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Some experts（Li Songtao 2005:52-56）argue that first of all, the Chinese who want to learn English as a second language and want to write a good English composition should know the usual way that English people organize words to express their meaning. This kind of organization is thought patterns. As is well known to all, Chinese and western have different thought patterns because of two different types of culture. Because language and thought are inseparable, language is controlled by thought patterns. Discourse organization is closely related with the specific mode of thinking. What kind of thought patterns lead to what kind of discourse structure.
2.1 The Occidental Thought Pattern
Michael Hoey (1983)also studied English language thought patterns and summarized that the English thought patterns could be classified into the following basic types:
(1)Matching Pattern: Generally speaking, it exists in a long discourse, which is used to compare two similar or different things.
(2)Problem-solution Pattern: This pattern is often used in literary novels, but it is also used in expositions.
(3)General-particular Pattern: This kind of thought pattern is the most commonly used, and a most representative one, which is the most basic type of thought patterns in English. It can further be pided into: Generalization - Example and Preview – Detail(Zhao Yongqing 1995(2):21-26).
2.2The Oriental Thought Patterns
Chinese discourse thought patterns are relatively rich, and have its own unique feature. Unlike English discourse which usually put forward argument at the first part of the discourse then specific demonstration, Chinese discourse put forward arguments according to the different requirements in the appropriate place. According to the different locations of arguments in the article, it can be pided into the following types in general:
(1)First Type: The arguments appear at the beginning of the article,
(2)Medium Type: The arguments are usually in the middle of the article.
(3)Stern Type: The arguments are put forward at the end of the article,
(4)Implicit Type: The authors do not put forward their own point of view clearly. The readers have to draw the conclusion by themselves(Zhao Yongqing 1995(2):21-26).
2.3 Differences in the language performance
2.3.1 The Differences between English and Chinese Words
Firstly, the frequencies of the use of verbs, nouns and prepositions between Chinese and English are different because Chinese thought patterns are specific and English thought patterns are abstract. Chinese is a dynamic language and use verbs frequently. Compared with Chinese, English is static and tends to use fewer verbs when they express abstract thing.
The passage is too difficult for me to read.( The passage is beyond me.)
An expensive car is beyond our reach because we don’t have enough money．
2.3.2The Differences in the use of Specific Words and General Words
The occidental thought patterns is inpidual and unique; but the oriental thought pattern is comprehensive. English prefers specific concepts and specific words in writing. While Chinese usually use the general words which express fuzzy concept and words. For example, English has “splutter, grunt, exclaim, announce, scream, amass, whisper, volunteer, insist to enthuse, snap, , echo, report, correct, snarl, retort” to express the meaning of “saying something”. The use of these different words might make the language concise and accurate. However, Chinese often tends to use many adverb modifiers, such as: overawed, muttering, whispered, volunteered to say... So Chinese students usually tend to use word "said (say) " repeatedly in English composition.
2.4 The Differences between Oriental and Occidental in Sentence Patterns
Difference in sentence structure is an important index to see different languages’ way of thinking and cultural contrast. Chinese pays more attention to psychological time and space, and thinks lowly of formal logic, and empirical in philosophy. While occidental thinking pays more attention to order. This difference is reflected in language. English composes their sentences in the way of hypotaxis and Chinese parataxis.