British writer

a week later,

Harvard University, Auditorium.

No less than a thousand people had gathered here, and there were not enough seats. The students stood at the back of the auditorium, looking at the stage.

Today is the day when Lu Shi's new drama "Upside Down" debuts on stage.

Franklin Roosevelt sat in the third row,

Because of his status as editor of The Crimson Newspaper, he was in a very good position, facing the stage.

There is an empty seat next to him, which is reserved for his friend Devin.

He was holding a copy of Harvard Magazine,

The first page is a paper——

"Some Supplements on the International Phonetic Alphabet\

,"The author is Lu Shi.

After Eliot took away the piece of paper, Lu Shi thought about it and finally decided to write the article himself to avoid any trouble later.

Franklin read carefully,

At this moment, Devin sat down next to him and asked curiously: "What?"

Franklin was stunned,

"What did you say 'what'?"

Devin pointed to the article and said, "I have also read this paper, but I always feel it is a bit useless."

useless! ?

Franklin showed an expression that said, "A worm in summer cannot speak of ice."

He believed that the practicality of this paper was the highest level in Lu Shi. If it could be promoted, it would be a great benefit.

I just don’t know what the Voice Teachers Association thinks about this.

It is said that the French and British members of the association are evenly divided.

It's okay for the British, but the key point is that the French are arrogant enough and may not be willing to accept the methods of improving the phonetic symbols proposed by the outside world.

Franklin sighed: "I wonder what Professor Lu's reputation is in France..."

Devin was surprised,

"What do you mean, this set of phonetic symbols is very important?"

Franklin said "hmm" and asked, "Did you see the examples given there?"

He turned to a page of the paper.

——

As long as they accumulate some simple words, when they encounter new words, people are often willing to compare them and compare them with the simple words they have come across before.

This way of spelling has a high accuracy rate.

For example:

If you have learned the word "dog" and encounter "log" again, you can guess its pronunciation no matter what.

——

Devin scratched his head,

"Isn't this phonics?"

Franklin said: "It's true that it's natural phonics, but what Professor Lu gave is a method. Didn't you see the example of the word 'baboon' later?"

Devin continued to look back,

The paper uses the word "baboon" as an example.

Lu Shi believes that if you have learned the phonetic symbols of the words "banana" and "food" before, it will be easier to pronounce the correct pronunciation of "baboon"——

"bbun".

Devin said: "Is that apostrophe accentuated?"

Franklin nodded,

"Yes, the accent mark is Professor Lu's addition to the phonetic symbol list this time. He believes that accent is very important. If 'baboon' emphasizes the previous 'ba', it will not be pronounced as "b", but will be pronounced as "b" ”. "

Devin went through it in his head, then nodded,

"Indeed."

Franklin chuckled and said: "If this set of phonetic symbols can be promoted, then it will be easy for any foreigner to learn English. Because it allows foreigners to master the rules of natural spelling without an English environment."

He paused for a moment and then added: "One more thing, that is American pronunciation."

Devin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized,

The more complete the phonetic symbols are, the easier it is to distinguish the difference between British pronunciation and American pronunciation.

This is a great thing for America!

Devin couldn't help but joke: "Why do I feel that Professor Lu's contribution to the United States is comparable to the founding father Washington."

Franklin rolled his eyes at his friend,

"go away!"

The two laughed.

In fact, Devon, a science and engineering student, doesn’t know much about phonetics or linguistics.

He believes that as long as language can be used for communication,

Wasting so much time and so many resources on phonetic symbols, transposition and the like is nothing but making trouble.

If he had known about the Voice Teachers Association, he might have thought that those people were all just eating and not working.

However, "Some Supplementary Points About the International Phonetic Alphabet" is easy to understand, and the examples given in it are also clear, making it impossible to find fault at all.

Devin pondered: "I thought Professor Lu was different before."

Franklin asked: "Why not..."

Before he finished speaking, he remembered and said, "Do you think Professor Lu has a science and engineering mindset, and when writing liberal arts papers, he also pays attention to logic, principles and efficiency?"

Devin nodded in agreement,

He studied the set of phonetic symbols carefully, then took out the pen and paper he carried with him, and spelled on it while chanting,

"frkln\

,"This is the phonetic symbol of "Franklin".

Devin whispered: "That's great!"

Franklin smiled and said: "How is it? This phonetic symbol table is very practical, right? If you, a chemistry student, find it practical, then it is really practical."

Dai Wen said: "The most critical point is that it is not only effective for foreigners, but also helpful for domestic literacy."

The United States is a racially integrated country;

The high literacy rate of white people does not mean the high literacy rate of the rest of the population.

"Um……"

Devon couldn't help but scratch his head.

Having said this, Lu Shi feels more and more like the founding father of the United States.

Franklin asked: "What?"

Devin shook his head and did not answer.

Franklin didn't ask any more questions and continued: "It's a pity that the promotion may not go smoothly."

Devon was puzzled;

"why is that?"

Franklin introduced in detail the functions and composition of the Voice Teachers Association, as well as the possible dirty things involved.

Devin shook his head after hearing this.

"Oh, politics."

Franklin: "..."

Is this political?

It’s just a little struggle for power and a fight for the right to speak.

Real politics is dirtier than this.

He was laughing at his friend's naivety in his heart, but Devin said: "But I think your worries are unnecessary. Professor Lu's status in France seems to be quite high."

Franklin was confused,

"ah?"

Devin said: "There was a science fiction novel that was introduced to the United States before, called "The Country Teacher", which was written by Professor Lu. The opportunity for this short story to be born was that the French writer Verne wanted to win a science fiction award and needed to model essay."

Is "Country Teacher" a science fiction novel?

When I see this name, who can think of it?

Devin added: "In short, Professor Lu seems to be quite popular at the French Academy of Letters."

Franklin had a certain understanding of France and knew that the French Academy was a research rather than an educational institution, and the people who occupied its seats were all big names.

In comparison, the Voice Teachers Association is a stinky little brother.

Franklin muttered: "It seems that this set of phonetic symbols will be implemented soon."

Together with Harvard University and Yourong Yan.

Devon stretched;

"Professor Lu is actually an expert in phonetics and linguistics, which is really unexpected."

He looked towards the stage,

"I just don't know how good he is as a playwright?"

Franklin said: "Very high. You know, I have been to Europe and watched "Roman Holiday." The play has a rigorous and solid structure. The actress in it, named Phyllis Dale, left a deep impression on me. impression."

Devon was curious,

"But I heard that Professor Lu's masterpiece is "Yes! Prime Minister"."

Franklin echoed: "That's what I heard too. Unfortunately, I haven't been to London and haven't seen it. If "Yes! Prime Minister" is better than "Roman Holiday", then Professor Lu's level is infinitely higher. "

The two people's eyes moved to the stage.

I saw the Chinese stage workers setting up the scene, which looked a little awkward.

Devin whispered: "Why are you looking for a Chinese?"

Franklin shook his head,

"Not sure."

Devin was speechless,

"Brother, isn't your uncle the Vice President? You didn't ask him for some internal information? You're still the editor of the Crimson Newspaper~"

Franklin retorted: "He is him and I am me."

Even if he enters politics, he cannot do so as a Republican.

Devon spread his hands,

"Fine."

Next, the two of them stopped talking about these things and continued to discuss phonetic symbols.

Time passes slowly forward,

Unknowingly, the auditorium suddenly became quiet.

The curtain was also drawn.

Principal Elliott walked onto the stage and said with a smile: "Dear students, I am very happy that you can come here to watch today's drama performance. In the next period of time, you will see an unimaginable world. I hope... …”

Elliot paused;

"..."

"..."

"..."

The auditorium fell silent,

Everyone is waiting for the principal's next post.

However, Eliot shook his head and said: "No, I still don't hope casually, because this is America, a free country."

The land of freedom,

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Elliot pressed his hands down;

"Quiet!"

Then, the auditorium fell into silence again.

Eliot continued: "I originally wanted to advise you to endure any plot in the play that makes you feel uncomfortable, because if you can finish it, you will definitely benefit a lot. But, just pretend that I didn't say that. ~Haha..."

The crowd burst into laughter again.

Elliot nodded,

"Of course you can leave in the middle. Don't worry, I won't write down your names in a small notebook."

After speaking, he slowly walked off the stage and sat in the first row.

The next second, a powerful and passionate voice sounded:

"Thank you all for watching. Tonight is Saturday night. I hope you all have a great time tonight!"

The drama begins!

Everyone couldn't help but pay full attention.

However, when the curtain opened, almost everyone took a breath of cold air.

"hiss……"

The setting on the stage is a nightclub. Whether it is the exquisite decorations or the luxurious bar counter, it is eye-catching. There are many guests sitting on the sofa and chatting quietly, bringing a relaxed and comfortable feeling.

The reason why everyone was shocked was because the guests in the nightclub,

Chinese,

Chinese,

They are all Chinese!

…

Devin was in a state of confusion, and whispered: "This... what is this special situation! What is the situation!"

Franklin was also confused;

"..."

Not a word could be said.

As a result, the atmosphere in the auditorium became extremely strange.

On the stage, the actors performed with great devotion,

Off the stage, the audience was confused.

Suddenly, a clear and beautiful voice sounded: "The ice wheel on the island is turning for the first time, seeing the Jade Rabbit, seeing the Jade Rabbit rising east again..."

It is an excerpt from "The Drunken Concubine".

On the side of the stage, there is a blackboard thoughtfully set up for writing the translation: "A full moon rises on the island, ah, I see the bright moon rising in the east again..."

Devin asked curiously: "What is this?"

Franklin was well-informed and said: "I know this, it seems to be a Chinese drama. But Professor Lu asked a group of Chinese to be guests of the nightclub, and they still listened to the drama that the Chinese like. What is the purpose?"

The key is more than that,

Fu, Hua and Dao are all mismatched with reality.

For example, clothing, those Chinese people wear formal suits, but because there is a significant height difference between them and white people, they look very funny when they wear them.

For a moment, Franklin thought of a word——

absurd!

right! That’s the word!

This drama just feels ridiculous!

Franklin whispered, "I finally understand why the play is called Upside Down."

Devin pondered,

"Why?"

As a result, before Franklin could explain, he heard noise coming from behind.

I don’t know who said this,

"What the hell is this!?"

The two turned back.

I saw that some people had already left their seats angrily and walked towards the door.

However, only a few people chose to leave,

The seats they vacated were instantly filled by standing students.

Franklin said: "Continue the topic just now. Devin, don't you see? Professor Lu is shaping an America under Chinese rule."

Devon:! ! !

Now looking at the performance on stage, everything seems to make sense.

He couldn't help but mutter: "It's so ridiculous..."

Franklin chuckled and said: "Yes, I also thought of this word just now, absurd. The Chinese with the lowest status are dressed luxuriously on the stage, shaking the red wine glass, talking and laughing, it is really... um... coming !”

The two stopped talking,

Because the official plot has begun.

People in the nightclub were enjoying music and dancing, but a dispute suddenly broke out and quickly turned into a melee.

Then, one of the male protagonists appeared,

His name is Jimmy Tang, played by circus leader Li Jie.

Jimmy was working in a nightclub. When he saw someone fighting, he immediately took action to try to calm the situation.

Although the scene was very chaotic, Jimmy relied on his experience and calmness to successfully separate the fighters and throw them out of the nightclub door.

At the door, Jimmy had an argument with a guest;

The two of them first squirted at each other,

Troublemaker: "You bastard, you dare to attack me!?"

Jimmy: "Help, go home with your friend."

Troublemaker: "It's not your turn to boss me around! Do you know who I am!? I want to go back to the nightclub."

…

So, when things got to this point, it was impossible for things to get better.

The two went from scolding to physical conflict.

Jimmy beat the other guy hard.

At this point, the foreshadowing of Jimmy losing his job has been completed, and the entire beating incident has clearly portrayed his character.

Franklin whispered: "Watching this paragraph reminded me of "Roman Holiday". The drama written by Professor Lu is really too rigorous. The characters can be well created in just a few strokes, and the portrayal is extremely brilliant."

Devon was silent,

"..."

Franklin was curious,

"What's wrong?"

Devin said: "I just think that these Chinese actors speaking broken English in the drama make the sense of absurdity even stronger."

Franklin couldn't help but ponder,

After a long moment, he nodded,

"Indeed. So we must cherish the present."

Devon was puzzled;

"What are these words? What does 'cherishing the present' mean?"

Franklin smiled and replied: "I have a hunch that although "Upside Down" will not be on the big stage, it will be very popular among colleges and universities. In the future, these actors will have many performance opportunities, and their English will get better and better. Now this The absurdity of nature will never be encountered again.”

Devin took a deep breath,

"You said that "Upside Down" will be very popular among colleges and universities?"

Franklin nodded,

"Yes, I trust my judgment."

Devin said "hmm", knowing clearly in his heart,

If this is the case, then Lu Shi’s contribution to racial integration in the United States is not small, comparable to Lincoln.

As a result, his idea became stronger and stronger:

Professor Lu is truly the founding father of the United States.

Just thinking about it, Devin couldn't help but laugh, with a hint of self-deprecation.

Franklin asked, "Why are you laughing?"

Devin said: "I just think it's so ridiculous!"

Franklin agreed:

"Yeah, ridiculous."