英语学习:幽默大揭秘(转移式)
当审美主体接受到的语言不符合语言组合法则,或违背了社团使用习惯时,如果不属于病句的话,审美主体就应该会通过语流和语境,在更高、更新的层次上理解了话语的含义。这样,就造成了经验与现实的矛盾冲突。
转移即把词语的语言意义“扭曲”成另一种含义。当一个表达方式原系用于转义,而我们硬要把它当做本义来理解时,就得到滑稽效果。也可以讲,当我们的注意力集中到某一暗喻的具体方面时,它表达的意思就变得滑稽可笑了。
Man Leonidas (大丈夫莱奥尼达斯)
Leonidas, king of Sparta, commanded 300 warriors waged (进行战争)a decisive battle against Persia troops in 480 B.C. Persia dispatched(=despatched) an emissary to persuade Leonidas to abdicate(正式放弃) resistance.” Our soldiers are so many that our arrows can cover the sunshine."
" The more the better!" Sparta King answered," Then we can battle in the shade ."
公元前480年,斯巴达国王莱奥尼达斯率领300名勇士与波斯军队决战。波斯派来一位使者,想劝莱奥尼达斯放弃抵抗。“我们的士兵是那么的多,我们的箭飞起来能遮蔽太阳。”
“多多益善!”斯巴达国王答道,“那样我们可以在阴凉处作战了。”
迷你小贴士——词义辨析:
relinquish:常用词,放弃,松开。E.g.
A parent relinquishes control over his grown children.(父亲不再管教已经长大的孩子。)
abdicate :放弃(职位),皇帝退位。E.g.
Edward VII abdicated.(爱德华三世退位。)
Resign:退职,辞职。E.g.
The Minister of Education has resigned. (教育部长辞职。)
Cede:(法律上)放弃,割让(领土)。E.g.
France ceded Alsace-Lorrance to Germany in 1871.
(法国于1871年将阿尔萨斯和洛林割让给德国。)
Renounce:正式放弃。E.g.
He renounced his sons.(他和他的儿子断绝了父子关系。)
Fine Hair On My Body ( 汗毛)
When I sat in a rocking-chair enjoying the cool in summer , three-year-old daughter stroked softly my fine hair on my shank (小腿), asked inquiringly: " Papa, why do you have so many hairs?" I said: " It is called fine hair on human body; our skins liable to (易于) perspire(= exude:流汗) from the pores during hot days." Then she looked at my knee and palm, asked again: " Why is there not any hair here?" I was little of a biologist and couldn' t explain the phenomenon whatsoever, asked her in reply: " If there were hairs everywhere, I would be a monkey."
Lo, it' s so simple to cope with (成功对付) a kid.
夏天,我坐在摇椅上乘凉,三岁的小宝贝儿轻轻地摸弄着我小腿上的汗毛,不解地问:“爸爸,为什么有这么多毛毛呀?”我说:“这是汗毛,天热时汗就会从这出来。”她看了看膝盖和手掌,又问:“ 那为什么这儿却没有呢?”我又不是生物学家,哪懂得那么多,反问道:“要是到处都是毛毛,那不成猴猴啦?”
你看,对付孩子就这么简单。
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
cope with :成功对付。
deal with:对付,应付,论述。
Practicing Physiognomy (相面)
A hypocritical(伪善的)and fat capitalist bumped into(=ran into ) Bernard Shaw , a very meager(=skinny ) and tall writer. The capitalist said teasingly: “ From you looks I know there might have been a famine(饥荒) in Ireland .” Bernard Shaw responded: “ You might have caused it from your looks.”
一个大伪善的胖资本家碰见了又瘦又高的萧伯纳,胖资本家取笑萧伯纳说:“我一看见你,就知道爱尔兰人在挨饿。”萧伯纳回敬道:“我一看见你,就知道爱尔兰人挨饿的原因了。”
迷你小贴士——词根突破
hypocritical:伪善的。 词根 hypo-(下面,次)+critical(批评的)→ hypocritical(在背后批评人的,伪善的)
同根词: hypocrite:伪君子。(GRE)
Nietzsche, Female and Russell (尼采,女人与罗素)
Nietzsche, Germany philosopher in 19th century, was specially adverse(=hostile) to the female and never married for his whole lifetime. His celebrated dictum(名言) said: If you go for(去找,努力获取) the women ,don’t forget to take a whip with you. England philosopher Russell jeered at Nietzsche: “Since he is lucid (清醒的)to that nine women out of every ten will make him discard(=throw away) his whip, he has been circumventing(规避=evading) the women.”
19世纪德国哲学家尼采对女性特别仇视,一生未娶。他有句名言:如果你到女人那里去,可别忘了带上你的鞭子!英国哲学家罗素挖苦尼采说:“十个女人,有 九个女人会使他把鞭子丢掉的,因为他明白了这一点,所以他才要避开女人啊!”
迷你小贴士——词义辨析:
lucid:头脑清醒的,神志清醒的。
Sane:作普通名词时和类似,但还可作法律术语,指不是精神病的。
Eliot Talks Editors and Writers (艾略特看编辑与作家)
An American publisher queried poet Eliot: "Do you agree with this kind of sentiments, namely, the majority of editors are failed writers ."
Eliot contemplated(=meditated) for a short while, said impartially(公正):" I’m inclined(倾向于) that some editors are failed writers —— but the majority of writers are editors."
一个美国出版商问诗人艾略特 :“您是不是赞同这种观点,即大多数编辑是失败的作家。”
艾略特沉思了一会儿,公正地说:“我认为有些编辑是失败了的作家——但是,大多数作家都是编辑。”
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
impartial:不偏袒的,无偏见的。E.g.
An impartial person
unbiased:类似impartial,不偏不倚的,不带个人感情色彩。E.g.
An unbiased report
fair:公平的。E.g.
Fair treatment
just:公正的,强调合法性。E.g.
A just decision.
Watermelon (西瓜)
A peddler in a fair hawks (沿街叫卖,鹰) loudly:" Big watermelons. I give you free if anyone is
not sweet." A beggar bustles over to shout:" I want a not sweet one."
集市上小贩在高声叫卖:“大西瓜不甜不要钱。”一个叫花子凑过来喊:“我来个不甜的。”
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
hawk:沿街叫卖。
peddle :沿街叫卖,挨家兜售。
Thinking Oneself Clever (自作聪明)
The movie star Geyiu has a pet phrase(口头禅):" The bustling (热闹,繁忙) street does not grow the grass; the intelligent head does not grow hair." I comment on : "If the bald head means apt(= clever), we simply pull out the hair all from my head." My wife says with a smile: "It belongs that you think yourself clever."
电影明星葛优有句口头禅:“热闹的马路不长草,聪明的脑袋不长毛。”我评论说:“要是不长毛的脑袋就聪明,那咱们不妨把头发都拔了算了。”妻子笑了说:“那便是自作聪明。”
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
bustling :热闹的,熙熙攘攘。指忙碌而有目的。
brisk :朝气蓬勃的,有生气的。
animated:活生生的,生气勃勃的。
lively:有生气的,活泼的。常用词。
Sh, Sh (嘘,嘘)
Taking a photo of her baby of 100th day, Catherine went back home by taxi. Because of the traffic jam, the taxi driver was always uttering " sh, sh " , and interpreted that it could divert (=deflect:转移注意力) himself from the fidgets(烦躁). Afterwards, Catherine pled with the driver:" Master, stop uttering it, my child's crotch(裤裆) all wetted through."
凯瑟琳给孩子拍了百日照,打的回家。因为堵车,出租车司机老是“嘘,嘘”的,说是这么可以排解烦躁。后来,凯瑟琳求起情来:“师傅,你别价了,我孩子的裤子都尿透了。”
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
convert:转变,归依。常与into,to连用。
divert:转移注意力。为逃避现实、排除忧虑、摆脱思想负担而把注意力转移到娱乐上。
deflect:偏离,主要指改变运动物体的方向。
transfer:移动,调动。多指工作。
transform:改变,变形。主要指外观突然、彻底甚至神秘的变化。
Pleasantly Cool On Sixth Floor (六楼凉快)
Ji’nan in the midsummer is known as " a stove in the north of the Yangtze River". Someone asks Xiao Zhou whether it is cooler or not on the sixth floor? Adding color and emphasis (添油加醋), Xiao Zhou who lives on the sixth floor says:" It is not muggy(闷热) on the sixth floor, and we’re often enjoying whizzing (发出飕飕声,嘘嘘声) wind, needing no electric fan actually." A neighbor who lives downstairs and dislikes Zhou’s behavior:" That is in the winter."
盛夏的济南号称“江北火炉”。有人问住在六楼的小周 “六楼是否凉快点?”喜欢添油加醋的小周忙说:“六楼不热,风飕飕的,根本用不着电扇。”一向烦周的楼下的邻居说:“那是在冬天。”
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
天籁之声——此处主要指非生命的声音。
Babble:潺潺声,叽叽喳喳。 Hear the babble of many voices.
click:轻微的尖声,咔嗒声。The click of a switch; He saluted with a click of his heels.
clank:低沉的金属声,叮当声; clang:金属敲击的声音,叮当声;
Creak: 嘎吱声(松动的门铰链及木地板)。A creaky floor-board
Crack: 爆裂声,劈啪声。 A crack of pistol shot.
Crash: 撞击声,破裂声,坠落声。 The crash of dishes being dropped.
Flop:扑通一声。 Fall flop into the water.
Gurgle:汩汩声,婴儿咯咯的笑声。The water gurgled as it ran down the plug-hole.
Hoot:猫头鹰的叫声,汽笛、喇叭的声响。 The driver hooted at the sheep in the road.
Hum:昆虫的营营声, 嗡嗡声;人犹豫时的嗯嗯声。The hum of the bees.
hush:让安静的声音
Jingle:硬币、钥匙等金属的叮当声;
jangle:刺耳的声音(多金属声)The fire-alarm kept jangling.
Murmur:低沉、持续而不清的声音,隔壁的人语声。The distant murmur of the sea .
The murmur of the voices from next room.
pop :爆炸声,砰地一声。
pit-a-pit:噼啪声。the pit-a-pit of the rain on the roof.
purl:潺潺的流水声。 a purling brook.(潺潺的溪流)
rattle:短促而尖利的声音,如瓶子的哐啷哐啷声,机关枪的咯咯声。
rat-a-rat, rat-tat, rat-tat -tat, rat-tat-too,,(敲门的)砰砰声。
rub-a-dub:(鼓的)咚咚声。
Rustle, rustling:轻而爽的声音。 The rustle of banknotes.
Roll:持续而平稳的震动声。The distant roll of thunder.
Rumble:低沉而持续的声音,咚咚(鼓)声,(饿肚子)咕咕声等。The rumble of drums.
sizzle:咝咝声(如煎炸声)
Snap:快门声,开、关的声音,突然咬住的声音,厉声(说话)。The lid shut with a snap.
Sough: 细小的声音,飒飒声,瑟瑟声。 The sough of the wind in the woods.
Splash:溅泼声。He fell into the lake with a splash .
splash, plump:沉重的物体突然坠地的声音。 He sat down in the chair with a plump.
Thud:撞击软物的沉闷的声响(撞击软物,砰然落下)。 The car hit the farmer with a sickening thud.
Thump:重击声。The sack of cement hit the ground with a thump .
toot:号角、喇叭等的嘟嘟声。The driver tooted his horn as he approached the bend.
Totter:snigger, fizz:嘶嘶声,噼啪声。The fizz of a firework。
whiz :风等发出飕飕声,嘘嘘声。
Zoom:飞行器、汽车在快速移动时的嗡嗡声。The jet zoomed lower over our heads.