Why is there a "b" in doubt? - Gina Cooke

为什么英文‘Doubt（怀疑）'里头有个‘b’? - Gina Cooke

Translator: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

翻译人员: Minji Seo 校对人员: Sherry Chen

People often think the word "doubt" spelling is a little crazy

人们常常认为’Doubt(怀疑）这个词的拼法有点疯狂

because of the letter "b".

因为里头有个字母‘b'。

Since it doesn't spell a sound,

由于它并不发音，

most folks can't figure out what it's doing there.

大多数人不知道它到底在那儿是干什么用的

But in spite of what most of us learn in school,

然而，尽管我们在学校已被教导

sound is <i>never</i> the most important aspect

发音永远不是

of spelling an English word.

拼写英语单词时需要考虑的最重要的方面，

A word's meaning and history need to come first.

我们必须首先考虑一个词的历史和含义

To doubt means to question,

（作为动词），’怀疑‘意味着‘询问’

to waver,

‘踌躇’

to hesitate.

‘犹豫不决’

As a noun, it means uncertainty or confusion.

作为一个名词，它指的是一种困惑或不确定性

The present-day English word "doubt"

现代英语中，‘怀疑’这个词

started as a Latin word, "dubitare".

源于拉丁词‘Dubitare',

It first moved from Latin into French

它首先从拉丁语进入法语，

where it lost both its "buh" sound and its letter "b".

失去了‘buh'的音和字母’b'，

And then it came into English in the 13th century.

接着在十三世纪时，它进入了英语

About 100 years later,

大约一百年后，

scribes who wrote English but also knew Latin,

懂英语也懂拉丁语的经学家

started to reinsert the "b" into the word's spelling,

开始将’b'重新植入到doubt的拼写里

even though no one pronounced it that way.

即便当时没人这么发音

But why would they do this?

但为什么他们这么做呢？

Why would anyone in their right mind

为什么会有人把一个不发音的字母

reinsert a silent letter into a spelling?

重新植入到拼写中呢？

Well, because they knew Latin,

呃，因为他们懂拉丁文

the scribes understood that the root of "doubt" had a "b" in it.

经学家知道‘怀疑’的词根里有个‘b'

Over time, even as fewer literate people knew Latin,

随着时间的推移，尽管识字的人当中懂拉丁文越来越少,

the "b" was kept because it marked important,

'b'还是一直存在与doubt的拼写中，因为它被认为是重要的

meaningful connections to other related words,

它被认为是一个有意义的关联，并且联系着其它相关的词汇

like "dubious" and "indubitalbly,"

比如说’Dubious(可疑的)',和‘Indubitably(不容置疑地)’,

which were subsequently borrowed into English

因为这些词是英文借用了同一个拉丁字根‘Dubitare'

from the same Latin root, "dubitare".

而产生的

Understanding these historical connections

了解这些历史的关联

not only helped us to spell "doubt,"

不仅帮助我们拼写‘Doubt(怀疑)'

but also to understand the meaning

同时也帮助我们理解

of these more sophisticated words.

这些更为复杂词汇的含义

But the story doesn't end there.

但故事并非到此为止

If we look even deeper,

如果我们更深入地探究它

we can see beyond the shadow of a doubt,

我们可以理解在这个怀疑（Doubt）之外

just how revealing that "b" can be.

这个’b'是多么深具启发性

There are only two base words in all of English

在所有英语中

that have the letters "d-o-u-b":

只有两个基本词有‘d-o-u-b'的拼写

one is doubt,

其中一个是Doubt(怀疑）

and the other is double.

而另一个是double(双）

We can build lots of other words

我们可以以这两个词为词根

on each of these bases,

创造出许多衍生词

like doubtful

and doubtless,

比如doubtful（令人怀疑的）

doubtless（无疑的）

or doublet,

或doublet（成对物）

and redouble,

redouble（加倍）

and doubloon.

和doubloon（达布隆：古西班牙双金币）

It turns out that if we look into their history,

事实证明，如果我们回顾它们的历史，

we can see that they both derive

我们便知道它们都源于

from the same Latin forms.

同一拉丁文形式

The meaning of double,

Double(双重）的意义

two,

‘两个’

is reflected in a deep understanding of doubt.

反映在一种对“怀疑”的深刻理解之中

See, when we doubt,

看，当我们怀疑时

when we hesitate,

当我们犹豫时

we second guess ourselves.

我们批评，纠正自己（second guess ourselves)

When we have doubts about something,

当我们怀疑某事时

when we have questions or confusion,

当我们遇到问题或感到困惑时

we are of two minds.

我们犹豫不定（of two minds)

Historically, before English began

从历史上看，在英语开始

to borrow words from French,

从法语那儿借词汇之前

it already had a word for doubt.

英文已经有了意为“怀疑”的词

That Old English word was "tweogan,"

在古英语中，这个单词是’Tweogan'

a word whose relationship to "two"

'Tweogan（怀疑）’与‘Two(两个）’之间的关联性

is clear in its spelling as well.

在拼写上展现得一清二楚

So the next time you are in doubt

所以，当你下次

about why English spelling works the way it does,

对英文的拼写方式感到怀疑时

take a second look.

再仔细瞧瞧（second look)

What you find just might make you do a double-take.

也许之后，你便会恍然大悟（double-take)了