Grammar's great divide: The Oxford comma - TED-Ed

语法产生的歧义: 牛津逗号 - TED-Ed

翻译人员: 晨 黄 校对人员: Zhiting Chen

Say you're helping plan a friend's party,

假设你准备帮你的朋友组织一个聚会

and he sends you a text

你朋友给你发了一条短信

asking you to "bring Bob, a DJ and a clown."

要你记得叫上鲍勃，一个DJ和一个小丑

You're pretty impressed.

你感到好惊讶

You had no idea Bob was so multitalented.

你感叹于鲍勃这个人可以如此多才多艺

But when the day arrives,

不过当那天到来时

it turns out that he's not,

你发现并不是这样的

and you were supposed to bring three different people.

你应该叫上三个不同的人，

As you and Bob sit at the silent, clownless party,

当你和鲍勃在这个无音乐， 无小丑的聚会中尴尬着

it occurs to you that the confusion could've been avoided

你意识到，其实这样的尴尬是本可以避免的

simply by using another comma after DJ.

那条短信中，只要在DJ后面加上一个逗号， 误会就消除了

This final comma in a list,

那个直接放在主要连词，比如and 和 or

placed directly before the main conjunction,

之前的

such as and, or, or nor,

句子最后一个逗号

is called the serial comma,

我们称之为连续逗号

or Oxford comma.

或者是牛津逗号

And it has long driven grammar nerds crazy

这个玩意对于语法的痴迷分子的折磨由来已久

because even major language institutions

因为即使是那些权威的语言机构

can't agree on whether it should be used.

对于它是否应该正式被使用， 也无法给出统一意见

Ironically, the Oxford comma

讽刺的是，牛津逗号反而在

is more common in the United States,

美国使用的更加普遍

where it's recommended by

因为它被一些主流机构推荐， 如现代语言协会，

the MLA, the Chicago Style Manual,

芝加哥文体手册

and the US Government Printing Office,

还有美国政府印刷办公室

though not by the AP Style Book.

但是美国联合印刷手册不在其中

In the UK and other English-speaking countries,

在英国以及一些英语国家

most style guides do not support the comma's use,

很多的文体指南并不是很支持逗号使用

with the exception of its namesake,

在除了人名的表达之外的地方

the Oxford University Press.

如牛津大学出版社

Why not use the serial comma?

为什么不使用连续逗号呢？

One of the main arguments

论据之一就是

is that the conjunction is usually enough

连词的本身已经可以足够可以

to denote a separate entity.

分割不同的名词实体了

And where it's not,

其实非也

like in your ill-fated invite list,

就拿张倒霉的party邀请卡来说

changing the order of terms will usually do the job.

改变几个名词的次序也于事无补

Journalists also dislike the comma

新闻工作者也不待见逗号

because it takes up precious space

除了占用宝贵的空格空间之外

and can make text look cluttered.

它还会使文章看上去杂乱无章

Sometimes, it can even create confusion of its own.

有时候，它还会带来理解上的误会

For example,

比如

if your friend had asked for "Bob,

如果你朋友要你叫上鲍勃，

a DJ and a puppy,"

一个DJ和一条狗

you'd probably figure out

你可能会认为

that they're three separate beings.

他们是三个东西

Puppies are cute,

狗狗即便可爱

but they don't make great DJs.

但是它们也不能是DJ

With the comma,

加了逗号之后

you may think

你可能会以为

Bob is the DJ,

鲍勃就是DJ

and all you need is him and the puppy.

而你要叫上的是两样事物， DJ鲍勃和狗

The argument over the Oxford comma

关于牛津逗号的争论

has raised such strong passions over the years

在很长一段日子里引起过大家热烈关注

that a sort of truce has been reached.

直至后来大家达到共识，同意停战。

The common wisdom is that

通常的观念是认为

its use is optional,

如果逗号可以帮你在一句话里

and depends on whether it will help

避免歧义

to avoid confusion.

你可以自由选择是否用它

For one thing,

你要做到

you're supposed to keep your use or avoidance

在一篇文章里面，无论你使用它或是不使用它

of the Oxford comma

无论你使用或是不使用逗号

consistent throughout a whole piece of writing.

你都要做到前后一致，要么你就通篇用，要么反之

So, using it only where necessary

所以，能不用，

is not an option.

还是尽量不用

And the very idea

而任何关于我们可以选择性的去

of a grammatical rule being optional

遵从语法规则这样的论调

is a bit odd.

多少有点奇怪

Imagine that you hadn't messed up the party planning,

想象一下，如果你顺利策划了那个party，

and read the next day that "everyone had a great time -

第二天，你朋友给你发了一条短信，说

ninjas, pirates, vikings, old and young."

昨晚个个都开心，忍者啦， 海盗啦，维京人啦，老的小的

If the Oxford comma were standard,

如果牛津逗号是要规范使用的

you would notice it missing

你会发现它在这里缺失了

and conclude that old and young

你推断老的和小的指的就是

must describe the awesome guests already listed.

之前提到很酷的忍者什么的

But as things stand,

但是还有一个可能性

you will always wonder

你会质疑

whether it means

这老的和小的是不是是指

that a bunch of regular, boring kids and old people

另外一个在party上出现过人群，

showed up as well.

无趣的小孩和老人

Ultimately, the serial comma may be useful or annoying,

归根结底，连续逗号可以是有用的，或是烦人的

but your opinion on it,

对待它，就像对待别的

as for many optional things,

可选择的规则一样

probably has something to do

要和你打算使用的文体

with whichever style you were raised on.

和格式，保持一致

Your high school teachers favored it?

你高中老师喜欢它？

It's likely you're still using it.

那么你可能也会一直用它

Your first editor hated it?

你第一个编辑上司痛恨它？

You probably do, too.

你可能也一样吧

And maybe so much hairsplitting

在一篇字迹难辨的手稿文章里，

over a tiny squiggle on a page

那么多的吹毛求疵

is a bit silly.

未必让人觉得大可不必

After all,

毕竟

there are so many bigger problems

这个世界上充满了更多更大

to worry about.

的烦心事

But sometimes, little things can make a big difference.

但有时候，小小的改变可以造成大不同。