Making sense of spelling - Gina Cooke

譯者: Gina Wang 審譯者: 盧 曉天

You've probably seen an email or an internet post

你可能看過電子郵件或網路文章

about how weird and random English spelling seems to be.

有關英文拼字看似多麼的奇怪與隨機

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

但如果我告訴你，這其實一切都有完美道理？

In fact, that's spelling's job:

這就是拼字的功能 -- 讓字有道理 假設拼字像是在剝洋蔥的皮

Making sense. Think of spelling a word

這就是拼字的功能 -- 讓字有道理 假設拼字像是在剝洋蔥的皮

as peeling back the layers of an onion.

這就是拼字的功能 -- 讓字有道理 假設拼字像是在剝洋蔥的皮

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

字彙的第一層是道理與意涵

Often there are multiple layers of meaning.

通常，意涵會有許多種

Another layer is the word's structure.

另一層則是文字的構造

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

把字根看做是洋蔥中心

its essential kernel of meaning.

是字義的核心

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

一個沒有字根的字，像 O-N-E

or T-W-O,

或 T-W-O

can stand on its own as a word,

可以自成一字

like one, or two.

像是一和二

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

結合型字根，像噴發（erupt）或破裂（rupture）中 的 R-U-P-T 需要其它的元素以構成單字

needs another element in order to surface in a word.

結合型字根，像噴發（erupt）或破裂（rupture）中 的 R-U-P-T 需要其它的元素以構成單字

Two or more bases

兩種或更多字根

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

構成複合字，像兩倍的（twofold）、 某人（someone）、破產（bankrupt）

Once we figure out a word's meaningful elements,

只要我們了解一個單字有意義的元素

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

我們便能解開它的歷史並更明白

on why it's spelled as it is.

為什麼單字要這樣拼

The word "two," for example,

舉例來說，two 這個字

needs its "W" in order to mark its connection

需要 W 來與其他的字形成連結

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

像兩次（twice）、十二（twelve）、二十（twenty）

"twin" and "between."

雙胞胎（twin）、之間（between）

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

一個字的歷史是洋蔥的另一層

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

有這樣的認知，讓我們來檢視 one 這個字

First we need to check in with what it means.

首先，我們先看它的意思

Unique, single, solitary.

特別的（unique）、單一的（single）、單獨的（solitary）

"One's" historical layers include its relatives

one 的歷史層面包含其他相似的字

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

只有（only）、一次（once）、 十一（eleven）、甚至一個（a）

"an" and "any."

一個（an）、任何（any）

But it's the morphological relatives -

但它型態上的相似字

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

字根都有 O-N-E 的字

That are really astonishing.

十分驚人

There are the familiar ones, like "anyone,"

它們都很相似，像是：任何人

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

單軌的（one-track）、一個人（oneself） 這些明顯的字

But let's take a look at some unexpected derivations

但讓我們看一些其它 one 比較不尋常的衍生字

of the word "one."

但讓我們看一些其它 one 比較不尋常的衍生字

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

獨自一人（alone）這個字，是由 字首 A-L 和字根 O-N-E 所結合而成

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

用字首 A-L 的字有

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

總是（always）、已經（already）、 全能的（almighty）、幾乎（almost）

It means "all."

都有「全部（all）」的意思

the word "alone" means "all one."

alone 這個字的意思是「全部只有一個（all one）」

It was misanalysed in the middle ages

但在中古世紀時被做了錯誤分析

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

而只有 a 的字首，像是睡著的（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 產生了

which then developed into its own family.

它也發展出一系列相關字

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

在「彌補（atone）」這個字中， 我們看到常用的介系詞 at

compounded with the base O-N-E.

與字根 O-N-E 結合

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

當我們想彌補做過的某件錯事

we attempt to make things whole again,

我們試圖讓事情再度圓滿

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

更正錯誤， 與我們傷害到的人合一

But here's perhaps the best one of all:

而這裡有個最棒的例子

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

「洋蔥（onion）」的拼字通常被看作不規則

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

或沒道理， 因為它用 O 拼出 uh 的音

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

但如果我們看這個字的構造

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

和歷史，其拼字再也不奇怪了

When we look at the roots of an onion,

當我們看洋蔥的字根

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

我們知道它用 O-N-E 加上 I-O-N

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

是在緊張（tension）、行為（action）、 聯合（union）中的字尾

and thousands of other words in English.

在英文許多單字中也可以看到

Unlike the many cloves in a head of garlic,

不像蒜頭有許多瓣

an onion has a single bulb.

洋蔥只有一顆蔥頭

It is marked by the state or condition of oneness.

是單一的型態

Like an onion, English is one -

就像洋蔥

one single writing system shared across time and space.

英文是一種 跨越時空的獨特寫作系統

Its structure and its history have many layers,

它的結構和歷史就像洋蔥的瓣

and peeling them apart can really add flavor to our language

若把它們層層剝開， 可為語言增添風味

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

並豐富我們的認知 看吧！拼字其實不只是拼字

but about how written words make sense.

而是讓字彙更合理

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

合理得讓人感動！