moment. You'll be pleasantly surprised by how rapidly your vocabulary will increase. Index cards can be purchased at any store that sells stationery (CVS, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Publix, Staples). Or simply cut a sheet of regular size paper into small units.

Vocabulary -- What is it Good For?

Absolutely everything.

(On a side note, check out this hilarious clip from the movie "Rush Hour," starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, in which the classic 70's urban protest song "War" is playing in the background. And while you're on YouTube, take a look at the music video of the song, from 1970, to understand the historical and cultural context.)

Unlike war, vocabulary is good for absolutely everything. Perhaps your most important task as an English learner is to build up your vocabulary. A limited vocabulary will hold you back, and prevent you from understanding and speaking English effectively.

Developing your vocabulary is time-consuming, but, unfortunately, there is no shortcut.
Although it's true that you will acquire new words just by hanging out with native English speakers, or even by watching TV, you must continuously learn and use new words until you reach a level of fluency. Using new words (speaking, writing) is the surest path to total acquisition.

Did you click on the link just above, on the word shortcut? It's linked to http://www.thefreedictionary.com/. I recommend bookmarking this site, the best online English dictionary I have found. Not only does it provide excellent definitions, but it also allows you to hear how the word is pronounced. You will also find translations in your native language.

Now I have two words for you when it comes to learning vocabulary: flash cards. There is no better method. Word lists are also good, but flash cards are better.  After making a flash card, start learning the word. Keep at it until you've learned it. When you've learned a word, put the flash card away --you won't need it anymore. Try your new words on friends and teachers -- they will be suitably impressed! Use new words in conversation whenever you can. Practice saying them out loud to yourself and others. And if you forget the correct pronunciation, ask a native speaker, or find the word on http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ and play the audio.

Technology -- you gotta love it. Wish I had the Internet when I was a student. But sometimes low-tech is the way to go. And you can't get more low-tech than a 3'' x 5" index card and a pencil.

Pre-Reading

By pre-reading we mean the activity that takes place before you begin to read a new passage (the prefix pre means before). Pre-reading includes previewing, scanning, and predicting. Your background knowledge will determine how much you already know about the subject of your reading. Looking at the pictures and reading the photo captions and subtitles (all part of previewing) will give you an idea of what the article is about. Scanning or skimming over the paragraphs and focusing on the first few words of each paragraph is also very useful.

VOCABULARY

preview (v.) to look at something in advance
scan (v.) to look over quickly
predict (v.) to offer an opinion on what might happen in the future
caption (n.) the title beneath a picture or photo in a text
boldface (v.) to highlight a word in a document by making it darker
background (n.) the environment or setting against which something is displayed
knowledge (n.) learning; understanding gained through study

How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?

A tourist stops a man on the street in New York City and asks, "Excuse me, sir. How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The man's reply: "Practice, practice, practice."

This is a classic joke. Carnegie Hall is among the world's most famous concert venues; only the best musicians perform there.

The joke, of course, is that the tourist is merely asking for directions, while the man being asked the question interprets it differently. To him, the question "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" means "How do I get good enough to be able to perform at Carnegie Hall?" or "How do I develop the necessary skills?" The punchline (that is, the part of the joke that makes it funny) is "practice, practice, practice" rather than "go two blocks south, turn right on 53rd St., walk two more blocks, and you're there."

So how do you "get to," or arrive at, becoming a better reader in English? By practicing. Read in English for a minimum of 20 minutes a day. It doesn't matter what: a newspaper, a magazine, a book, an Internet Website, or the back of a breakfast cereal box. Get into the habit of reading in English, and don't worry if you don't understand what you're reading -- do it anyway. Your comprehension will gradually improve as your vocabulary expands.

Reading is a skill. As with any learned skill, performance improves with time, practice, and repetition. The more you read, the better you'll read. So tell me: how do you get to Carnegie Hall again?