英语陷阱的说法
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
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superintendent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She 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housewife 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 Middle 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 library 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,一头雾水.
☆ You can find doctors and doctors in Hongkong!
在香港,既有好医生,也有坏医生。
这一句不能译作:在香港,你能看到很多很多的医生。
英语和汉语一样,词的重复(repetition)是一种修辞手段。一般说来,它表达强调语势,突出语义,以收到音调和谐、生动有力的修辞效果。例如:
Gentlemen may cry,Peace,Peace - but there is no peace.
老爷们尽管可以高呼和平,和平!但是依然没有和平。
(from Patrick Henry's Speech Before the Virginia Convention of 1775 )
Scrooge went to bed again,and thought and thought and thought it over and over.
斯克罗奇又上床睡觉,左思右想,想个不休。
但是,在某些场合下,将某些词重复,并不是要收到突出语义的效果,而是为了表示不同类型的涵义。例如You will find doctors and doctors in Hong Kong.的语义就相当于You can find bad doctors as well as good doctors in Hong Kong. 该句的语义重点放在也有坏医生上。
下面是两个类例:
There are artists and artists.
既有好的艺术家,也有坏的艺术家。
You should know that there are books and books。
你们要知道,书有好坏之分,既有好书,也有坏书。
这里要指出,当一个名词不止重复一次时,它是表示大量的、许多的涵义。例如有那么一个句子:
There were rats and rats and rats all over the house.(责任编辑:www.360gaokao.com)
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