ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Anne Curzan - Language historian
English professor Anne Curzan actually encourages her students to use slang in class. A language historian, she is fascinated by how people use words—and by how this changes.

Why you should listen

Anne Curzan is a collector of slang words, a dissector of colloquialisms and a charter of language evolution. To put it most simply, she is a Professor of English at the University of Michigan who studies how the English language works and how it has changed over time. As she puts it in her talk, “The English language is rich, vibrant and filled with the creativity of the people who speak it.”

In addition to sitting on the usage panel for American Heritage dictionary since 2005, Curzan is also an author—her latest book is called Fixing English: Prescriptivism and Language History. She also co-hosts the show “That’s What They Say” on Michigan Radio, all about language and grammar, and writes regularly for The Chronicle of Higher Education’s language blog, Lingua Franca.

More profile about the speaker
Anne Curzan | Speaker | TED.com
TEDxUofM

Anne Curzan: What makes a word "real"?

安.柯爾珍: 怎樣才算是一個「真正的」單詞?

Filmed:
1,895,764 views

人們可能會認為,一些俚語單詞,比如「hangry」、「defriend」和「adorkable」填補了英語的一些空白,儘管它們沒有在詞典中出現過。那麼,究竟是誰決定這些詞語可被錄入神聖的詞典?語言歷史學家安.柯爾珍引人入勝地讓我們瞭解到詞典背後的編者們,以及他們做的篩選。
- Language historian
English professor Anne Curzan actually encourages her students to use slang in class. A language historian, she is fascinated by how people use words—and by how this changes. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
I need to start開始 by telling告訴 you a little bit
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一開始,我或許應該講講
00:15
about my social社會 life,
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我的社交生活
00:16
which哪一個 I know may可能 not seem似乎 relevant相應,
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我知道這看起來似乎毫不相干
00:19
but it is.
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但其實大有關係
00:21
When people meet遇到 me at parties派對
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人們在派對上遇到我
00:23
and they find out that I'm an English英語 professor教授
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發現我是一名英語教授
00:25
who specializes專業 in language語言,
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並且研究語言時
00:27
they generally通常 have one of two reactions反應.
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他們一般會有兩種反應
00:31
One set of people look frightened受驚. (Laughter笑聲)
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一種人表現得驚恐(笑聲)
00:36
They often經常 say something like,
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他們常常會說:
00:37
"Oh, I'd better be careful小心 what I say.
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「噢,我說話得謹慎點
00:41
I'm sure you'll你會 hear every一切 mistake錯誤 I make."
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你會一字不漏地聽出我的語用錯誤
00:44
And then they stop talking. (Laughter笑聲)
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於是他們乾脆就閉嘴了(笑聲)
00:48
And they wait for me to go away
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然後待我離開後
00:50
and talk to someone有人 else其他.
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他們才與別人交談
00:53
The other set of people,
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另一種人
00:55
their eyes眼睛 light up,
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會眼睛一亮
00:57
and they say,
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並說:
00:58
"You are just the person I want to talk to."
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「我正想要和你談談」
01:03
And then they tell me about whatever隨你 it is
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接著告訴我他們所認為的
01:05
they think is going wrong錯誤 with the English英語 language語言.
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英語語言存在的問題
01:08
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
01:10
A couple一對 of weeks ago, I was at a dinner晚餐 party派對
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幾周前,我參加了一個晚宴
01:12
and the man to my right
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我右邊的男士
01:15
started開始 telling告訴 me about all the ways方法
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向我滔滔不絕地講述了
01:17
that the Internet互聯網 is degrading降解 the English英語 language語言.
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網路如何玷污英語
01:20
He brought up FacebookFacebook的, and he said,
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他提到了社群網站臉書:
01:23
"To defrienddefriend? I mean, is that even a real真實 word?"
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「defriend?(刪除好友)
這算是一個真正的單詞嗎?」
01:29
I want to pause暫停 on that question:
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就這點我先來提個問題:
01:33
What makes品牌 a word real真實?
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怎樣才算是一個真正的單詞?
01:36
My dinner晚餐 companion伴侶 and I both know
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晚宴上的各位都知道
01:38
what the verb動詞 "defrienddefriend" means手段,
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動詞「defriend」是什麼意思
01:42
so when does a new word like "defrienddefriend"
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那從何時起,像 defriend 這樣的新詞
01:44
become成為 real真實?
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才可成為真正的詞彙呢
01:46
Who has the authority權威 to make those kinds
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究竟誰有權力給這類詞
01:49
of official官方 decisions決定 about words, anyway無論如何?
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賦予官方定義?
01:52
Those are the questions問題 I want to talk about today今天.
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這就是今天我要談的問題
01:57
I think most people, when they say a word isn't real真實,
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我認為當一般人說
某個單詞不成立時
02:00
what they mean is, it doesn't appear出現
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那即是,此詞沒有被記載
02:02
in a standard標準 dictionary字典.
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在標準詞典裡
02:03
That, of course課程, raises加薪 a host主辦 of other questions問題,
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這必然衍生出諸多其他問題
02:06
including包含, who writes dictionaries字典?
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如,詞典是誰編寫的?
02:11
Before I go any further進一步,
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我想在此打住,
02:13
let me clarify澄清 my role角色 in all of this.
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先澄清一下我在其中的角色
02:15
I do not write dictionaries字典.
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我不是詞典編寫人
02:17
I do, however然而, collect蒐集 new words
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然而我的確在收集新詞
02:20
much the way dictionary字典 editors編者 do,
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頗似詞典主編們的活兒
02:23
and the great thing about being存在 a historian歷史學家
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作為英語語言史的學者好處在於
02:25
of the English英語 language語言
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02:26
is that I get to call this "research研究."
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我可以稱之為「研究」
02:30
When I teach the history歷史 of the English英語 language語言,
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當我教英語語言史時
02:32
I require要求 that students學生們 teach me
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我要求學生在開課前
02:35
two new slang俚語 words before I will begin開始 class.
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教我兩個新俚語
02:38
Over the years年份, I have learned學到了
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因此,這些年裡我
02:41
some great new slang俚語 this way,
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學到了一些精彩的俚語
02:44
including包含 "hangryHANGRY," which哪一個 --
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如「hangry」
02:48
(Applause掌聲) —
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(掌聲)
02:52
which哪一個 is when you are cranky胡思亂想的 or angry憤怒
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意思是你因為饑餓(hungry)
02:54
because you are hungry飢餓,
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而惱怒(angry)
02:58
and "adorkableadorkable,"
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還有「adorkable」
03:03
which哪一個 is when you are adorable可愛的
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意思是
03:05
in kind of a dorky學究氣 way,
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傻得可愛
03:08
clearly明確地, terrific了不起 words that fill
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很明顯,這些精妙的詞
03:11
important重要 gaps空白 in the English英語 language語言.
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補充了英語語言的重要空白
03:14
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
03:18
But how real真實 are they
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但這些詞怎麼才是正確
03:21
if we use them primarily主要 as slang俚語
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如果它們僅作為俚語
03:23
and they don't yet然而 appear出現 in a dictionary字典?
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且尚未被記入詞典?
03:27
With that, let's turn to dictionaries字典.
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讓我們回到詞典的問題
03:30
I'm going to do this as a show顯示 of hands:
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請你們舉手表示
03:32
How many許多 of you still regularly經常
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有多少人還會習慣查詞典 ?
03:34
refer參考 to a dictionary字典, either print打印 or online線上?
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印刷或是網路的都行
03:39
Okay, so that looks容貌 like most of you.
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好的,似乎多數人都有
03:41
Now, a second第二 question. Again, a show顯示 of hands:
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問題二,請再舉手表示
03:44
How many許多 of you have ever looked看著 to see
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有多少人曾試圖去瞭解
03:47
who edited編輯 the dictionary字典 you are using運用?
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這些詞典的作者是誰?
03:54
Okay, many許多 fewer.
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好的,不多
03:57
At some level水平, we know that there are human人的 hands
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在某程度上,我們知道詞典背後
04:01
behind背後 dictionaries字典,
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必有人為的操作
04:02
but we're really not sure who those hands belong屬於 to.
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但我們難以知道,他們是何方神聖
04:07
I'm actually其實 fascinated入迷 by this.
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其實我對此很好奇
04:09
Even the most critical危急 people out there
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即使是最挑剔的人
04:12
tend趨向 not to be very critical危急 about dictionaries字典,
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也不會對詞典太嚴苛
04:14
not distinguishing區別 among其中 them
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不會區分比較
04:16
and not asking a whole整個 lot of questions問題
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不會刨根問底
04:18
about who edited編輯 them.
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關於誰是編者
04:20
Just think about the phrase短語
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想想這句話
04:22
"Look it up in the dictionary字典,"
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「請翻閱詞典」
04:24
which哪一個 suggests提示 that all dictionaries字典
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這意味著,所有的詞典
04:26
are exactly究竟 the same相同.
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都是一樣的
04:28
Consider考慮 the library圖書館 here on campus校園,
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假設在學校圖書館
04:30
where you go into the reading room房間,
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有間閱覽室
04:32
and there is a large, unabridged刪節 dictionary字典
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那有一本未經刪減的大詞典
04:35
up on a pedestal in this place地點 of honor榮譽 and respect尊重
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被供放在莊重的臺座上
04:39
lying說謊 open打開 so we can go stand before it
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頁面敞開著待我們
04:41
to get answers答案.
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上前尋答案
04:43
Now, don't get me wrong錯誤,
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別誤會,我沒否認
04:46
dictionaries字典 are fantastic奇妙 resources資源,
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詞典是很好的資源
04:49
but they are human人的
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可它們都是人類腦力結晶
04:50
and they are not timeless永恆.
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他們會因時而變
04:53
I'm struck來襲 as a teacher老師
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作為老師,我覺得很困惑的是
04:55
that we tell students學生們 to critically危重 question
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我們常對學生強調,要批判思考
04:58
every一切 text文本 they read, every一切 website網站 they visit訪問,
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瀏覽過的文章或網頁
05:01
except dictionaries字典,
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除詞典外
05:03
which哪一個 we tend趨向 to treat對待 as un-authored聯合國撰寫,
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我們往往覺得,詞典沒有作者
05:06
as if they came來了 from nowhere無處 to give us answers答案
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好似他們從天而降來
告訴我們單詞的定義
05:09
about what words really mean.
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05:13
Here's這裡的 the thing: If you ask dictionary字典 editors編者,
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那麼,如果你問詞典的作者
05:17
what they'll他們會 tell you
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他們會說的是
05:18
is they're just trying to keep up with us
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他們致力於與大眾同步
05:20
as we change更改 the language語言.
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隨著人類不斷改變語言
05:22
They're watching觀看 what we say and what we write
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他們一直觀察著我們說寫的內容
05:24
and trying to figure數字 out what's going to stick
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並試圖決定
何去何留
05:27
and what's not going to stick.
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05:29
They have to gamble,
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他們得賭一把
05:30
because they want to appear出現 cutting切割 edge邊緣
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因為他們希望顯得更前沿
05:32
and catch抓住 the words that are going to make it,
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因而選了一些代表性詞彙
05:34
such這樣 as LOL大聲笑,
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比如「LOL」
(laughing out loud,放聲大笑)
05:37
but they don't want to appear出現 faddish風行
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但他們不失保守態度
05:39
and include包括 the words that aren't going to make it,
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所以不收錄曇花一現的詞
05:42
and I think a word that they're watching觀看 right now
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我覺得當前編者們關注的一個詞
05:43
is YOLOYOLO, you only live生活 once一旦.
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是YOLO,「人只能活一次」的縮寫
05:49
Now I get to hang out with dictionary字典 editors編者,
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我常與詞典編輯們接觸
05:51
and you might威力 be surprised詫異
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我們會面的地點之一
05:53
by one of the places地方 where we hang out.
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或許會令人驚訝
05:55
Every一切 January一月, we go
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每年一月份
我們都出席全美方言協會的年會
05:57
to the American美國 Dialect方言 Society社會 annual全年 meeting會議,
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06:00
where among其中 other things,
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我們會票選出
06:02
we vote投票 on the word of the year.
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年度詞語
06:05
There are about 200 or 300 people who come,
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與會者約有200到300位
06:08
some of the best最好 known已知
linguists語言學家 in the United聯合的 States狀態.
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當中不乏美國最有名的語言學家
06:11
To give you a sense of the flavor味道 of the meeting會議,
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簡單講講會議的氛圍
06:13
it occurs發生 right before happy快樂 hour小時.
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會議會在酒水減價前開始
06:16
Anyone任何人 who comes can vote投票.
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凡是前來的人都可投票
06:18
The most important重要 rule規則 is
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有一重要前提:
06:19
that you can vote投票 with only one hand.
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你只能單手投票一次
06:23
In the past過去, some of the winners獲獎者 have been
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過去的年度詞語有
06:26
"tweet鳴叫" in 2009
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2009年的「tweet」
(指Twitter的消息)
06:28
and "hashtag井號" in 2012.
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2012年的「hashtag」
(指主題標籤「#」)
06:32
"Chad乍得" was the word of the year in the year 2000,
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2000年度詞語是「chad」
(指選票打孔後掉下的紙片)
06:35
because who knew知道 what a chad乍得 was before 2000,
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2000年之前,沒人知道 chad 是什麼
06:39
and "WMD大規模殺傷性武器" in 2002.
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2002年度詞是「WMD」
(指伊戰中的大規模殺傷性武器)
06:43
Now, we have other categories類別 in which哪一個 we vote投票 too,
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現在投票增添了其他項目
06:46
and my favorite喜愛 category類別
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我最喜歡的是
06:48
is most creative創作的 word of the year.
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年度最具創意詞
06:50
Past過去 winners獲獎者 in this category類別 have included包括
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曾獲勝的詞包括
06:53
"recombobulationrecombobulation area,"
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「recombobulation area」
06:56
which哪一個 is at the Milwaukee密爾沃基 Airport飛機場 after security安全,
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指的是密爾沃基機場過安檢後
07:00
where you can recombobulaterecombobulate.
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旅客的重新整頓區
07:02
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
07:04
You can put your belt back on,
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你可在那整理行李
07:05
put your computer電腦 back in your bag.
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放回電腦
07:10
And then my all-time整天 favorite喜愛 word at this vote投票,
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這次,我空前喜歡的創意詞是
07:13
which哪一個 is "multi-slacking多鬆弛."
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「multi-slacking」
07:15
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
07:18
And multi-slacking多鬆弛 is the act法案
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multi-slacking 指
07:20
of having multiple windows視窗 up on your screen屏幕
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電腦的多個視窗被打開
07:23
so it looks容貌 like you're working加工
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貌似有人在工作
07:24
when you're actually其實 goofing昂然 around on the web捲筒紙.
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其實是在不務正業
07:26
(Laughter笑聲) (Applause掌聲)
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(笑聲)(掌聲)
07:33
Will all of these words stick? Absolutely絕對 not.
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這些詞會被收錄嗎?肯定不會
07:36
And we have made製作 some questionable可疑的 choices選擇,
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我們也曾做過一些有爭議的決定
07:39
for example in 2006
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例如2006年
07:41
when the word of the year was "PlutoedPlutoed,"
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年度詞語是「Plutoed」
07:43
to mean demoted降級.
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意思是降級
07:45
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
07:50
But some of the past過去 winners獲獎者
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但過去有些獲選詞
07:52
now seem似乎 completely全然 unremarkable不起眼,
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如今似乎徹底司空見慣了
07:55
such這樣 as "app應用"
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例如「app」
07:57
and "e" as a prefix字首,
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2013
作為前綴的「e」
07:59
and "google谷歌" as a verb動詞.
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作為動詞的「google」
08:02
Now, a few少數 weeks before our vote投票,
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今年投票前幾週
08:06
Lake Superior優越 State University大學
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蘇必利爾湖州立大學
08:08
issues問題 its list名單 of banished放逐 words for the year.
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發佈了年度禁用語的名單
08:12
What is striking引人注目 about this
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吸睛的是
08:14
is that there's actually其實 often經常 quite相當 a lot of overlap交疊
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此名單與協會的
08:17
between之間 their list名單 and the list名單 that we are considering考慮
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年度候選詞名單
08:20
for words of the year,
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有相當多的共同之處
08:22
and this is because we're noticing注意到 the same相同 thing.
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這是因為我們都
注意到了一點
08:26
We're noticing注意到 words that are coming未來 into prominence突出物.
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我們都關注到流行詞
08:29
It's really a question of attitude態度.
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問題是各花入各眼
08:32
Are you bothered困擾 by language語言
fads潮流 and language語言 change更改,
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你覺得語言的日新月異
08:35
or do you find it fun開玩笑, interesting有趣,
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有趣還是令人反感
08:39
something worthy值得 of study研究
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作為生活語言的一部分
08:40
as part部分 of a living活的 language語言?
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流行語有研究價值嗎?
08:43
The list名單 by Lake Superior優越 State University大學
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蘇必利爾湖州立大學的清單
08:45
continues繼續 a fairly相當 long tradition傳統 in English英語
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延續了長久以來
08:48
of complaints投訴 about new words.
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不接納英語新詞的保守思想
08:50
So here is Dean院長 Henry亨利 Alford奧爾福德 in 1875,
188
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1875 年該校院長亨利
08:54
who was very concerned關心 that "desirability可取"
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極為反感「desirability」這個詞
08:57
is really a terrible可怕 word.
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認為它糟糕透了
08:59
In 1760, Benjamin本傑明 Franklin富蘭克林
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1760 年,班傑明·富蘭克林
09:02
wrote a letter to David大衛 Hume休謨
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在致大衛·休謨的信中說
09:03
giving up the word "colonize拓殖" as bad.
193
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應棄用「colonize」這不當的詞
09:07
Over the years年份, we've我們已經 also seen看到 worries
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一直以來,我們也曾見聞
09:09
about new pronunciations發音.
195
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1890
對新發音的擔憂
09:11
Here is Samuel塞繆爾 Rogers羅傑斯 in 1855
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1855 年,薩繆爾·羅格斯
09:14
who is concerned關心 about some
fashionable時髦 pronunciations發音
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認為一些時髦的發音
09:17
that he finds認定 offensive進攻,
198
545219
2007
令人討厭
09:19
and he says "as if contemplate沉思 were not bad enough足夠,
199
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他說:若「contemplate」還不夠糟糕
09:22
balcony陽台 makes品牌 me sick生病."
200
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那「balcony」足以令我作嘔。
(注:單詞重音位置變了)
09:25
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
09:28
The word is borrowed in from Italian意大利
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這個詞源於義大利
09:30
and it was pronounced宣判 bal-COE-neeBAL-COE-NEE.
203
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它的發音是bal-COE-nee
(注:重音於第二音節)
09:34
These complaints投訴 now strike罷工 us as quaint精巧,
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這些抱怨如今顯得荒誕離奇
09:37
if not downright徹頭徹尾 adorkableadorkable -- (Laughter笑聲) --
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完全「傻得可愛」(笑聲)
09:42
but here's這裡的 the thing:
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但問題是
09:45
we still get quite相當 worked工作 up about language語言 change更改.
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對於語言變化,人們仍會激動不已
我辦公室裡有一疊文檔
09:49
I have an entire整個 file文件 in my office辦公室
208
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2062
09:51
of newspaper報紙 articles用品
209
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都是對非標準詞語
09:54
which哪一個 express表現 concern關心 about illegitimate非法的 words
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表示擔心的報刊文章
09:57
that should not have been included包括 in the dictionary字典,
211
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1879
認為它們不應被納入詞典
09:59
including包含 "LOL大聲笑"
212
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包括「LOL」
10:00
when it got into the Oxford牛津 English英語 Dictionary字典
213
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2070
它已被納入牛津英語詞典
10:02
and "defrienddefriend"
214
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1775
還有「defriend」
10:04
when it got into the Oxford牛津 American美國 Dictionary字典.
215
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也已被納入牛津美語詞典
10:07
I also have articles用品 expressing表達 concern關心
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還有文章對
10:09
about "invite邀請" as a noun名詞,
217
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把「invite」用作名詞
10:12
"impact碰撞" as a verb動詞,
218
600260
1956
把「impact」用作動詞有異議
10:14
because only teeth can be impacted影響,
219
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2971
因為impacted常指阻生牙
10:17
and "incentivize激勵" is described描述
220
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2975
「incentivize」也被認為是
10:20
as "boorish粗野, bureaucratic官僚主義 misspeak說錯話."
221
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「粗鄙繁雜的錯誤發音」
10:24
Now, it's not that dictionary字典 editors編者
222
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1961
詞典編輯們
10:26
ignore忽視 these kinds of attitudes態度 about language語言.
223
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對這種立場並無忽視
10:29
They try to provide提供 us some guidance指導 about words
224
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他們試圖提供關於
10:31
that are considered考慮 slang俚語 or informal非正式的
225
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2270
所謂的俚語、非正式語和冒犯詞的指引
10:34
or offensive進攻, often經常 through通過 usage用法 labels標籤,
226
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3143
常通過用法標示的形式
10:37
but they're in something of a bind捆綁,
227
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1690
他們或多或少受限
10:38
because they're trying to describe描述 what we do,
228
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3652
因為他們試圖概括一般人的語用方式
10:42
and they know that we often經常 go to dictionaries字典
229
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他們也知道人們常會用詞典
10:44
to get information信息 about how we should use a word
230
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來瞭解詞語應如何使用
10:47
well or appropriately適當.
231
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1908
才恰當合理
10:49
In response響應, the American美國 Heritage遺產 Dictionaries字典
232
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3024
對此,美國傳統詞典
10:52
include包括 usage用法 notes筆記.
233
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包含了語用注解
10:54
Usage用法 notes筆記 tend趨向 to occur發生 with words
234
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2117
注解往往更適用於
10:56
that are troublesome麻煩 in one way,
235
644922
1323
那些複雜麻煩的詞
10:58
and one of the ways方法 that they can be troublesome麻煩
236
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2865
之所以麻煩的一個原因是
11:01
is that they're changing改變 meaning含義.
237
649110
1933
詞的原意不斷改變
11:03
Now usage用法 notes筆記 involve涉及 very human人的 decisions決定,
238
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3426
如今注解難免有很多主觀的判斷
11:06
and I think, as dictionary字典 users用戶,
239
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2059
作為詞典使用者,我認為
11:08
we're often經常 not as aware知道的 of those human人的 decisions決定
240
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2242
我們往往沒注意到
11:10
as we should be.
241
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1099
這些不應被忽視的主觀部分
11:11
To show顯示 you what I mean,
242
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1124
為了讓大家更明白
11:12
we'll look at an example, but before we do,
243
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2717
我們先來看一例子,但在此之前
11:15
I want to explain說明 what the dictionary字典 editors編者
244
663710
1982
我來解釋一下詞典編輯如何使用
11:17
are trying to deal合同 with in this usage用法 note注意.
245
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3298
使用說明
11:20
Think about the word "peruse細讀"
246
668990
2674
想想這個詞「peruse」
11:23
and how you use that word.
247
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3638
以及你如何使用這個詞
11:27
I would guess猜測 many許多 of you are thinking思維
248
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2536
我猜想你們大部分人認為
11:29
of skim撇去, scan掃描, reading quickly很快.
249
677838
4537
意思是瀏覽、掃視、匆匆閱讀
11:34
Some of you may可能 even have some walking步行 involved參與,
250
682375
2835
有些人甚至覺得和走路相關
11:37
because you're perusing細讀 grocery雜貨 store商店 shelves貨架,
251
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2246
因為你會 peruse 小賣部的貨架
11:39
or something like that.
252
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1671
或者類似的用法
11:41
You might威力 be surprised詫異 to learn學習
253
689127
2484
讓你吃驚的是
11:43
that if you look in most standard標準 dictionaries字典,
254
691611
1869
如果你在一些標準的詞典中查詢
11:45
the first definition定義 will be to read carefully小心,
255
693480
2773
第一個解釋是「仔細閱讀」
11:48
or pour over.
256
696253
2444
或者「仔細查看」
11:50
American美國 Heritage遺產 has that as the first definition定義.
257
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2859
美國遺產詞典就把它列為第一個解釋
11:53
They then have, as the second第二 definition定義, skim撇去,
258
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2965
第二個解釋才是「瀏覽」
11:56
and next下一個 to that, they say "usage用法 problem問題."
259
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3795
接下來的解釋是「使用問題」
12:00
(Laughter笑聲)
260
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1910
(笑聲)
12:02
And then they include包括 a usage用法 note注意,
261
710226
2088
然後他們寫了一個使用說明
12:04
which哪一個 is worth價值 looking at.
262
712314
1877
值得看看
12:06
So here's這裡的 the usage用法 note注意:
263
714191
1911
使用說明是這麼寫的:
12:08
"Peruse細讀 has long meant意味著 'to'至 read thoroughly'徹底“ ...
264
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2357
「Peruse長期以來的含義是『仔細閱讀』
12:10
But the word if often經常 used more loosely鬆弛地,
265
718459
1767
但是經常被不嚴謹地使用
12:12
to mean simply只是 'to'至 read.' ...
266
720226
2160
意為『閱讀』
12:14
Further進一步 extension延期 of the word
to mean 'to'至 glance一瞥 over, skim撇去,'
267
722386
2929
這個單詞經常被用來表達『匆匆掃過、瀏覽』
12:17
has traditionally傳統 been considered考慮 an error錯誤,
268
725315
2456
但一直被認為是錯誤的
12:19
but our ballot選票 results結果 suggest建議 that it is becoming變得
269
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2403
但是我們內部的投票表決顯示,這個意思
12:22
somewhat有些 more acceptable接受.
270
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1696
似乎被更多的人所接受
12:23
When asked about the sentence句子,
271
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1399
當被問到這個句子的含義
12:25
'I only had a moment時刻 to peruse細讀 the manual手冊 quickly很快,'
272
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2731
『我只有很短的時間快速peruse這本手冊。』
12:28
66 percent百分 of the [Usage用法] Panel面板
273
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2075
用戶說明小組中66%的人
12:30
found發現 it unacceptable不可接受 in 1988,
274
738075
2347
在1988年認為是可以這樣說的
12:32
58 percent百分 in 1999,
275
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2107
1999年是58%
12:34
and 48 percent百分 in 2011."
276
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3868
2011年是48%」
12:38
Ah, the Usage用法 Panel面板,
277
746397
1961
啊,用戶小組
12:40
that trusted信任 body身體 of language語言 authorities當局
278
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2610
受人信賴的語言權威組織
12:42
who is getting得到 more lenient寬容 about this.
279
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2852
對這個問題越來越寬容
12:45
Now, what I hope希望 you're thinking思維 right now is,
280
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2070
我知道你們現在思考的問題是
12:47
"Wait, who's誰是 on the Usage用法 Panel面板?
281
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3995
「等一下,誰是用戶小組?
12:51
And what should I do with their pronouncements聲明?"
282
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3112
看到這樣的公告我該怎麼辦?」
12:54
If you look in the front面前 matter
283
762997
1963
如果你翻看
12:56
of American美國 Heritage遺產 Dictionaries字典,
284
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1108
美國遺產字典的扉頁
12:58
you can actually其實 find the names
285
766068
1575
就能找到用戶小組
12:59
of the people on the Usage用法 Panel面板.
286
767643
1569
成員的名字
13:01
But who looks容貌 at the front面前 matter of dictionaries字典?
287
769212
2032
但是誰會翻看字典的扉頁呢?
13:03
There are about 200 people on the Usage用法 Panel面板.
288
771244
3047
用戶小組成員大約有200人
13:06
They include包括 academicians院士,
289
774291
2377
包括學者
13:08
journalists記者, creative創作的 writers作家.
290
776668
1677
記者、作家
13:10
There's a Supreme最高 Court法庭 justice正義 on it
291
778345
2092
還有最高法院大法官
13:12
and a few少數 linguists語言學家.
292
780437
1899
和幾位語言學家
13:14
As of 2005, the list名單 includes包括 me.
293
782336
4832
2005年,我也加入其中
13:19
(Applause掌聲)
294
787168
3812
(掌聲)
13:23
Here's這裡的 what we can do for you.
295
791342
3368
我們可以為你做這些事
13:26
We can give you a sense
296
794710
2360
我可以讓你瞭解
13:29
of the range範圍 of opinions意見 about contested爭議 usage用法.
297
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3052
一些相互矛盾用法的不同意見
13:32
That is and should be the extent程度 of our authority權威.
298
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3357
這是我們的職責範圍
13:35
We are not a language語言 academy學院.
299
803479
3411
我們並不是語言學術機構
13:38
About once一旦 a year, I get a ballot選票
300
806890
2947
大約每年一次,我有機會
13:41
that asks me about whether是否 new uses使用,
301
809837
3032
投票選出新的用法
13:44
new pronunciations發音, new meanings含義, are acceptable接受.
302
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3338
新的發音、新的含義,是否可被接受
13:48
Now here's這裡的 what I do to fill out the ballot選票.
303
816207
2892
我填寫選票的方法是這樣的:
13:51
I listen to what other people are saying and writing寫作.
304
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3508
我聆聽並觀察別人說話和寫作
13:54
I do not listen to my own擁有 likes喜歡
305
822607
2244
我不會憑自己的喜好
13:56
and dislikes不喜歡 about the English英語 language語言.
306
824851
3209
有選擇地觀察英語的使用
14:00
I will be honest誠實 with you:
307
828060
1469
坦率地說
14:01
I do not like the word "impactful影響力,"
308
829529
2949
我不喜歡「impactful」這個詞
14:04
but that is neither也不 here nor也不 there
309
832478
2002
但這並不影響
14:06
in terms條款 of whether是否 "impactful影響力"
is becoming變得 common共同 usage用法
310
834480
3239
「impactful」這個詞是否會
14:09
and becoming變得 more acceptable接受 in written書面 prose散文.
311
837719
3251
在散文寫作中普遍使用,並且被接受
14:12
So to be responsible主管,
312
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1048
出於負責任的態度
14:14
what I do is go look at usage用法,
313
842018
2528
我會觀察詞語的用法
14:16
which哪一個 often經常 involves涉及 going to look
314
844546
1836
這需要經常瀏覽
14:18
at online線上 databases數據庫 such這樣 as Google谷歌 Books圖書.
315
846382
2695
網路資料庫,比如谷歌圖書
14:21
Well, if you look for "impactful影響力" in Google谷歌 Books圖書,
316
849077
2820
如果你在谷歌圖書中搜索「impactful」
14:23
here is what you find.
317
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3206
就會找到這些資訊
14:27
Well, it sure looks容貌 like "impactful影響力"
318
855103
2241
看起來「impactful」
14:29
is proving證明 useful有用
319
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對一定數量的作家來說
14:31
for a certain某些 number of writers作家,
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的確是有用的
14:32
and has become成為 more and more useful有用
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而且在過去20年裡
14:34
over the last 20 years年份.
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使用的頻率呈上升趨勢
14:36
Now, there are going to be changes變化
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即使我們不喜歡語言的這種現象
14:38
that all of us don't like in the language語言.
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改變也必將發生
14:41
There are going to be changes變化 where you think,
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即使你在想:
14:43
"Really?
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「真的嗎
14:44
Does the language語言 have to change更改 that way?"
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語言真的要發生這樣的變化?」
14:47
What I'm saying is,
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我的意思是說
14:49
we should be less quick
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我們不要急於
14:51
to decide決定 that that change更改 is terrible可怕,
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說改變是不好的
14:55
we should be less quick to impose強加
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我們不要急於把我們自己
14:56
our likes喜歡 and dislikes不喜歡 about words on other people,
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對語言的好惡強加給別人
15:00
and we should be entirely完全 reluctant不情願
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我們不應當認為
15:03
to think that the English英語 language語言 is in trouble麻煩.
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英語遇到麻煩了
15:05
It's not. It is rich豐富 and vibrant充滿活力 and filled填充
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它並沒遇到麻煩,它內容豐富、生機勃勃
15:09
with the creativity創造力 of the speakers音箱 who speak說話 it.
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充滿了使用者帶來的新創意
15:12
In retrospect回想起來, we think it's fascinating迷人
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回顧以往,我們覺得
15:15
that the word "nice不錯" used to mean silly愚蠢,
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用「nice」表示「愚蠢」太有意思了
15:18
and that the word "decimate抽取"
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用「decimate」表示
15:20
used to mean to kill one in every一切 10.
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表示殺死十分之一
15:24
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
15:29
We think that Ben Franklin富蘭克林 was being存在 silly愚蠢
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我們覺得本佛蘭克林
擔心「notice」被用作動詞太愚蠢了
15:34
to worry擔心 about "notice注意" as a verb動詞.
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15:36
Well, you know what?
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你知道嗎?
15:38
We're going to look pretty漂亮 silly愚蠢 in a hundred years年份
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一百年之後,我們也會是同樣地愚蠢
15:41
for worrying令人擔憂 about "impact碰撞" as a verb動詞
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因為擔心「impact」會變成一個動詞
15:43
and "invite邀請" as a noun名詞.
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「invite」會變成一個名詞
15:46
The language語言 is not going to change更改 so fast快速
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語言的改變不會
15:48
that we can't keep up.
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快得讓我們跟不上
15:50
Language語言 just doesn't work that way.
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語言不會以這種方式變化
15:52
I hope希望 that what you can do
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我希望你們
15:54
is find language語言 change更改 not worrisome令人擔憂
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不要對語言的變化感到不安
15:57
but fun開玩笑 and fascinating迷人,
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而是要把它當作有趣、迷人的事情
15:59
just the way dictionary字典 editors編者 do.
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就像詞典的編輯們一樣
16:02
I hope希望 you can enjoy請享用 being存在 part部分
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我希望你們可以享受
16:04
of the creativity創造力 that is continually不斷 remaking再造
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創意的過程,持續改進
我們的語言,讓它更加強大
16:09
our language語言 and keeping保持 it robust強大的.
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16:12
So how does a word get into a dictionary字典?
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那麼,一個單詞是怎樣進入詞典的呢?
16:15
It gets得到 in because we use it
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它之所以會進入詞典,是因為我們使用它
16:17
and we keep using運用 it,
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不斷地使用它
16:19
and dictionary字典 editors編者 are paying付款 attention注意 to us.
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詞典編輯注意到我們的使用
16:23
If you're thinking思維, "But that lets讓我們 all of us decide決定
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如果你說:「那這等於是讓我們所有人
16:26
what words mean,"
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來決定一個詞的含義。」
16:28
I would say, "Yes it does,
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我會說:「是的
16:32
and it always has."
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其實一直是這樣」
16:34
Dictionaries字典 are a wonderful精彩 guide指南 and resource資源,
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詞典是非常好的指導工具和知識來源
16:38
but there is no objective目的
dictionary字典 authority權威 out there
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但是並沒有一個客觀的詞典權威
16:42
that is the final最後 arbiter仲裁者 about what words mean.
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來最終判定一個詞的真正含義
16:46
If a community社區 of speakers音箱 is using運用 a word
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如果一個群體在使用一個詞
16:48
and knows知道 what it means手段, it's real真實.
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並且共同認定它的含義,那麼它就是真實的
16:52
That word might威力 be slangyslangy,
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這個詞或許是俚語
16:53
that word might威力 be informal非正式的,
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或許不正式
16:55
that word might威力 be a word that you think
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或許你認為它
16:57
is illogical不通 or unnecessary不必要,
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不合邏輯或者沒有必要
16:59
but that word that we're using運用,
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但是只要我們在使用它
17:02
that word is real真實.
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它就是真實的
17:04
Thank you.
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謝謝
17:06
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by Elaine Lin
Reviewed by 文进 肖

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Anne Curzan - Language historian
English professor Anne Curzan actually encourages her students to use slang in class. A language historian, she is fascinated by how people use words—and by how this changes.

Why you should listen

Anne Curzan is a collector of slang words, a dissector of colloquialisms and a charter of language evolution. To put it most simply, she is a Professor of English at the University of Michigan who studies how the English language works and how it has changed over time. As she puts it in her talk, “The English language is rich, vibrant and filled with the creativity of the people who speak it.”

In addition to sitting on the usage panel for American Heritage dictionary since 2005, Curzan is also an author—her latest book is called Fixing English: Prescriptivism and Language History. She also co-hosts the show “That’s What They Say” on Michigan Radio, all about language and grammar, and writes regularly for The Chronicle of Higher Education’s language blog, Lingua Franca.

More profile about the speaker
Anne Curzan | Speaker | TED.com