How did English evolve? - Kate Gardoqui

英語的演化 - Kate Gardoqui

Translator: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

譯者: Geoff Chen 審譯者: Regina Chu

I am going to start with a challenge.

我想從一個挑戰開始，

I want you to imagine each of these two scenes

我要你盡可能詳細地

in as much detail as you can.

想像這兩個場景。

Scene number one:

場景一：

"They gave us a hearty welcome."

「他們給予我們熱誠的歡迎。」 (They gave us a hearty welcome.)

Well, who are the people who are giving a hearty welcome?

嗯，誰給予了熱誠的歡迎？

What are they wearing?

他們的衣著為何？

What are they drinking?

他們正在喝什麼？

OK, scene two:

好，場景二：

"They gave us a cordial reception."

「他們友好地款待我們。」 (They gave us a cordial reception.)

How are these people standing?

這代表哪些人？

What expressions are on their faces?

他們臉上的表情為何？

What are they wearing and drinking?

他們衣著為何？他們啜飲著什麼？

Fix these pictures in your mind's eye

將這些畫面定格在你的腦海裡，

and then jot down a sentence or two to describe them.

然後以一兩句話來形容他們。

We'll come back to them later.

我們稍後再談論他們。

Now on to our story.

現在，開始我們的故事。

In the year 400 C.E.

西元 400 年時，

the Celts in Britain were ruled by Romans.

在英國的賽爾特人是由羅馬人所統治。

This had one benefit for the Celts:

這給予塞爾特人的一個好處：

the Romans protected them from the barbarian Saxon tribes

羅馬人保護他們免受

of Northern Europe.

在北歐的蠻族撒克遜人的侵擾。

But then the Roman Empire began to crumble,

但之後，羅馬帝國開始崩潰，

and the Romans withdrew from Britain.

於是羅馬人撤離英國。

With the Romans gone, the Germanic tribes,

當羅馬離開後，日爾曼人、

the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Frisians

盎格鲁人、 撒克遜人、 朱特人、與弗里西人

quickly sailed across the water,

迅速地划過海峽，

did away with the Celts,

消滅了塞爾特人，

and formed kingdoms in the British Isles.

在不列顛成立各自的王國。

For several centuries, these tribes lived in Britain,

幾個世紀以來，這些部落定居英國，

and their Germanic language, Anglo Saxon,

他們的日爾曼語和盎格魯撒克遜語

became the common language, what we call Old English.

形成了共同的語言，我們稱之為古英語。

Although modern English speakers may think Old English sounds like a different language,

雖然使用現代英語的人可能會覺得 古英語聽起來像是一種不同的語言，

if you look and listen closely, you'll find many words that are recognizable.

如果你仔細看、仔細聽，你會發現許多可識別的單字。

For example, here is what the Lord's Prayer looks like in Old English.

比如，這是主禱文在古英語中的樣子，

At first glance, it may look unfamiliar,

第一眼看上去，你可能對它不熟悉，

but update the spelling a bit,

但更新一下拼寫

and you'll see many common English words.

你就會看到許多常見的英語單詞，

So the centuries passed with Britains happily speaking Old English,

所以幾百年來，英國人愉快地說著古英語

but in the 700's, a series of Viking invasions began,

但到了西元 700 間，維京人開始一連串的入侵，

which continued until a treaty split the island in half.

戰爭持續到劃定一個條約為止， 這個條約把島分為兩半。

On one side were the Saxons.

一邊是撒克遜人，

On the other side were the Danes

另一邊是

who spoke a language called Old Norse.

說著古維京語的丹麥人。

As Saxons fell in love with their cute Danish neighbors

當撒克遜人愛上他們可愛的丹麥鄰居

and marriages blurred the boundaries,

同時通婚模糊界限後，

Old Norse mixed with Old English,

古英語便與古維京語混合在一塊兒，

and many Old Norse words like

許多古維京語，比如

freckle,

雀斑、

leg,

root,

腿、

根、

skin,

and want

皮膚、

要

are still a part of our language.

仍然是我們語言的一部分。

300 years later, in 1066,

300 年後，西元 1066 年，

the Norman conquest brought war again to the British Isles.

諾曼人再次將戰爭帶到不列顛群島，

The Normans were Vikings who settled in France.

諾曼人是定居在法國的維京人。

They had abandoned the Viking language and culture

他們放棄了維京人的語言和文化，

in favor of a French lifestyle,

喜好法國的生活方式，

but they still fought like Vikings.

但他們仍然和維京人一樣地好戰。

They placed a Norman king on the English throne

他們在英國的皇冠上安插了一位諾曼國王，

and for three centuries, French was the language of the British royalty.

整整三個世紀，法語是英國皇室的語言。

Society in Britain came to have two levels:

英國社會存在兩個階級：

French-speaking aristocracy

說法語的貴族、

and Old English-speaking peasants.

和說古英語的農民。

The French also brought many Roman Catholic clergymen with them

法國人也帶來許多羅馬教廷的神職人員

who added Latin words to the mix.

他們把拉丁文詞彙添加、混合到語言中，

Old English adapted and grew

古英文日漸蛻變成長

as thousands of words flowed in,

成千上萬的詞彙匯流而入，

many having to do with government, law, and aristocracy.

許多詞彙與政府、 法律和貴族相關，

Words like council,

這些詞彙，比如理事會、

marriage,

sovereign,

婚姻、

主權、

govern,

管轄、

damage,

損害、

and parliament.

和議會。

As the language expanded,

隨著語言的擴大，

English speakers quickly realized what to do

說英語的人很快地意識到該怎麼做

if they wanted to sound sophisticated:

才能使他們聽起來成熟世故：

they would use words that had come from French or Latin.

他們會使用來自法語或拉丁語的單詞。

Anglo Saxon words seemed so plain

盎格魯撒克遜語似乎太過平易，

like the Anglo Saxon peasants who spoke them.

就像盎格魯撒克遜農民說的話。

Let's go back to the two sentences you thought about earlier.

讓我們回到你之前想過的兩句話，

When you pictured the hearty welcome,

當你想像一種熱誠的歡迎（hearty welcome），

did you see an earthy scene with relatives hugging and talking loudly?

你看到一個與親人擁抱和大聲交談的素樸場景嗎？

Were they drinking beer?

他們喝啤酒嗎？

Were they wearing lumberjack shirts and jeans?

他們身穿伐木工的襯衫和牛仔褲嗎？

And what about the cordial reception?

而友好的款待（cordial reception）呢？

I bet you pictured a far more classy and refined crowd.

我猜你想像的場景是一個更優雅、精緻的人群，

Blazers and skirts,

西裝上衣和裙子、

wine and caviar.

葡萄酒和魚子醬。

Why is this?

為什麼這樣呢？

How is it that phrases that are considered just about synonymous by the dictionary

何以同樣在字典中被認為是同義字

can evoke such different pictures and feelings?

卻可以喚起如此殊異的畫面和感覺呢？

"Hearty" and "welcome" are both Saxon words.

「熱誠 （hearty）」和「歡迎（welcome）」兩個字 都是撒克遜語彙；

"Cordial" and "reception" come from French.

「友好 （cordial）」和「款待（reception）」來自法國。

The connotation of nobility and authority has persisted

貴族和權威的意涵

around words of French origin.

已持續地圍繞於那些源於法語單詞。

And the connotation of peasantry,

而農民的意涵，

real people,

真正的人們，

salt of the Earth,

社會中堅，

has persisted around Saxon words.

一直持續地圍繞撒克遜語彙之間。

Even if you never heard this history before,

即使你從未聽說過這段歷史，

the memory of it persists in the feelings evoked

它從記憶中所誘發的情緒

by the words you speak.

仍然存在於你的話語之中。

On some level, it's a story you already knew

某種程度上，這是你一個已經知道的故事，

because whether we realize it consciously

因為無論我們是否有意識地、

or only subconsciously,

或只是下意識的認識到它，

our history lives in the words we speak and hear.

我們的歷史存在於我們聽、說的話語之中。