高三英语日常英语表达委婉语euphemism.docx

1、高三英语日常英语表达委婉语euphemism英语陷阱(1) He is a bicycle doctor. 他是单车修理工. - 此句不能译作:他是个骑单车的医生,因句中的doctor是委婉语(euphemism),是对某种职业的美称,故不作医生解,而是表示repair man的涵义.委婉语起源于远古,维多利来女王时代中期为其鼎盛时期,在现代英语中,其出现频率依然颇高,因为人们通过委婉语,可以用温顺悦耳的词语去谈论或叙述一些原来令人不快或逆耳之事物.为此,他们用domestic help,day help或live-in help代替mail或servant(佣人); 以custodian或s

2、uperintendent替代doorkeeper,caretaker或janitor(看门人或管理人);用She has a tile loose或She has a cylinder missing去代替She is crazy或Sh is not right in the head(神经失常). 委婉语多如恒河沙数,不胜枚举,在此略举数例,以见一斑: 原 称 委 婉 语 无线电修理工 radio electrician radio doctor 理发师 barber cosmotologist 妓女 whore working girl/ street girl 家庭妇女 housewi

3、fe household executive 收垃圾工人 garbage collector sanitary engineer 老年 old age second childhood 老人 old people senior citizens 假牙 false teeth dentures 小解 piss urinate/ number one 最后请看几个委婉类例: Nowadays many weight-watchers would like to go to the gym. 如今有不少胖人喜欢到健身房去锻炼. That luster has taken a fancy to Mid

4、dle Eastern dancing. 那个好色之徒现在开始喜欢肚皮舞. They are the culturally deprived. 他们是没有学识的人. A libray of teaching materials for preventing teenage suicides will open for educators in Hong Kong this year. 今年香港将为教师开设一家图书馆以提供防止青少年自杀的教学资料. 值得注意的是,委婉语虽然是古已有之,于今为烈,但决不能用得过多过滥.使用时要考虑场合和对象,如用得不得体,反而会使你欲礼而不达,甚至令人不知所云,一

5、头雾水. 英语陷阱(2) You cannot be too careful. 你要特别小心. - 此句不能按字面译作:你不能过分小心.因为cannot.too是个固定结构,其义为无论如何.也不过分.如用英语阐述,上句相当于:You should be as careful as possible. 我们在学习英语的时候,遇到这类实际意义与其字面意义大相径庭的句子,必须小心区别,正确地理解其涵义.下面请看几个类例: We cannot recommend this book too strongly. 这本书很好,无论我们如何推荐也不过份. You cant be too care ful i

6、n dong this experiment. 在做这个实验时,你们愈仔细愈好. One cannot be too careful in matters like that. 人们在处理这种事情时必须非常慎重. 要注意的是,cannot.too有几个变体结构,我们可以用impossible,difficult等字去代替cannot;以enough,difficulty,sufficiently,exaggerate,to over-等字去替代too. 下面的一些句子就是cannot.too结构的变体: I couldnt get home fast enough. 我恨不得马上回到家里. Y

7、ou cannot take sufficient care. 你要特别小心. The importance of this session cannot be exaggerated. 这次大会极为重要. No man can have too many friends. 朋友愈多愈好. L.G.Alexander编著的New Concept English第二册其中一课Do You Call That a Hat?中有这么一段风趣的夫妻对话,丈夫和妻子都用了这个句型的变体: I find it beautiful, I said. A man can never have too many

8、 ties. And a woman cant have too many hats, she anwered. 这条领带很漂亮,我说道. 男人的领带愈多愈好. 女人的也是愈多愈好啊, 她答道. 现在请读者将下面两个句子译成汉语: We cannot too strongly inculcate (or It would be impossible to over-estimate) the importance of more teacher training to deal with student problems and prevent teenage suicides in Hong

9、 Kong. The importance of the campaign against dogs in public housing estates in Hong Kong cannot be exaggerated. 英语陷阱(3) Do you know how to service this new-type machine? 你知道怎樣維修這種新型的機器嗎? - 這一句不能譯作:你知道怎樣使用這台新型的機器嗎? 如要表達此義,應該說: Do you know how to seve this new-type machine? 在現代英語里,出現了一種用名詞作動詞的傾向.例如:

10、to paper ones room; to bottle the fruit; to bandage up a wound; to oil a machine; to position a factory near the town; to pressure him to do so等等. 然而, 某些名詞作動詞使用時, 與原有動詞的涵義有所不同, 上面所述的to service和to serve的區別就是一個典型的例子.試對比下列各組詞的不同涵義: to power 為.提供動力 to empower 為.授與權力 to site 為.提供場所 to situate 位于; 處于 to p

11、ackage 給.打包裝箱(美語) to pack 給.包裝 to loan 貸款 to lend 出借;出租 to decision 根據積分評定 to decide 決定;判決 應當在此指出, 把名詞作動詞使用時必須要符合一條准則, 那就是在找不到適當的動詞表示涵義時,才能用名詞作動詞, 否則就是濫用. 因此, 以to message代替to send a message to; 用to bill替代to charge to ones account; 以to signature 代替to sign或用to suspicion去替代to suspect老是不妥當的.然而,我們又應該注意到,

12、 在現代英語中, 把名詞作為動詞使用的現象是很普遍的, 而且有日漸增多的傾向. 下面是一些從英美書刊中信手拈來的例子: Tom has his car serviced (=maintained) regularly. Mr. Smith has authored (=written) a book on AIDS. You must pressure (=force) him to do it. Her dress is patterned upon (=made from) a Paris model. Dick is the man who used to partner Mary. O

13、pposition to the war snowballed. We shall book through to Hong Kong. Dont fool away your time, my boy! Mr. Smith noons for half an hour every day. They have husbanded their farms very well. Students in Hong Kong can view a collection of more than 100 rare species of goldfish in the Ocean Park. 讀者們不難

14、從上面的例子看出,用名詞作動詞可以帶來一種新鮮感, 能喚起人們的注意并給人們留下一個逼真生動的畫面. 英语陷阱(4) I couldnt have got to Slough in time unless Id had a helicopter. 除非我有一架直升飛機, 否則我是不可能在那個時候趕到S地的. - 一般的英語語法書和辭典都會談到, 連接詞unless的涵義和if.not相同,它們可以互換使用. 例如: I shant go unless he asks me. 等于I shant go if he does not ask me. (Eckersleys A comprehens

15、ive English Grammar); You will fail unless you work harder. 等于You will fail if you do not work harder. (A.S. Hornbys The Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English). 其實, 這樣的提法是不夠全面的, 因為存在著這么一個問題: unless和 if.not是否在各種場合下都能互換使用呢? 現以上例-I couldnt have got to Slough in time unless Id had a helicopter

16、. 為例來探討一下這個問題. 此句引自國外報刊. 說話人被控犯了謀殺罪, 在法庭他自辯說:發生此案時,我并不在S地, 而是在離S地几十里外的另一個小鎮上, 關于這點我可以提供人証. 接著他說道:I couldnt have got to Slough in time unless Id had a helicopter. 如果遵照一般語法書所述的公式: unless=if.not, 將此句改作I couldnt have got to Slough in time if Id not had a helicopter, 那會產生怎樣的后果呢? 若改作if.not, 其涵義是: I did ha

17、ve a helicopter and I did get to Slough in time to commit the murder. 顯而易見, 這并不是衽所想說的話. 國此, unless是在大多數場合下可與if.not互換使用, 但在某些場合里(例如在某些謂語動詞用虛擬語氣的句子里)卻不能相互置換,否則它們會產生截然相反的涵義. 值得注意的是, unless用在虛擬語氣句中時, 存在著兩種可能性. 在某些句子中, 它表示if.not的涵義, 可以和if.not互換使用. 例如: Unless you had lent me a hand, I should not have fulf

18、illed my task. = If you had not lent me a hand, I should not have fulfilled my task. 要不是你們來幫忙, 我是不可能完成任務的. 然而, 在另一些場合里, unless并不是表示 if.not的涵義, 而是表示近似于but.if的涵義. 這時候, 可以改寫為but.if, 但決不能用if.not去替代. 例如, 衽在法庭上所說的那一句, 可以改寫為: I could not have got to Slough, but I could have got to Slough if I had had a hel

19、icopter. 還有一點應當注意的是, unless句型和if.not句型具有沒的倏色彩和表達風格, 前者是積極的說法, 態度明朗, 語氣有力; 后者是退一步的說法, 態度含糊, 語氣軟弱無力. 現在, 你能否說出下列兩個句子的不同涵義? I should not expect their help unless they were my friends. I Should not expect their help if they were not my friends. 英语陷阱(5) He is a good sailor. 他不会晕船. - 此句不能译作: 他是一个好水手. 如要表达

20、此义, 应该说: He is a skilled seaman. He is a good sailor. 的真正涵义是: He is not liable to seasickness. 或He is seldom seasick in rough weather. 因此, a good sailor 的内涵是: 不会晕船. 四十年代出版的一本英汉四用辞典把He is a good sailor. 译作:他是一个好水手,因为它没有把这个句子的真正涵义表达出来. 下面是关于会晕船和不会晕船的两段对话: What kind of sailor are you? Im a bad sailor.或

21、Im not much of a sailor. 你晕不晕船? 我会晕船的. Are you a good sailor? Yes, Im a good sailor. 你会晕船吗? 我不会晕船. 从上面的例句可看出, a bad sailor是a good sailor的相对语, 因此, 它也不能照译作:一个坏水手, 而应译作:会晕船或容易晕船. 请再看下面几个例句: Lao Li is a bad teacher. (或Lao Li is not much of a teacher.) 老李不善于教书. Hsiao Wang is a good learner. 小王善于学习. John

22、is a good thief. 约翰的偷窃本领很高明. 从上述例句可以看到, good和bad是表示能力的大小和动作的特征, 是用来指航海, 教书, 学习, 偷窃的动作特征, 而不是指人的道德品质而言, 因此 a good thief的内涵是 someone who thieves well; a good learner的内涵是someone who learns well. 其余可以类推. 英语有句名谚: A bad workman always blames his tools. (自己笨,怪刀钝)句中的bad也不是指workman的品德不好, 而是笨手笨脚的涵义. a bad wor

23、kman是能工巧匠的反语, 可译作:技艺差的工匠. 同理, a bad driver是驾驶技术拙劣的司机; a bad nurse是不称职的护士. 在其他场合里, bad还可能译为:不胜任的, 令人不满意的, 差劲的. 总之, bad和good的译法必须根据具体的场合和搭配词才能选定. 这个贴子最后由hicathy在 2001/11/19 11:04pm 编辑 英语陷阱(6) You are being insulting her! 你是在故意侮辱她! - 这一句不能译作:你现在在侮辱她!, 如要表达此意, 应该说: You are insulting her! 为什么are being in

24、sulting会表示故意侮辱的涵义呢? 在回答这个问题之前, 让我们先对比一下下列两句的不同涵义: 1. She is kind. 2. She is being kind. 从表层的结构持, She is kind的语义是她是和蔼的, 从深层的结构看, is kind 是说明主语的特性的品质, 其内在涵义是: 她平日待人一向和蔼可亲. She is being kind的表层语义是: 她现在是和蔼的, 从深层结构看, being表示目前或现在的短暂涵义, 它说明主体有意识进行的一个动作, 故其内在涵义为: 她平日待人并不和蔼, 现在却故意装出一副和蔼可亲的模样. 在这种句型里, being的

25、意义相当于故意地(purposely or intentionally) 下面再举几个类例: They are being friendly. 他们摆出一副友好的姿态. Tom is being polite. 汤姆装出一副彬彬有礼的模样. Mary is being angry with me. 玛丽对我装作发脾气的样子. Dick is being difficult. 狄克故意在找别人的麻烦. They are being difficult. 他们在故意作梗. HE is being naughty, isnt he? 他是在故意捣蛋,是吗? Mary, youre so pretty

26、 today Youre just being polite. 玛丽,你今天真美. 你真会说话. 最后一句的Youre just being polite.是回答别人称赞的用语, 相当于Its nice of you to say so, 故将其译作:你真会说话. 我們通過She is kind. 和She is being kind.的對比, 可以由此及彼, 舉一反三地想到: She is good (helpful, a fool, an angel, a nuisance.) 不等于 She is being good (helpful, a fool, an angel, a nuis

27、ance.) 因為She is being good = She is behaving well. 最后還需在此補充一句: 表示狀態的時候, be不能用于進行體. 例如, 我們不可以說: The Japanese sumo star Akebono is being fat.(只能說.is fat) 英語陷阱(7) I dont know whether they are not here. 我想他們可能會在這里. - 乍然看來, 此句不難理解, 似乎是:我不知道他們是否在這里, 相當于I dont know wherther they are here or not. 實際上, 這個句子并

28、不是表示這個意思, 因為它是個特殊句型, 故不能按照字面去理解和翻譯,其內涵相當于I think that they might be here. 正確的譯文如上. 為什么我們說這是一個特殊的句型呢?在回答之前, 也讓我們先看兩個句子: They are here. 他們在這里.(肯定形式的陳述句) Arent they here? 他們不在這里嗎?(近乎肯定的疑問句, 說話人的心目中認為他們在這里, 這樣問, 只是想証實自己的想法無誤.) I dont know whether they are not here就是表示類似語義的一種句型. 句中的I dont know并不是真正的不知道,

29、而是表示沒有十足把握或未經証實的意味, 其后的whether they are not here是近乎肯定的猜測內容, 故全句可譯作:我想他們可能會在這里. I dont know whether.not和I wonder whether .not都是同一種類型的特殊句型,老是用以表示說話人主觀看法或猜測的解釋句(a pattern of interpretation). 現在請讀者將現在一段文章譯成漢語, 要注意whether.not所表達的內涵: Dr. Aline Wong, a Singapore Government minister, has made a new pitch for Hong Kong people to migrate there after announcing that the number of Hongkongers who have taken up permanent residence since July 1989 had reached about 4,70