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SHREK--Introduction |
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SHREK--Introduction |
Shrek is a funny film made for both children and adults. The basic story is very easy to understand. However, we can do a lot of useful English listening practice, too.
The language in Shrek is quite interesting. Shrek does not speak rapidly but his accent is one that would be found in one part of the British Isles--in Scotland, and some of his language usage is British rather than American. Notice also that when he eats (Chapter 3), he holds his fork in his left hand and his knife in his right--the European way of eating.
Donkey's language is a caricature of a friendly Black American man: he talks fast and uses lots of words and phrases typical of informal spoken language. Both these ways of speaking may give students some initial difficulty.
To help you with the language, try watching the film with the English captions ON. Remember that sometimes the caption writers do not include every word, but the general meaning is preserved. Later, when you watch the film a second time, try watching at least some of it with NO CAPTIONS. You will find that you understand a lot more a second and third time and you can do it without captions.
But even when we know the words--when you have the English captions on--sometimes we don't know the meaning of that word or phrase in that context. To help you there I have made notes for most of the chapters. You will find it useful to use the DVD and notes together: if you are an NTHU student, you can do this in C513a by connecting to the Internet on the computer and watching the DVD either in the computer or on the DVD player. Perhaps a group of two or three students can do this together. Or you can watch the DVD at home with your own computer or DVD player.
A good approach: watch one or two chapters with English captions on (or off if you like), then read the notes for those chapters, then watch the same chapters again (and maybe try turning the English captions off this time). You don't have to watch the whole film on the same day; it's better to do a few chapters a day. Every few chapters there is a writing assignment, and soon there will also be quizzes.