Mahoney on Foreign Language Learning
Mahoney on Foreign Language Learning
Understanding a foreign language but not the logic and values underpinning that language has not achieved even the most basic "fusion of horizons," to borrow a term from Hans-Georg Gadamer.
Featured contributor Prof. Josef Mahoney joined the Conference on Cross-Cultural Foreign Language Education at Heze University*$ in #shandong, an area famous for peonies, the birth place of China's first lady, the martial arts and distinct Chinese operas.
My keynote speech, "Rethinking Language Learning in the New Era and the Neglected Role of Culture," began with reflections on my experiences as a member of the CCTB team responsible for translating Jiang Zemin's Selected Works, and my visit yesterday to Zhengzhou University to discuss the challenges of translating traditional Chinese cultural values and concepts into English. I then returned to points I made last week at the #beijing Culture Forum on some of the fundamental differences in Chinese and Western thought, and how these differences are too often lost in translation and even second language acquisition.
I argued we need to do a better job teaching the culture in language and not simply using language instruction to teach culture. We need to do a better job teaching the differences in logic and thinking within language systems, and do so in ways that capture the different logics and syntheses at work in contemporary Chinese, and certainly apparent in #chinese values and policymaking.
I then outlined a possible model module, returning the example of and/ harmony/#*/70 that I also discussed last week in Beijing, how this is reflected in the "unity of opposites" principle, how it's a cornerstone of Chinese #marxism, and how such thinking formulates or normalises ideas like the xiaokang society, "one-country-two-systems," the "socialist market society," "whole process people's #democracy,"the Global Civilization Initiative #gci, "harmony between humanity and nature," and a "shared future for humanity," among others.
Understanding a foreign language but not the logic and values underpinning that language has not achieved even the most basic "fusion of horizons," to borrow a term from Hans-Georg Gadamer.
Indeed, instead of fusion, there is confusion... We must do better to create real mutual understanding and respect and forestall opportunists seeking conflict.
#china #culture #ich
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josef-gregory-mahoney-95481615/
Featured contributor Prof. Josef Mahoney joined colleagues with the School of International Studies at Zhengzhou University in #henan to discuss the challenges of translating a new work on Chinese classical #aesthetics into contemporary English, especially concepts of freedom, transcendence and beauty given a nuanced, syncretic tradition stretching back millennia.
For example, immanent transcendance 内在超越, heaven and people are uniteoas one.超越，是指达到了做圣人的境界(儒家)，或者成了至人神人(道家)，也就是不由外在的东西来支配自己，达到了完全的自主性(但又不是自私或原子个人主义)
Transcendence refers to reaching the realm of being a sage (Confucianism) orbecoming a sage (Taoism), which means not being dominated by externalthings and achieving complete autonomy (but not selfishness or atomisticindividualism).
It refers to the demands placed on oneself, not a Western leap into the realm ofreligion, But there are also competing valyes within the Chinese tradition:
庄子说的自由，无条件的自由，是不依赖于外物的自由，所以他认为死也是很好的事情，那是绝对的自由。
其实孔子也有这个倾向，他看上去对世俗事务很投入，但内心里是厌倦这些的，要摆脱这些的，他觉得最好的事情，也就是跟朋友学生一起，吹吹风，唱唱歌，聊职天，这个样子。
所以孔子很羡慕道家，但是不忍心看老百姓受苦，国家混乱，还是要出来做点事
I'm also reminded of one of my favourite Confucian criticisms of the Buddhists:you want to deny the self and on this point we agree, but you do so to save the self and here we disagree..
