TEDxHousesOfParliament
Mark Forsyth: What's a snollygoster? A short lesson in political speak
Mark Forsyth： 什麼是 snollygoster？一堂關於政治語言的課
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大多數政客都會小心翼翼的選擇用詞，以用來塑造他們希望創造的現實。但這有用嗎？詞源學家 Mark Forsyth 分享一些英國和美國關於字源的有趣小故事（例如，你曾有想過喬治•華盛頓是怎樣被稱呼為 president？)，並且也做出令人驚訝的結論。（本演講來自：TEDxHousesofParliament in London )
Mark Forsyth - Writer
Mark Forsyth strolls through the English language, telling stories, making connections and banishing hobgoblins. Full bio
Mark Forsyth strolls through the English language, telling stories, making connections and banishing hobgoblins. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:16
One of my favorite words in the whole of
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全牛津英語字典中
00:18
the Oxford English Dictionary is "snollygoster."
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我最喜歡的單字是 snollygoster
00:22
Just because it sounds so good.
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不僅因為它聽起來很棒
00:23
And what snollygoster means is
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而且它的意思是
00:25
"a dishonest politician."
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“一位不誠實的政客”
00:28
Although there was a 19th-century
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不過，有一位19世紀的報紙編輯
00:29
newspaper editor who defined it rather better when he said,
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給了最好的定義，他說：
00:31
"A snollygoster is a fellow who seeks office
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“snollygoster 是一個為了謀求高位的人
00:34
regardless of party, platform or principle,
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不擇政黨、場合或原則
00:38
and who, when he wins,
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為了贏得該職位
00:39
gets there by the sheer force
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他會竭盡全力
00:41
of monumental talknophical assumnancy."
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用三寸不爛之舌以達到目的"
00:45
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
00:47
Now I have no idea what "talknophical" is.
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我完全不懂“talknophical”是什麼意思
00:49
Something to do with words, I assume.
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我想大概是和言語詞彙有關
00:50
But it's very important that words are at the center of politics,
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但言語詞彙卻是政治運作的核心
00:53
and all politicians know they have to try and control language.
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所有政客都明白
他們必須試著控制言論
他們必須試著控制言論
00:57
It wasn't until, for example, 1771
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舉例來說，一直到1771年
01:00
that the British Parliament allowed newspapers to report
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英國國會才准許報紙刊出
01:04
the exact words that were said in the debating chamber.
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政客在議會所說的逐字稿
01:08
And this was actually all down to the bravery
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事實上，這全是因為一位勇敢的人
01:10
of a guy with the extraordinary name of Brass Crosby,
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他非凡的名字叫 Brass Crosby
01:13
who took on Parliament.
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他對抗國會
01:15
And he was thrown into the Tower of London
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然後被丟進倫敦塔裡
01:17
and imprisoned,
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遭到囚禁
01:18
but he was brave enough,
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但是他還是很勇敢
01:21
he was brave enough to take them on,
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在國會挺身而出
01:24
and in the end he had such popular support in London that he won.
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最終，因倫敦廣大的民眾支持而贏得勝利
01:26
And it was only a few years later
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僅僅幾年後
01:29
that we have the first recorded use of the phrase
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出現這片語最早的使用記錄
01:31
"as bold as brass."
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“as bold as brass”
（像Brass一樣的勇敢）
（像Brass一樣的勇敢）
01:34
Most people think that's down to the metal.
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很多人認為這片語的來源與金屬有關
01:36
It's not. It's down to a campaigner
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不是的，它是出自於
01:38
for the freedom of the press.
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一位捍衛新聞自由的勇士
01:41
But to really show you how
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不過它真正顯示出
01:43
words and politics interact,
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言語和政治如何互動
01:45
I want to take you back to the United States of America,
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我想來說說過去的美國
01:48
just after they'd achieved independence.
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在它才剛獨立的時候
01:50
And they had to face the question
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他們須面對一個問題
01:52
of what to call George Washington, their leader.
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要如何稱呼他們的領袖喬治·華盛頓
01:55
They didn't know.
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他們不知道
01:56
What do you call the leader of a republican country?
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應該怎麼尊稱一位共和國的領袖
01:59
And this was debated in Congress for ages and ages.
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國會為了這問題爭論許久
02:03
And there were all sorts of suggestions on the table,
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檯面上有許多的建議
02:05
which might have made it.
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有些貌似可行
02:06
I mean, some people wanted him to be called
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有些人想稱他為
02:08
Chief Magistrate Washington,
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「首席行政官華盛頓」
02:10
and other people, His Highness George Washington,
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而另一些人想稱他為「喬治·華盛頓殿下」
02:13
and other people, Protector of the Liberties of the People of the United States of America Washington.
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還有人稱他「保障美國人民自由的保衛者華盛頓」
02:20
Not that catchy.
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不怎麼響亮
02:21
Some people just wanted to call him King.
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一些人只想稱他為「國王」
02:24
They thought it was tried and tested.
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他們認為這稱號過去用過並經得起考驗
02:25
And they weren't even being monarchical there,
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他們甚至並不想延續君主獨裁制
02:27
they had the idea that you could be elected King
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他們的想法是
國王是可以透過選舉產生的
國王是可以透過選舉產生的
02:29
for a fixed term.
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有一定的任期
02:31
And, you know, it could have worked.
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這樣大概可行
02:32
And everybody got insanely bored, actually,
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為此每個人都感到非常地厭煩，事實上
02:35
because this debate went on for three weeks.
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這場辯論持續了3個禮拜
02:37
I read a diary of this poor senator,
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我讀過當時一位可憐議員的日記
02:38
who just keeps coming back, "Still on this subject."
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裡面不斷的寫著「還是這個議題」
02:41
And the reason for the delay and the boredom was that
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導致延宕和和厭倦的原因是
02:44
the House of Representatives were against the Senate.
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眾議院是反對參議院的
02:47
The House of Representatives didn't want Washington
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眾議院不想讓華盛頓
02:50
to get drunk on power.
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沉醉於權力
02:52
They didn't want to call him King
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他們不想稱他為國王
02:53
in case that gave him ideas, or his successor ideas.
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以防他或他的繼任者會自認為國王
02:56
So they wanted to give him the humblest, meagerest,
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他們想給他一個最謙卑、最微不足道
02:59
most pathetic title that they could think of.
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最為可悲的頭銜
03:02
And that title was "President."
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而這個頭銜叫 President (總統)
03:08
President. They didn't invent the title. I mean, it existed before,
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President，不是他們創造的字眼
這個頭銜以前就存在
這個頭銜以前就存在
03:11
but it just meant somebody who presides over a meeting.
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但它只指會議主持人
03:14
It was like the foreman of the jury.
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類似陪審團主席
03:16
And it didn't have much more grandeur
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與 foreman（工頭）或 overseer（監工）相比
03:18
than the term "foreman" or "overseer."
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它一點也沒有比較顯赫
03:20
There were occasional presidents of little colonial councils
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雖然這名稱會偶爾指某些小殖民地的行政官
03:23
and bits of government, but it was really a nothing title.
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有一絲地區首領意味
但它真的是個不怎樣的頭銜
但它真的是個不怎樣的頭銜
03:26
And that's why the Senate objected to it.
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這也是為什麼參議院反對這頭銜的原因
03:28
They said, that's ridiculous, you can't call him President.
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他們說，這太荒謬，你們不能稱他為主席
03:32
This guy has to go and sign treaties and meet foreign dignitaries.
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這個人必須去簽條約和接見外國貴賓
03:35
And who's going to take him seriously
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誰會認真對待他
03:37
if he's got a silly little title
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如果他只有如此愚蠢的小頭銜：
03:39
like President of the United States of America?
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美國總統
（President of the United States of America）
（President of the United States of America）
03:43
And after three weeks of debate, in the end
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之後經過三週的辯論
03:47
the Senate did not cave in.
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最後參議院也沒有屈服
03:50
Instead, they agreed to use the title "President" for now,
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他們同意暫時先用 President 這稱號
03:56
but they also wanted it absolutely set down
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但他們也極力澄清
03:59
that they didn't agree with it
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他們不同意這個頭銜
04:02
from a decent respect for the opinions and practice of civilized nations,
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是出於對文明國家對意見和做法的尊重
04:08
whether under republican or monarchical forms of government,
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無論此政府是行共和制或者君主制
04:11
whose custom it is to annex,
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他的職權依照慣例
04:13
through the office of the Chief Magistrate, titles of respectability --
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同首席行政總理，是極具體面的尊稱
04:18
not bloody President --
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而不是該死的 President
04:20
and that in the intercourse with foreign nations,
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還有在同外國交際時
04:24
the majesty of the people of the United States
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美國人們的尊嚴
04:28
may not be hazarded by an appearance of singularity,
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不會被這怪異的頭銜所損害
04:31
i.e., we don't want to look like bloody weirdos.
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意即：我們不想被看成一群該死的怪人
04:35
Now you can learn three interesting things from this.
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從這個故事裡我們學到三件有趣的事
04:38
First of all -- and this is my favorite --
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首先，也是我最喜歡的
04:41
is that so far as I've ever been able to find out,
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到目前為止，在所有我能找到的資料裡
04:43
the Senate has never formally endorsed the title of President.
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參議院從來沒有正式的認可過「總統」這個頭銜
04:48
Barack Obama, President Obama, is there on borrowed time,
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歐巴馬「總統」一稱，到現在還是暫借的
04:51
just waiting for the Senate to spring into action.
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還在等待參議院著手處理名稱一事
04:55
Second thing you can learn is that
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我們可以學到的第二件事是
04:57
when a government says that this is a temporary measure --
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當一個政府宣稱這只是一項臨時措施
05:00
(Laughter) --
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（笑聲）--
05:03
you can still be waiting 223 years later.
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它會持續223年之久而不改變
05:08
But the third thing you can learn,
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但第三件事
05:09
and this is the really important one,
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非常重要
05:11
this is the point I want to leave you on,
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是我最想讓你們記住的要點
05:12
is that the title, President of the United States of America,
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就是「美國總統」這個頭銜
05:17
doesn't sound that humble at all these days, does it?
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現在聽起來一點都不卑微，不是嗎？
05:22
Something to do with the slightly over 5,000
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他有大約5000多枚
05:25
nuclear warheads he has at his disposal
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核彈彈頭等著他發號施令
05:27
and the largest economy in the world
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還有著全世界最大的經濟體
05:29
and a fleet of drones and all that sort of stuff.
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還有許多飛機艇艦，和其他的資源
05:33
Reality and history have endowed that title with grandeur.
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現實和歷史賦予了這個頭銜尊貴的含義
05:40
And so the Senate won in the end.
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所以最終參議院仍然贏了
05:41
They got their title of respectability.
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他們得到了想要的體面頭銜
05:44
And also, the Senate's other worry, the appearance of singularity --
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而且，參議院擔心
這個頭銜聽起來很古怪
這個頭銜聽起來很古怪
05:47
well, it was a singularity back then.
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它也只有過去那時候很古怪而已
05:49
But now, do you know how many nations have a president?
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但現在，你知道現在有多少個國家有「總統」嗎？
05:52
A hundred and forty-seven.
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147個
05:55
All because they want to sound like
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這都是因為他們想讓自己聽起來
05:56
the guy who's got the 5,000 nuclear warheads, etc.
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像那個擁有5000多枚核彈的傢伙一樣
06:01
And so, in the end, the Senate won
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所以到最後，參議院勝利了
06:04
and the House of Representatives lost,
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眾議院輸了
06:08
because nobody's going to feel that humble
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因為沒有人會感到謙卑
06:10
when they're told that they are now
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當他們被告知
06:12
the President of the United States of America.
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他們現在是美國總統
06:16
And that's the important lesson I think you can take away,
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這是很重要的一課
06:19
and the one I want to leave you with.
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也是我想留給你們思考的要點
06:20
Politicians try to pick words and use words to shape reality
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政客們該謹慎選擇用詞，並利用詞彙塑造
06:23
and control reality, but in fact,
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和控制現實，但是事實上
06:27
reality changes words far more
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現實改變詞彙遠遠超過
06:29
than words can ever change reality.
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詞彙能改變現實
06:32
Thank you very much.
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非常感謝大家
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mark Forsyth - WriterMark Forsyth strolls through the English language, telling stories, making connections and banishing hobgoblins.
Why you should listen
Mark Forsyth is a passionate, self-described pedant when it comes to the English language -- but his detailed knowledge of history has given him a common-sense approach to its "proper" use. He is an author, blogger, journalist, proofreader and ghostwriter. He can be found dispelling the grammar myths we were all taught in his popular blog, the Inky Fool. His book The Etymologicon takes "a circular stroll through the hidden connections of the English language" by history of one word or phrase with each chapter.
Mark Forsyth | Speaker | TED.com