Making sense of spelling - Gina Cooke

翻译人员: Minji Seo 校对人员: Sherry Chen

You've probably seen an email or an internet post

你可能看过电子邮件或网络文章

about how weird and random English spelling seems to be.

谈论英文拼字看似多么的奇怪与随机

But what if I told you that it actually makes perfect sense?

但如果我告诉你，这一切其实都可以被完美地解释？

In fact, that's spelling's job:

这就是拼写的功能

Making sense. Think of spelling a word

让字词看上去有意义

想象一下，拼字像是在剥洋葱的皮

as peeling back the layers of an onion.

The first layer is a word's sense and meaning.

词汇的第一层是‘字面意思’

Often there are multiple layers of meaning.

通常，意思会有许多层次

Another layer is the word's structure.

另一层则是词汇的‘构造’

Think of the center of the onion as a word's base element,

把词根看做是洋葱中心

its essential kernel of meaning.

是词义的核心

A free-base element, like O-N-E,

一个可独立存在的词，比如 O-N-E

or T-W-O,

或 T-W-O

can stand on its own as a word,

可以自成一词

like one, or two.

比如（成为）一或二

A bound base, like the R-U-P-T of "erupt" or "rupture"

而结合型词根，像喷发（erupt）或破裂（rupture）中 的 R-U-P-T

needs another element in order to surface in a word.

则需要其它的元素以构成单词

Two or more bases

两种或更多字根

give us compounds, like "twofold" or "someone" or "bankrupt."

构成复合字，像两倍的（twofold）、 某人（someone）、破产（bankrupt）

Once we figure out a word's meaningful elements,

只要我们了解一个单词有意义的元素

We can peel back its history to shed a little more light

我们便能解开它的历史并静一步明白

on why it's spelled as it is.

为什么单词要这样拼

The word "two," for example,

举例来说，two 这个词

needs its "W" in order to mark its connection

需要 W 来与其他的词形成链接

to words like "twice," "twelve," "twenty,"

像两次（twice）、十二（twelve）、二十（twenty）

"twin" and "between."

双胞胎（twin）、之间（between）

A word's history is another layer of the onion.

一个词的历史是洋葱的另一层

With that understanding, let's investigate the word "one."

有了这样的认识，让我们来检视 one 这个字

First we need to check in with what it means.

首先，我们要看看它的意思

Unique, single, solitary.

特别的（unique）、单一的（single）、单独的（solitary）

"One's" historical layers include its relatives

one 的历史层面包含其他相似的词

"only," "once," "eleven," and even "a,"

包括只有（only）、一次（once）、 十一（eleven）、甚至一个（a）

"an" and "any."

一个（an）、任何（any）

But it's the morphological relatives -

但正是它形态上的相似词

the ones that share the base O-N-E -

也就是词根包含 O-N-E 的词

That are really astonishing.

让人十分诧异

There are the familiar ones, like "anyone,"

它们都很相似，像是：任何人

and "one-track" and "oneself" - those are obvious.

单轨的（one-track）、一个人（oneself） 这些在形态上有明显相似性

But let's take a look at some unexpected derivations

但让我们再来看一些

of the word "one."

由one衍生而来的一些令人意想不到的词

The word "alone" is built from the prefix A-L plus the base O-N-E.

独自一人（alone）这个词，是由 前缀 A-L 和词根 O-N-E 所结合而成

It's the same A-L prefix that we see

用前缀 A-L 的词有

in "always," "already," "almighty" and "almost."

总是（always）、已经（already）、 全能的（almighty）、几乎（almost）

It means "all."

都有「全部（all）」的意思

the word "alone" means "all one."

alone 这个词的意思是「全部只有一个（all one）」

It was misanalysed in the middle ages

但在中古世纪时被做了错误分析

as having the prefix "a," like in "asleep" and "awake" and "around,"

而只有 a 的前缀，像是睡着的（asleep）、 醒的（awake）和四周的（around）

and a new base was born: L-O-N-E,

而新的字根 L-O-N-E 产生了

which then developed into its own family.

它也发展出一系列相关词

In the word "atone," we find the familiar preposition "at"

在「弥补（atone）」这个词中， 我们看到常用的介系词 at

compounded with the base O-N-E.

与字根 O-N-E 结合

See, when we atone for something we've done wrong,

当我们想弥补做过的某件错事

we attempt to make things whole again,

我们试图让事情再度圆满

to fix what's broken, to be at one again with whomever we hurt.

更正错误， 与我们伤害到的人再次合为一体

But here's perhaps the best one of all:

而这里有个最赞的例子

the word "onion," which is also frequently derided as irregular

「洋葱（onion）」的的拼写通常被看作不规则

or crazy, for its spelling of "uh" with an O.

或没道理， 因为它用 O 拼出 uh 的音

But again, if we look into the word's structure,

但如果我们看这个词的构造

and its history, it's a mystery no more.

和历史，这样的拼写再也不奇怪了

When we look at the roots of an onion,

当我们看洋葱的字根

we learn that it is written as O-N-E plus I-O-N,

我们知道它用 O-N-E 加上 I-O-N

the same suffix we find in "tension," "action," "union"

是在紧张（tension）、行为（action）、 联合（union）中的字尾

and thousands of other words in English.

在许多英文词汇中都可以看到

Unlike the many cloves in a head of garlic,

不像顶部有许多瓣的蒜头

an onion has a single bulb.

洋葱只有一颗葱头

It is marked by the state or condition of oneness.

是单一的形态

Like an onion, English is one -

就像洋葱， 英文也是独一无二的

one single writing system shared across time and space.

是一种跨越时空的独特写作系统

Its structure and its history have many layers,

它的结构和历史就像洋葱的瓣

and peeling them apart can really add flavor to our language

若把它们层层剥开， 可为语言增添风味

and spice up our understanding. See, spelling is never just about spelling,

并丰富我们的认知 看吧！词汇拼写其实不仅仅是拼写

but about how written words make sense.

而是让词汇更符合情理

It's almost enough to make you want to cry.

合理得让人想要流泪！